Monday, February 15, 2010

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Terry Ely's only field goal of the game came on this shot and it gave Pascack Valley the two points it needed to knock out RIver Dell, 26-24, in the quarterfinals of the Bergen County Girls Basketball Tournament.

EAST RUTHERFORD – Over her four years in the starting lineup, Terry Ely has been a consistent part of the Pascack Valley offense. While not a flashy player, the senior is as consistent as any player in North Jersey in putting the ball in the basket. But yesterday, she was held in check like she had never been before for over 31 minutes in the Bergen County quarterfinals against River Dell.

Ely only hit one shot from the field in the game, but it turned out to be one of the biggest in her illustrious career.

Her jumper with nine seconds left snapped a tie and providing the deciding points in third-seeded Pascack Valley’s 26-24 win over sixth-seeded River Dell at Becton Regional High School.

“It was very frustrating for me today as it was for our whole team, but we got the win and that’s all that matters,” said Ely.

Pascack Valley jumped out to an early five-point lead, but the Hawks stayed within striking distance on a basket from Kristen Eckert to get within 17-13 at the half.

The Hawks pulled within two points when they were dealt a major blow in a matter of seconds in the third quarter. Kate Brock, the Hawks’ leading scorer and rebounder, picked up her fourth and fifth fouls to foul out of the game with 5:01 to play in the third period. It could have meant a finishing blow to River Dell’s chances for an upset, but the Hawks continued to play fantastic defense.

Meghan Cotter's two free throws were River Dell's only points of the fourth quarter.

They forced two turnovers and turned them into baskets on the opposite end of the court. Jordan Bastable nailed a three-pointer and Jenna Connelly followed with a 15-foot jumper to put River Dell ahead, 20-19, late in the third quarter.

Meghan Cotter scored the Hawks’ only two points of the fourth quarter from the charity stripe. The Hawks maintained the lead until Lindsey Hickey’s steal and layup tied the game at 24. After a River Dell turnover, the Indians held the ball for over two minutes before taking their final shot. Although she did not hit a shot throughout regulation, Ely wanted the ball in crunch time.

She held the ball out near midcourt then passed it off to Chelsea Lombardi and cut to towards the elbow where Lombardi hit her with an entry pass. River Dell head coach Lou Wejnert pleaded for a travelling call, but did not get it as Ely rose up with a hand in her face and hit a tough shot to put PV ahead, 26-24, with just nine seconds to play.

“The shot was more of a reaction than anything else,” said Ely. “I got a good pass from Chelsea and I had just enough space to take the shot. When it went in all I worried about was getting back on defense and making sure they didn’t get off a last shot.”

River Dell had a chance to tie the game from the foul line, but missed the front end of a one-and-one with a second left as the Indians escaped with a two-point win.

“This one is a hard one to swallow, we were right there until the very end,” said River Dell head coach Lou Wejnert. “If you told me that without Kate Brock on the floor for most of the second half that we would hold (Pascack Valley) to nine points in the second half and (26) overall, I’d tell you that we won the game. But give PV credit, this is what they do and they find ways to win these types of games.”

Despite being in foul trouble all game, Dana Amato finished with a game-high eight points for Pascack Valley (19-3). Point guard Lindsey Hickey finished with five points and turned the ball over just once in the second half for the Indians, who did not have a turnover in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Meghan Cotter, a junior guard, scored all six of her points from the foul line to lead River Dell (19-2). Pascack Valley moves onto its customary spot in the Bergen County semifinal round and will face a familiar for in second-seeded Ramapo, a 48-38 winner over Paramus Catholic yesterday. The Indians will look to avenge one of their three losses on the season, which Ramapo handed them last month.

“It’s about surviving and advancing and that’s what we did,” said Pascack Valley head coach Jeff Jasper. “River Dell is a very, very good defensive team and they got us out of our comfort zone. It wasn’t our best game and it wasn’t River Dell’s either, but we’re certainly happy to get the win. To make the Bergen County semifinals as a public school (25 times in 31 years) says something about our program and the kids that have come through it.

“This game just came down a really good player making a really good play at the right time. Terry Ely did not have her best game either. But when we needed a big shot, we looked to her and she delivered as she has for us in the past. I’m happy she’s on our side.”

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