Sunday, February 1, 2015

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Dani McMahon filled the state sheet with 13 points, 9 boards, 6 steals, 5 assists and 4 blocks in Saddle River Day's 48-39 win over Teaneck to reach the Bergen County quarterfinals.

RIDGEFIELD PARK – When Danny Brown took over as the head coach at Saddle River Day he knew that building a winning program would have to come from the ground up. The first step was developing a culture of playing hard and finding players that wanted to succeed every time they stepped on the floor. The next step was bringing in players who could put the ball in the basket. Those two things came relatively quickly, but to truly graduate to the elite level of teams in Bergen County a team must be able to be just as efficient and dangerous on the defensive end of the floor. Facing an always dangerous Teaneck team, the Lady Rebels made a statement that last year’s run to the Bergen County quarterfinals was no fluke.

Dani McMahon was all over the court in a near-flawless first half. The junior guard had seven points, three steals and three blocks in the game’s first three minutes as 10th-seeded Saddle River Day scored the game’s first nine points and never looked back in a 48-39 victory over No. 7 seed Teaneck in the Bergen County Round of 16 on Sunday night at Ridgefield Park High School.

“We came out with so much intensity and we fought hard on every possession,” said Saddle River Day forward Kayla Oge. “I think this was our best defensive game. Our defense really created our offense today and got us going right from the beginning of the game.”

McMahon single-handledly disrupted the offense of the Highwaywomen by jumping into passing lanes and blocking shots from behind to ignite fastbreaks. She nailed a 3-pointer and scored twice on breakaway layups to open a 9-0 lead.

“We wanted to come out with high intensity and just play harder than they were,” said McMahon. “We came out and got stops early, which gave us a lot of confidence. Plus, we were getting those stops and finishing on the other end. To get a ‘W’ against a team like Teaneck, that’s what you have to do. We were really loud and we were communicating well, our whole team was feeding off of that.”

Faith Ashby scored a game-high 15 points for Teaneck.

The Rebels expanded their lead with 3-pointers early in the second quarter from Kelly Hannigan and Caity House to bump the lead up to double-digits. They continued to smother Teaneck defensively and make them work hard for a good shot on every possession. A pair of steals led to baskets inside by McMahon and 6-foot-2 sophomore center Danielle Deoul as Saddle River Day took a commanding 31-17 lead at the half.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had as much energy all season as we had in the first half,” said Deoul. “We really got our aggressiveness back and we got the momentum we wanted right from the first few minutes. People diving all over the place, pulling down rebounds, doing all the little things we need to do to win.”

Teaneck's Faith and Hannah Ashby had back-to-back baskets late in the third quarter to trim the lead down to six. Kayla Oge, who played an excellent game on both ends of the floor, helped the Rebels right the ship with a foul-line jumper to make it 39-31 going into the fourth quarter. Deoul and Oge scored inside early as the Rebels regained control and cruised to victory.

McMahon, who has already verbally committed to play lacrosse at Stanford University, did it all for Saddle River Day by filling the stat sheet in every major category. She finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, six steals, five assists, and four blocks. Oge had a double-double with 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Deoul tied McMahon for team-high honors with 13 points.

Faith Ashby led all players with 15 points, all of them coming in the second half for Teaneck.

Kayla Oge and SR-D will play defending county champ Northern Highlands in the quarterfinals.

After years of futility before Brown’s arrival, Saddle River Day has now advanced to the Bergen County quarterfinals for the second consecutive year. Last year, it ended with a loss against top-seeded IHA. This time around, they will face the defending Bergen County champion Northern Highlands in the Round of 8.

Last year, the feeling among the Rebels was a happy one that they got this far and they have arrived. Going into the game against Northern Highlands, they are no longer pleased just to be mentioned in the same breath as the upper echelon teams in Bergen County, they want to beat them and prove that they belong.

“The energy we had in the first half was outstanding but we have to bring that for a full 32 minutes if you want to beat a team like Northern Highlands,” said Brown. “I thought McMahon was everywhere and it was by far the best game Oge has played in two years. When we get that production from everyone, things start falling into place. We can’t have any lapses like we had in the third quarter tonight. But when we put it all together, we’re confident in our chances against anyone.”

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