Catie Klemm scored 5 points in a late run that pushed Ridgewood past Rutherford, 37-27, in the opening round of the Bergen County Tournament on Thursday.
RIDGEWOOD – There is no more helpless feeling for a basketball team than when the ball simply will not go in the basket. With a young team, many of them playing in their first Bergen County Tournament game, Ridgewood had a case of the jitters offensively and facing a gritty Rutherford squad, points came at a premium.
With the game still close heading into the fourth quarter, the Maroons relied on the one thing that has been their calling card all year; a diamond-and-1 press to wear down the opponent until they can find their groove.
Catie Klemm scored on a driving layup then hit a 3-pointer with 2:40 to play to cap a 13-4 run that spurred No. 14 seed Ridgewood past 19th seeded Rutherford, 37-27, in a first-round matchup of the Bergen County Tournament on Thursday afternoon in Ridgewood.
“Give Ridgewood credit, they are tough to handle with the way they play defensively,” said Rutherford head coach Ed Guy. “That little spurt late third and early fourth quarter went from us being a tie game to being down seven. We had a hard time scoring tonight so being down seven was like being down by 20. I thought we showed we could play with them. But you have to play a full 32 minutes. Just three or four mistakes in a row can turn the tide and you can’t grab that momentum back.”
Mackenzie Vellis scored early as the Bulldogs showed that they were up for a fight. However, Vellis, Rutherford’s leading scorer, battled foul trouble all day and Ridgewood (10-8) took advantage to open up an eight-point lead. It looked like the Maroons could pull away, but some solid production off the bench helped keep Rutherford in the game. Cate Finan and Payton Lewis drove for back-to-back layups to cap an 8-0 run to close out the first half with the teams deadlocked at 16.
MacKenzie Vellis led Rutherford with 7 points while being slowed by foul trouble.
“This was really a tale of two teams within our locker room today,” said Ridgewood head coach Mike Mitchell. “We started reaching with our press late in the second quarter and got burned a few times for easy baskets. Got to slide your feet and stay in front of them. That was an adjustment the girls focused on in the second half and it showed with the way we played.”
Maya Forte’s layup midway through the third quarter gave Rutherford (10-5) its only lead of the game. It did not last long as Ridgewood answered right back with baskets from Sofia Morino and Aarini Bhutia.
With a tenuous three-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Maroons cranked up the pressure and forced one turnover after another. Klemm, who led all players with nine points, shook off a tough first half and came up big when her team needed her most. She scored on a driving layup then hit a three-pointer from the wing to push the lead up to nine, 33-24, with 2:40 to play. It was the only made three-pointer in the game by either team. Lucy Bjerke made tough plays in the paint throughout the game and iced the game late by going 3-4 at the foul line.
“Something our coaches have told us all year is that we have to put four good quarters together,” said Bjerke. “We didn’t play with a lot of confidence early in the season. Now we trust each other more and we have faith in ourselves, which I think has helped us go on the winning streak we’re on now. We’re more familiar with our plays and how coach (Mitchell) wants us to play. This team has really grown together and we’re gaining more confidence with each game we play.”
Sophia Morino and Ridgewood will face Teaneck in the Round of 16 on Saturday.
In a strange twist that one might never see again in a high school basketball game, while neither team had a player who scored in double-figures all 15 players who played in the game, (8 for Ridgewood and 7 for Rutherford), scored at least one basket.
Ridgewood now heads into the Round of 16 on Saturday to face off against third-seeded Teaneck. The teams met in the second game of the season with the Highwaywomen winning easily (72-38). However, with Teaneck battling the injury big and the Maroons coming in on a five-game winning streak, they hope this will be a more competitive battle between the two Big North-Freedom Division foes.
“Teaneck is a hard-working, very talented team; but so are we,” said Mitchell. “If we can play with the same intensity as we have over the past two weeks and execute the way we did in the second half today I think we can give them a run for their money.”
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