Monday,
February 10, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
|
|
Alex Mesropyan hit two early 3-pointers to get IHA off to a good start on the way to a 63-49 win over Saddle River Day in the quarterfinals of the Bergen County Girls Basketball Tournament. |
ORADELL – Heading into the Bergen County quarterfinal duel between Immaculate Heart Academy and Saddle River Day, there were a multitude of story lines.
Saddle River Day's senior point guard Izzy McMahon was matched against her former team, which she helped lead to a county title as a freshman. Sisters Katia and Kayla Oge were playing on opposite teams and even guarding each other at times. But for IHA head coach Steve Silver, it was merely another test against another tough opponent looking to knock the defending county champion off its perch.
Alex Mesropyan helped IHA race out an early lead and the Blue Eagles were able to keep the Rebels at bay every time they made a run. Katia Oge had 17 points and Caitlin Roche knocked down several big shots as top-seeded IHA put it all together in a 63-49 triumph over No. 8 seed Saddle River Day on Sunday at River Dell High School in Oradell.
“We knew that we couldn't take this game personally even though all the girls on each team know one another,” said Roche, a junior shooting guard. “We couldn't think about it as playing against our friends, but looking at each individual as someone who was trying to beat us. Setting the tone is always important and Alex hit a couple of big 3s to get us going.”
Known more for her defensive prowess, Mesropyan also showed she can be dangerous on the other end of the floor when left open. She scored all eight of her points in the first quarter, including back-to-back 3-pointers followed by another 3 from Caitlin Roche in a 12-2 spurt that gave IHA a 17-6 lead.
|
Saddle River Day's senior Izzy McMahon scored a game-high 20 points. |
Izzy McMahon single-handedly kept the Rebels afloat in the first half with a deep, step-back 3 to trim the IHA lead to 19-16. That was when the Blue Eagles did for the first time what they did the remainder of the game; they answered every Rebel run with a basket to slow their momentum. Katia Oge and Wilmoth both hit jumpers and Roche nailed a 3 as the Blue Eagles stretched their lead out to eight by halftime, 32-24.
Katia Oge and Wilmoth started to assert themselves inside in bumping the lead up to double-digits going into the fourth quarter. Dani McMahon hit a 3-pointer and Danielle Deoul scored inside to cut the SR-D deficit to eight with just under five minutes to play, but Oge responded with a layup and then Roche nailed a long-range bomb from the corner to all but seal the game.
“We just couldn't put stops together and they absolutely killed us on the boards in the last five minutes of the game,” said Saddle River Day head coach Danny Brown. “We didn't execute on offense consistently the way we were capable of. We're going to focus on nailing down the offense and demanding better execution. If we do that, we'll have more balance on offense and it will make us a stronger team for the states.”
Roche led three players in double-figures with 19 points for IHA (15-4). Katia Oge was two off of her career-best with 17 points to go with 12 from Wilmoth. Izzy McMahon led all players with 20 points for Saddle River Day (15-4). Dani McMahon chipped with nine points, while Deoul and Kelly Hannigan had eight and seven points, respectively.
|
IHA's Katia Oge finished with 17 points, two off her career high. |
IHA will head back to their customary place at Ramapo College in the Bergen County semifinals where the Blue Eagles will face off against No. 4 seed Northern Highlands, a big winner on Sunday over Ramapo. It will be a rematch of a great game played two weeks ago when IHA overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to score a 43-39 win over the Highlanders and it is also a rematch of last season's county final won by IHA rather handily. Even though it will be a tough matchup, Silver likes the way his team is playing its best ball at the right time.
“I thought we played a very well-rounded game, it was a true team effort,” said Silver. “Give Saddle River Day credit, they played really hard and hit some shots to keep it tight enough where you had to stay on your toes. The biggest thing for us was composure. We stayed poised and moved the ball around until we found the open man. I thought we played fearless, but not reckless. It was a clean game overall. If we can continue to play like that moving forward, I'll very pleased like I am right now with our performance today.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME.
TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT
OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com. |