Christina Parrella scored a team-high 19 points for Saddle River Day, the 7-time defending champion that advanced to the Bergen County Tournament semifinals with a 68-52 win over NV/Demarest.

DEMAREST – Every time Saddle River Day girls’ basketball steps on the court for a Bergen County Tournament game the challenge is as much mental as it is physical. Having won a record seven county titles in a row, the Rebels know that the opposing team trying to score a landmark victory to end the streak.

In years past, the Rebels were able to roll through the quarterfinal round. However, Saturday’s tilt with Northern Valley/Demarest presented a tricky matchup. Having a size disadvantage, facing one of the top scorers in Bergen County, and playing on the Norsewomen’s home court, the Rebels needed a balanced attack and a fast start to set the tone and that’s exactly what they got.

Cristina Parrella, Brooke Braen, and Bella Pedone hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Rebels a double-digit lead less than four minutes into the game. The same trio also hit 3s in the third quarter as top-seeded Saddle River Day pulled away and advanced to the Bergen County Tournament semifinals with a 68-52 quarterfinal win over No. 8 seed Northern Valley/Demarest on Saturday in Demarest.

The Rebels have bought in to the open-player-getting-the-shot approach and that showed with a blistering display from beyond the arc. Pedone’s three-pointer capped an 11-1 spurt to open the game. Angie Tirado had a steal and a layup followed by a deep 3 to trim Demarest’s 10-point deficit in half, but the Rebels answered with another 3 from the corner, this time from Nia Carrera, to bump the lead back up to eight by the end of the first quarter, 20-12.

“When we move the ball and hit open shots, we’re very hard to defend,” said Saddle River Day head coach Joe Pedone. “We really encourage in-your-face defense and picking a team up full-court. They have a really good backcourt (Tirado and Gabriella Mittleman). We wanted to get up on them and make it as tough as possible for them.”

Demarest's Angie Tirado led all scorers with 28 points.

With the Norsewomen pushing out to defend the 3-point line, the Rebels made more of an effort to attack the basket in the second quarter. That resulted in more success with a pair of baskets from Julianna Almeida and a perfect 4-for-4 from the foul line from Parrella and Braen in the quarter to give the Rebels a 15-point lead at the half, 34-19.

“Coming off a great team win against Albertus Magnus (NY), we came into this game with a lot of confidence and that helps us get off to a good start,” said Parrella, who is committed to play next year at Princeton University. “We’ve gotten better every day at practice and every game we play in. We’re playing our best right now and it’s right where we want to be. There’s no pressure at all for us in this tournament. Our team loves playing together and it makes us want to win another county title even more because of the bond we have.”

Pedone made her mark right out of the gate in the third quarter. On the first possession of the period, she stole the ball that led to a Faith Williamson layup, then nail a three-pointer on the next possession as the Rebels pulled away after the break to lead by as many as 28 on their way to another berth in the Bergen County semifinals.

Parrella, who played at Demarest as a freshman, finished with 19 points and Braen had 18 for Saddle River Day (15-3). Almeida, Williamson, and Pedone each added eight points with Giada Celetti chipping in four points.

Tirado led all scorers with 28 points for Northern Valley/Demarest (17-5).

Saddle River Day is now two steps away from an eighth straight Bergen County championship. Next Saturday they will face off against Holy Angels and their fantastic backcourt of high-scoring Samamtha Serrano and steady point guard Celeste Harper. But with the Rebels working together, moving the ball, committing to team defense, and most important having fun, this is the time of year in which they relish the most.

“They’re all having fun off the court and with that it’s spilling over onto the court,” added Pedone. “They’re working together and they are trusting each other. We’re playing a team game and there are no egos here. It’s about doing our job, supporting each other, and ending up on the good side of the scoreboard that’s all that matters to us.”

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