Monday,
February 22, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Freshman Michelle Sidor scored 13 of her game-high 34 points in the third quarter for Saddle River Day, which won its first-ever county championship with a 53-36 win over Immaculate Conception. |
MAHWAH – When Danny Brown took over as the head coach at Saddle River Day his vision for the program was not exactly one that could be seen by most on the Bergen County girls basketball scene. In the four years before Brown arrived, the Lady Rebels had won just one game. Not one game in each of those four seasons…one game…total.
His goal was to not only build a winning program from the ground up, he wanted to build a championship team. When the class of 2016 arrived as freshmen, Brown saw the potential and figured by the time they were seniors that this team had the chance to be special. All they were missing was one piece.
Michelle Sidor has burst onto the scene in her freshman year as an elite player who can take over a game at any time. Mixed with relentless full-court pressure defense it proved to be the equation for championship success that Brown had drawn up when he took over.
Sidor erupted for 34 points, including 13 in the third quarter, as third-seeded Saddle River Day pulled away en route to the school’s first Bergen County title in any sport with a 53-36 victory over top-seeded Immaculate Conception in the Bergen County Woman’s Coaches Association final on Sunday at Ramapo College in Mahwah.
“After we lost to Newark Academy in the states when the seniors now were freshmen, we made a commitment to making defense our calling card moving forward. It prepared us for this moment,” said Brown. “I put three words on the board, that’s it. Good, great, unstoppable. To be unstoppable, it’s about buying into a system and believing that you can be an unstoppable team. Our top nine girls play three sports and that athleticism definitely makes a big difference in how we set the tempo.”
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Breanne Belerand helped keep
Imm. Conception in the game early. |
Defensive wizard Dani McMahon got the Lady Rebels off to a good start with a steal and breakaway layup. Sidor then scored seven straight points to give the Rebels a 9-0 lead.
Immaculate Conception came back behind the play of Breanne Bellerand. She dished off two nice assists to Jasmine Gee for layups before scoring one of her own on a left-handed drive at the first quarter horn that cut the lead to 11-9.
A hustle play by Cassie Cruz off of an offensive rebound kept a possession alive. The junior then kicked it out to Sidor for a jumper from the wing. After a turnover, McMahon nailed a rainbow 3-pointer from the top of the key that gave the Rebels a double-digit lead. Despite having just two players in the scoring column (Sidor and McMahon), the Rebels led 25-15 at the half.
Sidor took over in the third quarter with dead-eye shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. The Blue Wolves tried to go underneath high ball screens and Sidor made them pay each time. She nailed three straight 3-point attempts and the Rebels had all but wrapped up a county title with a 44-23 lead after three quarters.
“I was really surprised when they gave me open looks by going under the screen, I had to take full advantage of it,” said Sidor. “I’m used to being face-guarded so it was nice to get some space to get my shot off. We played really hard defense and Dani creates so much offense for us by getting steals. We’re a really close team and we always have each other’s backs. I just wanted to do my part and I’m happy that we pulled away to win this game.”
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Dani McMahon scored 15 points to go with her 5 rebounds and 5 steal for Saddle River Day, which is now 22-1. |
The 34-point game by Sidor is one of the biggest in the history of the Bergen County Tournament. McMahon had a great all-around game as well with 15 points, five rebounds, and a game-high five steals.
In a losing effort, Gee finished a team-high 12 points and Jordan McLemore added 10. Pending an appeal to the NJSIAA after being disqualified from the state tournament because of not playing enough games against in-state opponents, Immaculate Conception (16-6) may likely have played its final playoff game of the season.
The final minutes were a coronation of the hard work and determination put in by the six seniors (Kelly Hannigan, Kayla Oge, Carly Christofi, Talea Garabo, Sofia Taveras, and McMahon). As the final seconds ticked away, the feeling on the Rebels’ sideline from both the coaching staff and the players was one of pure elation but also bewilderment, as the dream four years in the making had finally become a reality.
“Winning a county championship was something we’ve always wanted but I never knew if we were going to have an opportunity,” said McMahon. “This team has such amazing chemistry on and off the court. I can’t imagine playing on a team as close as this one is. We support each other no matter what and it feels great to be seniors and go out as county champs.”
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