Monday,
January 5, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
|
Jeana Cappolla, River Dell's lone senior, scored all 14 of her points in the second half in a 46-39 win over Bayonne at the Ray Long Classic. |
RUTHERFORD – Despite being the only senior and just one of two returning starters for River Dell, Jeana Cappolla did not do much to lead her team heading into halftime of Sunday's game against Bayonne. Cappolla, normally a reliable shooter from both the foul line and from 3-point range, was held scoreless in the first half. Her frustration grew but her confidence never wavered and she knew that if her team was going to extend its halftime lead and avoid an upset, then she would have to show her teammates what being a senior leader is all about.
Cappolla scored all 14 of her points in the second half, including 10 in the fourth quarter as River Dell pulled away for a 46-29 victory in the Ray Long Classic held at Felician College in Rutherford.
“No matter what the situation is, we always play hard for each other and that gets us through the tough times,” said Cappolla. “We had to some players who came in and really stepped up today and I had to do the same in the second half.”
Kailey Gallagher's 3-pointer gave Bayonne an early 6-4 lead, but that would be its final lead of the game. Two straight baskets from Caton Henderson gave River Dell the lead for good. Madison McGlone answered with a deep 3-pointer to cut the lead to one, but the Hawks stretched it out to five by halftime, 20-15.
After first half injury to starting point guard Kirsten Wozniak forced her to the sidelines for the remainder of the game, the Hawks needed multiple players to step up their effort to make up for the loss of production.
|
Bayonne's lone returning starter, Madison McGlone, led the Bees with 19 points. |
“As the only senior on the team and with our point guard out, I had to play harder and do whatever it takes to be more of an impact player,” said Cappolla. “In the locker room, I wasn't feeling my best because I had a bad first half. I just wanted to play tough as our whole team does and stay aggressive until the ball started going in the basket.”
Cappolla and freshman Julie McGovern ran the offense smoothly and the Hawks did not miss a beat. Cappolla's first basket was a 3-pointer from the wing and the Golden Hawks stretched their lead to eight going into the fourth quarter.
McGlone single-handedly kept the Bees in the game with a buzzer-beating drive to end the third quarter and two free-throws a minute into the fourth quarter that cut the lead back down to five, 29-24. River Dell head coach Lou Wejnert kept calling plays to get the ball to the hot hand, Cappolla, and she delivered. She nailed a pair of 3s one minute apart, the latter capping a 10-3 spurt that made it 39-27 with 3:40 to play. That was a lead that was too much for an inexperienced Bayonne team to overcome.
“A team like River Dell that is so disciplined is going to make you pay for every mistake,” said Bayonne head coach James Turner. “They have five girls on the floor who can shoot or get to the line and hit foul shots. When you turn the ball over like we did today, it's tough to make up ground. (McGlone) is the only player on our team who played any varsity minutes last year. This team is really a work in progress, but games like this will only make us better.”
Cappolla was named the game's MVP with 14 points, five steals, and three assists for River Dell (6-1), which scored 17 of its 46 points at the foul line. Good things came in eights for junior forward Christine Woods, who finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and a game-high eight blocks. Henderson added 13, her third double-digit scoring effort of the season, and McGovern chipped in with a career-high nine points.
|
River Dell freshman Julie McGovern finished with a career high 9 points. |
McGlone was the lone bright spot for Bayonne (2-4) with 19 points, four steals, and three assists.
With two tough games in the next four days (Mahwah and Pascack Hills), River Dell head coach Lou Wejnert hopes that the positive things the Hawks accomplished on Sunday will carry over throughout a week that will likely have a big impact on where the Hawks are seeded for the Bergen County Tournament.
“I thought we had great balance offensively with different players stepping up at key moments,” said Wejnert. “We made better decisions with the ball in the second half and it showed with the shots we got. McGovern settled in to played great off the bench and Jeana really shot the ball well in the second half. Woods did it all and this was by far the best game (Caton) Henderson had all year. Even though we only have one senior (Cappolla) when we have everything clicking, we are a pretty tough team. We're coming together but this next couple of games will give us a pretty good idea of where we are and what we'll need to work on.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT
OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com. |