Lucy Casteneda's on-the-ball defense led Waldwick's stingy defense in a 49-20 win on the road at Midland Park on Monday.
MIDLAND PARK – With a big week ahead against Pompton Lakes (8-2) and NJIC-Patriot rival Park Ridge, the last thing want Waldwick head coach Greg McBain wanted to see was a slow start in the Warriors’ first game of the week against a Midland Park team they handled easily back in December. But that is exactly what happened with the Warriors trailing after the first quarter. Not able to find any rhythm offensively and desperate for answers, the Warriors went back to old-fashioned pressure defense to right the ship.
Senior point guard Lucy Castaneda set the tone with her on the ball pressure and Lyla Stokes finished with game-highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds as Waldwick pitched a shutout in the second quarter on the way to a 49-20 road win over Midland Park on Monday afternoon.
When the teams played three weeks ago, Waldwick dominated the first quarter and had a 20-point lead. This time around, the Panthers were more prepared and stayed in it by outworking the Warriors to seemingly every rebound and loose ball. Freshman Sara Stern’s putback gave Midland Park an 8-7 heading into the second quarter.
“We always seem to start slow in this gym for whatever reason,” said McBain. “Getting outhustled, committing a lot of careless fouls in the first quarter, that had to change. This is a fun team and they’re great kids. I knew we’d band together and find our way. The intensity we showed in the second and third quarter is the intensity we need for all four quarters.”
Freshman Sara Stern scored off the offensive glass to give Midland Park an early lead.
Castaneda harassed any Panther guard within arm’s length. She had three steals in the second quarter alone. When she did not get a steal herself, her pressure allowed Kyra Rahulatharan and Stokes to jump into passing lanes. A steal by Stokes late in the half turned into a layup Rahulatharan to beat the halftime buzzer. Another steal by Castaneda on the first possession of the third led to another breakaway layup for Rahulatharan to make it a double-digit lead, 18-8.
“Our defense is a main part of our offense,” said Castaneda. “Missing shots, that happens. Sometimes they just won’t go in. But you can always make up for that by working together and playing good defense. We had to dig down deep and play with confidence to get control of the game.”
The Panthers did their best to stay within striking distance throughout the third quarter before another buzzer-beater broke the game open. Stokes’ step back three-pointer at the buzzer bumped the lead up 14, 27-13. The Warriors kept the momentum going with a dominant fourth quarter with the starters for each team out by the midway point.
“Offensively, we really started to pick it up in the third quarter,” said Stokes. “Our best possessions are when we have five or six good passes with reversal swings to move the opposing defense to get the best possible shot.”
Lyla Stokes finished with game-highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds for Waldwick.
Castaneda finished with eight points along with game-highs of nine assists, and five steals for Waldwick (8-5). Rahulatharan had a solid effort with 12 points, seven rebounds, and three steals.
Stern finished with eight points and Alexis Williamson had six for Midland Park (4-7).
With a big game against a vastly improved Pompton Lakes squad, the Warriors hope that will be another good tune-up before a showdown with Park Ridge and its all-county star point guard Allie Shenloogian. When the teams met on January 3rd, the Warriors fell apart in the second half with Park Ridge cruising to a 27-point win. This time around, the Warriors know they must put a full four quarters together if they are to pull the upset.
“We started out very hot this season going 5-0 with wins over Secaucus and Pascack Valley, so we know we can win those types of games,” said Stokes. “We have some tough games coming up, but we’re excited to play Park Ridge again. We want to get into the counties this year and make a deep run in states. We feel like we’re starting to get back on a roll again and we hope to keep it going this week.”
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