Sunday,
December 28, 2014
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Sophomore Emily Calabrese scored 14 points for Ramapo, which improved to 3-0 on the season with a 52-38 win over Ramsey at the John Carty Tournament played in Mahwah. |
MAHWAH – With a host of offensive options, there is nothing more frustrating for a team like Ramapo then when the ball simply not going in the basket consistently. Playing against a pesky Ramsey squad that gave it fits for three-plus quarters, Ramapo used a different approach over the final minutes. The Green Raiders let their defense kickstart their offense and it proved to be the style that finally got them back on the right track.
Emily Calabrese stole a pass and scored on a layup and Kasey Finn followed with a 3-pointer as Ramapo used a 13-3 fourth-quarter run to survive a scare and advance to the final of the John Carty Tournament with a 52-38 victory on Saturday at Mahwah High School.
Ramapo came into the first-round contest as the favorite to win the whole tournament, but nobody told the Lady Rams, who got off to a fast start behind the shooting of Hailey Reynolds. She hit all four of shots and scored nine points in an 11-4 Ramsey run to open the game.
“We knew Ramsey was going to be a scrappy team, but they definitely gave us up a wake-up call by playing as well as they did to start the game,” said Finn, a senior point guard. “They were playing faster and more aggressive than we were.”
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Ramsey's Hailey Reynolds finished with game-highs of 20 points and 8 rebounds. |
But the Rams went cold for the remainder of the half, going over seven minutes without scoring a point. Rosie Martin got things going for Ramapo with back-to-back jumpers from the wing and Calabrese added a pair of free-throws as the Raiders closed the first half on an 8-2 burst to take a 19-15 halftime lead.
It looked to be all Ramapo in the third quarter as Karlie Brogan used a slap pass out to Reilly White, who knocked down a wide-open 3 to give Ramapo a double-digit lead. However, in just a matter of seconds it was once again a one-possession game.
After one of the referees inexplicably stopped the game while the ball was in play to discuss an earlier call, Ramsey's Danielle Dispoto banked in a long 3-pointer. As Ramapo was dribbling up the court, head coach Sandy Gordon was then assessed a technical foul. Reynolds hit both shots from the charity stripe and Lina Hyman scored on the ensuing inbounds play to cut a double-digit deficit to three, 26-23, in just 11 seconds.
The lead was still three with just over six minutes to play when the Rams pulled down a rebound with a chance to either pull within a point or tie the game with a 3-pointer. Ramapo never allowed that opportunity to come about as Calabrese stole a pass near midcourt and drove in for a layup. On the next possession, Calabrese knocked the ball away from Reynolds on a drive to the basket. It ended with a long-range bomb from the top of the key by Finn to bump it back up to a more comfortable eight-point lead, 39-31, with 3:53 to go.
“We knew if we played tough 'D' and took care of the ball that things would eventually start falling our way,” said Calabrese, a sophomore forward. “Even when they made that quick run to cut it to a three-point lead, we never panicked. We stayed confident and just kept our focus on the next possession.”
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Karlie Brogan had 14 points for Ramapo, which will play Mahwah in the tournament final on Monday. |
The lead never got below double-digits over the final three minutes as the Green Raiders were finally able to breathe easy. Calabrese and Karlie Brogan each had 14 points to led the way for Ramapo (3-0). Martin hit four jumpers at crucial moments and Finn scored all of her points in the second half, scoring nine points apiece. Reynolds finished with game-highs of 20 points and eight rebounds for Ramsey (2-2).
Ramapo will play host Mahwah (2-1), a 70-25 winner over Bogota yesterday, in the John Carty Holiday Tournament final on Monday at 1:00 P.M. In order to keep their unblemished record intact the Green Raiders are well aware that the roller-coaster ride that happened yesterday may not have the same smooth finish against a dangerous team on its own home floor.
“Mahwah is a really good team and we'll have to start stronger than we have all year,” added Finn. “We had times in the game today where our shooters were on and hit some big shots for us. To win big games though, we have to rely on our defense. We're happy to get a win, but we know we will have to play a lot better on Monday.”
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