Emily Mattson finished with 16 points for Saddle River Day, which heads to the Bergen County quarterfinals still as the reigning champion after a 55-52 win over River Dell.
OLD TAPPAN – Saddle River Day has the most historic run in the history of the Bergen County Tournament with nine straight county titles. During that span, the Rebels have only been an underdog in terms of seeds three times. All three times they won; all of which came in BCT finals appearances. As the No. 10 seed this year, other teams are chomping at the bit to be the one to end the streak. It is a source of pride for the Rebels to keep the record streak going.
Facing a tough River Dell squad, every possession mattered in a game where neither team could gain a sizeable advantage. After struggling through the first three quarters, Grace Darling pumped in ten fourth-quarter points capped by two free-throws to ice the game as Saddle River Day advanced to the Bergen County Tournament quarterfinals with a 55-52 Round of 16 win over No. 7 seed River Dell at Northern Valley/Old Tappan High School.
“We had to stay together, trust each other, and the game would take care of itself,” said Saddle River Day captain Giada Celetti. “Everything clicked today and we made winning plays when we needed them most.”
Alexa DePol and Valerie Visconti each had six points in the first quarter to push River Dell out to a six-point lead, the largest for either team in the game. The Rebels struggled out of the gate before getting a lift off the bench from Gabby Stewart. She consecutive jumpers, the latter a three-pointer from the corner to cut into the lead. Giada Celetti then scored on a tough move inside to end the first quarter and finished on the block again to start the second quarter as Saddle River Day took the lead and maintained it into halftime, 25-23.
“When we play selfish and don’t bring energy, we’re not a very good team; but when we move the ball and communicate on defense we can play with anybody,” said Saddle River Day head coach Corey Taite. “We had a tough loss to Rutherford at the buzzer last week. We could either let it consume us or we could bounce back even stronger. I thought we showed a lot of mental toughness today, especially in the second half.”
The game went back and forth the rest of the way with River Dell hitting some big shots in the third quarter. Freshman Emily Mattson answered for Saddle River Day by hitting 4-5 from the field in the period. After three quarters, the game was tied at 40.
The pressure rose with each trip down the floor in the fourth quarter. Another significant contribution off the bench for the Rebels came from Brielle Mauer. She made several key defensive plays and her only points of the game came on a jumper from the wing that gave them the lead for good.
Dalia Interiano and River Dell are now 11-4 on the season.
River Dell stayed within striking distance on baskets by Dalia Interiano and Maddy Roth. When the Rebels needed a bucket late, Darling got one. The sophomore guard came up clutch on several occasions throughout the fourth quarter with big shots or drives to the basket. It was a two-point game inside the final minute when Mauer came up with a big steal. Celetti 1-2 at the foul line. River Dell did not get off a quality look at the end and Darling put the game away in the waning seconds with a pair of free throws.
“I thought we moved the ball better in the second half and we got better shots because of it,” said Darling. “We had high energy the whole game and got some big plays from everyone, especially from players who didn’t start for us today. Moving without the ball and scoring on some backdoor cuts got us going. We had to do whatever it takes to win today.”
Darling and Mattson had 18 and 16 points, respectively, for Saddle River Day (12-7). Celetti added eight points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks. Harper Cohn also had eight points.Roth finished with 15 points and Visconti added 12 for River Dell (11-4).
Saddle River Day will head into the Bergen County Tournament quarterfinals. There they will face second-seeded Northern Valley/Demarest. It will be rematch of last year’s BCT final. This time, the Norsewomen will be the favorite with an added bonus of playing on their home floor.
“We know that most people in the county want to see us get knocked off we understand that, but we can’t let it affect our mindset going into each game,” added Celetti. “It’s a rematch of last year’s county final and Demarest is a very strong team, it’s going to be a challenge. I’m really proud of how everyone has stepped up for us and we’re excited to see what we can do.”
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