Monday,
December 17, 2012
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
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Jackie Reyneke scored 12 points for Northern Highlands, which improved to 2-0 with a 62-47 win over Ridgefield Park at the Hoops 4 Autism Benefit on Sunday at River Dell High School. |
ORADELL – Last season, Teaneck was the team to beat in Bergen County girls basketball and no one could. The Highwaywomen entered as the preseason No. 1 and left as Bergen County champion. This year is way different. Who is Bergen County's best? Is it one of the non-publics like Immaculate Heart, Holy Angels or Paramus Catholic? It very well might be, but there are a lot of people pointing squarely at Northern Highlands, the other county finalist last season that returns point guard Madison Dunbar and center Jackie Reyneke to its starting lineup.
“I am flattered by that, but we do only have two starters back even though both are outstanding players,” said Northern Highlands head coach Al Albanese. “It seems like everybody thinks we have five starters back, but we lost some very good players. We are fortunate to have kids like Jessica [Dowicz] and Melissa [Heath], who played some last year, and Nicole Miko, a sophomore soccer player who can be a lock down defender for us, to put in there, but they are still first year starters and we have a lot of work to do to become the kind of team that people think we can be. I am not saying we can't be, but we are not there yet. It's too early.”
The season is just three days old, but Northern Highlands has done nothing to the perception of the basketball community at large. It opened the season with a quality win over Ridgewood and, in the marquis matchup at the Hoops 4 Autism Benefit played on Sunday at River Dell High School, Northern Highlands pulled away from Ridgefield Park, another quality squad, in the second half on the way to a 62-47 win.
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Kellie Lane finished with 10 points for RP, which saw its record evened and 1-1. |
With its new starting lineup, Highlands' size is intimidating with Reyneke, Heath and Dowicz all standing taller than 6-feet and Miko just short {no pun intended) of that mark. Throw in the quickness of Dunbar at the point and Highlands presents matchup problems galore for opposing defenses.
But Ridgefield Park's defense is not in the habit of being intimidated as, even under first year head coach Nicole Pucciarelli, the 1-3-1 is Scarlets staple. Pucciarelli, a 2002 graduate, played in the system under Joe Branda when she was a gritty guard then known as Nicole Cerniglia and she helped coach it as an assistant to Chris Blessing and Scott Papetti. Now she is in charge of teaching it and the 1-3-1 helped Ridgefield Park get off to fast start. Katherine Haines' 3-pointer off a Highlands turnover gave the Scarlets an 11-3 lead with 1:56 left in the opening quarter.
Highlands, though, started to find the open spots and in addition to most of its starters having a height advantage over their defenders, they are all adept passers. Double-teaming any of them in the post means an open cutter and a ball-handler with the ability to find her. Highlands closed the opening quarter with a 9-2 run. Heath scored on the back end of a high/low with Reyneke, Rachel Jubelt scored on a back door cut with an assist from Reyneke again and Heath made a free throw to draw Highlands to within a single point at 13-12 heading into the second quarter.
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Jessica Dowicz (11 points) was one of four Highlands starters to finish in double digits. |
Reyneke, who will play next year at Princeton University, draws plenty of attention because she stands 6-foot-4, she can put the ball on the floor in the interior, play with her back to the basket and hit the midrange jumper and the offensive glass. She also shares the ball.
“It has definitely reduced some of the pressure on us because everyone keys on Jackie. They have to,” said Dowicz. “That frees us up to score when we have to on offense and, because she is always back there on defense, we can go for steals when we get the chance.”
Reyneke's determined drive across the lane and the accompanying bank shot opened the second quarter scoring and gave the Highlanders the lead for good even though Ridgefield Park hung tough through the rest of the first half and well into the third until one accidental collision changed everything. Highlands led 28-23 at the half and by 36-29 three-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter when Haines, RP's standout junior center, hit the floor hard and landed on her right elbow. She did not return.
Dunbar nailed a 3-pointer the next time down the floor to push the Highlands lead to double digits for the first time. Kellie Lane's two free throws got RP back to within 47-39 after three quarters, but Reyneke put back her own missed shot to open the fourth quarter and the Scarlets were not able to get within single digits the rest of the way.
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Julie Rovito finished with 7 points for Ridgefield Park. |
With Haines, its only real low post player, on the bench, Highlands was able to have its way inside and out.
“We know we have an advantage anyway because there are not many teams with three 6-foot-plus players on the floor and we know we can always lob the ball up to Jackie because she will go up and get it,” said Heath, a sophomore forward. “But with Rachel [Jubelt] coming off the bench and Kathleen [McIlraith], too, we can go small and play a different way. We don't lose anything with them in there and Madison [Dunbar] is a really good point guard. She keeps everyone involved and it is just great to have options with what we can do.”
Four of Highlands' five starters finished in double figures and Dunbar scored 11 of her team-high 15 points after halftime. Reyneke and Heath each finished with 12, Dowicz had 11 and Jubelt (6 points) and McIlraith combined for 10 points off the bench to round of the Highlanders' scoring.
Despite leaving early, Haines led all scorers with 17 points and Lane finished with 10 for Ridgefield Park, which fell to 1-1 on the season after an Opening Night win over Dwight-Morrow. Julie Rovito finished with 7 points, Jessica Domke and Cassandra Cruz each added 4 points and Ashley Castillo and Samantha Rinaldi each made a field goal.
“I am upset with the outcome, but not with the way played or the way we handled ourselves before [Haines] went down. We were OK, we were within five points at halftime and by seven when she got hurt. We were still in the game,” said Pucciarelli. “Even though we lost, I am glad that we got to play a team like Highlands here. Our toughest games are going to come in the [Joe Poli] Tournament and a couple of benefit games. We want to play them to be ready for what we are going to see later in the season.”
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