Faith Williamson helped lead Saddle River Day back from a 9-point third quarter deficit to a 54-53 win over Old Tappan in the semifinals of the Bergen County Tournament.

OLD TAPPAN -- For eight-plus years now Saddle River Day has taken on all comers and none have been able to end the Rebels' strangle hold on Bergen County girls basketball. Boy, did Old Tappan come close on Sunday,

Playing on their home floor after weather forced the cancelation and relocation of the semifinal round, the Golden Knights had a 9-point lead and the ball with under three minutes to go in the third quarter on Sunday afternoon.

There was no doubt about it, the 8-time defending county champs were on the ropes and the route back was pretty straight forward according to senior Faith Williamson.

“I think defense and execution,” said Williamson. “We had to cut down our turnovers, stay together and make some big shots.”

It was 39-30 after NVOT’s Sadie Murphy canned a 3-pointer with 3:48 left in the third quarter and Saddle River Day would need all of what Williamson outlined above to reel the Knights back in, especially the big shots part.

Brooke Braen’s drive to the basket and Grace Darling’s 3-pointer to close the third quarter scoring pulled the Rebels to within four points. Those two baskets were also the start of a 15-0 run that changed everything around.

Darling and Williamson hit back-to-back 3s within 31 seconds of each other early in the fourth quarter to put Saddle River Day back in front. Although the Rebels were never able to pull away, they never gave back the lead in a 54-53 thriller that lands the Rebels in the county final on Wednesday at Fair Lawn High School.

They certainly had to earn it as Old Tappan showed it was up for the scrap. With junior Sienna Drullinsky attacking on the offensive end from the wing, in the post and getting out in transition, the Knights edged out to a 25-24 advantage at halftime. Saddle River Day was up 12-9 after the first quarter and pushed the lead to as many as 7 in the second quarter, but an 11-3 run capped by consecutive buckets by Drullinsky put OT up 20-19. Drullinsky blocked a shot that led to a Mia Derrico basket that gave the Knights their 1-point lead.

Junior Sienna Drullinsky scored a game-high 24 points for Old Tappan.

“[Drullinsky] was outstanding. She plays both ends of the floor and brings it,” said Old Tappan head coach Brian Dunn. “When she is determined like that she is a handful. She did a great job on the defensive end, great job on the glass and went baseline to baseline. Not too many kids can play like that for the full length of the game without taking a breather or coming out.”

Drullinsky scored 9 of her game-high 24 points in the second quarter then scored the first four points of the second half as Old Tappan continued to make a push. The Knights went up by 9 twice in the third quarter before Saddle River Day stuck its heels in the ground and ripped off the 15 straight points that put them back in front. Darling made three 3-pointers in the spurt, including the one that put SRD up 49-43 with 3:50 to play.

Drullinsky kept Old Tappan right in it with two free throws that made it 50-48 with 1:14 left and conventional 3-point play with 27 second left that made it 52-51, before the Knights saw their last best chance to go back in front bounce freely on the floor.

Leading by one with 13 seconds left, the Rebels missed a pair of free throws. Old Tappan boxed out, but nobody grabbed the free ball until it turned into an on-the-floor scramble, a held ball and an SRD possession via the arrow.

Giada Celetti pulled down 11 rebounds for Saddle River Day, which will play Demarest in the county final.

A Williamson free throw upped the lead to three with 9.4 seconds to go and Drullinsky’s last field goal, a driving layup, went through with :01.5 remaining, but the Knights came up a point short and it is Saddle River Day that is heading back to the county final for the ninth straight season.

Williamson led SRD with 23 points and Bella Pedone added 11, while Darling and Giada Celetti did the dirty work. Darling finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Celetti pulled down 11 rebounds, including 7 on the offensive end.

Experience will obviously on the Rebels’ side as its opponent, sixth-seeded Demarest, will make its first ever appearance in a county final on Wednesday at Fair Lawn High School, but Saddle River Day did not build its dynasty by taking outcomes for granted.

“We always say that just because we have won before does not mean we are going to win today. New group, new team and we always want to do it for the girls that came before us,” said Williamson. “All of the teams that won before, we want to win for them and for ourselves.”

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