River Dell Varsity Girls Basketball Team notches second straight win in victory over Westwood

The River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Girls Basketball Team(13-4, 6-1 Big North Patriots) won their second straight game in a commanding 53-33 victory over the Westwood Cardinals(13-6, 5-2 Big North Patriots) at Westwood Regional High School in Westwood, New Jersey.

Val Visconti and Alexa De Pol led River Dell in scoring, each amassing 17 points apiece.

River Dell Head Coach Lindsay Steffner on the win said, “The team played with a different level of energy yesterday. We talked about how big this game was for league play. If we want to win it, we must win every game and take care of business.”

With a four o’clock game on the road, I am a little nervous. The bus was late, and there were a million things happening. Westwood has been playing good basketball. I’m proud of how the girls came out and played.

The Golden Hawks came out with a lot of energy and determination in the first quarter, with Val Visconti tallying the first four points. As the quarter progressed, the action went back and forth with Westwood jumping ahead 8-7.

However, the Golden Hawks answered back with a 6-0 spurt to end the quarter and regain the advantage. Alexa De Pol continued to flourish on the offensive end, netting six points. River Dell managed to keep offensive possessions extended from 20 to 40 seconds and pounding the offensive glass.

“I was really impressed with our patience, especially on offense, because Westwood plays good man-to-man defense,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner explained. “They were slopping off a little, but that makes the ball getting inside a little more challenging. I’ve been challenging the girls: if we see a mismatch inside, exploit it.” “Our girls did a nice job of waiting for that to open up, going from the left to the right side, and working them on defense.”

On the flipside, River Dell did a spectacular job defensively holding the Cardinals without a point for over six minutes and limiting leading scorer Cameron Roche to three points.

“I was more impressed with our defense, and we had possessions where we played defense for a long time,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner described. “Dalia (Interiano) and Alexa did a great job of making their presence known. Alexa was all over her (Cameron Roche) and didn’t give her much space. Every time Roche came off a screen, Dalia was heads up enough to switch up those matchups.” “She (Cameron Roche) didn’t get a break from having a fast guard on her. Hope (Arturi) and Maddie (Roth) played well, keying in on her as well.”

In the second quarter, the Golden Hawks widened the lead to double digits behind the red-hot shooting of Alexa De Pol from behind the arc, sinking two trifectas and totaling eight points.

River Dell continued to excel on the defensive end, shutting out Cameron Roche in the scoring column, exhibiting fierce defense by getting their hands on the ball, knocking away passes, and stealing, which led to transition and fast break points. By the time halftime rolled around, the Golden Hawks were up comfortably 29-14.

“Alexa hit some tough shots in transition. (Cameron) Roche was guarding her and is a very long defender. Alexa was able to get that separation, find her spots, and get in that rhythm,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner noted.

“I said to the team at halftime: it’s 0-0. We have a big game, and we can’t let up.” “We must keep playing hard and exploiting. It’s going to come down to (Bria) Charles and (Cameron) Roche, so let’s keep pushing the tempo.”

The Golden Hawks were in lockstep once the third quarter commenced, with Val Visconti utilizing her length and size, pulling down offensive rebounds and putback shots, as she supplied six points, helping the advantage grow to 36-16.

Westwood responded with a 7-0 blitz to narrow the gap down to 37-23. The Cardinals were sparked by the tandem of Bria Charles and Cameron Roche, who combined for 13 points.

Alexa De Pol and Val Visconti provided some breathing room, hitting consecutive baseline jump shots with less than one minute remaining, and by the time the period concluded, River Dell led 41-27.

“Westwood turned it up and started going more north-south on us. They started getting into the paint and at the foul line,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner stated. “Credit to our girls; they came back and responded in different ways.”

In the fourth quarter, the Golden Hawks steadily boosted the advantage with a signature moment on the fast break, with Maddie Roth quickly dribbling the ball, then dishing a pass to Hope Arturi, then Arturi rising in the air and masterfully with one hand flicking the ball off the glass while absorbing the contact and converting the three-point play.

Furthermore, Dalia Interiano demonstrated her phenomenal passing abilities all game long, feeding a pass into the low post to Val Visconti, then Visconti chucked up a shot that caught friendly shooters' bounce while getting fouled in the process.

“Dalia just uses the court very well. The game has kind of slowed down for her a little bit this year because of her experience,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner cited. “She understands the spacing and where the girls are successful and makes the passes needed on a pick and roll.” “We started calling different plays where she just has the ball in her hands a lot longer in the possessions because she makes such great decisions with the ball.”

The Golden Hawks return to action on Saturday, February 7th, with an early 11 a.m. tip-off at River Dell High School against Fair Lawn (12-8, 6-0 Big North Independent). Excited to see what the matchup looks like. We need to slow down their freshman (Stephanie Morano), who’s averaging 20 points per game,” Head Coach Lindsay Steffner remarked. “They go with a deep lineup, and their Head Coach plays a lot of kids off the bench. They play hard, are scrappy, aggressive, and quick, and are fun to watch on film.” “I’m hoping we can slow them down and match their speed. Obviously, we’ll take advantage of our height and strength inside, and the guards are going to have fun with these matchups.” “This is a big week for us.”

“This is a big week for us. The loss to Saddle River Day left a bad taste in our mouths. We played hard and had our chances, but to make a run, the girls must keep playing hard and together. There are a lot of great connections happening on the court with the kids that are coming in. We’re able to get kids off the bench and are playing some high-level basketball right now. Fair Lawn’s playing good basketball. They played a tight one against Ramapo in the county tournament.”

“As long as we’re playing good basketball, I’m fine with that right now.” Our focus is still on the league, and we really need to get some separation. We need to face Mahwah and Indian Hills and then get past Pascack Hills. The first time we handled them, but they’re playing well now. Every game matter, and one possession at a time.” “I have a really great group of girls that I like to be around and who like being around each other. We want the season to be as long as possible here.”