Logan Bahn put up a double-double (10 points, 10 rebounds) for Ramsey, which repeated as North 1, Group 2 state sectional champion with a 38-33 win over Elmwood Park.
RAMSEY – All Logan Bahn wanted was an opportunity. After being mostly a junior varsity player with limited minutes on the varsity level as a sophomore on Ramsey’s state sectional championship team last season, the 6-foot-5, 295-pound center was poised to have a breakout junior season. As the Rams started piling up the wins, Bahn was still trying to carve out consistent minutes in the lineup. He could have sulked, pouted, or even quit the sport to focus on football where he is a high-level recruit as an offensive lineman, but he never lost focus and knew that if he kept working hard that his time would come.
Facing Elmwood Park in Tuesday night’s North 1, Group 2 final, Bahn’s patience finally paid off.
Locked in a tight contest throughout the fourth quarter, Bahn made a variety of clutch plays down the stretch. He had six fourth quarter points and his layup with 18.4 seconds left allowed top-seeded Ramsey to repeat as the North 1, Group 2 champ with a 38-33 win over No. 2 seed Elmwood Park in front of a sold-out crowd at Ramsey High School.
Bahn did not start the game but made an impact throughout the first half. He hit a reverse layup, then grabbed a defensive rebound off of a missed layup by the Crusaders. That led to a rare fast break, which ended with a 3-pointer by Robert Fuerst to make it 14-8 with 4:38 to play in the half. That would be the last point the Rams scored in the first half as the pace slowed to a crawl for the remainder of the half with Ramsey taking three-point lead into the locker room, 14-11.
“We knew they wanted to slow the game down and they did a good job of that in the first half,” said Ramsey point guard Max Nierenberg. “We can play that way too and we’re a strong defensive team, but we had stick to our gameplan and take some more chances when we had a mismatch.”
Senior Essam Assaf led Elmwood Park with 10 points and finished with 1,299 for his career.
Noah Eide hit 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give Ramsey its largest lead, but the Crusaders refused to fold. When the teams met earlier this season, the Rams clamped down defensively and Elmwood Park had no answers in a 19-point loss. That was not the case this time as Essem Assaf controlled the pace and helped his team stay within striking distance heading into the fourth quarter.
The Crusaders took their only lead of the game with just over five minutes to play on two free throws by David Forzani. With the score tied, Fuerst completed a conventional 3-point play only to have DeWayne Carter answer with one of his own to the tie the score once again.
With the score remaining tied inside the final two minutes and the capacity crowd at a fevered pitch, every possession mattered. After a Ramsey miss, Bahn bulled his way into the lane to grab the rebound and was fouled on the putback attempt. He calmly knocked down both free throws to give the Rams the lead. On the Crusaders’ ensuing possession, he got a steal at the foul line then hit a perfect outlet pass to Fuerst for a layup and a 32-28 lead with 1:10 to play.
Assaf hit two free-throws late to make it a one-possession game and the Crusaders put on a full-court press. The Rams were prepared and quickly got the ball up the court with Eide lofting a pass for the layup with 18.4 seconds left that iced the game and another section title for the Rams.
Robert Fuerst finished with 10 points for Ramsey, which will play Caldwell in the Group 2 semifinals on Thursday.
“My coaches really prepared me for this moment and my teammates believed in me to get the job done,” said Bahn. “Playing JV last year got me the game experience I needed going into this year. My teammates were looking to get the ball inside and gave me some great passes. I had to take advantage of it and look to score when I got the ball. We really wanted this one and we feel we have a great shot of winning when we play our game.”
Bahn finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for Ramsey (24-4). Fuerst was the only other Ram in double-figures, also with 10 points. Assaf tied for game-high honors with 10 for Elmwood Park (22-6), finishing his career with 1,299 points.
Ramsey moves onto the Group 2 semifinals where it will take on North 2, Group 2 champion Caldwell (23-5) on Thursday. The game will take place at the Thomas J. Dunn Sports Center on the campus of Elizabeth High School with a 5:00 P.M. tip-off. It will be a game of contrasting styles. Caldwell has averaged over 56 points per game, while the Rams have allowed a team to reach the 50-point plateau just four times in their 28 games.
“We want to control the clock and control the game no matter who we play,” said Nierenberg. “Winning our section was our number one goal this season. With the way we’re playing right now, we’re shooting for winning the Group 2 state title. This feels great but now we have to get ready for another tough game ahead of us.”
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT CLICK HERE. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY PLEASE VISIT 4-FeetGrafix.com.
