IHA keeps composure, defeats Old Tappan in overtime by Chris Iseman of The Record
FAIR LAWN – As soon as she saw the ball fall through the net, Jackie Kelly jumped and pumped her fist. Her teammates on NV/Old Tappan’s bench erupted in celebration.
After trailing Immaculate Heart by 16 points, the Golden Knights had climbed back.
Kelly’s three-pointer with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter tied the game and ultimately sent it to overtime.
But the Blue Eagles had been in this situation plenty of times this season. This was another test, and once again, they passed.
Seventh-seeded IHA retook control of the game to pull out a 41-35 overtime victory over No. 18 NV/Old Tappan in the Bergen County tournament quarterfinals Saturday at Fair Lawn High School.
“I’m really proud of our composure in overtime,” coach Steve Silver said. “That’s a really good sign.”
Silver’s team will play No. 3 Saddle River Day, which defeated No. 11 Ramapo, 63-39, in the semifinals.
Samantha Rinaldi led the Blue Eagles with nine points, including two three-pointers, while Brittany Graff and Annie Walsh each had eight.
Graff scored four of IHA’s seven points in overtime.
The Golden Knights struggled shooting the ball in the first half, but they caught fire late.
“Our kids are comfortable playing in that situation, and they made the shots in the big spots,” coach Brian Dunn said.
Erin Harnisch led the Knights with 13 points, and Sophie Downey had 12.
With her team trailing by 11 midway through the fourth quarter, Harnisch drained a big three-pointer.
Harnisch, who also had a key three in the third, later stole an inbound pass and closed the possession with a second-chance basket to pull NV/Old Tappan to within five points.
Noelle Gonzalez then hit a jumper to cut the Knights’ deficit to 34-31, setting the stage for Kelly’s heroic shot.
After upsetting No. 2 Pascack Valley in the second round, NV/Old Tappan was in position to keep its tournament ride going.
But the Blue Eagles quickly swung the momentum back in their favor in overtime.
Graff had consecutive layups and Katie Jones hit a pair of foul shots to push IHA ahead, 40-34. After a foul shot from Harnisch, Rinaldi hit a free throw to seal the win.
“Honestly, all we addressed was, ‘It’s going to feel better when you win. Get your heads up. It’s going to feel better that you overcame this,’” Silver said.
No. 3 Saddle River Day 63, No. 11 Ramapo 39: Michelle Sidor thrives on the big stage, and she proved that again on Saturday.
Sidor scored 36 points, including five three-pointers, to lift the Rebels into the semifinals.
Jenna Jordan added 12 points for defending champion Saddle River Day.
Emily Calabrese led Ramapo with 19 points. The St. Bonaventure-bound Calabrese also had 15 rebounds, pushing her past the 1,000 mark for her career.
Calabrese is the first player in program history to record 1,000 points and 1,000 boards.
No. 1 Immaculate Conception 41, No. 9 Indian Hills 27: Khayla Latimer scored 12 points, including two three-pointers, and Danielle Deoul added 11 to help the Blue Wolves return to the semifinals.
Angela Saric led the Braves with 11 points.
Indian Hills closed to within 12 points late in the fourth when Kayla Rock stole an inbound pass and Alex Martins ended the possession with a three-pointer.
But the Blue Wolves emerged with the win to advance to the semifinals.
No. 4 Queen of Peace 35, No. 5 Westwood 33 (OT): D’Aviyon Magazine drilled a key three-pointer and Raven Farley-Clark added four points in overtime to lift the Lady Griffins into the semifinals.
Westwood trailed 18-8 to start the second half, but climbed back with the help of two third-quarter three-pointers from Carlye Danziger and another from Shannon Monaghan.
Samantha McClutchy, who led her team with 10 points, drained two free throws with 37.5 seconds left in the fourth to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Farley-Clark led Queen of Peace with 11 points, and Forever Toppin added 10.