Mia Vergel DeDios scored 6 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, dished 6 assists and had 4 steals to help Glen Rock claim a 49-40 win over Pascack Valley and the North 1, Group 2 state sectional championship.
GLEN ROCK – Glen Rock opened the second quarter with a 13-4 run to break an 8-8 tie en route to earning a 49-40 victory over Pascack Valley in the North 1, Group 2 sectional championship game on Saturday afternoon.
As the second quarter began Glen Rock junior Anna Heuss and Valley sophomore Emma Costello exchanged 3-pointers before a three-point play by Panthers sophomore Ana Landreau and short jumper by junior Mia Vergel de Dios gave Glen Rock the lead for good, 16-11.
As the clock ticked down inside two minutes to go in the first half sophomore Isabella Flaccavento drained a pair of 3-pointers sandwiched around another trey by Costello so the Panthers carried a 24-15 lead into intermission.
Throughout the game it appeared that Glen Rock was getting most of the rebounds. The Panthers continually got second and third shots at the basket.
“We knew we had to come out with a lot of energy and be the first to every ball,” said Panthers senior Emily McKegney. “We focused in practice on rebounding and boxing out. We knew we had to do that in order to win today.”
“We talk about winning the wars on both sides of the floor,” added first-year head coach Sara Wolman. “[Junior] Abby Grove is the most tenacious athlete I’ve seen. She pursues the ball like nobody’s business. Ana Landreau is in there, Mia (Vergel de Dios), Emily (McKegney) - they all want the ball on both sides. It’s a focus for us because we know we may not have the best shots. But if we’re getting rebounds we can stay in the game.”
Senior Celina Bussanich finished with 11 points for Pascack Valley.
Wolman is a 2006 graduate of Glen Rock High School and had been an assistant coach at Glen Rock for 14 years before being promoted.
“It was easy [to transition] because I already had relationships [with the girls] and we had a mutual respect,” she said. “It was a little challenging, feeling it out, being in charge, going from assistant to leader, but I give credit to the girls. They responded and it was a smooth transition. They wanted to show up for themselves and for me and it shows.”
“We love her - she’s amazing,” McKegney said. “We’ve had her as an assistant coach but coming in we were confident she was going to help lead us to the end. All the coaches really worked us hard in practice and we love them so much.”
As luck would have it Wolman’s first sectional title game was against PV legend Jeff Jasper.
“He’s an amazing coach and someone I admire and respect, as I have since I played,” Wolman said. “So it’s a little extra special, I guess, but being in a championship game against him was tough, personally, but my girls wanted it.”
Defense was another staple employed by the Panthers against Valley. High scoring senior Celina Bussanich was held to 11 points and super sophomore Raina Gibbs only scored 5, including one 3-pointer.
“One thing we talked about was disrupting their rhythm, getting in their face and making them put the ball on the floor,” said Wolman. “Emily McKegney is the best defender I’ve ever seen. She stays in front, she’s long and disruptive. She did an amazing job on an All-County player. I’m really proud of her.”
Isabella Flaccavento and Glenr Rock will play North 2 champion Madison in the Group 2 semifinals on Wednesday.
“They’re definitely a great team with really good shooters,” McKegney added. “We focused on preventing them from shooting threes, being up on them and making them drive and I think we all did a great job which helped us win today. It really started on the defensive end for us.”
On offense, no fewer than 7 players scored 2 or more points in the game. Flaccavento and Heuss each tallied 10, Grove had 9, McKegney 7 and Vergel de Dios scored 6 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, dished 6 assists and had 4 steals.
“That’s the real beauty of this team,” said Wolman. “We have six players with well over 100 points. Any one of the six can score. We don’t focus on one person that much. It’s hard to guard.”
As the second half began Bussanich drained a pair of free throws and a minute later Costello swished a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 24-20. But the Panthers went on a 13-9 run to boost the lead back up to eight.
Valley got within 4 a couple of other times, the last time when senior Ava Burke scored from in close to make it 44-40 with 3:21 to go in the game.
But McKegney gave the Panthers a 6-point lead with 1:45 to go when she spun around a Valley defender, drove to the basket and scored to make it 46-40.
“She’s a good leader,” Wolman said of her only senior. “And she’s playing from the heart every single game - this being her last year. She’s leading by example and giving her all every single second and I think the girls play for her a little bit, too.”
The Panthers improved to 26-4, while Pascack Valley fell to 18-11. Glen Rock moves on to play North 2, Group 2 Madison Wednesday night at 6 p.m. in Franklin Township in Somerset County.
“It feels really good,” McKegney said. “I’ve wanted this for so long - since I was little coming to the games. Especially after losing last year [in the sectional final] we’ve all had a strong desire to win. We’ve been working on it and this has been our goal since the start of the season. It’s really special.”
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