Monday, December 29, 2008

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Freshman Raquel Scott had six of her 10 points in the second half to help IHA overcome a double digit deficit to knock off St. Mary's, 38-34, in the semifinals of the Joe Poli Holiday Tournament.

HILLSDALE – There were 16 minutes played in Sunday night’s semifinal at the Joe Poli Holiday Tournament and Immaculate Heart Academy’s players admitted that they were already winded. The Blue Eagles, especially the guards, were being run ragged by St. Mary’s high pressure defense.

“In the first half we were playing their game too much. We were trying to push the ball and they are an amazing team when they get you in a footrace,” said IHA point guard Tara Schwitter. “By halftime we were definitely sucking wind.”

They were also trailing by nine points at the break and had scored a grand total of 13 points through the first two quarters.

“We were tired in the first half because we were trying to get used to the speed of play,” said IHA head coach Steve Silver. “[St. Mary’s has] some pretty fast, athletic and talented kids and it was hard getting into our stuff. We couldn’t get the ball inside because our guards were being pressured so much.”

St. Mary's Afreyea Tolbert scored a game-high 14 points.

But the halftime buzzer provided the time the Blue Eagles needed to catch their collective breath, rework their strategy and set the game plan for what turned into a 38-34 win and a spot in Tuesday’s tournament final on Tuesday against Rutherford at Pascack Valley High School.

Leading 22-13 at halftime, St. Mary’s pushed the lead to as many as 11 in the third quarter after a free throw by Shanice Hawkins and two more by Martina Ellerbe, but a clutch three-pointer by Schwitter with 1:05 left in the third cut the deficit back into single digits and the IHA comeback started in earnest from there.

The Eagles drew to within 30-25 entering the fourth quarter after freshman center Raquel Scott scored on the fastbreak and Maggie La Riviere made a steal and a layup to close the third quarter and it was Scott who got her team even at 32-32 when she made a basket and was fouled with 2:35 to play. That was the first time the game was tied since it was 2-2 and St. Mary’s had led every second since.

The next two possessions were also crucial as St. Mary’s missed the front end of a one-and-one opportunity on one end before Laura Benvenuto came down the other way and nailed both of her free throws. In one fell swoop put Benvenuto put IHA ahead for the first time in the game at 34-32 with 1:54 to go and also drew the fifth and final foul on Ellerbe, St. Mary’s main low post presence. Before Ellerbe had to be replaced St. Mary’s had not substituted at all and while IHA was winded early, it was the Gaels who had to deal with fatigue late in a close game.

Ashley Morella had two three-pointers for IHA, including a key shot early in the fourth quarter.

“We were tired in the first half, but at the end they were tired and we could tell,” said Benvenuto, a senior. “Part of our game plan was to try to draw fouls because we knew that they were not that deep and by the end of the game that was a big part of what we were trying to do.”

And after not seeing much of the offense run through the low post early, IHA was able to establish Scott on the blocks late. She scored six of her 10 points in the second half and played well down the stretch, a key for the Eagles as they await the return of senior center Brook Lundy, who dislocated a knee cap in the preseason and has yet to take the floor.

Scott was also a factor on the defensive late as IHA held St, Mary’s to just four points in the fourth quarter and to just one field goal in the final 7:24 of the game. Brittany Simms’ steal and pull-up jumper to open the fourth quarter scoring had given the Gaels a 32-25 lead, but by the time they made their next shot from the floor it was Hawkins’

putback of her own missed shot that got St. Mary’s back to within 37-34 with 23 seconds left to play in the game. IHA also made six of eight free throws down the stretch to put the game away once it got the lead.

St. Mary's Martina Ellerbe scored nine points before fouling out late in the fourth quarter.

St. Mary’s senior Afreyea Tolbert led all scorers with 14 points, Ellerbe scored 9 before fouling out, Hawkins finished with 7 points and Sims and Kiyana Dunston each had a field goal as the Gaels starting five accounted for all of their points. St. Mary’s will look to get back on track in the third place game when it takes on Holy Angels on Tuesday in a 4:15 start.

Scott was the only IHA player to finish in double digits. Benvenuto, Schwitter and Tara Wilk all scored six points and so did Ashley Morella, who hit two three-pointers including a key triple on a kick out pass from Scott that were the Eagles’ first points of the fourth quarter. La Riviere’s four points rounded out the Eagles scoring.

And now it is off to the championship game for IHA in its first appearance in the Poli Tournament (Tuesday against Rutherford at 5:45 at Pascack Valley), although Silver’s goals for his team coming in were a bit more modest.

“When you play in a tournament like this it can not be about wins and losses. You can’t enter a tournament like this in a bracket like ours and expect to breeze through,” said Silver. “There is no doubt in my mind that this tournament is going to force us to improve and we are just going to enjoy the experience.”

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