Monday, January 21, 2012

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Kaitlin Lewis hit a runner with 10 seconds to go to finish off an amazing comeback as Demarest erased a 16-point fourth quarter deficit to knock off rival Old Tappan, 49-48.

HILLSDALE – When Lindsay Davis was named the head coach of the Northern Valley/Demarest girls basketball team, she was being called on to overhaul just about everything. A standout player in her own right at River Dell and then an assistant at Northern Valley/Old Tappan for six season, Davis was going to be given the time to start from the ground up at a program that had not won a single league game in the past few seasons and had rarely even tested let alone beat its sister school and rival over the past decade or so.

It's been so long since Demarest had beaten Old Tappan that nobody associated with either program could remember the last time it happened when asked after they met up on Sunday at The Games@Pascack Valley, the four-game charity event held on Sunday to raise funds for Austism Speaks and Juvenile Diabetes.

Davis was going to be given all the time she needed to restore Demarest back to respectability, but, as it turns out, she really only needed four minutes and nine seconds of Sunday's fourth quarter to put the Norsewomen back on the map.

Down 16 points after Old Tappan's Melissa Errico made a free throw to open the fourth quarter scoring and held without a point of its own for the first 3:51 of the final period, Demarest got a 3-pointer from sophomore Meghan Lewis that unleashed a chain of events that no one could see coming. The Norsewomen closed the game with a 19-2 run and made all the plays down the stretch to pull off a shocking 49-48 win at Pascack Valley High School.

Melissa Errico, Old Tappan's senior center, scored a game-high 14 points.

Do you believe in miracles?

“It is all about believing and our kids have been building confidence every single game. This opportunity came at the right time and I can't be any more proud of my team,” said Davis. “They just kept playing, kept playing hard and believing they were going to do it. Some how we are scooting out of here with a win.”

Old Tappan took a firm grasp of the game early in the second quarter with an 10-0 run that took them from a one-point advantage to a 21-9 lead in just 3:15. The Golden Knights had a 25-17 lead at halftime and their offense was humming in the third quarter, which they closed out with four straight points and a 45-30 lead. Old Tappan scored 37 points combined in the middle two periods and when Errico scored the last of her game-high 14 points one a free throw with 4:40 left to play, her team was in control at 46-30. Or at least so it seemed.

By the time Old Tappan scored again, Demarest had closed to within two points at 46-44 after scoring 14 straight points in just 2:35. Meghan Lewis' 3-pointer started the run, Victoria Corcoran had a 3-pointer and two made free throws in the spurt, Ashley Kiel hit a runner, Meghan Lewis did the same and there were just 59 seconds left in the game when OT freshman Alexie Piccinich stepped to the line and made two free throws to push the Knights' lead back to 48-44.

Ashley Kiel had 12 points in the game and 2 steals in the final minute to help complete Demarest's comeback.

The final four minutes of the game were a roller coaster of emotions for both sides illustrated by the fortunes of Demarest senior Kaitlin Lewis. She hit a 3-pointer to cut Old Tappan's lead to 48-47 with 29 seconds to go and, after Demarest forced a turnover on the ensuing inbounds pass, Kaitlin Lewis dribbled the ball off her foot to deprive her team a possession that could have given it a lead for the first time since it had a 7-6 advantage late in the first quarter.

“I kicked the ball out of bounds, but I couldn't let that get in my head. I just had to keep going because I wanted this win so bad for my team, my school and this program,” said Kaitlin Lewis. “I could not let that turnover get in the way of a last shot.”

As it turned out, Kaitlin Lewis would get the last field goal attempt of the game. Her turnover turned into two Old Tappan free throws and both were missed. Taking matters into her own hands, she dribbled hard into the lane and got up in the air, arcing a teardrop runner over two defenders and in with 10 seconds to go to finally and improbably put the Norsewomen in front.

“I knew that there wasn't much time left and that we only needed two [points], not a 3,” added Kaitlin Lewis. “I decided to drive because even if I didn't make the shot I knew I would probably draw a foul. I just had to get that shot up.”

Alexie Piccinich, one of three Old Tappan freshman to play heavy minutes, finished with 10 points.

It wasn't over yet, even after Ashley Kiel stepped in the passing lane to and made a steal. Demarest missed the front end of a one-and-one and Old Tappan's Katie Gattoni grabbed the rebound and sent the Knights up the floor with a pass to the midcourt stripe. But the next pass was stolen, again by Kiel, and Demarest had a couple of seconds to celebrate before Pascack Hills and Holy Angels took the floor for the final game of the day.

“I can't even describe this feeling. As soon as I got that last steal it hit me that it was game over and that we finally won. We wanted this so badly and this is the best feeling we have ever had as a team,” said Kiel, a senior. “This win just sets the tone for whatever comes next. Coach Davis has been awesome. She changed everything here. She changed our mood and now we are working together. We have a lot of talent, but now we putting it to use because we know we can win.”

Demarest has won at a pretty good clip this year. The Norsewomen won the New Milford Holiday Tournament, they are above .500 at 7-6 and they will play in the Bergen County Tournament this year. They are cohesive defensively and balanced offensively as Meghan Lewis and Kiel each scored 12 points against Old Tappan followed by 11 from Kaitlin Lewis and 8 for Corcoran. Veronica Corcoran had a second quarter 3-pointer and Lauren Malajian also had three points to round out the scoring in what could turnout to be a cornerstone win for the quickly rebuilding program.

“We are absolutely going to the county tournament and one of our goals is to get a county tournament win. These girls have not had a league win in years, they have not beaten Old Tappan in years and I don't know how long it has been,” said Davis. “We created new history with this game to be honest with you.”

The loss was a tough one to swallow for Old Tappan (8-5), but the Knights have been punching above their weight all season while breaking in a host of new players including Emily Crevani, Ariana Chipolone, and Piccinich, the three freshman who all played heavy minutes on Sunday. Errico led the Knights with 14 points, Piccinich had 10 and Crevani, Chipolone and Alyssa D'Ericole all added 6 points apiece.

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