Ava Naszimento finished with season highs of 13 points and 14 rebounds for IHA, which made it back to the Bergen County Tournament final for the fourth straight year with a 53-47 win over Pascack Valley.

FAIR LAWN – IHA senior Ava Naszimento is the type of player that every coach covets. A 6-foot-2 center who relishes doing the dirty work in the paint that allows her teammates to shine and her team to succeed. While she does not show off her offensive repertoire often, the senior knew if her team was going to get another crack at playing for a Bergen County title that she had to be a factor in the scoring column as well as on the boards and defensively. Facing a stingy Pascack Valley squad that refused to give an inch, Naszimento came up clutch with her best game of the season at the perfect time.

She finished with season-highs of 13 points and 14 rebounds. Fellow senior Isabella Asencio had a game-high 20 points and four big free throws in the final minute as second-seeded IHA will get another shot at six-time defensive Bergen County Tournament champion Saddle River Day in this year’s final after a 53-47 semifinal triumph over No. 6 seed Pascack Valley on Saturday afternoon at Fair Lawn High School.

“Any time (Naszimento) had a mismatch we were looking to get the ball to her,” said Asencio. “We kept sending it inside to her and she kept finishing so we stuck with what was working.”

Asencio has been a consistent offensive force all season for IHA. She got going early in this game, hitting all four of her first-quarter shots with the Blue Eagles grabbing a 14-8 lead. Every time it appeared that they would pull away, Pascack Valley came up with big shots. Sophomore guard Celina Bussanich hit a pair of 3-pointers and Ava Burke provided a huge spark off the bench with a pair of buckets as PV stayed within striking distance, down 27-22 at the half.

First on a Burke 3-pointer then on a Bussanich layup, Pascack Valley trimmed the lead down to two. IHA had a swift response by making a concerted effort to get Naszimento the ball inside. She turned over her left shoulder the first time for a layup, then got fouled and hit both free-throws on the next possession. Selena Cieszko added a conventional 3-point play as IHA bumped the lead back up to seven heading into the fourth quarter, 44-37.

Ava Burke scofred 13 points for Pascack Valley, whcih is now 15-8 on the season..

“I concern myself with trying to help get my teammates open, but I had to take some chances today when I got the ball,” said Naszimento, who will play next year at Division 1 Central Connecticut State. “When they were playing behind me I felt like I had an advantage because I turn either way to get my shot off.”

After Naszimento picked up her fourth foul early in the final stanza, the Blue Eagles slowed the pace. The lead was still seven late in the game when Madison McCarthy’s 3-pointer cut the lead down to four and PV turned up the pressure. With just over a minute to play, that four-point lead appeared that it was going to be cut on half after a mid-court steal, but the layup was missed and Asencio hit both ends of a one-and-one to ice the game and move IHA into the Bergen County Tournament final for the fourth consecutive year.

Pascack Valley fought hard every possession but was never able to get over the hump to grab the lead; a fact that was not lost on legendary head coach Jeff Jasper.

“You only get opportunities like this so often. This was a winnable game that slipped away,” said Jasper, who currently sits at a state record 1,099 career wins. “I’m very proud of our effort. We were right on the threshold of doing something historic and we knocked on the door all game. We went toe to toe with a great team and this was that opportunity, but we did not finish the job. I know this team is invested and engaged and I know they’re disappointed right now. The only thing these girls can chalk it up to is a life lesson. It's all in the details. It’s always about the details.”

Julia Schutz added 10 points and Cieszko had nine for IHA (20-3). Bussanich and Burke each had 13 points for Pascack Valley (15-8).

The game that the Blue Eagles have waited for all season is finally here as this senior-laden team will get one last crack to break Saddle River Day’s stranglehold on the Bergen County Tournament. It is an opportunity that they have worked an entire year towards and they are ready for the challenge.

“It’s going to be a great game on Wednesday and we’ll come out with a ton of energy,” said Naszimento. “We have to clean up the little things and concentrate on each possession. We know what to expect and the goal we’ve been working towards all year is finally in front of us.”

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