Anthony Bernardez hit a 3-pointer 32 seconds into the game to give Demarest the lead for good in a 72-65 win over Northern Highlands in the North 1, Group 3 state sectional semifinals.

DEMAREST – Northern Valley/Demarest junior Anthony Bernardez plays an important role on the offensive end. He can be the primary ball-handler, which allows Zach Schweid, the program’s all-time leading scorer, to hunt good shots without having to orchestrate the offense. Bernardez is a ball-mover and a facilitator, but with so many other scoring options on a 22-win team, he, more often than not, passes up his own shot to help set up others.

On Tuesday night in the North 1, Group 3 state sectional semifinal, Bernardez was 1-for-2 in field goal attempts, but that one was a big one.

After Marco DeCroce won the tap, Bernardez decided that he would take the first shot of the game, a 3-pointer from the corner that went right through the middle of the net. That turned out to be the game-winning basket even though it happened just 32 seconds into the first quarter in front of a nearly packed house that was buzzing right from the get-go.

“We needed a basket early just to settle the nerves. That it was Anthony [Bernardez], who doesn’t shoot the ball, with a 3 from the corner says a lot about our team,” said Demarest head coach Pat Gabriele. “It could be anyone and I thought that was huge for us just to settle everything down.”

Bernardez’s shot did not really soothe as much as it riled up the home team. The Norsemen came out flying, hitting their first five shots from the floor and racing out to a 13-0 lead just 2:20 in. Northern Highlands, the No. 4 seed, made its share of runs over the next 29-plus minutes, but could never fully close the gap.

“I got us started but it was really the rest of the guys. They shot the ball well tonight all game,” said Bernardez. “Marco [DeCroce] inside, Jules [Gorenstein] hit a couple of big 3s, Zach [Schweid] led us, everybody really. It was good all around.”

Pharoahe Dixon scored a team-high 16 points for Northern Highlands, which finished the season at 20-9.

Schweid hit all six of his free throws in the final 30 seconds to keep the game where it had been for most of the night, just out of the reach of Northern Highlands and top-seeded Demarest advanced to the North 1, Group 3 final with a 72-65 victory. That means the Norsemen will host Ramapo in the section final on Friday.

Ramapo, the No. 7 seed which took out No. 3 Teaneck, 59-50, on the road on Tuesday, is the either the three-time or five-time defending champion in this bracket. The Green Raiders won the last two titles before COVID and the three since with the two-year hiatus in between. What is without debate is that the last team to beat Ramapo, the two-time defending Group 3 state champion, in a true state sectional tournament game was Demarest in the 2018 final.

Northern Highlands had picked up the pieces after losing senior point guard Lucas Dipasupil, a first team All-County selection last year, to a broken collarbone in the Highlanders’ loss to St. Joseph Regional in the Bergen County Jamboree back in February. They lost the next time out against Ridgewood, but won six of their final seven regular season games before beating Dwight Morrow and Montville by a combined 39 points in the first two rounds of the states.

So when Demarest got off to the fast start, the Highlanders did not panic. They got to within 5 points in the first quarter and a 9-0 run that included back-to-back 3-pointers by Pharoahe Dixon midway through the second period got them all they back to within 29-27. A 3 by Nick Gorenstein and a DeCroce bucket in the paint pushed Demarest to a 34-27 lead at the intermission.

“When [Highlands head coach] Jon [Schmitt] called his timeout [after the 13-0 run], I said in the huddle, ‘They are going to come at us. They are not going away,” said Gabriele. “They are too good a basketball team to just go away and they didn’t.”

Highlands made numerous runs, but Demarest had answers every time. Corey Begleiter scored the final five points of the third quarter to get the Highlanders to within 47-41 and Zachary Blacher’s 3 from the top of the key to open the fourth made it a one-possession game. Then Demarest sophomore Julian Gorenstein made a trey 30 seconds later to double the lead. It was a four-point game with 3:12 left after a Isaac Anderson hit a 3 for Highlands before Nick Gorenstein hit one from deep in the corner at the other end 13 seconds later. Julian Gorenstein then scored on the fast break off an assist from Schweid and that was pretty much the dagger.

Marco DeCroce finished with 14 points for top-seeded Demarest, which will host No. 7 Ramapo in the section final on Friday..

“My role all season has been to come off the bench, bring energy and hit some big shots,” said Julian Gorenstein, who finished with 14 points as Demarest’s bench outscored Highlands’ 17-0. “I am used to this role now that I have played more games, been in bigger moments and being on the floor in the fourth quarter. All of that has helped me with my confidence.”

Highlands got all of its points from its starters and all of them – Dixon (16 points), Anderson (14 points), Jeffery Weinberger (13 points), Blacher (12 points) and Begleiter (10 points) – finished in double figures. The Highlanders, who finished the season at 20-9, made 11 3s in the game, five in the fourth quarter to stay relatively close and were a combined 10 of 16 from the free throw line.

Schweid led all scorers with his 23 points and in a throw-back final stat line none of them came from behind the 3-point line. By driving to the basket and pulling up for midrange jumpers, he made eight 2-point field goals and 7 of his 8 free throw attempts.

Also in pre-analytics style, DeCroce (14 points) reached double figures by accepting entry passes into the low post and hitting the offensive glass. The Gorenstein brothers handled most of the 3-point chores as Julian made four and Nick (12 points) did the same. The other 9 Norsemen points came from Bernardez, Joel Matthew and Oliver Winick, who each made a 3.

Demarest improved to 22-5 on the season heading into the showdown with Ramapo on Friday night.

“We have been talking about this ever since I was a freshman of winning that sectional championship. Outside of any personal goals of mine, this is really the goal I want the most and we have a chance to dethrone the past champs,” said Schweid. “We know if we really want to win this section we have to guard people. This section is one of the most loaded sections in the state and the way to win these games is to guard. As a team we have learned how to rotate, play help defense and keep people in front of us and we take pride in that.”

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