Pascack Valley beats Teaneck as the countdown to 1,000 begins by Chris Iseman of The Record

HILLSDALE — Toriana Tabasco remembers being in middle school when Pascack Valley girls basketball coach Jeff Jasper reached his 900th career victory and wishing she could be part of the team that got it for him.

But now the Indians senior guard is trying to help Jasper earn another milestone.

A big one.

“I’m going to be there for his 1,000th,” Tabasco said. “That’s insane to think about.”

Start the countdown.

Pascack Valley, the defending Group 3 champion, turned in an outstanding season-opening performance on Friday. The Indians moved the ball well, played excellent defense and knocked down plenty of shots to beat Teaneck 71-46 in a Big North National Division game.

Jasper is now nine wins away from 1,000.

Junior guard Brianna Smith had 22 points and drained six three-pointers, while senior guard Brianna Wong finished with 20 points and hit a pair of threes. Holy Cross-bound senior guard Kelly Petro was stellar on the defensive end to block four shots.

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“There were definitely a little bit of nerves going into it, but I think we all played really well,” Petro said.

The Highwaywomen, led by Tamia White’s 14 points, overcame a slow start and starting hitting shots, but Pascack Valley had already opened up a comfortable lead.

“First off, Teaneck is really good,” Jasper said. “We know that. I just felt we moved the ball well, rebounded well, just played so unselfishly, so many touches.”

One thousand wins is getting closer.

The milestone itself isn’t one that Jasper is focused on. He knows it’s going to come eventually. And he said when he thinks about a coaching career that spans 45 seasons, the people he’s met and the teams he’s had are what to come to mind, not his win total.

“My 100th win was in a county final, my 800th win was a state final,” Jasper said. “So those were significant moments. And each one of those, I said, ‘Wow, how many great kids have I coached?’”

But this is something his current players feel fortunate to be a part of.

Petro’s sister Sara played for Pascack Valley when Jasper reached 900 wins. So she was fully aware that there was a chance she could be playing for him when he reaches 1,000.

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“I was always doing the math. I was like, ‘Do you think it’s possible?,'”‘ said Petro, who had six points on Friday. “He’s a legend so it’s going to be amazing.”

Still, the milestone isn’t the Indians’ primary focus at this point. Playing their best basketball is.

“It’s not something that we focus on because if we know that if he knew we were focusing on that, he would not be happy,” Petro said. “That’s just who he is. But I know as a team, it’s something we take pride in and something we really want to be a part of.”

Petro and her teammates will be a part of it. Pascack Valley is just nine wins away from making it happen.

The countdown officially began on Friday.

“I think it’s more we just want it for Jasper,” Tabasco said.