Bruins hold on in HCT

Ashley Vazzona, North Bergen

Ashley Vazzona scored six of his 14 points in the final two minutes for the Bruins.

Click Here for more photos from St. Dominic Academy at North Bergen

By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director

NORTH BERGEN – It was the kind of shooting performance for North Bergen that can haunt teams during playoff time.

Unable to play their preferred up-tempo, transition game and with their shots not falling, the second-seeded Bruins found themselves in a struggle during the Hudson County Tournament quarterfinals matchup.

But the veteran squad was able to make just enough big plays on defense in the final minutes to outlast St. Dominic Academy 40-38 last night.

“I know its cliché, but there are going to be nights where your shots aren’t falling, but you always got to rebound and you always got to play defense,” North Bergen head coach Dan Reardon said. “For the most part we did do that. This was a typical example of a night where you’re not shooting well, but we played good defense and we rebounded well and that was enough tonight.”

It proved to be difference in crunch time for North Bergen (19-2). Trailing by two, a steal and free throw by Ashley Vazzona cut the deficit down to one with 1:59 remaining. After an Ashley Heredia steal, Vazzona put the Bruins back in the lead for good with a layup to make it 37-36 with 1:05 left in the game.

On a night where her lethal outside shot was off, Vazzona finished with a game-high 14 points, six of them of coming in the final two minutes.

“She made some tough baskets down the stretch,” St. Dominic coach Reggie Quinn said. “With the game on the line, great players step up. She stepped up, made four free throws and stole the ball. What else can you ask her to do?”

Vazzona had a steal off an inbounds pass and hit three free throws (the last coming with 3.7 seconds left) in the final minute to help seal the victory for the Bruins, their 14th in a row.

“We were right there,” Quinn said. “We could have won the game, but we just didn’t execute down the stretch.”

“That game could have gone either way, but you got to give our seniors credit,” Reardon said. “The upperclassmen did what they had to do. Some key steals, one by Heredia, one by Vazzona. The more seniors you’ve got out there, the better.”

Vazzona and Heredia, both seniors, combined for all 10 points scored by North Bergen in the fourth quarter. Sophomore Amanda Rivera had a pair of crucial rebounds in the final minutes after leaving the game earlier due to an elbow to the face.

Prior to that, the seventh-seeded Blue Devils (11-10) were effectively able to slow down the tempo of the game. The strategy, a by-product of an injury to senior standout Bria Smith earlier in the season, allowed St. Dominic to play to the strengths of their hobbled star, but slow down and frustrate North Bergen’s offense.

“With Bria playing with a sprained knee, we couldn’t play the up-and-down game,” Quinn said. “We wanted to slow it down and let her be the quarterback from the high post and she did a good job.”

The slower pace left St. Dominic Academy within striking distance after three quarters. In the fourth, the Blue Devils went on an 11-2 run as Arianna Nieves tied the game with a 3-pointer. Sarah Tapia would cap off the surge with a layup to make it 36-34 and give them the lead for the first time since the opening period.

Natalia Ortega hit four 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 13 points for the Blue Devils. Smith, despite the injury had nine points and 11 rebounds. Nieves and Tavia Watkins had seven points apiece.

Vazzona had seven rebounds and six assists to go with her 14 points. Heredia added eight points, eight rebounds and four steals.

With the win, North Bergen will face third-seeded Secaucus in the semifinals at Saint Peter’s College. The two teams played a thrilling 59-58 game won by the Bruins on Dec. 30 in the River Dell Holiday Hoop Jam. Neither team has lost since that meeting.

Bria Smith, St. Dominic Academy

Senior Bria Smith had nine points and 11 rebounds for St. Dominic Academy.

	1	2	3	4	Total
St. Dominic Academy Blue Devils (11-10)	15	6	5	13	38
North Bergen Bruins (19-2)	15	6	9	10	40

St. Dominic Academy

North Bergen

	2s	3s	1s	Pts
Bria Smith	1	0	7	9
Arianna Nieves	1	1	2	7
Natalia Ortega	0	4	1	13
Tavia Watkins	2	0	3	7
Sarah Tapia	1	0	0	2
Danielle Wilbert	0	0	0	0
Total:	5	5	13	38

	2s	3s	1s	Pts
Ashley Vazzona	4	0	6	14
Ashley Heredia	3	0	2	8
Jazmin Palma	2	0	0	4
Amanda Rivera	1	0	0	2
Doris Ilic	1	1	2	7
Rayneliz Carrillo	0	0	0	0
Ceiline Delahoz	0	0	0	0
Kayla Muniz	1	1	0	5
Total:	12	2	10	40

North Bergen: Heredia 8 rebounds, 4 steals; Muniz 7 rebounds; Vazzona 7 rebounds, 6 assists; Ilic 4 rebounds. St. Dominic Academy: Smith 11 rebounds; Nieves 9 rebounds; Watkins 8 rebounds; Tapia 4 rebounds.