Bergen County Tournament Quarterfinals Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We are down to 8 in the Bergen County Tournament. All top seeds except #2-IHA moved on last week. IHA bowed out when #18-Cresskill decided to crash the party with a historic upset. Let's take a look at Saturday's games a little closer. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#8-Demarest vs #1-Saddle River Day</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Demarest arrived here after a dominant 4th quarter over #9-Northern Highlands. Demarest was the hottest team in Bergen County with an 11-game winning streak but that was broken by #7-Old Tappan on Thursday night. [player_tooltip player_id='600897' first='Gabriella' last='Mittelman'] and Angie Tirado are a dynamic backcourt duo, but they will need everyone to step up in this one. [player_tooltip player_id='488855' first='Taylor' last='Miller'] will have to be a force inside defensively and knock down the 3 on offense. Freshmen [player_tooltip player_id='835246' first='Ella' last='Peck'] and [player_tooltip player_id='651513' first='Deana' last='Finkelstein'] have not and cannot play like freshmen in this one. Saddle River Day is guard heavy. They do not play with a big and their goal is to outrun you and outshoot you and they have done that well lately including a big win over Albertus Magnus (NY) this week. They will play very fast, press all over the court and run to shooting spots in transition. They have a 3-headed monster in [player_tooltip player_id='325218' first='Julianna' last='Almeida'], [player_tooltip player_id='325189' first='Cristina' last='Parrella'] and [player_tooltip player_id='333330' first='Faith' last='Williamson'] and there is probably not a public school that can compete with that trio. Parrella and Williamson can shoot it with range and accuracy while Almeida does everything at both ends. She brings boundless energy and physicality and I expect these 3 to be too much to handle for Demarest. New coach Joe Pedone fell into an ideal situation in this job and the SRDS train should keep rolling. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#5-Holy Angels vs #4-Ramapo</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This will be an interesting matchup. [player_tooltip player_id='488858' first='Samantha' last='Serrano'] is as good a scorer as there is in Bergen County. She is averaging almost 27ppg and sidekick [player_tooltip player_id='488859' first='Celeste' last='Harper'] is averaging 13+ppg. They are athletic and fast and get up and down the court making plays at both ends. Serrano is in range when she gets over half court and she and Harper can shoot it while being just as strong getting downhill and attacking the rim. Holy Angels does not have a lot of depth, but they are a tough team that doesn't back down from anyone. They gave IHA all they could handle for 3+ quarters on Thursday. Ramapo comes into this one having won 11 straight games to face the team that upset them in the Round of 16 last year. This is a different Ramapo team from last year, but they have not played their best basketball as of late. A team with a lot of size has struggled on the defensive glass. They have 3 double digit scorers in [player_tooltip player_id='559136' first='Camden' last='Epstein'], [player_tooltip player_id='488847' first='Cayla' last='Menicola'] and [player_tooltip player_id='564268' first='Toni' last='Pernetti'], though Menicola missed Thursday's game with injury. This game comes down to a few things for me. First, can Ramapo's defensive stopper [player_tooltip player_id='564268' first='Toni' last='Pernetti'] limit [player_tooltip player_id='488858' first='Samantha' last='Serrano']? Holy Angels is 11-5 but 3-4 in games when Serrano has less than 25. Pernetti has been a lockdown defender all year, so this is the matchup to watch. Second, can Ramapo rebound defensively? They have all the size in the world, but they have struggled lately, and Holy Angels attacks the offensive boards. Lastly, can Ramapo handle the ball pressure? Outside of Epstein they lack a true ball handler and have struggled with pressure. This will be an interesting contrast of styles and the result is a true toss-up. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#6-River Dell vs #3-Teaneck</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Injuries to [player_tooltip player_id='559047' first='Lexi' last='Carnegie'] and [player_tooltip player_id='600896' first='Jillian' last='Carter'] left Teaneck trying to reconfigure their identity and they struggled at times to do so. They got Jillian back last night and paring that with the recent consistency of [player_tooltip player_id='677128' first='Leayana' last='Dorville'], [player_tooltip player_id='488845' first='Erin' last='Frazier'] and [player_tooltip player_id='325206' first='Demi' last='Simpson'], I expect them to get themselves to the semis with a win over River Dell. Teaneck's backcourt pressure is relentless, and they play a style that is tough to prepare for because so few can match their tempo. Missing Carnegie is huge, but they have the players they need to get to the next round. River Dell will bring a tough physical style and try to slow the pace down and make it more of a halfcourt game. If they can do this and be successful in limiting turnovers they will be in this game, but I expect Teaneck to prevail. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>#18-Cresskill vs #7-Old Tappan</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Everyone expected to see IHA here but Cresskill, outworked and outexecuted them all day last Saturday to advance. It was a classic display of team basketball with everyone stepping up to make plays. [player_tooltip player_id='489489' first='Erin' last='Fahy'] is the leader and brings size and toughness to the court and shooter [player_tooltip player_id='489490' first='Julia' last='Hasenstab'] brings a perimeter threat. The problem in this one is that Old Tappan is hot, and they are big. They have won 7 in a row since losing to Chatham and took down Demarest on Thursday who was the hottest team in Bergen County. Old Tappan has size with [player_tooltip player_id='325207' first='Layla' last='Grace Giordano'], [player_tooltip player_id='326665' first='Maya' last='Giordano'] and [player_tooltip player_id='789549' first='Sienna' last='Drullinsky']. They defend with physicality and when Layla gets out in transition, she is tough to stop. Their guards are consistent shooters and defenders, and their youth is gaining experience every game. Somewhere Cresskill is laughing at me because I have picked against them twice, but I think the clock strikes midnight for the Cinderella story this week. Cresskill will not go down without a fight, but I expect Old Tappan to win this one. It won't be easy, but their size will be too much in my opinion. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Good Luck to all the ladies. Leave it all on the court!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->