Thursday, March 11, 2010

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Ashley Morella (left) and Raquel Scott celebrate after Morella's shot at the buzzer gave IHA a 50-48 win over Paramus Catholic in the Non-Public North A section final.

PATERSON - For any lover of high school basketball, last night’s section final between Immaculate Heart Academy and Paramus Catholic had it all. A fierce rivalry, huge plays from players on both teams, and a pair of controversial calls all played out in front of a raucous crowd hanging on every possession with each team’s season on the line. The game had seen virtually everything…everything but a fitting ending.

Having hit the game-winning three-pointer with seconds remaining to give IHA the section title last year on the very same court at Paterson Kennedy High School, IHA’s Ashley Morella already had the confidence that she could take and make the big shot. Even with just three seconds remaining in a tie game, Morella wanted the ball, got the ball, and the rest will go down in folklore as one of the greatest games in state tournament history.

Morella’s running one-hander from the wing hit nothing but the bottom of the net as time expired to give fourth-seeded IHA a thrilling 50-48 triumph over third-seeded Paramus Catholic and the Non-Public North A state sectional championship.

“This was a wild game and I think everyone in the gym figured it was going to go right down to the end,” said IHA head coach Steve Silver. “When PC and IHA play, it is never over until the final buzzer. Our job as coaches is to prepare the kids for any situation and we had to face a whole bunch of them tonight.”

Cassidy Moore was a force in the middle on both ends of the floor for Paramus Catholic finishing with 8 points, 14 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals.

Neither team could gain the upper-hand through the first three quarters. Paramus Catholic’s Lauren Milligan drained a three-pointer in the final minute of the first half as PC pulled within a point at the break, 22-21.

IHA led by as many as six in the third on a Morella three-pointer, but the Paladins battled back. Milligan stroked another long trifecta to knot the score at 36 heading into the fourth quarter. A game that was already hard-fought and filled with intensity was taken to an even higher level over the final eight minutes of regulation.

The teams went back and forth trading one big shot for another until Cassidy Moore gave PC the lead late. Moore, who was a force in the paint all game on both ends of the floor, used a drop-step for a basket and then hit two free-throws to put PC ahead, 48-43, with less than three minutes to play.

One missed shot might have turned out the lights on the Blue Eagles, who were already on the wrong end of a bad call when the Paladins were given a timeout without having possession of the ball. But freshman Sam Wilkes banked in a three-pointer to trim the lead down to two and Maggie LaRiviere hit a shot with 1:05 to play that tied the score at 48.

“We were a little nervous when we were down five, but we had to keep playing hard,” said Wilkes. “Our guards had to step up and I was a little lucky that my shot went in. As long as there is time on the clock, we always feel like we have a chance to win.”

Freshman Sam Wilkes finished with 15 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals for IHA.

After a timeout, Paramus Catholic was preparing for a final shot to win it in regulation when a controversial, if not bad, call was administered. While the Paramus Catholic player stepped on the border surrounding the court while faking an inbounds pass, she clearly did not step onto the court of play. But the refs decided that she did and IHA was given possession.

“I thought it was a terrible call, but it wasn’t the reason we lost the game,” said Paramus Catholic head coach Al Roth. “The big problem I have with the call is that it was a correctable error. It gave them possession and a chance to score in the final seconds. But the bottom line is we had the ball up by five points with two minutes to play. That is a game we absolutely have to close out and we didn’t.”

A shot on the ensuing possession was knocked out of bounds, giving IHA the ball underneath the Paladins’ basket with three seconds left. In the timeout, Silver thought about several plays to get off a final shot. But the one thing he wanted was the ball in Morella’s hands.

“Ashley has such a quick release that we figured she would have the best chance of actually getting the shot off,” said Silver of the game-winning play. “I knew if could square her shoulders and get a look at the basket that it had a good chance to go in.”

Morella curled off of a screen along the baseline, took the inbounds pass and immediately threw up a head-fake that got a defender in the air. She took a dribble, then tossed up a one-handed floater that went through the net as time expired, touching off a wild celebration.

PC's Rae Corbo closed her high school career with a team-high 15 points.

“My focus was staying calm and making sure I got the shot off,” said Morella, who oddly enough is from Paramus. “We practice these types of end-game situations every day, but you never think you’re going to need to execute it in a game this big. Went it went in, I just went crazy.”

Wilkes had a solid effort for IHA (23-5) with 15 points, four assists, and three steals. Morella had 10 points, and Raquel Scott added eight points and eight rebounds.

Cassidy Moore finished with a game-high 14 rebounds to go with eight points, four blocks, and three steals for Paramus Catholic (23-6). Rae Corbo had 15 points, while Lauren Milligan and Jamie Klein added 12 and seven, respectively.

The Blue Eagles face a tall task for the second straight year when it faces the defending Tournament of Champions winner St. John-Vianney in the Non-Public A state final on Saturday at the Ritacco Center. However, anything from here on out for IHA is gravy, especially for Morella.

“We didn’t know what to expect coming into the season and now we’re section champs,” added Morella. “No matter who hit the shot at the end, I’m just we glad we won and we get the chance to keep playing. To hit the game-winning shot in a section final is something every player dreams about. This is honestly unreal right now. I thought I couldn’t ever top an ending like last year’s win here over Holy Angels, but I think this takes it.”

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