150 Knickerbocker Road, Demarest, NJ 07627

Friday, January 6, 2012

BOYS BASKETBALL:Last option a good one as Old Tappan tops rival Demarest

Demarest's Dan Crimmins.

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

OLD TAPPAN – The play that was drawn up in the huddle with 23 seconds left in regulation of a tie game had broken down and Mason Vialonga had few good options left as the packed house was going crazy and the Northern Valley/Demarest defense closed in on Vialonga's position on the left wing near the sideline. At that point he could have turned the ball over by stepping back toward the boundary, or traveled while trying to step through or he could have called a timeout and transferred the pressure to one of his teammates. But instead, Vialonga kept his head up and kept his whits about him. That made all the difference as he saw Khalil Whitney rolling to the basket on the backside and looped a half-an-alley-oop over the top of the defense. Whitney caught the ball and, in one motion, transferred it into the basket with eight seconds to play for the winning bucket in Northern Valley/Old Tappan's 35-33 victory over its sister school and biggest rival on Thursday night. “We were running a play for Troy [McLaughlin] to pop out at the top of the key, but [Dan] Crimmins switched on Troy and took it away. That was when Khalil went back door and I threw it to him. It was all improvised,” said Vialonga, a junior in his first varsity season. MORE...

MORE NV-DEMAREST HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS COVERAGE

Demarest's Melissa Pesce.

NOVEMBER
VOLLEYBALL:Dynasty continued:IHA wins fourth T of C title in last five years

VOLLEYBALL:Demarest believed that it would win

VOLLEYBALL:Demarest climbs back to the top

OCTOBER
VOLLEYBALL:Bogota blasts its way past Demarest and into county final

VOLLEYBALL:Demarest guts out a three-setter against River Dell

FIELD HOCKEY:Kanaris comes through as Demarest upsets River Dell