Sunday, February 8, 2015

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Carly Christofi hit both ends of a one-and-one late in the fourth quarter to help Saddle River Day clinch its 48-45 upset of defending champ Northern Highlands in the quarterfinals of the Bergen County Tournament.

EAST RUTHERFORD – It had been nearly two decades since Saddle River Day had had a .500 record for a full season before Danny Brown took over as athletic director and head girls basketball coach three years ago. It was not just a rebuilding project he had on his hands, but a complete tear-down. But Brown had visions of establishing not just a winning team, but a program on par with the elites in Bergen County.

While the Lady Rebels have grown by leaps in bounds over the last couple of years, they were still lacking that one signature victory that would show the rest of the county that they have truly arrived.

That is, until Saturday afternoon.

Facing off against second-seeded and defending Bergen County champion Northern Highlands in the quarterfinals of the Bergen County Tournament Saddle River Day officially established itself as a contender.

In an entertaining contest that seesawed back and forth all game long, it was the Rebels who came up big down the stretch. Clinging to a one-point lead, Caity House came up with a huge steal with 12 seconds left and Carly Christofi hit both ends of a one-and-one as 10th seeded Saddle River Day earned its first ever trip to the Final 4 with a 48-45 upset at Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford.

“We knew we were the underdog and we came in here with something to prove,” said Saddle River Day’s Dani McMahon.

Brown-bound senior Melissa Heath led No. Highlands with 12 points.

In the Rebels’ Round of 16 win over Teaneck, they came out with a ton of energy, got off to a quick start and never let up. Although their level of competition was raised a bit in facing the defending Bergen County champ, the Rebels had a similar start.

Cassie Cruz’s baseline jumper put the Rebels up by four midway through the first quarter, a lead that lead grew as large as nine on a 3-pointer from House early in the second quarter before the Highlanders came roaring back.

Northern Highlands took the lead on a jumper from Rachel Jubelt and a putback from Brown University-bound forward Melissa Heath gave the Highlanders a 28-22 halftime advantage. After a big run to close the second quarter it appeared as if the Highlanders were poised to pull away as they have done to many an opponent this season. The Rebels had other ideas, though, and wasted little time in embarking on a run of their own.

House and Christofi hit 3-pointers to give the Rebels the lead. McMahon’s steal and layup capped the 15-3 spurt that gave the Rebels a 37-31 lead. Northern Highlands answered right back with eight straight points and Jubelt’s runner off the glass giving it a two-point lead, 39-37, going into the fourth quarter.

Kayle Oge made a huge defensive play late in the game to help Saddle River Day reach the Final 4 for the first time in school history.

Saddle River Day refused to fold and relied on its defense when it mattered most. The Rebels held the Highlanders scoreless over a five-minute stretch during which Christofi banked in a 3 and Kayla Oge made a layup to gave Saddle River Day a 46-41 lead with 1:30 to play.

Down three, Jubelt made a steal and mid-court and laid it in to cut the lead to one, 46-45. After a missed shot, the Highlanders gained possession and had a chance to grab the lead in the final seconds. But the ball was knocked loose on a drive to the paint with House diving on the loose ball in traffic and alertly calling timeout with 12 seconds left.

“I just saw the ball on the ground and I had to get it,” said House. “Honestly, I’m not the type of player who is always diving on the floor. But with the game on the line and everything we’ve worked for, I just reacted and came up with it. This game is win-or-go-home, so you have to do whatever it takes. That’s the kind of defense we’ve been playing all game and I’m just happy we got the timeout there.”

The Highlanders were forced to foul and Christofi nailed both ends of a one-and-one with eight seconds left to make it 48-45.

Northern Highlands had a potential chance to tie with a 3-pointer but never got a shot off. After the free throws by Christofi, teammate Kelly Hannigan stole the inbounds pass. Although she did not convert the ensuing free-throws, Oge was able to knock the second miss off an opponent's leg to give possession back to Saddle River Day. Talea Garabo received the inbounds pass and dribbled out the clock on the biggest victory in the history of Saddle River Day athletics.

“This is amazing. This is why we’ve worked so hard,” added McMahon. “There was a lot of pressure in the fourth quarter but we had to stay together and stay strong. To think that Saddle River Day is going to the Final 4 of the county tournament is something we only dreamed about. To do this for our school and put us on the map is something special.”

Rachel Jubelt got Northern Highlands to within a point late with a steal and a layup.

Oge had 12 points and 11 rebounds for Saddle River Day (13-4). Christofi finished with 11 points, while McMahon and Danielle Deoul chipped in with nine and eight points, respectively.

Heath led the way for Northern Highlands with 12 points. Emily Bonafacic had 11 points and Jubelt added 10.

The win was a landmark one for the Saddle River Day program. Without a senior on the roster, it has solidified them as not just one of Bergen County’s best this season, but for years to come. For Brown, his assistant coaches Ed Hodge and Megan Thomas, and the Rebel players themselves, they hope that this is only the beginning.

“What we’ve been working on for three years came out in 32 minutes here today,” said Brown. “This opportunity is what these kids have been waiting for and they seized the moment. To hold the defending county champion to six points in the fourth quarter shows how bad we wanted this game. I’m so proud of how far we’ve come. Now we have to set a new goal and work even harder to get there.”

CLICK HERE FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com.