Boys basketball: North Jersey highlights for Day 1 of the NJSIAA tournament
HILLSDALE – Michael Criscuolo scored on an offensive rebound, then Jimmy Shea scored on an offensive rebound, and Pascack Valley was on its way.
Second-chance points carried Pascack Valley in its 72-59 victory over Paramus in Monday’s opening round of the North 1, Group 3 boys’ basketball tournament. The Panthers were among 16 North Jersey schools to win NJSIAA openers in Group 1 or Group 3.
Second chances enabled Pascack Valley (19-8) to open a 13-2 lead midway through the first quarter, and Paramus (13-14) never came closer than 18-12 early in the second quarter.
“It took a lot of stress away, and a lot of anxiety,” Christian Vargas said after scoring a game-high 24 points.
In the first half, fourth-seeded Pascack Valley won the battle of second-chance points, 10-0, and led 35-23. As if to emphasize it, Trevor Kirkby opened the third by turning an offensive rebound into a three-point play for a 38-23 lead that grew to as much as 47-28.
Vargas shot 9-for-10 from the foul line in the fourth to seal the win and was among four Panthers in double figures. Shea scored 16, Kirkby 15, Connor Higgins 10, and Criscuolo added seven.
“We knew we’d have to guard the 3-point line on their end, and we’d have to win the inside battle,” said Pascack Valley coach Al Coleman, whose team will host No. 5 Wayne Valley in Wednesday's quarterfinal. “We’ve got some horses in there that can really bang with people, and we knew if we went to the glass on second-chance opportunities, that would be a real benefit for us.”
Paramus, a 13th seed fresh off winning Saturday's Bergen Invitational Tournament title, continued to battle. Firaol Tulu hit a trio of 3-pointers and scored 18. Mateen Aminyar, who led the Spartans to the BIT title and is a nominee for North Jersey Player of the Week, hit a trio of treys in the fourth and scored 17.
Elsewhere in North 1, Group 3
Ramapo: D-fending champ
Top-seeded Ramapo opened defense of its sectional title with a 64-26 victory over No. 16 Wayne Hills. Peyton Seals scored 18 and Nate Burleson 11 as the Green Raiders (25-3) allowed their fewest points of the season. The Green Raiders will host No. 8 Old Tappan in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
Teaneck: Running free
Teaneck reached the 90-point mark for the second time this season with a 90-56 victory over Parsippany Hills. Tyler Tejada had 36 points, 11 rebounds and six assists and freshman Mickell Taylor scored 15 as the No. 2 Highwaymen (21-5) won for the ninth time in their last 10 games. Teaneck will host No. 7 Northern Highlands in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
River Dell: Cracks 20 wins
Matt Kelleher, another nominee for North Jersey Player of the Week, scored a career-high 29 and River Dell cracked 20 wins with a 64-47 victory over Tenafly. Hamilton Roth scored 14 and Sean Golden 10 for the No. 3 Golden Hawks (20-6). Aidan McGinty scored 15 and Reilly Benowitz 12 for No. 14 Tenafly (11-12). River Dell will host No. 6 Demarest in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
Wayne Valley: February flip
Wayne Valley, seeded No. 5, continues its stellar month with a 53-48 victory over Morris Hills. Krenar Shaqiri scored 18 and Andrew Teicher 14 as the No. 5 Indians (16-12) improved to 7-2 in the month of February after injuries hampered them the first half of the season.
Demarest: margin of victory
Demarest’s 66-50 win over West Essex represented its largest margin of victory this season. Brandon Srebnik scored 22 and Nick Gorenstein 13 to pace the No. 6 Norsemen (14-11).
Northern Highlands: Fourth-quarter comeback
Northern Highlands, the No. 7 seed, rallied in the fourth and defeated No. 10 Morris Knolls, 57-55. Turner Katz scored 15 and Damian Ross and Lucas Dipasupil 11 apiece as the Highlanders (13-12) overcame a 42-37 deficit. Dipasupil made a layup for a 56-55 lead, Katz made the second of two free throws for the 57-55 lead, and the Highlanders survived a missed Morris Knolls' 3-point attempt at the buzzer.
Old Tappan: 49 and under
Old Tappan defeated Sparta, 69-49, and improved to 7-0 when holding opponents under 50 points. Josh Lim scored 19, Evan Brooks 18 and Isaac Shrager 16 to pace the No. 8 Golden Knights (14-12).
North 1, Group 1
Cresskill: Defense dominates
Top-seeded Cresskill (16-9) allowed its fewest points of the season with a 47-24 victory over No. 16 Hawthorne. Marco Radovich led the Cougars with 16 points, while Julian Gonzalez scored 11 for Hawthorne (7-15). Cresskill will host No. 9 Kittatinny in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
Park Ridge: Wins close games
Park Ridge continues to win more than its share of close games with a 39-35 win over Butler. Deron McLaughlin scored 13 and Sam Fasola 12 as Park Ridge (18-7) improved to 6-1 in games decided by seven points or less. PJ Coffey scored 15 for Butler (9-14). Park Ridge will host No. 7 Emerson in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
Paterson Charter: Defending champ
Paterson Charter opened defense of its Group 1 state title with a 72-48 victory over Boonton. DeAngelo Hibbert had 22 points and 10 rebounds and Kemar DeGroat had 20 points and 12 boards for the No. 3 Lions (15-6). Paterson Charter hosts No. 6 Kinnelon in Wednesday’s quarterfinal.
Hasbrouck Heights: OK in OT
Jack Baker scored 23 and No. 5 Hasbrouck Heights came up big in overtime in a 56-49 victory over No. 12 Mountain Lakes. Caden DeRosa hit a go-ahead 3-pointer and Evan Werner, Shane Ike and Anthony Peterson were a combined 6-for-7 from the foul line down the stretch for the Aviators (18-8). They will play at No. 4 West Caldwell Tech in Wednesday's quarterfinal.
Emerson: Battling rivals
Jeremy Lachman was the star for Emerson as it beat Midland Park, its NJIC Patriot Division rival, for the third time this season, 50-42, in overtime. Lachman scored eight of his game-high 17 in OT. Jason Ziemba hit a quartet of 3-pointers and scored 14 for No. 7 Emerson (13-12). The Cavos will face another division rival, Park Ridge, which they lost to twice during the regular season. Daniel Fells scored 13 for No. 10 Midland Park (9-16).
North 2, Group 1
Weehawken: Cracking 20 wins
Jayden Ayala scored 16 and Keanu Ray 13 to lead five players in double figures as No. 3 Weehawken broke 20 wins with a 73-28 victory over Palisades Park. Chris Kasperion scored eight for No. 14 Palisades Park (9-16). Weehawken (20-5) hosts No. 6 Wood-Ridge in Wednesday’s quarterfinal.
Wood-Ridge: Late-season surge
Wood-Ridge extended its winning streak to nine games with a 73-53 victory over North Arlington. Ryan George scored 15, Eric Barton 14 and they were among five in double figures as the No. 6 Blue Devils (13-12) scored a season-high in points. Daniel Janosek scored 18 for No. 11 North Arlington (10-15).
Ridgefield: Big second quarter
Jason Marasciulo scored 18, Chris Pallota 14 and Nick Pallota 13 to pace No. 8 Ridgefield (13-12) to a 57-52 win over No. 9 Whippany Park. The Royals outscored Whippany Park in the second quarter, 21-12. Ridgefield advances to Wednesday's quarterfinal at top-seeded Newark Tech.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Boys basketball: North Jersey highlights for Day 1 of state tournament
