JANUARY 9, 2016
THE RECORD Staff
Girls Basketball
Senior point guard Kristina Ulrich led all scorers with 23 points, along with nine rebounds and five steals as No. 16 Secaucus handed New Milford its first loss of the season in a 56-41 victory in NJIC action Thursday.
Secaucus (6-3) jumped out to a 13-4 first quarter lead and never looked back.
WOOD-RIDGE 47, PATERSON CHARTER 37 (at Wood-Ridge): Bailey Wyrostek’s game-high 27 points propelled Wood-Ridge to its first win of the season with a 10-point victory over Paterson Charter. A tie game entering the fourth quarter, the Blue Devils (1-6) outscored their opponents 23-13.
RUTHERFORD 49, EASTERN CHRISTIAN 37 (at Rutherford): Junior forward Kristen Wernicki led the way with 22 points as Rutherford defeated Eastern Christian. Stout defense by the Bulldogs (6-1) held Eastern Christian to single-digits in the first three quarters and built a Rutherford lead to 14 after three quarters.
HASBROUCK HEIGHTS 51, BECTON 35 (at Hasbrouck Heights): A 12-0 run by Hasbrouck Heights in the second quarter propelled the Aviators (5-1) to a 27-15 halftime lead en route to a 16-point victory. Senior guard Stacey Porzi had 26 points and five steals for Hasbrouck Heights, while sophomore forward Kassie Ketcho had four points and 10 rebounds.
Saddle River Day continued its torrid start to this season with a 65-55 overtime victory over Baldwin (N.Y.) in the Sparks New Year’s Resolution girls basketball showcase at Kennedy High School in Paterson on Friday night.
Freshman Michelle Sidor continued her hot streak with a triple-double of 34 points, 14 assists and 10 steals, scoring eight of her team’s 12 points in the lone overtime period and leading the Rebels.
Saddle River Day (No. 5 in The Record top 25) outscored Baldwin, 12-2, in overtime and reached 8-0 on the season. Baldwin entered the game as the sixth-ranked team in New York, according to the New York State Sportswriters Association.
GARFIELD 53, RIDGEFIELD 42 (at Ridgefield) – In a game tied at 35 after three quarters, Garfield went on an 18-7 run in the final quarter to wrap up its fifth win of the season. Junior forward Anira Calamia had a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds with six steals.
Boys basketball
EASTERN CHRISTIAN 53, RUTHERFORD 43 (at North Haledon) – Henry Ruitenberg and Jared Post came up big in a 17-point fourth quarter for Eastern Christian. Post, a freshman swingman scored five of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, including a driving layup with two minutes left that put the home team up eight and essentially clinched the game. Ruitenberg, the 6-foot-6 senior center, finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds, scoring six in the fourth.
MIDLAND PARK 46, HAWTHORNE 42, OT (at Midland Park) – Hawthorne rallied in the fourth quarter to force overtime, but Midland Park was able to hang on for a thrilling win. Matt Genao, the Panthers’ senior point guard, made two free throws in overtime to give Midland Park a four-point lead it never relinquished.
HASBROUCK HEIGHTS 57, LEONIA 51 (at Hasbrouck Heights) – Despite a 28-point second half from the Lions, Hasbrouck Heights held on. Junior shooting guard Niko Malegiannakis contributed 28 points in the win; leading all scorers and helping Hasbrouck Heights pick up its fourth victory of the season.
WALDWICK 49, BERGEN CHARTER 25 (at Waldwick) – Waldwick got off to a quick start and a 24-7 halftime lead en route to notching its first win of the season. Eight players scored for the Warriors, led by 12 apiece from Griffin Price and Tyler Lambert.
