Sunday,
January 26, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Madison Levine helped Indian Hills get a rare county tournament win, a 59-37 victory over Glen Rock on Saturday in Oakland. |
OAKLAND – As Indian Hills’ two senior starters, Julia Ferraro and Madison Levine, walked to the locker room for halftime down by a basket to Glen Rock they felt like a chance to do something they have been dreaming since they cracked the starting lineup as sophomores was slipping away.
Just playing in a Bergen County Tournament game, let alone on their own home floor, seemed like a pipe dream back then. But with hard work, determination, and a new-found will to succeed, the Braves have been one of the big surprises in Bergen County this season. But without a win on Saturday, finally making the county tournament after a long absence would have been bittersweet.
Ferraro and Levine made sure that the first Bergen County Tournament game played on the Braves’ home floor in over a decade would end on a positive note. They led the way as No. 15 seed Indian Hills started the second half with an 11-1 run to take control en route to a 59-37 triumph over 18th seeded Glen Rock on Saturday in Oakland.
“It’s a great feeling, especially as a senior to get a county win at home,” said Levine. “When we were underclassmen we always played hard for our seniors. Now as seniors to see the underclassmen stepping up and playing well feels like they’re giving back to us.”
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Morgan Foley scored a team-high 12 points for Glen Rock. |
Indian Hills came out firing from 3-point range with Jules Oehrlein hitting a pair and Ferraro connecting one within the first four minutes of the game. The Braves’ full-court press gave Glen Rock some problems early on, but it was able to settle down in the second quarter. With the jitters gone, Glen Rock found paths to the basket, including consecutive layups from McGara DeWan and Lizzi Alba with Alba’s beating the buzzer to put the Panthers in front at halftime, 30-28.
Glen Rock had all the momentum going into the locker room. Less than two minutes into third quarter, the Braves had not only swung the momentum back to their side but had gained a sizeable lead that the Panthers were never able to cut into. The Braves forced four straight turnovers and turned them into seven points to take the lead for good.
“Mo' switched benches at halftime and never came back to our side,” said Glen Rock head coach Dave Mosconi about Indian Hills’ dominant play in the second half. “Those four turnovers right out of the gate to start the third quarter including an unforced turnover six seconds in didn’t help us. I don’t know what happened to us in the second half, we just panicked and never bounced back. This will only make us tougher for our league games in the long run, that’s what we have to take away from this.”
Consecutive baskets by Ferraro, Levine, and Kayla Connelly bumped the lead up to double-digits early in the fourth quarter, which all but put the game away.
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Julia Ferraro scored 17 points for Indian Hills, which will play 2nd-seeded Immaculate Conception in the Round of 16. |
“We made some adjustments and we really tightened up our press coming to start the second half,” said Indian Hills’ first-year head coach and former Pascack Hills standout Julie Haledjian. “Getting a few turnovers in the third quarter was huge. We feed off of each other and we played together. You can play as five fingers or you can play as a fist. In that second half, we were a fist. I want us to enjoy this win and keep working hard to get better every day.”
Ferraro led a balanced scoring attack for Indian Hills (8-4) with a game-high 17 points. Levine and Oehrlein each had 11, while Emily Shlapak and Connelly each chipped in with 8 points. Foley (12 points) was the lone player in double-figures for Glen Rock (8-2).
Indian Hills advanced to the Round of 16 where they will face No. 2 seed Immaculate Conception at Felician College in Rutherford on Saturday. While pulling the upset will be a tall order against one of the favorites to win the Bergen County Tournament, the Braves will go in with guns blazing and ready to cherish every moment of playing another county tournament game.
“This is a huge win, I have the chills right now just thinking about it,” said Ferraro. “We are playing every day like it’s our last. When you’re a senior, you realize that it doesn’t last forever. We know Immaculate Conception is a really good team, but we have nothing to lose. We’re coming in fearless no matter we step on the court with. We’re going to play hard, play as a unit, and give it our best shot.”
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