Tuesday,
March 8, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Alexis Monroy and Natalie Miller celebrate after New Milford beat Midland Park, 50-40, in the North 1, Group 1 state sectional final. |
NEW MILFORD – When New Milford chose to play in the inaugural NJIC Tournament and eventually hoisted the trophy as a group for the first time, the feeling of being a champion is something the Lady Knights realized it was something they could get used to. That opportunity presented itself again on a much bigger stage Monday night and, as the Knights took the court to face Midland Park for the North 1, Group 1 title, they knew this be a game that would stick with them for the rest of their lives.
With a crowd so packed that fans were turned way well before tip-off, the Knights had a case of the jitters and got off to a slow start. But as they came out of the locker room for the second half, the nerves were and replaced with a burning desire to be a champion once again.
New Milford went 0-for-7 from 3-point range in the first half, but It was a complete turnaround in the second as the Knights hit several big 3s at crucial junctures of the game. Alexis Monroy and Natalie Miller hit two less than a minute apart in the third quarter and Bionca Chambers hit a huge triple in the fourth quarter as third-seeded New Milford hung on to add another trophy to its collection with a 50-40 triumph over fourth-seeded Midland Park.
“This was by far the biggest stage we’ve ever been on and I think we were all really excited and really nervous at the same time,” said Miller. “We got off to a rough start, but we were still only down one. We played pretty bad offensively, but we were fortunate to have played good defense that kept us in the game until we got going.”
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Thalia Ghalam had game-highs of 20 points, 10 rebounds and four steals to go with three assists for Midland Park, whose season ended with a 20-6 record. |
The crowd was loud throughout cheering on their respective teams. When the athletic Chambers, who can guard multiple positions, picked up her second foul early in the first quarter Midland Park was there to take advantage. On three straight possessions, Thalia Ghalam scored on a putback, had an assist and then scored on a layup to give the Panthers a 16-8 lead.
The game appeared to be getting away from New Milford when Chambers re-entered the game, but she promptly got her team right back in it. She scored five straight points then had a steal and dish to Miller for a layup at the buzzer that trimmed the lead down one, 18-17, and gave the Knights plenty of momentum going into the locker room.
Chambers kept it going in the third quarter with a nice feed to Vianca Soriano to give the Knights their first lead. However, she picked up her third foul shortly there after and was forced to the bench for the remainder of the third quarter. This time though her teammates were there to pick her up and then some. Monroy’s only points of the game came at the perfect time as her pull-up 3-pointer sparked a 10-0 run. Miller also had a 3-pointer in the run capped by another layup from Soriano for a 31-20 New Milford lead.
“The crowd really had us motivated and it got us pumped to come out to play a great second half,” said Monroy, who will play soccer at Kean University next fall. “We couldn’t rely on just our defense to get us this win. It came down to all of us working together and making some big shots.”
The Panthers were down double-digits with six minutes to go but they did not go down without a fight. New Milford rushed shots on three consecutive possessions and all of them turned into points on the other end. Ghalam had a pair of layups in an 11-second span and Sofia Hansen followed with two free throws that trimmed the lead all the way down to a single basket, 38-36, with less than four minutes to play.
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Bionca Chambers finished with a team-high 15 points for New Milford, which will play University in the Group 1 semifinals on Monday. |
Chambers was not about to let the lead slip away and came up with the Knights’ biggest shot of the season. Right after Hansen’s free throws, Chambers’ corner 3-pointer made it a two-possession game. It never got closer than that five-point margin the rest of the way. A basket by Soriano and some clutch free throws from Ezzy Reyes closed it out to give New Milford a section crown.
“That third-quarter spurt they had really hurt us and it was tough to fight all the way back,” said Midland Park head coach Sean O’Connor. “We battled all the way, we just never got over the hump to take the lead back. I’m proud of how hard we fought and what this team has accomplished. These seniors have been to three section finals in four years. We just ran into a really good team tonight and they deserved to win.”
Chambers battled through foul trouble all game to close with 15 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals for New Milford (25-4). Soriano had 14 points and seven rebounds before fouling out. Miller added nine points and six rebounds.
Ghalam had game-highs of 20 points, 10 rebounds and four steals to go with three assists for Midland Park, whose season ended with a 20-6 record.
New Milford now has won 14 of its last 15 games. More importantly, the Knights have achieved all of the goals they have set from day one with league, NJIC Tournament, and North 1, Group 1 section titles now in hand. Playing in the Group 1 semifinals against University (Newark) on Wednesday is merely a bonus to what has already been a record-setting season.
“We really had to earn this win and it feels awesome to be section champs,” said Chambers. “I’m just going to home and cry now because I really can’t believe this is all happening. It’s something everyone on this team dreamed about. For all of this to come together and to play in front of a crowd like this is honestly pretty crazy.”
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