Monday,
February 1, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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MacKenzie Press hit two huge shots down the stretch, including the buzzer-beating 15-footer, to give NV/Demarest a stunning 69-68 win over Queen of Peace in the BCWCA Tourney's Round of 16 |
HILLSDALE – Through 30-plus minutes of play against an uber-talented and undefeated Queen of Peace squad, it was not necessarily how Northern Valley/Demarest guard Mackenzie Press envisioned the game going. She did not have a field goal for almost the entire game as the Norsewomen fought valiantly late in the fourth quarter to stay within striking distance.
With time winding down, Press knew that this game presented an opportunity that neither she nor her teammates might ever have again. With the packed crowd buzzing and the Norsewomen needing some key baskets, Press stepped up and made two shots that she, and everyone else who was in attendance, will remember forever.
Her 3-pointer tied the game with 1:11 to play but it was the final shot that meant even more. Trailing by one with the final seconds ticking away, Press took a pass from Brianna Tarabocchia and knocked down a 15-foot jumper from the baseline as the final buzzer sounded to give ninth-seeded Northern Valley/Demarest a stunning 69-68 upset win over No. 8 seed Queen of Peace in the Bergen County Tournament's Round of 16 on Sunday at Pascack Valley High School.
“I saw it and I couldn't believe I was that wide open,” said Press. “When I got the ball I knew there were only a few seconds left. I had to take the shot. When it went in, I couldn't even believe it happened. There was such a big crowd and everyone was going crazy. You just feel so loved.”
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Q of P's Raven Farley-Clark finished with 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. |
Although the seeds were just one number apart, the general consensus in the Pascack Valley gymnasium was that Queen of Peace was the most supremely talented team in Bergen County and eventually that talent would win out. It turned out to be somewhat of an omen when Veronica Corcoran outjumped 6-foot-4 Raven Farley-Clark to win the opening tap.
That was just the beginning, though, as twin sister Victoria Corcoran heated up quickly in a dominant first half. She hit four of her first five shots, including a 3-pointer to give the Norsewomen an 18-10 lead. Victoria Corcoran was unstoppable both from the perimeter and driving to the basket during a 25-point first half. Demarest led by as many as nine late in the second quarter before Queen of Peace trimmed the lead to five by halftime, 39-34.
“She was unreal in the first half, we tried everything to stop and we couldn't even slow her down,” said Queen of Peace head coach Jio Fontan. “I think we have a good group of guards defensively and she had her way with all of them and got everyone in foul trouble, too. Give Demarest all the credit. They were well-prepared and treated it like it was a championship game where we needed to do the same and we didn't.”
Queen of Peace used its size advantage and its depth to seemingly take control in the third quarter. Farley-Clark scored inside and Asonah Alexander followed with a steal and a layup as the Golden Griffins capped a 17-5 run to take a 51-44 lead. It was a crisis moment for the Norsewomen but they never lost confidence. As long as there was time on the clock, they felt they were still in the game.
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Victoria Corcoran scored a career-high 36 points for Demarest, which will play Immaculate Concpetion in next weekend's quarterfinals. |
Demarest never let the Golden Griffins pull away. However, they were still down five with just over three minutes to play. Tarabocchia's output grew as the game went along and her two free throws and driving layup cut the Q of P lead to one, 60-59, with 2:23 remaining. Queen of Peace were ahead by three when Press picked an opportune time to hit her first shot from the field all game. She calmly canned a jumper from the corner to knot the score at 64 with 1:11 remaining.
It looked like the Golden Griffins had the game in hand inside the final minute. Farley-Clark hit a turnaround jumper with 49 seconds left then took a charge on a drive by Tarabocchia to set up a pair of free throws by Forever Toppin to make it a two-possession game. Demarest was running out of time but kept battling. A hustle play by Tarabocchia led to a 3-pointer from the top of the key by Victoria Corcoran with 14 seconds remaining that got the Norsewomen to within 68-67. The momentum had shifted back to Demarest, but it was forced to foul and put the Golden Griffins on the line. With nine seconds left, the Norsewomen were just hoping for something to break their way and that is exactly what happened.
The front end of the ensuing one-and-one was missed the rebound was tipped right out to Tarabocchia. She raced down the court as the final seconds ticked away.
“I can't even describe how it felt to be dribbling down the court for that last play,” said Tarabocchia, who will play next year at Division 1 St. Peter's University. “The last time I went to the basket I got a charge called against me. All I was thinking is that I can’t have that happen again. I saw Mackenzie open and we've been playing together since fourth grade, so I knew she could knock that down.”
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Sydney Watkins and Queen of Peace lost for the first time this season. |
Glancing to her right, Tarabocchia saw Press wide open and hit her in rhythm with a chest pass. Press' shot from 15 feet circled around the rim and dropped through as time expired to give Demarest one of the wildest victories in the history of the Bergen County Tournament.
Victoria Corcoran finished a blistering 13 of 18 from the field for a career-high 36 points for Northern/Valley Demarest. Tarabocchia had a strong second half on her way to a 15-point, nine-rebound effort. Veronica Corcoran and Press added nine and eight points, respectively.
“Queen of Peace is such a great team that we had to stick to our game plan every single possession,” said Veronica Corcoran. “They are an intimidating team but we had to worry about playing our game. In high school basketball you never know what's going to happen. All we could do is have fun and play the game the best we can. I just feel like we won a championship.”
Alexander had a great all-around game with 20 points, five steals, five rebounds, and four assists for Queen of Peace. Farley-Clark finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and four blocks.
The Norsewomen advance to next Saturday's Bergen County quarterfinal round. It will not get any easier as they will face last year's Bergen County finalist and top-seeded Immaculate Conception. Right now though, the Norsewomen are soaking in every moment of this game as it one that will stay with them for years and decades to come.
“I want to yell, scream, cry, I have so many mixed emotions that I don't even know what to feel right now,” said Victoria Corcoran. “This is about as happy as I could ever imagine being. We're a really close team and this our last year playing together. Going into the fourth quarter it was a close game and we had absolutely nothing to lose. We went all out and played right until the end when Mackenzie hit the big shot. This is a game that I don't think anyone on this team or anyone here who watched it will ever forget.”
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