Thursday,
March 12, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Usually content to set up others, point guard Alex Mesropyan scored a career-high 17 points for IHA, which beat Paramus Catholic, 61-37, to win its fourth straight section title. |
PATERSON – Immaculate Heart Academy point guard Alex Mesropyan thrives on being just that, a point guard in the traditional definition of the position; a player who almost goes unnoticed over the course of the game. While high-scoring players generally get most of the credit, great teams can not be successful without a player who can facilitate the offense and also make things difficult for the opposition with constant on-the-ball pressure. Throughout her senior season, IHA head coach Steve Silver has encouraged Mesropyan to look for her shot more. On Wednesday night, Mesropyan finally took his advice.
She scored a career-high 17 points, including eight in a row during the second quarter that opened up the game, as top-seeded IHA won its fourth straight section title with a 61-37 win over third-seeded Paramus Catholicin the Non-Public North A section final at Kennedy High School in Paterson.
“We know what Alex is capable of in terms of shooting the ball from the outside and she showed that tonight,” said Silver. “She hit some big shots that got us into a flow during the second quarter and I loved seeing every one of them. I'm really happy with our performance today. We looked polished, which as a coach is exactly what I'm looking for at this time of year.”
When these two teams met in the Bergen County Tournament semifinals, the game was over not long after it started in a 65-32 IHA win. In what was longtime head coach Al Roth's final game on the sidelines for Paramus Catholic, the Paladins came out with more intensity and the belief that they could pull off the shocking upset.
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Destinee Hall helped lead Paramus Catholic to a 21-8 record this season. |
IHA got some help from its bench early on with Alyx McKiernan hitting a baseline jumper and Megan Swords scoring inside for a 10-6 lead after one quarter. Two minutes into the second quarter, Jasmin Wilson has a steal and a breakaway layup to cut it to 10-8. That momentum did not last for long as Mesropyan heated up. She hit four of her five shots in the second quarter, including three in a row. Two of them came from 3-point range with the latter giving the Blue Eagles a 13-point lead. Then on the final possession of the half, Caitlin Roche nailed a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer to give IHA a commanding 29-14 lead at the break.
“The past two years, coach Silver has said I have to look for my offense more,” said Mesropyan, who will play soccer at Division 1 Sacred Heart University next fall. “Coach Al (Roth) has had a great career and it was an honor to play against him one last time. We knew PC was going to come out with a lot of energy. It's hard to play a team four times in a season, but we had to. Everyone works hard to get a good shot, so whoever is open has to take the shot. I had some opportunities today and was able to knock them down.”
That was all the momentum the Blue Eagles needed as Mesropyan and Roche made a concerted effort to get the ball inside. Jordan Wilmoth and Katia Oge combined for eight points during a 10-2 run to start the second half and put to rest any hopes of a comeback. It marked the end of road for Roth and the Paladins, but he did not leave the court with any regrets.
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Alyx McKiernan came off the bench to help get IHA off to a fast start. Next up is a rematch with St. John-Vianney in the Non-Public A final. |
“I loved the way we competed today and we never gave up right until the last minute of the game,” said Roth, who won exactly 450 in his head coaching career. “We started off the season 7-6 and finished 21-9. The only three losses we've had since the end of January were all to IHA. With the schedule we play, that's something to be proud of and I'm proud to have been a part of it with this group.”
The 17-point outburst by Mesropyan was just the fifth double-digit scoring game of her four-year varsity career at IHA (27-2). University of Dayton-bound Wilmoth had 15 points and 11 rebounds with Roche adding 12 points. Wilson led the way with 13 points and six rebounds for Paramus Catholic (21-8).
With a section title now in hand, IHA moves into the Non-Public A state final on Saturday. St. John Vianney will be waiting and looking for revenge after a 45-43 loss to IHA in last year's state final. The Blue Eagles' senior-laden group set their goals on winning league, county, section, and state titles. Now, just 32 minutes away from achieving all four of those lofty goals, the Blue Eagles see the bright light at the end of the tunnel.
“We've taken this season one game at a time, but we've always had our eye on (St. John) Vianney,” added Mesropyan. “Now that we're finally there and playing Vianney again, everyone is really pumped about the opportunity and we're excited to get back down to Toms River.”
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