River Dell Varsity Girls Basketball Team pummels Wayne Valley in the North Jersey Section 1, Group 3 Tournament First Round

The River Dell Golden Hawks Varsity Girls Team(18-6), seeded fourth, displayed no rust at all after an eight-day layoff, crushing the 13th seed Wayne Valley Indians(10-16) 85-50 in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 3 Tournament First Round at River Dell High School in Oradell, New Jersey.

Hope Arturi poured in a game-high 24 points while sizzling from behind the arc, hitting six three-pointers. Val Visconti totaled 18 points, Maddie Roth supplied 13 points, and Alexa DePol chipped in with 12 points.

River Dell came out blasting out of the gates in the first quarter, racing to a 10-0 lead in the first minute of action. Right off the opening tip-off, the Golden Hawks rotated the ball around the perimeter, then fed it into the post. Val Visconti drove toward the basket, drew a defender, and then dished a precise pass to Maddie Roth, who cut to the hoop for a layup and the first points of the game.

"I don’t think Wayne Valley was prepared for it, and we don’t show it often. We were more athletic and faster than they were and wanted to put pressure on them early, especially their guards. No.10 (Sophia Benacquista) is their leading scorer, and I didn’t want her having any good looks down low and in the half-court offense if we could prevent it," River Dell Head Coach Lindsay Steffner explained.

Dalia Interiano and Alexa De Pol each drained a three-pointer. River Dell then applied a harassing full-court press, forcing a turnover. Hope Arturi followed by knocking down a jump shot, prompting Wayne Valley to call a timeout to regroup.

The Indians were able to get on the scoreboard with a pearl, but the momentum was short-lived. The Golden Hawks flourished on offense, repeatedly driving to the basket. These drives drew fouls, and the team capitalized by making free throws. Maddie Roth aggressively attacked the rim and drew key fouls, showing grit and determination as River Dell increased the lead to 19-5 with less than five minutes left.

On the defensive end, Roth is making her presence known by blocking shots, hustling for position, diving for loose balls, and accumulating multiple steals.

"Maddie does everything for us and she earned her hustle award and got her hands on the ball," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner stated. "She blocked shots, had five steals, a lot of offensive rebounds and she and Val (Visconti) worked well together in the high-low set. Once Val got into foul trouble, she had more rebounds and did an excellent job. She came out really focused."

By the time the quarter ended, River Dell widened their advantage to 27-12. Hope Arturi and Maddie Roth each scored eight points in the quarter. The team hit six three-pointers in the quarter, with Arturi and Dalia Interiano each making two.

"We haven’t put up that offensive power in years, and we don’t get that in a half," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner described. "I liked the fact that we were hitting shots from the outside. When Wayne Valley started extending their zone, we were able to go high-low and get to the rim. We got them in some foul trouble."

In the second quarter, the Golden Hawks expanded their lead to 36-19 with less than five minutes remaining, as Jackson scored eight points in quick succession. Wayne Valley responded when Martinez hit a three-pointer, and Brown converted a steal into a layup, trimming the deficit to twelve with three and a half minutes left. However, River Dell answered back when Collins assisted two baskets and hit a jumper, sending the team into halftime up by a commanding margin of 43-26.

"I told the team that I didn’t want them to settle for three-point shots and wasn’t happy with some of our defensive series," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner noted. "We were shooting the ball well and I wanted to keep the pressure on."

"We talked about moving our feet and not getting into foul trouble. I told them to keep the energy high. I said to the team you have a great fan base, and you know the gym. Keep the energy as high as you can and keep fighting."

Once the third quarter commenced, the Golden Hawks' advantage rapidly ballooned as Val Visconti became the catalyst on offense, accounting for nine points and receiving crisp passes, then pierced her way to the rim for layups in the halfcourt and in the fast break. River Dell was able to work the ball around the perimeter, and with Dalia Interiano, the facilitator, handling the ball and dishing out dimes to teammates.

"Dalia had 12 assists and she saw the court perfect," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner cited. "Val got in great positions. One of Wayne Valley’s key players was in foul trouble, and they didn’t have an answer for her."

Six players contributed points in the quarter, helping the Golden Hawks extend their lead to 66-37 by the period’s end.

In the fourth quarter, River Dell kept up their intensity, consistently making three-point shots. Hope Arturi was especially effective, hitting three more three-pointers with confident, quick releases each time.

"Hope put on a shooting clinic and it’s just confidence and she had an all-around game," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner mentioned. "When she sees the zone and gets the right spacing, and Dalia and Val find her, we get that high-low kickout to her. When she sees the zone and is confident like that, and on her home court, she really shoots the ball very well."

With the game well in hand, the bench saw the floor. Molly Irving dropped five points, and Keagan Fogarty added two.

"Both of them played outstanding off the bench. Molly had four assists," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner remarked.

The Golden Hawks return to action on Monday, March 2nd, hosting the Teaneck Highwaymen(17-8) in the Quarterfinals at River Dell High School, with tip-off set for 6 p.m.

"We’re excited about it and we have a bad taste in our mouth from the county tournament game last year," Head Coach Lindsay Steffner expressed. "We were kind of running short on steam in the fourth quarter but had them at halftime and played them even in the third quarter. We just ran out of energy in the fourth, and the girls are ready for it and understand the kind of matchups we’re going to do."

"We have to really control Lexi Carnegie, who’s one of the best players in the county. They mix up their defenses a lot to keep teams off balance. They have great defensive execution. On top of that they have outstanding athletes, size, strength and are well-coached."

"We practiced quite a bit this week to prepare, which showed tonight. They were ready to go, and this time of the year is exciting, stressful, and anxious as there are a lot of emotions. We’re happy we got the fourth seed and to get two home games. That’s what the hard work is for during the season—to be able to play in front of your home fans and on your court. It does matter because there’s a different energy when you’re playing in front of your crowd."