Wednesday,
January 20, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Thalia Ghalam finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, four steals, three assists, and three blocks for Midland Park, which knocked off Bogota, 54-28. |
MIDLAND PARK – For the past three years, Thalia Ghalam has happily embraced the role as the ‘glue’ player for successful Midland Park teams. She was always the player willing to guard the opposing team’s best offensive threat and dive all over the floor for loose balls all while being the No. 5 option offensively with the majority of her points coming off of offensive rebounds.
Now, as a senior, her defensive responsibilities are the same but her role in the offense has changed significantly. She is now expected to be a consistent scoring option as well. With each passing game she has grown seamlessly into that role and the Panthers are reaping the benefits.
Ghalam had four and five points, respectively, during a pair of 9-0 runs in the first half to help lead Midland Park to its fifth win in its last six games with a 54-28 victory over Bogota on Tuesday afternoon at Midland Park High School.
Midland Park has grown into one of the more successful small-school teams in North Jersey in recent years, a team built on scrappiness and hustle. Early on though, it was Bogota that was getting to loose balls and setting the tone for the first six minutes of the game. Unfortunately, the Bucs were unable to capitalize on numerous second and third opportunities at scoring and the score was just 2-2 late in the opening stanza.
“We pride ourselves on doing all the little things and today they took us out of that rhythm for a few minutes early,” said Midland Park head coach Sean O’Connor. “We have to get every loose ball and grab every rebounds to create the tempo of the game. It was a bit frustrating but we worked through and Thalia helped us get our rhythm back.”
Ghalam then provided her usual defensive spark with a pair of steals that led to layups in the midst of a 9-0 run.
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Emily Robbins is the lone senior the starting lineup for a young Bogota side. |
The Panthers stretched the lead and looked to pull away but the Bucs hung tough for most of the first half. Tatienna Brunco’s 3-pointer cut the lead to 10 with less than three minutes remaining in the half. Once again it was Ghalam who got the Panthers back on track with a jumper to spark the 9-0 spurt. Sofia Hansen capped the run with a putback inside as the Panthers were firmly in control by halftime, 33-14.
“I knew I had to step it up and force the tempo,” said Ghalam, who played a key role on the Panthers’ 2013 and 2014 North 1, Group 1 state championship teams. “I felt like we were playing too slow and not aggressive enough. In the second quarter we started running through our offense and going to the basket more. When we did that we started finding better shots and good things started to happen.”
Three baskets on consecutive possessions by Carey, Hansen, and Veronica Pantale all put the game away midway through the third quarter. For a young Bogota squad with just one senior, it is about learning on the fly and trying to take the positive form a loss against tough competition.
“There were definitely some positives to take from this game but we threw away too many possessions to stay in it,” said Bogota head coach Damian Kennedy. “We know we’re a young team with only one senior (Emily Robbins) and there are going to be some tough times. We’re constantly preaching to worry about the next possession and the next quarter. There’s always room for improvement in basketball. I think if the younger kids really stick with it that this could be a winning team in a year or two.”
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Julie Carey finished with 10 points and five rebounds for Midland Park, which improved to 8-2 on the season. |
Ghalam stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, seven rebounds, four steals, three assists, and three blocks for Midland Park (8-2). Hansen finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. Carey and Pantale each added 10 points and five rebounds.
Kyseir led all players with 13 points for Bogota (3-7). Brunco added eight and Alanah O’Brien chipped in with seven points.
This year presented an interesting dilemma O’Connor. With the NJIC creating its own version of the Bergen County Tournament designed to give teams the option compete against comparable competition as opposed to being overwhelmed by traditional Bergen County powers, the Panthers could have easily opted into the new tournament with a chance at winning the title. Instead, they are going to enter the Bergen County Tournament to see how they stack up against the best the county has to offer.
“Going into the county tournament we know it’s a chance to show teams what Midland Park is made of,” said Ghalam, who also led her team to a section final in soccer this past fall. “We can’t go into a county game with the same energy we started off with today. We’re excited to go into the tournament and see how we do. No matter what happens in the county tournament it’s going to help us in the long run.”
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