River Dell Varsity Girls Basketball Team Shows Resilience in Road Win Over Pascack Valley

The River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Girls Basketball Team(2-0) held off a furious late rally by the Pascack Valley Panthers(1-1) for the 47-41 win at Pascack Valley High School in Hillsdale, New Jersey.

Maddie Roth amassed game-high 15 points while Alexa DePol and Hope Arturi contributed 11 points apiece, and Dalia Interiano totaled 10 points.

The tip-off was pushed back by 15 minutes, and the lights went out twice during warm-ups. Once action got underway in the first quarter, River Dell jumped out to a 7-2 lead, with Dalia Interiano providing the bulk of the offense, tallying five points.

Pascack Valley responded with an 8-0 spurt that gave the team a 10-7 lead at the end of the period.

“A four o’clock is not the easiest thing for our team to do and not something we do often and early in this season and for a big game is challenging,” River Dell Head Coach Lindsay Steffner explained. “Luckily we came out really focused and knew our matchups and were really aggressive on defense.” “We were trying to figure out the flow and pace of the game and getting up and down and our legs ready to go.”

In the second quarter, the Golden Hawks answered back with a 5-0 run spearheaded on the offensive side from Maddie Roth and Hope Arturi. River Dell’s ramped up the defensive pressure with a tenacious full-court press and double-team that limited the Panthers to a single point until 1:30 remained. Pascack Valley finally managed to get its offense in gear behind the production from Raina Gibbs, who supplied 11 first-half points.

Meanwhile, the Golden Hawks' offense was firing on all cylinders, hitting jump shots from behind the arc with Alexa DePol sinking a triple and Hope Arturi burying a pair of trifectas, plus scoring inside the paint and down low, which led to a 25-17 halftime lead.

Head Coach Lindsay Steffner on her message to the team at halftime, “There was that early kind of nervousness in the game by both teams and my message to them was keep playing them as you know and be aggressive as possible on defense and that’s the same thing with Val(Visconti) although she didn’t score she did a good job keeping people off the boards, got a lot of rebounds and played some tough side defense because they were setting a lot of screens.”

“We played okay but could have played better and they’re a very good team that’s going to come out and make adjustments as well.” “We were going to mix up our defenses a little but and had a couple of kids in foul trouble with Dalia picking up her third.” “We were going to change some matchups and make Raina(Gibbs) shoot over Alexa for a little bit then Dalia and switch up those matchups to throw different people at her.”

“Dalia, Alexa and Maddie really stepped up as far as scoring and Hope draining those two threes made a nice separation for us.” “Hope played a great game, and she’s not shy in taking those shots and part of the confidence we talked about, and we have a lot of different weapons on the court.” “If teams are going to focus inside on Val and Maddie then it leaves the outside open for Alexa, Dalia and Hope to shoot those shots.”

In the third quarter, Maddie Roth built on a strong first half, displaying her defensive prowess by swiping the ball from the Panthers' ball handlers, which led to transition layups. Alexa DePol added four more points, propelling the advantage to 35-20.

“Maddie is very powerful and explosive, and she gets her hands on the ball and off to the races,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner described. “She gives us another athletic and strong presence on the court and reads the lanes very well.” “She anticipates, got quick hands and long and tall and a matchup nightmare for other teams.”

River Dell’s defense cranked up the defensive intensity, shutting out Pascack Valley’s leading scorer Raina Gibbs in the quarter and holding the Panthers to five points that resulted in a 39-22 lead heading into the final frame.

However, the script flipped in the fourth quarter as the Golden Hawks' offense went ice cold, sputtering from the perimeter and close range, which enabled Pascack Valley to slice the margin to single digits.

After Maddie Roth knocked down a jump shot early, the Panthers erupted for a 15-0 run. Raina Gibbs is in the zone offensively, canning a pair of treys and netting 12 points.

River Dell finally stemmed the tide late as Alexa DePol masterfully broke down the defense and went coast to coast for the spectacular layup off the glass after the Panthers employed a stifling full-court press, a major uplift, and a 43-37 lead with a minute in change left.

“We were trying to stall a little bit and save our legs and possessions at that point and haven’t worked on a quite a bit,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner mentioned. “Gibbs hit some incredible tough shots and it was a good wake up call for us to understand the game and what has to happen in the fourth quarter and how to keep our composure.”

“We called a time out and I put Alexa in a different spot for the press breaker and in hopes if they were going to foul anyone it was going to be her and she’s an excellent foul shooter.” “Luckily she broke through and still had enough legs and went coast to coast for a hard layup and angle.” “She really muscled when it went in and gave us a little bit of breathing room at that point.”

The Panthers refused to go away quietly and throw in the white towel with Raina Gibbs splashing a triple to make it 43-40 with 52 seconds to go. The Golden Hawks were able to go up 45-40 as Hope Arturi hit a pair of free throws.

Pascack Valley had a golden opportunity to cut further into the deficit with 17 seconds left as Swyer LeMere was fouled on a three-point shot attempt but managed to convert only one free throw.

Dalia Interiano was fouled immediately and, cool under pressure, sank both free throws that cemented the victory.

“It was a good test for us to come out of there with a win,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner remarked. “We showed resilience and to get to the foul line and hit our foul shots late in the game.” “It wasn’t ideal, but Pascack Valley showed a lot of heart and hit some tough shots and out us on our heels a little bit.”

After a week off, River Dell returns to the hardwood court in the Joe Poli Tournament, facing Waldwick(3-1) on Friday, December 26th, with tip-off scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at Pascack Valley High School.

“We always like entering the Joe Poli Tournament and it’s been happening for over 50 years,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner noted. “Usually, it does have the best matchups and we’re excited to be part of it and we’re working on a few things we need to correct, make the adjustments and get healthy.”