Greg Tartaglia                           
Glen Rock HS Girls defend their North I Group 2 State Sectional Title
(Picture from NorthJersey.com)
GLEN ROCK — Anna Heuss did the little things right, and her Glen Rock girls basketball team won in a big way.
The defending North 1, Group 2 sectional champions reclaimed their crown with a 59-27 victory over No. 2 Westwood on March 6. The Panthers scored the first 10 points and never looked back, sharing the ball effectively on offense and playing airtight defense.
Glen Rock (23-6) grew its lead to 20-2 early in the second quarter, and Heuss nailed a three-pointer to make it 31-11 late in the first half.
“We know that we can win any day and lose any day,” said the guard, one of the Panthers’ three senior starters. “So, we had the mentality of, we need to win, and we need to do every little thing to get us there, and we did.”
That included things like making the extra pass – Glen Rock had 18 assists on 26 field goals, and it could have been more if hockey-style secondary assists were counted in hoops.
The Panthers also recorded nine steals, and just as importantly, they did not commit an unforced turnover until 5:55 remained in the third quarter.
“We were fired up today, and I think we’ve been fired up for this whole week,” second-year coach Sara Wolman said. “I knew this is what they have been capable of all season, and it’s a great time for it to click right now.”
What it means
Glen Rock earned a trip to the March 10 Group 2 state semifinals, where it will face North Section 2 winner Caldwell. The Chiefs eliminated the reigning champ in their bracket, dealing a 58-29 setback to Madison, which had beaten Glen Rock in last year’s state semis.
Westwood (20-9) had its first 20-win season since 2019-20 and will graduate just one starter, four-year letter-winner Jules Batelli. Top scorer Cameron Roche (10 points, 3 steals) is only a junior, and three of the Cardinals’ rotation regulars are freshmen.
Experience pays off
Heuss, forward Abby Grove and guard Mia Vergel de Dios are each in their fourth varsity season, while starters Isabella Flaccavento and Ana Landreau are juniors.
The Panthers looked every bit like a team that had been to this stage before – and one that was quite comfortable sharing the ball.
That is one reason a player like Heuss can fly under the radar. Until the big moments, that is.
“She’s always doing the little things,” Wolman said of Heuss. “She could be making 3 or 4 [three-pointers] a game, or not, and she’s still a factor on defense.”
Players of the Game
► Grove led the Panthers’ scoring with 18 points and added seven rebounds.
â–ş Heuss was the top rebounder for Glen Rock with 10, while Vergel de Dios added 8 assists to her team-leading total and chipped in 13 points.
â–ş Sophomore forward Madison Wise provided 10 points and 4 boards off the bench.
Volunteers found
EMTs from the Glen Rock Volunteer Ambulance Corps, of which Vergel de Dios is a member, turned out in full force (and fluorescent yellow coats) to join the capacity crowd. They were the first fans to get in on a trophy picture with the Panthers afterward.
They said it
“We value each other so much, and we really don’t care about our individual stats. It’s the win that matters, and we know that it’s more important to give it to the open person. And we trust each other so much that we know anyone can get the job done.” —Heuss
“We do talk about little things like being attentive to detail. But I’ve tried to instill in them – and I thing they really responded to it – that you can always be making the hustle play. You don’t have to be scoring a lot, but you can impact the game in a variety of ways.” —Wolman, a 2006 Glen Rock graduate
