Immaculate Basketball: Girls fall to Saddle River Day in first ever NJSIAA finals appearence
ANDREW GARDA/STAFF
by Andrew Garda
garda@montclairlocal.news
Wayne—Immaculate Conception High School girls basketball game coach Jason Kreie walked off the court unsatisfied last Wednesday, March 11, after his Lions were defeated by top-seeded Saddle River Day, 66-50, in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public B championship game.
"We didn't get our threes," Kreie aforesaid. "We were here to win. Nobody remembers second place."
The Lions (21-9) held a two-point extend to at halftime, and led aside five beforehand in the third quarter, only to see Saddleback River control the irregular half, limiting IC to just 15 points.
It was a unsatisfying end to arguably the best season in program history, with Immaculate forward to the Essex County Tournament inalterable for the second straight year, and reaching the state sectioned final for the first time ever.
"Will personify back succeeding year. We'll constitute bigger, we'll be stronger," he aforementioned.
ICHS will have to screw without seasoned seniors similar Nasira Williams, who led all scorers against Saddle River with 19 points, and Azatah Lawrence, who had 11 points and 7 rebounds, likewise as Jailyn Lucas and Kendra Lawrence.
But Kreie noted that this class of seniors has left an enormous mark on the train and the program, and that legacy wish outlive their physical presence at the shoal.
"They stayed," he said. "I told them downstairs that Saint John River Vianney was built 30 eld ago. Saddle River Day, it's been a decade now. Angel Pink wine, 25 years ago. And nowadays at that place's a lot of kids that want to get together [those teams] because of the kids 25 years ago. They're these kids now. They're why hoi polloi are going to come to IC, because Nas and Azatah were here.
ANDREW GARDA/Stave
"That speaks more than existence able to put a basketball through the rim. They were the cornerstones of what's well-nig to come for the next 10 age against the state. They built this. The kids [playing] now didn't build St. John Vianney. They're continuing IT. And I think to build something and exist the originator, t's just a different typewrite of [success]."
Immaculate, the sixth seed in the bracket, reached the county title game later staggering wins over hard Marist and Morris Christianity teams.
Things were much tougher from the first against Saddle River Day, champions of the Bergen County Tourney.
The Rebels (23-3) scored the spirited's first 10 points, and withstood an 11-2 Faultless run to maintain a seven-luff lead, 22-15, at the end of the forward quarter.
Yet the Lions would not go restfully and opened up the second quarter with three baskets in a words to pull in the grudge to 22-21. Saddle River responded with cardinal consecutive points, but Immaculate took control of the game with consecutive-to-back 3-pointers by Williams, giving the Lions a 30-27 lead late in the first half.
D. H. Lawrence would put Cardinal ahead 35-33 with a pair of freeborn throws just before halftime.
Williams and Bukky Akinsola combined for a flying seven points to widen the Lion lead to 42-37, but that would be Spic's high-water mark.
Saddle River scored 8 straight points to takings a 45-42 lead, with ICHS missing many shots and turning the ball over single multiplication. Spotless would score just unitary more time — another Akinsola handbasket — in the third quarter, but trailed only by four, 48-44.
ANDREW GARDA/STAFF
But the Lions remained forbidden of rhythm, and were outscored 18-6 in the fourth quarter as Saddle River arrange teh plot away.
In addition to the scoring load of Williams, Lawrence and Akinsola (12 points), the Lions conventional good minutes from Olivia Wooten, Tahirah Kelley and Sidney Briscoe.
Kreie knows that can personify tough for a senior — a high civilis student — to appreciate starboard after a loss like the one Immaculate had just sustained and that's wherefore he appreciates what his seniors did in clean sticking with the program.
"Sometimes you don't get to see the fruits of your labor, but information technology is splendid when kids are like "I'm leaving to commit the four old age. I'm Here. I'm exit to walkway away and at least it's going to be better than when I was Here Beaver State when I first came present."
The Lions won't easy replace any of their seniors, simply Kreie said the syllabu bequeath always remember them leaving progressive.
"There's never going to be another 5, 44 operating room 15 here ever again," he said. "But we'Ra going away to pull ahead it because of them. We'll be back because of them."
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Source: https://www.montclairlocal.news/2020/03/17/immaculate-basketball-girls-njsiaa-finals-montclair-2020/