Boys basketball: North Jersey highlights from Day 6 of the state tournament
RIDGEWOOD – Ridgewood could not exhale until Memorial’s potential game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short.
The top-seeded Maroons escaped with a 49-46 victory over No. 4 Memorial of West New York in Wednesday night’s North 1, Group 4 boys basketball semifinal.
“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good,” Ridgewood coach Mike Troy said. “Thank goodness there wasn’t another minute to this game.”
Ridgewood (20-8) led for all but a couple of minutes of the first quarter, yet the host needed to hold on in the final minutes after Memorial awoke in the second half and almost erased a 22-8 halftime deficit.
Senior Evan O’Reilly made his first throw, and missed the second attempt, with 7.6 seconds left to extend Ridgewood’s lead to 49-46. The Maroons defended the 3-point line, switched on screens, and Memorial’s hurried 25-footer from the left wing landed a foot shy of the rim.
“We had a great first half, especially on the defensive end,” O’Reilly said. “But it’s inevitable that a team as skilled, and that has that much energy [as Memorial], is going to come roaring back. And I’m happy that we weathered it and got the win.”
O’Reilly scored 21 points, including an NBA-length 3-pointer to close the third for a 35-26 lead. In the fourth, he scored on a layup for a 40-29 lead and made a 15-footer for a 42-33 lead.
Junior Johnny Jackson scored 14, his lone 3-pointer providing Ridgewood a 38-29 lead with 6:05 remaining. Junior Tyler Nesland scored nine, including a layup for a 44-36 lead. Junior Jake Roth’s lone field goal was huge, a layup for a 46-40 lead.
Seniors Jaeda Boykin and Lewis Pantaleon led Memorial’s comeback following a first half in which the visitors managed just three field goals and committed a dozen turnovers. Boykin scored 16 of his 19 in the second half. Pantaleon scored 14 of his 16 after intermission, including a putback of his missed free throw to cut the deficit to 48-46.
Down the stretch, Ridgewood did just enough to escape. In the fourth, the Maroons were 3-for-8 from the foul line and 5-for-16 overall (31 percent). In the final three minutes, they made three consecutive turnovers and committed a couple of unnecessary fouls on the perimeter.
Ridgewood will aim for its second sectional title in three years when it hosts No. 3 East Orange on Friday. East Orange advanced with Wednesday's 69-25 semifinal win over No. 10 Passaic.
“Our composure in the fourth quarter – even the whole second half – we just played at a speed I wasn’t comfortable with,” Troy said. “We took a lot of bad shots, turned the ball over all over the gym. The free throws were atrocious. Other than that, we’re going to the championship. We have a lot to work on in a day. But I’m grateful, but not necessarily happy.”
North 1, Group 2
Ramsey survives Pascack Hills
Top-seeded and defending champion Ramsey rode another strong defensive performance to defeat Pascack Hills, 39-37, in Wednesday's North 1, Group 2 semifinal.
The Rams (21-7) have held all three playoff opponents to 37 points or less and held 14 teams under 40 points this season.
Senior Logan Bahn scored 12 points, as the Rams beat their Big North Patriot Division rival for the third time this season. Bahn made all five of his fourth-quarter free throws and was 8-for-9 overall.
Senior Michael Bernius had10 points and 16 rebounds for Ramsey. Senior Matty Stone scored nine, including a pair of key 3-pointers in the fourth. Senior Max Nierenberg made two key free throws in the final minute.
“I’m really, really pleased with how my boys continued to play throughout the game,” Ramsey coach Mark Christiansen said. “We did not shoot well, and I’ve got to give credit to Pascack Hills – they had a great plan on us, and we had a really poor shooting night. But to kind of really dig deep on the defensive end and continue to get stops, and Logan Bahn to close out the fourth quarter from the foul line was very key for us.”
Ramsey will host No. 3 Vernon in Friday’s sectional final. Vernon advanced with Wednesday’s 60-55 overtime win at No. 2 Glen Rock.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Boys basketball: North Jersey highlights for Day 6 of state tournament
