Sunday,
December 29, 2013
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Ridgefield's Taylor Jakuc scored seven of her 15 points during an early 20-0 run to help the Royals secure a comfortable 53-33 win over Cliffside Park in the Ridgefield Holiday Tournament on Saturday. |
RIDGEFIELD – When a coach and his players jot down the team goals for the season on the first day of practice, they are generally set for that season. And for teams that have struggled in recent years, those goals are usually fairly modest.
Such was the case for the Ridgefield girls’ basketball team, which would have been beyond happy with a .500 record after some lean years. The Royals, though, have been playing with confidence to start the 2013-2014 season and picked up a pair of convincing wins heading into Satuday's game against Cliffside Park. Another victory would end the calendar year off on the right note and hopefully act as a springboard for further success throughout the season.
Led by point guard Taylor Jakuc and center Mimi Jeremic, the Royals continued their torrid start. Jeremic led all players with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Jakuc scored 7 points during a 20-0 run spanning the first and second quarters as Ridgefield cruised to its third straight win with a 53-33 triumph in the final of the Ridgefield Holiday Tournament at Ridgefield High School.
“We all get excited for each other when we go on a big run, so it felt great to do it today,” said Jeremic. “We want to do it all, win our league, make the counties, and maybe even go deep in the states. That’s something we weren’t even thinking about when the season started.”
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Ashley Iler (left) played well for Cliffside Park. |
The Royals held a one-point lead near the midway point in the first quarter when they started to control the tempo with their 2-2-1 full-court press. It forced numerous turnovers, which sparked the crucial run. Jakuc and Vivi Carrero hit back-to-back threes to close out the first quarter with a 17-4 lead.
“When we’re hitting threes and scoring inside, it makes us really tough to guard,” said Jakuc. “It gives me confidence to shoot because my teammates have my back and will grab the rebound if I miss.”
The break between periods did little to slow down the Ridgefield press as it scored the first eight points of the second quarter en route to a 21-point halftime lead, 29-8.
“We turned the ball over too many times in the first half against their zone press,” said Cliffside Park head coach Carmine Cambareri. “They jumped right on us and we didn’t respond to the pressure. I think when we got into a half-court set that we got good shots. We didn’t do the little things right today and it put us in a big hole that we couldn’t climb out of.”
Cliffside Park’s Ashley Eyler hit a three-pointer to start the second half but that is as close as the Red Raiders would get. Jeremic and Emma Rush dominated the paint for the remainder of the third quarter as the Royals maintained their big lead the rest of the way.
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Vivi Carrero (left) hit a three-pointer to give Ridgefield a 17-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. |
Jeremic had four blocks to go with her double-double to lead the way for Ridgefield, which has not trailed in any of its three games this season. Jakuc added 15 points, four assists, and four steals. Rush chipped in with nine points.
Ephasia McCullough and Sonya Abrahim had nine and seven points, respectively, for Cliffside Park (1-2).
Ridgefield has a chance to get off to one of the best starts in the program’s history as its next six opponents have only one win combined going into Satuday ’s games. For a team that would have probably been pleased with a 12-win season when the year began, now, the bar has been raised and the Royals are ready to meet the challenge of reaching their new goals.
“We feel like we’re setting the foundation not just for our team but for Ridgefield girls’ basketball altogether,” said Rush. “We’re leaning on each other and we’re picking each other up a lot more. So we’re not playing one-on-one basketball, we’re playing together as a team.
"Getting a .500 record would be great, but we want to set other goals for ourselves and reach those as well.”
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