River Dell Varsity Girls Basketball Team gets back on the winning track with a decisive victory over Paramus Catholic

After a tough loss to Ramapo, the River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Girls Basketball Team(10-3, 5-0 Big North Patriot) showed remarkable resilience, bouncing back with a 56-31 win over Paramus Catholic at Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey.

The River Dell's offense was a testament to their team spirit, with seven players scoring. Morgan Sconza led the charge with a game-high 16 points, showcasing the team's collective effort in their victory over Paramus Catholic.

The Golden Hawks jumped out to a 9-3 lead in the first quarter, but Paramus Catholic responded with a run to tie the game up at 11-11 by converting outside shots from the perimeter and a potent full-court press. The Paladins leaned on the solid play of Olivia Buckingham, dropping six points.

However, River Dell regained the advantage at 13-11 at the end of the quarter as Hope Arturi tallied a layup just before the buzzer sounded.

"The girls did a nice job of keeping their composure and Paramus Catholic mixed up their defenses a little bit and went with two different zones and press a little bit," River Dell Head Coach Lindsay Steffner explained. "Once we settled in, we did a good job of getting high percentage shots." "Hope(Arturi) came off the bench and provided a nice boost."

In the second quarter, the Golden Hawks extended their advantage to double digits at 26-15 by knocking down shots behind the arc. Morgan Sconza hit a pair of trifectas to increase her total to three, and Dalia Interiano also hit a triple. Eventually, River Dell led 28-17 at intermission.

"We ended up mixing some matchups here and there in the second quarter and really helped as we put Dalia(Interiano) on one of their better scorers because of Dalia's speed," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner described.

Once the third quarter got underway, the Golden Hawks widened the margin by driving to the rim and getting fouled, which led to trips to the free-throw line, where Morgan Sconza drained four shots. Alex DePol supplied five points as River Dell led comfortably 40-23 heading into the final frame.

"I think we put Paramus Catholic back on their heels a little bit by competing for the ball, outrebounding them and coming up with an offensive rebound," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner noted. "Morgan(Sconza) got to the foul line and after a while it allowed us to change our defenses and got us into a rhythm we wanted."

In the fourth quarter, the Golden Hawks continued to sizzle from downtown. Morgan Sconza canned her fourth trey while Dalia Interiano drained her second, and the margin grew significantly, allowing the players off the bench to see quality playing time and action on the court.

Sienna Riecken contributed six points. Using her height and strength against a much smaller Paladins lineup, Riecken dominated the low post and paint with layups.

"On the post-entry passes Paramus Catholic had to finally go man-to-man and Sienna(Riecken) shoots a very high percentage from the block," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner stated. "She gets in great position there and our guards do a great job of seeing and giving her ball on easy bounce passes and she's going to make those high percentage shots and went for six minutes in two minutes."

Despite the upcoming challenges, River Dell is prepared for a grueling stretch ahead, including an away game at Sparta and a Round of 16 game in the Bergen County Girls Tournament on Saturday, February 1st, at Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan.

"Sparta is always competitive and it's good get a Group 3 matchup and see what we're going to look for in the states and see what we have out there," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner remarked. "It's hard to gauge the level that Sparta because of their opponents but I have seen enough of them on film where I feel confident."

"If we can slow down (Molly)Chapman, if you play two-three zones and obviously we have to shoot well on the road which is obviously is a challenge as well." "I rather play a game today than with the bye and sit back and wait for the Bergen County Tournament."

"I'm really proud of our group and to get into the top eight and receive a bye with all these great teams in the area." "It's a great opportunity for us to be able to sit back and see who we play and prepare for that." "The girls did a good job to get to that number seven and winning tough games, going to the Joe Poli Tournament and benefit game and entering into hard games and that helped us with our seed."

It's always a fun tournament to play in the vibe at Old Tappan, which is excellent with two gyms." "Many people love basketball, and you could sit there all day and watch the games." "It's a very well-organized tournament, and I'm proud to sit on the committee and be a part of that, and it's fun to see good basketball." "You get to see different kids play against different matchups, and we're very excited for the tournament."

"Right now, my message to the team is to compete as hard as possible, and I don't always tell them to leave it on the court. and doesn't matter who's on the team you're playing, and I'll match and coach them up as best as I can to get them in the position to win." They need to provide the energy, hustle plays, and the composure we look for and play River Dell basketball, which they've been doing so far, which I'm proud of."