Monday,
January 25, 2016
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
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Angela Serica scored 10 of her 14 points after halftime to help 18th-seeded Indian Hills secure a 63-58 upset of No. 15 Ramsey in the opening round of the Bergen County Tournament on Sunday. |
RAMSEY – It depends on how you want to write it. Either Indian Hills was looking for its second Bergen County Tournament win in the last three years or the timeline could be expanded a little bit to give a more true picture.
“We had a county win against Glen Rock two years ago, but before that it was something like 20 years since we had won one,” said Indian Hills head coach Julie Haledjian. “So for us, for this program, to get a county win is a big deal.”
So it is a big deal then that 18th-seeded Indian Hills, after falling behind by as many as 11 points in the first half, pulled off a first round tournament upset by knocking off No. 15 Ramsey, 63-58, on Sunday afternoon. The Braves earned a shot at second-seeded Northern Valley/Old Tappan in next weekend’s Round of 16, but they also earned the right to enjoy this one for a couple of hours.
“From being down double digits to coming back and winning against a really good team, this feels really good,” said Brooke Benna, one of four Braves to finish in double figures. “This is just such a great win for the whole program. It means a lot to us and to the coaches, so everyone is pretty happy around here right now.”
It was not so rosy a beginning for Indian Hills as Ramsey turned around an early 4-3 deficit with a 17-5 run that started with Victoria Clinton’s baseline jumper 2:31 into the game and ended when Hailey Reynolds scored the four points of the second quarter to put the Rams up 20-9. Indian Hills was trying to apply pressure with its defensive traps, but paid the price as Ramsey exploited the space by hitting cutters to the basket and kicking the ball out to open shooters.
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Ramsey's Lina Hyman finished with a double-double of 19 points and 13 boards. |
It was time for an adjustment and Haledjian made it at the right time.
“Clearly our press was not working, so we got out of it and went man-to-man,” said Haledjian. “But we stayed aggressive and I told them to keep looking for steals. You get a couple of steals and you feed off them and that is what happened."
Down 22-14 after Ramsey’s Jess Devny scored off a backdoor cut with 5:02 left in the second quarter, Indian Hills finally hit its stride. Kayla Connelly and Amy Weisse hit back-to-back 3-pointers to kick off a 14-3 run to close the half. Analee Boggio stepped through two defenders to put the Braves back in front for good at 26-25 and Connelly’s jumper from the wing gave them a 28-25 lead at the half.
Fifteen seconds into the third quarter and on Indian Hills’ first possession, Benna nailed a 3-pointer to double the lead and the belief that the Braves could legitimately pull the upset.
“It was so huge for our team. I got open, my teammates found me and that brought everybody together,” said Benna, who scored all 10 of her points after halftime. “We just had to keep pushing.”
A 3-pointer by Connelly and a steal and a little pull-up jumper in the lane by Aileen Carey with 4:13 left in the third quarter gave Indian Hills its first double-digit lead at 40-30, but Ramsey’s Lina Hyman closed the period with a 3-pointer to draw the Rams back to within 43-40 heading into the final eight minutes.
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Brooke Brenna scored all 10 of her points after halftime for Indian Hills
(7-6), which got over the .500 mark for the first time all season. |
Indian Hills responded once again as Connelly nailed a 3-pointer from the wing to open the quarter and start an 8-1 run that bumped the lead right back into double figures. Angela Serica scored off a feed from Alex Martins to make it 53-43 with 3:35 left in the game.
There was to be one more turning point, however. Hyman scored on a hard drive to the basket and then made a 3-pointer to score five points in just 8 seconds. That left the Rams trailing just 53-50 with 2:42 left. Indian Hills found the answer, however, as Serica scored off an inbounds play and made the accompanying free throw.
“When they made that run in the last couple of minutes we lost our 10-point lead. I think it was down to three at the point and we had to come together as a team and find a way to build it back up and win this game,” said Serica, a sophomore. “I have played in county games in other sports, but this was my first one in basketball and the first one that I have played in that we won. We know we are going to see a good team next, but we are going to the Sweet 16 and this feels great.”
Serica made both ends of a one-one opportunity from the free throw line with 1:23 left to make pushed the lead back up to eight. That was just enough breathing room to overcome some missed free throws in the final minute-plus as Ramsey made its final charge.
The Braves made just 4 of 12 free throws in the last 1:09 to leave the door open a crack. Hyman, who was brilliant on both ends of the floor from start to finish, made two free throws with 13 seconds to go get the Rams back to within 61-58, but Boggio made 2 of 2 from the stripe to seconds later to close out the game.
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Hailey Reynolds finished with 19 points for Ramsey, which fell to 10-4 on the season. |
“[Indian Hills] was pretty lights out from all over the floor and we tried a lot of different things to try to slow them down. We switched defenses a couple of different times to try to slow them down, but they kept making shots and that is a credit to them,” said Ramsey head coach Brett Roscoe. “I am proud of the way we kept fighting back. We made it a one-possession game there late. We fought, that is what we are about, and we are going to keep doing it the rest of the way.”
Hyman finished with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. Reynolds also finished with 19 and she was especially effective from the free throw line (10 for 12). Devny added 8 points, Clinton had 6, Emily Derleth had 4 and Erica Lis’ two fourth quarter free throws accounted for the rest of the scoring for Ramsey, who fell to 10-4 on the season.
Indian Hills was led by Connelly’s 15 points as part of a balanced offense. Serica scored 10 of her 14 points in the second half, Benna and Weisse each added 10 points and Carey added 7 points while facilitating the offense from the point guard position. Boggio added 7 off the bench for the Braves, who are now 7-6 and over .500 for the first time this season.
“I am super psyched for this team. It all just came together today and I am so happy for the girls. All year I have been trying to emphasize the team part. Trusting each other on the court, respecting each other games and working together.” said Haledjian. “Those things are such a big part of the game that kids don’t always think about, but they are so important. Having our bench loud, talking and cheering on the players on the court, all of that played a part in this and this is huge for us.”
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