Wednesday,
March 2, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Hailey Reynolds came off the bench late to help Ramsey hold off Hawthorne, 44-33, in the opening round of the North 1, Group 2 state sectional tournament. |
RAMSEY – Facing a team in the first round of the state tournament after having beaten that opponent handily during the regular season is a dangerous proposition. That is especially true when there is a large disparity in the seeds. Ramsey came into its first-round state game as the No. 3 seed in North 1, Group 2 against Hawthorne with enough confidence to try to limit star forward Hailey Reynolds' minutes.
With Lina Hyman on fire in the first half and the Rams holding a 15-point halftime lead, it seemed that Reynolds' services would be not be needed. But when the Bears, who lost by 32 points the first time the two teams played, got as close as three points in the fourth quarter, Reynolds had to not only come off the bench, but to produce on the offensive end for her team to extend its season.
Reynolds, a 5-foot-9 junior, scored 10 of her 12 points in the over the final six minutes. That included three straight baskets that helped Ramsey hold off a challenge from 14th seeded Hawthorne in a 44-33 victory on Tuesday night at Ramsey High School.
“Hawthorne played very well and made us work to pull out the win,” said Ramsey head coach Brett Roscoe. “It was frustrating because we stuck to our gameplan so well in the first half and got away from it in the third quarter. Lina really carried us in the first half and Hailey brings another dimension to our offense when she's in there. It worked out pretty well in the fourth quarter when Hailey and Lina were both on the floor and we took good care of the ball.”
Ramsey held a three-point lead before a deep 3-pointer in the final seconds from Hyman doubled that lead to six at the end of the first quarter, 13-7. The senior forward continued her torrid shooting in the second quarter by torching the Bears from all over the court. She scored on three consecutive possessions followed by a 3-pointer from Victoria Clinton as Ramsey took what appeared to be a comfortable lead at halftime, 32-17.
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Madison Noordeloos was key in Hawthorne's comeback and she finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, and 2 steals. |
“Without Hailey in the lineup I knew I had to be more aggressive,” said Hyman, a senior forward. “Victoria (Clinton) did a good job of running the offense and I was able to hit a few shots to get us off to a good start. We had to work our inside-outside game and move the ball to keep their defense off-balance.”
While it was all Ramsey with Hyman leading the way in the second quarter, the pendulum completely swung in the Bears' direction in the third quarter thanks to Madison Noordeloos. The 6-foot-2 junior center went on a personal 8-0 run late in the third quarter capped by a nice backdoor pass from Jenna Frei. When Sam Caulkins hit a free throw to start the fourth, it was a one-possession with the Rams' lead sliced all the way down to three points, 34-31.
“Madison really picked us up in the third quarter and I'm proud of the way we fought back as a team,” said Hawthorne head coach Megan Lane. “I thought we played harder, smarter, and we started getting some stops defensively. Whenever we can get Madison the ball around the basket, we feel like we can make things happen. We're disappointed that we ended up losing. But I'll take the effort we displayed and how hard we played right until the very end.”
Roscoe called on Reynolds, nursing a strained hip flexor, to help right the ship. She moved well without the ball to get the ball inside and scored three straight baskets to bump the lead back up to nine and give the Rams the necessary breathing room en route to victory.
“I sat pretty much the first, second, and third quarters and it was hard watching when we were struggling in the third quarter,” said Reynolds. “I totally believed in my team and I knew we could do it. Lina took complete control of the game and I just wanted to give us another scoring option. It got a little close at the end but we held on.”
Hyman led the way with 21 points and three steals for Ramsey (16-8). Reynolds finished with 12 points in just 12 minutes of action. Clinton added seven points, seven assists, and two steals.
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Victoria Clinton had 7 points, 7 assists and 2 steals for Ramsey, which will hold old nemesis Westwood in the quarterfinals on Thursday. |
Noordeloos was tough in the paint on both ends of the floor for Hawthorne (14-12). She finished with 21 points, 17 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and two steals. Sofia DeFilippo and Caulkins chipped in with six points apiece.
Ramsey will be on its home court once again on Thursday in the North, 1 Group 2 quarterfinals. There the Rams will see a familiar opponent and one that has been a thorn in their side for a year now. Ramsey will take on sixth-seeded Westwood, a 39-20 first-round winner last night over Dumont. It will be a rematch of last year's section final, won by Westwood.
In the two regular-season meetings, Westwood won both by an average of 23 points per game. With nothing to lose and playing on their home court, the Rams hope to make the third time the charm against their nemesis.
“Losing to them two times this year after losing to them in the section final last year, we are extremely motivated to have another chance at them,” said Hyman. “We know they have some really good players with Jaide (Hinds-Clarke) and Sam (McClutchy) and they're a good team overall. Playing at home definitely helps us. We're going to give it everything we have and give them a run at it.”
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