Wednesday,
March 4, 2015
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
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Ramapo sophomore Emily Calabrese was the only player for either team to finish in double figures in the Green Raiders' 44-22 win over Bergenfield in the opening round of the North 1, Group 3 state sectional tournament. |
FRANKLIN LAKES – Bergenfield is the kind of team that can give even the toughest of its opponents fits. Give the Bears a lead and good luck trying to take it back as their deliberate offense and zone defense can shorten a game and lengthen frustration. As the No. 1 seed in the North 1, Group 3 state sectional playoffs, Ramapo was aware of the pitfalls of getting caught in the traffic jam that Bergenfield had to try to create to give itself a chance at the upset.
Ramapo forced the tempo with its press and took the all important early lead. By turning a couple of turnovers into easy baskets, the Green Raiders took Bergenfield out of its comfort zone and out of the state playoffs with a 44-22 win on a snowy Tuesday night in Franklin Lakes.
“These kids no that there is no tomorrow. You have to be ready to go every time you go out there because it is March Madness and it is all about upsets. Bergenfield is a No. 16 seed, but they are not a bad team and they worried me a little bit,” said Ramapo head coach Sandy Gordon. “For us it was about our defense and setting the tone with it early. We did not want to fall behind because they will hold the ball and they are very patient.”
Ramapo never fell behind and never did it really have to worry as it pitched a shutout for the first 12 minutes of the game, scored 17 points before Bergenfield scored its first and was up 33-5 when Karlie Brogan hit a 3-pointer with 1:31 to go in the third quarter.
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Bergenfield's Kristin Gillman scored 7 of her team-high 8 points in the fourth quarter. |
It is obvious that, despite it top seed, Ramapo will not be taking any playoff opponent lightly.
“We knew they were a 16 seed but we also knew that they were not going to give up. They had nothing to lose and we had everything to lose. With the No. 1 seed there comes a lot of pressure and when much is given, much is expected,” said Reilly White, Ramapo's eloquent junior forward. “We did not want to let people down, we did not want to let ourselves down, so we put it all together. Our offense was phenomenal, but our defense was so much more phenomenal To hold a good team to zero points halfway through the second quarter, that just doesn't happen that often.”
Marina Pappas' drive from the elbow that led to a layup 2:32 into the game gave Ramapo a 2-0 lead and it grew quickly from there. Pappas putback a missed shot at the buzzer to give the Raiders an 11-0 lead after the first quarter, White hit 3 of 4 free throws to open the second and Emily Calabrese added three three quick points to make it 17-0 before Bergenfield scored its first points.
The Bears finally got on the board on a nice post move by Chilleah Phillips, who backed her defender right down under the basket and dropped it in. Phillips also scored inside one minute later, but those were the Bears' only two field goals of the first half. Calabrese cleaned up a mess under the basket with two ticks left in the second quarter to give Ramapo a 22-5 lead to take into the locker room.
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Junior Karlie Brogan had 7 points for top-seeded Ramapo. |
Haleigh Martin had the Bears' lone third quarter field goal, a 3-pointer from the corner that served as the last points of the period and Ramapo used the final eight minutes to give its bench players a taste of a home playoff game. Juliana Graf, Lauren Liedel and Jayne Moynihan, all sophomores, made fourth quarter field goals. Freshmen Morgan Pecoraro (2 points) and Ashley Aiello (1 point) also got extended minutes.
Kristin Gillman scored 7 of her 8 points in the fourth quarter to end up with a team high total for Bergenfield. Phillips and Martin each finished with 5 points, Sabrina Acosta made a fourth quarter 3-pointer and Kara Gillman scored late to round out the scoring for the Bears.
Calabrese (11 points), Ramapo's sophomore post players who looks fully recovered from a midseason ankle injury, was the only player on either side to finish in double figures, though none of the Green Raiders saw the floor over the final eight minutes. White and Brogan added 7 points apiece, Pappas made both of field goals the bookends of the first quarter and Kasey Finn and Rosie Martin evenly split the other for points.
Ramapo is now 22-5 on the season and is moving on to the quarterfinals. In a bracket stacked with many of North Jersey's top public school teams, Ramapo awaits the winner of Wednesday's game between No. 8 Mount Olive and ninth-seeded Pascack Valley.
After an early-than-expected exit from the county tournament, Ramapo is looking for a deeper run here, especially with home games straight through to the section final should it get that far.
“When we lost that game [to Paramus Catholic in the quarterfinals] it was like a little piece of humble pie and it was almost a blessing,” said White. “This is our new start and we know what it is like to lose when we should have won, to have that disappointment. We will do everything we can on this court to not feel like that again.”
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