Tuesday, January 28, 2014

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Senior Charles Heslin scored 10 points in a win that Ridgefield Park had to have, a 55-41 victory over Indian Hills that put the Scarlets on the doorstep of qualifying for the Jamboree.

RIDGEFIELD PARK – Ridgefield Park's boys basketball team was coming off of two straight tough losses. First there was the two-point, last second setback against Westwood and that was followed closely by a five-point loss to Hawthorne Christian Academy at the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic over the weekend in Paterson. If there are such things, then those are two quality losses, hard-fought games against tough teams that went right down to the wire. But quality losses do not get a team into the Bergen County Jamboree, quality wins do and the Scarlets desperately needed one of Monday night against Indian Hills, which was also looking to secure a Jambo bid.

After a slow start on the offensive end where it scored just five points in the first quarter and none until 6-foot-6 center Dondre Rhoden hit a 3-pointer 6:02 into the game, Ridgefield Park got it in gear with a 12-4 run late in the first half and took control on the way to a 55-41 win that move the Scarlets to 9-5 on the season. They may just have done enough to make secure an at large bid, but could seal the deal officially with their last game before the cutoff on Tuesday night against league rival Cliffside Park. A win there and Ridgefield Park would have the .650 winning percentage needed for automatic entry.

“This was a great response to our prior two losses, the two-pointer against Westwood and Hawthorne Christian by five. We were in both games, we didn't win either of them, but we didn't get down on ourselves and I think that shows the character that this team has,” said Ridgefield Park head coach Chris Gaskin. “And now we are to rivalry game against Cliffside with one of my good friends [Sean MacIsaac] on the other bench, but it is not going to be about us, it is about these kids trying to play their way into the Jambo and I know this group will give it everything they have.”

Ryan Warnet had a team-high 15 points for Indian Hills, which can seal its Jambo spot with a win over Paramus on Tuesday.

The Scarlets were in desperation mode and their efforts paid off in the second quarter. Anthony Sarra's baseline jumper to open the period gave Ridgefield Park its first lead of the game at 7-6 and it never gave it back. The lead was still just a single point at 11-10 when Ryan Warnet hit two free throws for Indian Hills, but Ridgefield Park ran off 12 of the game's next 16 points over the final 5:51 of the half. Charles Heslin hit a 3-pointer to the Scarlets the 23-14 lead they took into the locker room.

“We have nine seniors on this team and we knew we had to find a way to win this game and make [the Jambo]. It's our last run and we knew what was at stake,” said Heslin, RP's senior shooting guard. “We knew how big this game was, we have been talking about it since the end of the Hawthorne Christian game and we came out and we performed. It kind of had a little playoff atmosphere and intensity to it and we were able to get it down.”

Ridgefield Park pushed its lead into double digits right out of the gates in the third quarter as Rhoden scored on the fastbreak. The lead swelled to 13 at 33-20 when Heslin converted a conventional 3-point play and John Cancel scored in transition to force an Indian Hills timeout just three minutes into the second half and it was all uphill from there for the Braves, who trailed 37-28 after three quarters.

“We missed a lot of point blank layups, especially in the second half or we would get a stop on the defensive end and give away silly turnovers. Those are four-point swings right there. You can't do that against any team and especially not against a good team like Ridgefield Park” said Indian Hills head coach Tom Curry, Jr. “We played Old Tappan before this and they were the same way. They played with a little more sense of urgency while we are still trying to figure out how to win in this time of game where the opponent is playing for something and is going after it.”

Adonis Puello scored on a driving lay-up 12 seconds into the fourth quarter to push the RP lead into double digits for good. The Scarlets led by as many as 19 points before Indian Hills' Noah Menner scored the last five points of the game to close the final margin.

Senior Dondre Rhoden had a game-high 17 points for Ridgefield Park, which will play Cliffside Park on Tuesday with an automatic Jambo bid on the line.

Warnet, a senior and a 1,000-point career scorer, led Indian Hills with 15 points and Menner and Matt Jensen each added 7 points. Mike Korst finished with 6 and Brian Connelly, Zack Gillespie and Mike Nowatsky split the Braves; other 6 points evenly.

After starting the season at 5-0, Indian Hills now stands at 7-4 on the season with one came left before the Jambo cutoff. A win against Paramus puts the Braves in automatically, which in itself would be a tremendous in the first year under Curry, who was a point guard on the 2002 Dwight-Englewood team that reached the Final 4. Indian Hills has already run the gamut this year from a team that had low expectations from outside the program, to one that got off to a blazing to and now to one fighting for a Jambo spot.

“We talked about having a target on us after the good start and people start talking about you, writing articles and giving you attention. Other teams see that, they take you seriously and they want to beat you that much more,” said Curry. “It is something we have struggled with, but it is also something we can get better at as the season goes along and that starts with getting a win [against Paramus].”

Rhoden (17 points) and Heslin (10 points) both finished in double digits for the Scarlets while Sarra added 8 and Ryan Lamon and Cancel each had 7 for Ridgefield Park, which is in the same boat as Indian Hills, needing just a Tuesday win to take the nerves out of Jambo Selection Day.

“We've gotten closer as a team since that Westwood game. To lose like that on a shocking 3-pointer and then lose again on Saturday, it made us hungry to snap that losing streak and get back on track for the Jambo. I am proud of my teammates and the coaching staff for getting this done tonight,” said Rhoden, who has been involved in some interesting one-on-one battles in the last week against Westwood's EJ Bermudez, HCA's Alex Thomas and Warnet against Indian Hills. “It's not about me, it's about the team and it's about winning games. I am not a big media guy, I don't really read what is on the internet or listen to what people say. I am just going to play ball, listen to my coaches and try to help get us into the Jambo.”

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