River Dell Varsity Boys Basketball Team rallies past Mahwah on Senior Night

The River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Boys Basketball Team(10-12, 3-6 in the Big North Patriot division) won their fourth straight and, more importantly, on Senior Night in a thrilling 53-48 comeback win over the Mahwah Thunderbirds at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey.

Senior Aditya Pandya put on a one-man dominating show, pouring in a game-high 25 points. "It's always fun to play in front of everyone and see everyone supporting the guys, especially on senior night, and there is a bigger crowd. It's fun to play in that environment," Aditya Pandya described. "We're down to the last couple of home games for the seniors, and it's just enjoying and living in the moments, enjoying these games, and getting the wins."

Aditya Pandya, a senior, expressed the team's determination and focus. 'I've been playing with these kids forever and we've had an up and down season but started to put it together of recent and knew this game had very big implications,' he said. 'First we wanted to win on senior night and second a big PowerPoint game because they were a 13-win team, and we wanted to jump up in the states to get a better seeding.'

What makes the River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Boys Basketball Team truly special is their strong bond. 'We've been friends for so long and outside of the sport hanging out and what makes this group so special,' Aditya Pandya shared. ‘We have an honest relationship on and off the court and it really means a lot to us to perform while on the court and when we're winning games.'

Entering the fourth quarter, the Golden Hawks trailed Mahwah 42-34, but Pat Sweeny quickly buried a trifecta to start an emphatic run, scoring [number of points] unanswered points, and River Dell eventually jumped ahead 45-44.

Aditya Pandya owned the space in the paint in the space and underneath the basket in the paint as Pandya totaled nine points and converted several layups.

"I had a couple of inches on Mahwah's team and knew that I should take advantage and whether it was getting to the free throw line or layups," Aditya Pandya explained. "We knew going down eight into the fourth quarter what we had to do and started rebounding the ball on the weak side and always had trust in my teammates."

The Golden Hawks trailed 46-45 with two and a half minutes remaining, but David Nunez caught a pass from Ryan Rossig and drained a deep triple to put River Dell ahead.

Mahwah managed to tie the game. With less than forty seconds left, Will Brunner, displaying crafty instinct, dished a dime to a wide-open Aditya Pandya in the low post. While exhibiting patience with two defenders, Pandya eluded them and elevated for a shot off the glass.

"Will found me each and every time and I just had to do my job and finish underneath the basket," Aditya Pandya noted. "Will is the definition of grit and put us on his back with three back-to-back charges and switched all the momentum to us and being able to break the press and why I was able to get so many buckets." "David hit that phenomenal clutch three that put us ahead."

The Thunderbirds could still tie the game, but River Dell's defense clogged the paint, forcing Mahwah into a perimeter shot that clanged off the rim. Aditya Pandya corralled the rebound.

David Nunez got fouled, which led to a trip to the free-throw line, where Nunez calmly sank two free throws. Patrick Sweeny made one of two free throws that sealed the Golden Hawks' victory. The student section and the rest of the home crowd applauded the team.

"It was a great feeling because it was senior night, being on that home court with my boys and fun to win a game with all of them, the crowd and parents," Aditya Pandya stated. "A meaningful game for us that we really needed to win and just coming back from that eight-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter and to come out on top."

Judging by the back-and-forth scoring output in the first quarter, the rematch could mirror the first meeting, which ended with Mahwah victorious 74-70.

Ryan Rossig got River Dell off the right foot, tallying the first five points of the game. However, the Thunderbirds answered back to reclaim the advantage, and then the Golden Hawks ignited a rebuttal to jump back in front 12-7.

Both teams traded baskets left and right, and River Dell went on a 7-2 spurt to retake the lead 19-16. With the score tied at 19-19, Regan Joyce canned his second trey of the game right before the buzzer sounded, putting the Golden Hawks up 22-19.

Ryan Rossig finished with eight points in the period, and Aditya Pandya notched six points. Meanwhile, Mahwah's Tyson Van Pelt is in the zone, dropping 11 points.

"We know that happens every time we play Mahwah and everyone on our team hitting their shots," Aditya Pandya cited. "It was good seeing Ryan jump out to a quick eight points and hitting two threes and Regan knocking down two threes especially with how active the crowd got." "My teammates found me where I needed to be, and I put the ball up and scored my points."

The scoring output dropped drastically in the second quarter. The team combined for a grand total of 17, and the Thunderbirds were up 30-28 at halftime.

Before the game started, the six seniors were honored with their families alongside them, Ryan Rossig, Will Brunner, Pat Sweeny, John Kelleher, Aditya Pandya, and Regan Joyce. In addition, athletic director Denis Nelson was honored for his 20-plus years at River Dell, and Nelson is retiring this year in a speech by Head Coach Ron Van Saders.

"It's crazy, I remember my first senior night and said I have so much time, but it just went by so fast," Aditya Pandya remarked. "Now it's my time to be one of the seniors that's called to give flowers to my family and taking those photos." "Knowing how much my family supported me throughout my basketball journey and paying for trainers or PT(physical therapy) this whole off-season."

"What helped me was seeing the teams before me and how the leaders operated, "I just took part in what they did and learned from them." "I kind of grew into that role, and if I made the winning plays, it would give our team a chance to win games with everyone else around me." "I've had a good personal relationship with every coach on the roster, and they've cared about me for four years and my development as a basketball player that I am today."

"Honestly Denis a great guy and has good intentions with everything and agree with Head Coach Ron Van Saders that he's probably the best AD(athletic director) in the state and a phenomenal guy to be around and really cares about the athletes that walk through the building."

River Dell returns to the hardwood court on Sunday, February 16th, in the Bergen Invitational Tournament Semifinals. The Golden Hawks are on a magical run, having knocked off Bergen County Tech and Pascack Hills in close contests. They now square off against St. Mary(Rutherford) (16-8, 8-0 NJIC Meadowlands) at 6 p.m. at Saint Joseph Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey.

"We're excited to be back in the Final Four and want revenge from last season," Aditya Pandya said. "St. Mary is probably the best team we're going to face all year but knowing if we play a complete 32-minute game that we can definitely come out on top and make being able to play for a chip in the BIT especially after all the coaches in the association that told us we should've haven't even made it in the first place would be a great feeling."