Monday, February 25, 2008

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Maggie Ely scored 12 points in the first half as Pascack Valley took control on the way to a 53-43 win over IHA in the Bergen County final on Sunday at Paramus Catholic HS.

PARAMUS - Pascack Valley seniors Sara Ely and Rebecca Lynch have been building impressive high school resumes since the time they first appeared as varsity players as freshmen during the 2004-05 season. They have also been a part of teams that have won four league titles, two state section titles and made an appearance in the Tournament of Champions.

The one accomplishment that has eluded the dynamic duo was a Bergen County championship, a goal they set for themselves three years ago.

Sunday was their last shot to earn that honor in the Bergen County final. But to do it, they would have to get past a tough IHA team, the one that handed PV its only loss of the season to date. In that game, the Indians got off to a slow start and never could quite get over the hump in a one-point loss.

That was why starting fast in the county final in front of nearly 1,300 fans at Paramus Catholic High School was a must for Pascack Valley, but even the Indians could not have envisioned the dominant first half they put together. In fact, they did that so well that their long-term goal of being crowned county champs was all but achieved by the time the halftime buzzer sounded.

Aileen Daniels had game-highs of 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists for IHA.

Maggie Ely had the hot hand early to set the pace for Pascack Valley. Lynch, Sara and Terry Ely followed suit as Pascack Valley took the lead with a late first-quarter run and never gave it back. The top-seeded Indians led by as many as 25 in the first half and won their first Bergen County title since 2001 with a 53-43 victory over IHA, the No. 3 seed.

"We knew had to come out a lot stronger than we did last time if we were going to win this game," said Pascack Valley's Maggie Ely. "IHA is alot bigger than us and they are physical. So we had to set the pace and try to make them play at our tempo."

Both teams started off hot as IHA held an early 8-7 lead. With the Blue Eagles focusing on containing Sara Ely and Lynch, Maggie Ely took the pressure off of them by being aggressive at both ends of the floor. She played good defense on IHA standout point guard Tara Schwitter and helped disrupt the Blue Eagles' offense before creating some offense of her own.

Maggie Ely scored five points during a crucial 13-2 run to take a 20-10 lead after the first quarter.

All three Ely sisters finished in double digits, including Terry, a junior who scored 10 points.

"Maggie Ely was the difference for us early in this game and she set the tone," said Pascack Valley head coach Jeff Jasper. "It's not just that she scored, she did a great job on both ends of the floor. I'm more proud of the way she played defense on (Tara) Schwitter, who is a fantastic point guard."

The Indians did not rest on their lead and continued their torrid play in the second quarter. Maggie Ely finished with 12 first-half points as the Indians carried a 20-point lead, 33-13, into the locker room at halftime.

"You only had to look up at the scoreboard to know we were in trouble," said Tara Schwitter. "All you can do is chip away one possession at a time. We tried to get back into it, it's tough to do it. It's tough to do it against any team and it's even tougher to do it against a team like Pascack Valley. I'm disappointed we lost. But I'm proud that we showed heart and we fought back right until the final buzzer sounded."

The lead grew to as many as 25, 40-15, early in the third quarter before IHA finally got into a rhythm. The Blue Eagles tried valiantly to get back in the game and nearly made a game of it.

IHA point guard Tara Schwitter finished with 9 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.

Aileen Daniels scored a pair of baskets and Schwitter followed with two foul shots, to trim the lead to 10, 47-37 with 2:45 to play. But the Indians were clutch at the charity stripe over the final minutes.

Mary Beierle, Sara Ely, and Lynch all hit free throws as the lead never got into single-digits and Pascack Valley celebrated its first county title in seven years.

"This is a great feeling to finally get it done and win the counties as a senior," said Sara Ely, who will play at the University of Pennsylvania next year. "I thought we had to set the tempo defensively and we did that. We made them take tough shots and we did a good job of boxing out. We only wanted them to take one shot per possession and we did that very well, especially in the first half."

Three Pascack Valley (25-1) players finished in double-figures, and they were all part of the Ely family. Maggie, a sophomore, led the way with 15 points. Sara had 14 points and Terry, a junior, added 10. Lynch scored eight points and led the team in both rebounds and steals with eight and four, respectively.

Sara Ely finished with 14 points and her first County title.

The Brown University-bound Daniels with game-highs of 19 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists for IHA (21-4). Schwitter chipped in with nine points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

For Sara Ely, Lynch, and the rest of the Pascack Valley seniors, it was a goal that was finally fulfilled after four years of hard work.

"To win say we're county champs and to beat a great team like IHA in the final is a dream come true for us," said Lynch, who will at Division 1 St. Peter's College next year. "It gives me butterflies inside to know we worked so hard for this and we achieved this together as a team. It's an amazing feeling and it is something I'll always remember."

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