Friday,
February 27, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Paramus three seniors (l. to r.) Karla Kristo, Alexa Colontino and Dara Devaney, closed out their careers with a 50-21 win over Passaic Valley. |
PARAMUS – As Paramus’ three seniors – Alexa Colontino, Dara Devaney, and Karla Kristo walked out of the locker room for pre-game warmups -- they knew this was it. Win or lose, it would be the last time they would ever suit up in their hometown high school’s uniform. It was a badge of honor for the three tri-captains as they were the only players remaining from a 12-player class who came in as freshmen. Although their season fell short of county and state tournament bids, the trio banded together to save their best for last with a flawless first half in their final game together.
All three took center stage in their own way. Kristo tied her previous career-high in points in the first half alone, and her effort was matched by the defensive wizardry of Colontino and Devaney. Paramus allowed just three points in the first half and built up a 30-point lead by halftime as the seniors gave themselves an emphatic send-off with a 50-21 romp over Passaic Valley on Thursday night at Paramus High School.
“Dara, Alexa, and I have played together since like second grade, so we wanted to go out with a bang,” said Kristo. “We wanted to put it all out there on the court because it was our last time playing together. I’m so happy that we played as well as we did.”
Kristo got things off on the right foot by hitting her first two shots. Once the ball got rolling for the Lady Spartans, it did not stop. Colontino had consecutive steals and breakaway layups for a quick 10-0 lead as they shutout Passaic Valley in the first quarter.
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Deanna Duran had six for Passaic Valley, which will play Chatham in the opening round of the North 2, Group 3 state sectional tournament. |
Ali Goldniak scored on a conventional 3-point play 28 seconds into the second quarter to get Passaic Valley on the board. That was the last time they scored for the remainder of the half as the Spartans poured it on with a layup from Devaney at the buzzer gave Paramus an eye-popping 33-3 halftime lead.
“We didn’t do as well we wanted to this season, but we did as well as we could in this game,” said Devaney, who finished with seven points, five rebounds, and four steals. “There was a lot of emotion going into this game and it didn’t really hit me until the buzzer went off in the fourth quarter that this is it for the three of us. Not everyone gets to go out on a good note. It’s a nice thing that we’ll always remember to go out the way that we did.”
Kristo’s 14-point effort was a career-high. Colontino added 10 points and six steals. Sophomore Jackie Helm had a good all-around game with nine points, seven rebounds, four steals and three assists for Paramus, which finished up at 7-16. The team defense was outstanding from start to finish in holding the Hornets’ to 21 points, 15 below their season-low, which came on an opening night loss to Wayne Hills.
Goldniak finished with seven points and Deanna Duran had six for Passaic Valley (8-15). The Hornets will look to regroup and pull an upset in the state tournament as the No. 14 seed when they travel on Thursday night to face third-seeded Chatham in a first-round North 2, Group 3 game.
This marked the end of the line for the three Paramus seniors. While it did not end by playing in the state tournament, it ended in a way in which all but one team in the state can say when all is said and done. For Colontino, Devaney, and Kristo, they got to walk off the floor with smiles on their faces knowing they won the last game of their respective careers in a Paramus basketball uniform.
“We’ve dealt with a lot over the years but it was great for it to all come together on this particular night,” said Colontino. “We wanted to make this game something to remember and let this experience really sink in. People come and go and we’ve lost a lot of athletes in this program over the years, but the three of us stuck it out and I’m glad we did.”
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