Sophomore Allie Shenloogian scored 30 points for the second straight game, this time in Park Ridge's 52-26 win over Waldwick on Tuesday afternoon.

PARK RIDGE – Allie Shenloogian is a pure competitor and not one to celebrate moral victories, but when she showed off her entire offensive repertoire and scored 30 points in a near monumental upset over six-time defending Bergen County Tournament champion Saddle River Day, it was evident that not only is she one of the premier guards in Bergen County but also one who can instantly makes the Lady Owls a contender for league and state sectional titles.

The question was, after the best game of her career to date how would the sensational sophomore follow that up against a hungry Waldwick team that has already exceeded pre-season expectations? The answer would be a smooth and methodical one.

With the game nip-and-tuck through the first 10 minutes of play, the Lady Owls decided to turn up the pressure. The strategy worked to perfection with Shenloogian and Co. creating havoc on defense and making the Warriors pay on the other end of the floor. Shenloogian had seven points during a 15-0 run to close the first half. After her career-high 30-point effort against Saddle River Day, she followed it up with another 30-spot as Park Ridge got back in the win column with a 52-26 triumph over Waldwick on Monday afternoon at Park Ridge High School.

“I feel we’re underrated and hanging around until the end against Saddle River Day showed how tough we are as a team,” said Shenloogian, a three-sport star (soccer, softball).

Freshman Lyla Stokes scored a team-high 8 points for Waldwick, which is now 6-3 on the season.

Neither team got off to a strong start as Waldwick was focused on keeping Shenloogian in check and did so through a quarter and change. Waldwick also has a young, rising star in freshman Lyla Stokes. Her putback early in the second quarter trimmed the Lady Owls’ lead to 9-7. The Warriors also had numerous quality looks from 3-point range throughout the first half, but did not connect on any of their 14 attempts from beyond the arc during that span.

“We couldn’t hit a shot today and we weren’t able to get into our press the way we normally would,” said Waldwick head coach Greg McBain. “Our girls play so hard and they hate losing, which I love to see, but between missing open looks and then turning the ball over, it makes it tough to beat a good team that way. We’ll learn from the this and we’ll be back at full strength when we see them the second time around.”

Following a timeout, Park Ridge applied full-court pressure and found immediate success with it. Shenloogian, Mary Craffey, Annika Kivisikk, and Juliana Barros all scored during a 15-0 run to break the game wide open and give Park Ridge a 24-7 lead at the break.

“We’re a team that loves to grind on the defensive end,” said Park Ridge head coach Ryan Dennis. “Our goal is to be a strong defensive team every time we step on the floor. Going to the press gave us a push and helped us extend our lead. We’re still young and we’re growing up on the fly. But the growth has been great and playing good competition is only going to help us moving forward.”

Mary Caffrey scored 7 points for Park Ridge, which got back to within one game of .500 at 4-5.

Shenloogian continued having the hot hand in the third quarter where she scored nine of her 30 points. Senior Allie Schwartz converted a conventional 3-point play to bump the lead up to 20 and the Lady Owls cruised to victory from there.

On top of her 30 points, Shenloogian added seven rebounds, seven steals, and two assists for Park Ridge (4-5). Caffrey added seven points with Barros and Kivisikk each tying for game-high honors with nine rebounds. Stokes led the way with eight points for Waldwick (6-3) and Greenfield chipped in with seven.

For a Group 1 team, Park Ridge has run quite the gauntlet in the early portion of the season. Of the nine opponents the Lady Owls have faced thus far, seven of them have at least a .667 winning percentage. Being battle tested is something they hope will pay dividends come the second half of the season.

“We feel like we’re moving in the right direction,” added Shenloogian. “We’re really pushing for that league title. There are some tough games coming up and then we face Cresskill again. I really trust my teammates and we’re getting better every day. We’re excited for what’s ahead of us.”

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