Sunday,
January 31, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Kelly Petro scored just 3 points, but affected the game in various other ways with 6 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks to go with 6 rebounds in Pascack Valley's 57-41 win over Holy Angels in the Bergen County Tournament's Round of 16. |
HILLSDALE – Although the game and the personnel has changed over time, the game of basketball and the dimensions of the court have stayed the same. For well over 40 years, Pascack Valley head coach Jeff Jasper what some might call 'boring' practices; drilling the same skills both on and off the ball, running the same offensive plays and going over the same defensive schemes relentlessly.
But when one has had the success Jasper has had as one of the most successful coaches ever to coach high school girls' basketball, one thing is apparent: There is nothing boring about winning and doing it through sheer fundamentals.
Playing on its home court, Pascack Valley shared the ball exceptionally well and smothered Holy Angels defensively. Kelly Smith had game-highs of 17 points and eight rebounds as sixth-seeded Pascack Valley had 17 assists on its 23 field goals and led wire-to-wire in a 57-41 victory in the Round of 16 of the Bergen County Tournament.
“I thought we played great and that's the kind of basketball I like to see,” said Jasper. “Good movement, unselfish, good energy, good ball movement. You need all of those components to beat a team as well-coached as Holy Angels is.”
The first four minutes went back and forth with players from both teams diving all over the floor for loose balls. The pace was helter skelter but the Indians eventually settled in. Baskets on backdoor cuts by Smith and Gina Criscuolo gave PV an 18-12 lead after one quarter.
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Lauren Dines scored all 13 of her points after halftime for Holy Angles, which fell to 12-5 on the season. |
The second quarter was a clinic as PV sliced and diced its way through the Holy Angels with crisp passing. It led to various open looks at the basket or layups. Even when those shots were not going down, the Indians pounded the boards with Smith doing most of the damage. She had consecutive putbacks late in the half as Pascack Valley pulled away for a 38-20 halftime lead.
“We kept losing players defensively and when we do that we lose our box. You can't do that against a team like PV,” said Holy Angels head coach Sue Liddy. “You have to pick your poison against PV because they shoot the ball so well. We went man-to-man but just didn't do the job we needed to do defensively. They ran their offense very well and eventually we wore down during those possessions.”
Holy Angels had a chance to make things interesting early in the third quarter. Lauren Dines hit a 3-pointer then made a backcourt steal and laid it in to cap a 7-0 spurt to start the second half and cut the Angels’ deficit to 11. Smith, Criscuolo, and Toriana Tobasco scored baskets in an ensuing 12-2 run that swung the momentum back in the Indians' favor for good.
“We knew Holy Angels was going to be a very aggressive team. We had to stay patient and use that to our advantage,” said Criscuolo. “After they made the run in the third quarter, we had to stay mentally tough and not let our lead slip away. We kept running our offense and we took care of the ball better after that run. When we do that and play solid help defense, the game gets much more simple for us.”
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Kelly Smith and Pascack Valley will face No. 3 Saddle River Day in next weekend's quarterfinal round. |
Criscuolo had 12 points, seven rebounds, and three steals for Pascack Valley (13-3). Tobasco added 13 points and six rebounds. Kelly Petro had just three points, but was as valuable as any player on the court. The 6-foot guard led all players with six assists, three steals, and two blocks to go with six rebounds. The Indians will face third-seeded Saddle River Day in the quarterfinals next Saturday at Fair Lawn High School.
Dines scored all of her team-high 13 points in the second half for Holy Angels (12-5). Elena Pulanco had 11 points and Elizabeth Garcia added eight points and six rebounds.
As well as Pascack Valley played and how exciting it is to advance in the Bergen County Tournament, Jasper knows it is back to square one come Monday.
“I love the choreography of the game and the basketball court is an open canvas, 'What are we going to paint today?',” added Jasper. “Every day, every game is different. I think there is very little transfer value from a game like this. Every day is a review of the same stuff for us. We played great today and I'm proud of how hard our kids played. Monday it is back to working on the same stuff and trying to be better than we were today.”
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