Pascack Valley upends DePaul in double overtime by Greg Mattura of The Record
ENGLEWOOD – Headed to double overtime for the third time in less than a month, this time Matt Vasel and Pascack Valley emerged victorious.
The unranked Indians outlasted DePaul, No. 8 in The Record boys basketball Top 25, with an 82-75 victory Saturday night at the weekend Public vs. Private Challenge at Dwight Morrow.
Vasel stroked six three-pointers and scored a game-high 31 points, including seven in the first overtime and a 15-footer from the left baseline in the second OT to put Pascack Valley ahead for good at 75-74.
“We’ve been to the bottom, and everything is for the teammates, for the coach,” said Vasel, a senior guard. “It’s all about winning as a team, and no number matters but the score on the scoreboard.”
Here are some key numbers for Pascack Valley (4-5). The Indians made 14 three-pointers. Alex Lin, the 6-foot-6 junior forward, showed that he is among North Jersey’s best outside shooting big men by making five treys and scoring 26.
Senior guard Legend Dominguez scored 17 and made all three of his treys in the fourth quarter to help erase a 48-37 deficit after three quarters and send it to OT tied at 64. And senior forward Matt Domville (eight points) may have the softest shooting touch on the team, as in the second OT he stroked a 15-footer from the foul line and made all four of his free throws.
DePaul (6-4) generated its double-digit lead in the second half by pressing Pascack Valley, forcing turnovers and scoring in transition. Freshman guard Zion Bethea scored 27 for the Spartans, while sophomore guard Eddie Davis scored 17.
Pascack Valley’s double-overtime losses were to Northern Highlands and Bergenfield. Now, though, the Indians have a key win to cap a week in which they also knocked off Ridgewood and Tenafly.
“What’s going through my mind is that I hope we matured enough to close the deal this time, and I thought we did,” Pascack Valley coach Al Coleman said of his thoughts heading into the second four-minute OT. “I thought they all took a step in the right direction, and I thought this whole week that I’m starting to see the maturation process.”