Bergen County Tournament – Round of 16 – Fab 5

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After spending a full day at Old Tappan High School watching the Bergen County Tournament Round of 16, these girls made a statement to their opponents and to the fans. Here is my Fab 5 from the Round of 16.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='677735' first='Harper' last='Cohn'] - Mahwah</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Leading her #13 seeded Mahwah team against a physical, deep and athletic #4 seeded Old Tappan team, Harper did everything she could to keep this game close. She and her teammates nearly pulled off the upset of the day before falling 39-34. Harper scored more than half of her team's points finishing with 18 on the day. As the primary ball handler, she navigated Old Tappan's pressure defense with a couple of nice assists and showing versatility as a scorer. She scored a the 3-point line, in the pull game and around the rim finishing with both hands. One of the smaller players on the court, Harper still finished 2nd on her team with 7 rebounds. Mahwah will look to build on this game as they prepare to make noise in the NJSIAA North 1 Group 2 Sectionals. As a Class of 2027 player the County Tournament will get to enjoy Harper for two more years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='677605' first='Raina' last='Gibbs'] - Pascack Valley</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#10 seed Pascack Valley was without their two senior leaders [player_tooltip player_id='414399' first='Celina' last='Bussanich'] and [player_tooltip player_id='525311' first='Ava' last='Burke'] as they took on a tough, long, experienced #7 seed in River Dell. Their 1st and 3rd leading scorers were out with injury and illness respectively. After being tied at the half, they came up on the short end of a 42-35 decision. The reason this game was that close was due to one reason, [player_tooltip player_id='677605' first='Raina' last='Gibbs']. A talented spot up shooter, she did just that. She finished with 24 of her team's 35 points and tied a career high with 6 3-pointers on the day. She has 54 3-pointers already this season. She is over 100 3-pointers for her career, and she is just a sophomore who will cruise to 1,000 career points at this pace. With a 1,200-point scorer graduating, Raina should be the go-to scorer for this team for the next two years. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='564268' first='Toni' last='Pernetti'] - Ramapo</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#5 seed Ramapo put on a dominant display in their 53-21 victory over #12 seed Ramsey and Toni was a huge reason why. She had a 7-point 1st quarter on her way to a 16-point morning. She scored in the paint, mid-range, at the 3-point line and at the foul line while adding 5 rebounds and dropping a dime to [player_tooltip player_id='906481' first='Arianna' last='Furnari'] for a bucket. As strong as her offense was, her defense was just as good. She has been an eraser for Ramapo for the last two years and did the same in the Round of 16. Her willingness and ability to continually guard the top opposing player, regardless of position, helps create long possessions and she, and her talented Ramapo teammates, held Ramsey to their lowest offensive output in over a year. Ramapo will need another big team effort in the Elite 8 as they take on #4 seed Old Tappan on Saturday 2/8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='871893' first='Angelina' last='Tirado'] - Demarest</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>#6 seed Demarest came out of the gates a little slow. They were down 5 to #11 seed Paramus Catholic after the 1st quarter, but they laid the hammer down in the 2nd quarter and kept their foot on the gas the rest of the way cruising to a 49-34 victory. Angie finished with 21 points leading including 2 3-pointers and 5 free throws. She has led Demarest in scoring since coming to the school for her junior year and this senior can score inside and out. Though a bit undersized, she has a strong frame and does not avoid contact. In addition to leading the team in scoring, she is 2nd in 3-pointers, rebounds and steals. Currently #1 in the North 1 Group 3 power points, right now Demarest is focused on an upcoming 3-game stretch of Teaneck, IHA and Old Tappan. They do get the luxury of facing #3 seed IHA at home in the Elite 8 of the counties on Saturday 2/8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">[player_tooltip player_id='601348' first='Mia' last='Vergel De Dios'] - Glen Rock</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the 8/9 game, #8 Glen Rock was without their PG and emotional leader in Emily McKegney, but they got out to a strong and finished the 1st quarter up 12 and hung on as #9 Ridgewood chipped away a little bit finishing with a 49-41 triumph. Mia did a little bit of everything for Glen Rock. She had 15 points, and she excels in the mid-range while also showing excellent footwork in the post. She also had 7 rebounds and controlled the offense while dishing out 6 assists as she continues to show excellent passing prowess. Along with [player_tooltip player_id='871420' first='Abby' last='Grove'] who finished with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 3 assists, Glen Rock will need all hands on deck as they take on #1 seed and 8-time defending champion, Saddle River Day on Saturday 2/8.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->