By Sean Farrell / Record Sports Department
MIDLAND PARK – March Madness memories aren’t forgotten.
Not by Sofia Hansen, at least.
The senior from Midland Park vividly remembers sitting in the bleachers for the program’s first sectional championship and standing in disbelief years later as opposing fans rushed the court around her.
The highs and lows of tournament basketball don’t go away.
So the Panthers’ forward uses them all as motivation in what could be another long postseason in the borough. She scored nine points and had four assists and three rebounds in her team’s 63-13 home win over Becton on Monday in the first round of the North 1, Group 1 tournament. It brings Hansen one step closer toward redemption.
“I had that feeling that we just missed it and it could have been us,” Hansen said of the 2016 championship loss. “It’s not enough. I want to be on the other side. It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was the eighth grader in the stands.”
Midland Park (18-7) has only 19 players in the program and yet has found a way to be immune to the challenges of playing at a small school. The No. 1 seeded Panthers have reached the sectional finals in three of the last five seasons, winning back-to-back titles in 2013 and 2014. Coach Sean O’Connor said those teams changed the program and set the precedent for years to come. Many of his current seniors were watching during middle school and saw the hard work and unselfish brand of basketball needed to win.
“We can all count on each other,” senior Chloe Kasbarian said. “We all have each other’s backs. When we’re pressing, we know that one person gets the steal and the other person is going to score. Two people make great plays. It’s not just one person who gets the credit. Everyone does.”
Becton actually opened the game with a 3 from senior Justina Cabezas.
From then on, it was all Midland Park.
The Panthers went on a 20-0 run and built up a 50-7 lead by halftime. All five of their starters touched the ball on the first possession and many afterwards. Of the team’s 24 field goals, 20 came off an assist. Aggressive defensive pressure turned into easy points in transition.
“Every time there’s a great play, it’s never just one person putting in the work,” Hansen said. “It starts with a great steal to a great pass to a great shot. Every single play is like that. We all tell each other, that happened because of you. Your pass made that happen. That’s why we are so good this year.”
Unlike past championship teams, Midland Park has not relied on a must-see player or scorer. Nine different Panthers got points in the latest win, with no one getting more than 12. Emily Kontos and Gillian Luberoff each had a team-high 12 points against Becton.
“Sometimes it’s not a starter,” O’Connor said. “Sometimes it’s a girl coming off the bench. Sometimes it’s a girl you don’t expect who will step up that night and have a hot hand. It’s great as a coach because you don’t have to rely on one kid all the time or fight to get one kid that shot.”
