River Dell Varsity Girls Basketball Team bounces back with resounding win over Fort Lee

The River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Girls Basketball Team(2-2) squared off against Fort Lee (0-4) at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey.

River Dell was coming off a 45-42 loss to Paramus Catholic at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey. Junior Kasey Ziegler paced the Golden Hawks, scoring 12 points, while Dalia Interiano chipped in 10.

"It was a close game and they're very well coached over there," River Dell Head Coach Lindsay Steffner explained. "That was a teachable moment, we made some mistakes and had a lot of bad turnovers, but the girls played their butts off and I'll give them that much on how to play down the stretch under pressure and in a loud environment."

The Golden Hawks wasted no time jumping to a double-digit advantage in the first quarter. Kasey Ziegler picked up where she left off against Paramus Catholic, tallying seven of her team-high nine points. River Dell was on fire early from behind the arc, with Sofia Sanchez, Dalia Interiano, and Morgan Sconza each burying trifectas. By the time the period ended, the Golden Hawks were up 18-3.

"Kasey has been playing outstandingly early in the season and is very confident," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner described. "She's a junior and had three years with me now and knows the expectations." "She's one of the hardest workers we had and shows that in practice and not scared of anything really and sacrifices her body on every drill."

River Dell did not remove the gas pedal in the second quarter as the margin expanded further. Head Coach Lindsay Steffner can dive deep into the bench and get several players quality time on the court. The Golden Hawks held a commanding 33-6 advantage when halftime rolled around.

"It's a big thing, and we wanted to get them quality minutes and earlier in the game so we could mix up different defenses," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner noted. "As far as the offense is concerned, being able to listen and learn coming out of timeouts is a little bit different." "It's a different role when people are coming off the bench and how they perform right away." "I got a lot of kids' minutes, which allowed them to score their first varsity points, which is exciting."

A low-scoring second half where both teams combined for a total of 19 points, including the Golden Hawks notching a 2-0  shutout in the fourth quarter, did not affect the outcome at all as River Dell rolled to the 46-12 victory, and even up their overall record at 2-2. 10 Golden Hawks players got into the scoring column.

"The bench showed what they do really well. Have fun doing it," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner remarked. "Playing primarily against defense, we play a man-to-man in a scout team situation, and it prepares us for what we're about to see."

"So, the flip side of that you put into action and what we've been working on and switch gears and see a zone in that situation and execute was outstanding." "We pride ourselves on a defensive lineup and it showed and didn't matter who we put it, and the bar was set, and we kept that with every single lineup we put it."

Before River Dell plays the Old Tappan Golden Knights in the annual Joe Poli Holiday Tournament at Pascack Valley High School, the Golden Hawks have an early tip-off at Cranford on Saturday, December 23rd, at 10 a.m.

"They're an outstanding athletic team and strong and have a senior player who's their leading scorer, and that is playing at a high level right now," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner cited. "They have good outside shooting and play a two-three zone, and we have seen a lot of zones, which is very good, and the more you see, the more comfortable you'll get into a rhythm, and we're excited to get on the road."

On Tuesday, December 26th, River Dell squares off against a familiar and formidable foe in the Golden Knights at 1:30 p.m. Last season, Old Tappan defeated the Golden Hawks in the Joe Poli Tournament 37-27 and 49-45 in the North Jersey Section 1, Group 3 Tournament.

The Golden Knights are off to a fantastic start at 5-0, led by the Layla and Maya Giordano sisters, who have scored a combined 139 points. Recently, Head Coach Brian registered his 500th career win.

"The key for us is we're going to have to play excellent defense on the Giordano sisters, and it's a one-two punch," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner stated. "They're outstanding athletes and kids, but anything can happen. We got to lock down and try to have Old Tappan beat us a different way."

"We have to make sure we're executing on offense and come down and hit high percentage shots and hard screens." "We have to be mentally prepared for what Old Tappan is going to do and make them do something a little bit different and get them out of their comfort zone." "You never know after the holiday how everyone's going to handle it."

"We want to make sure we're getting better every game." "Going into league play in January(2024), this is the type of tournament that is preparing for us what we want to ultimately do in the league and make waves in the county tournament, and you don't see that competition early." "I feel it's harder to match that with non-conference games and just in practice alone, but being in tough games, even if it's either win or lose and whatever the outcome, isn't really as important as the preparation and understanding and raising the basketball IQ and this time of the year."