February 8, 2012

Doris Ilic (right) had 13 points, six rebounds and five assists for North Bergen. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

North Bergen at Hoboken Girls Basketball Photo Gallery

HOBOKEN – Yesterday's roller-coaster second half would be a test of emotions and composure for any team. In the case of North Bergen, it was another example of a season that has been a constant series of highs and lows.

Leading by as many as 26 points, the Bruins survived a nightmarish fourth quarter to escaped with a 55-49 win in Hoboken.

"You have to expect that the other team is going to pressure you and take chances because they're losing," North Bergen head coach Dan Reardon said. "We continued to play the game the same way, as if it was 0-0, and we can't do that. That's experience, which is one thing that we're lacking."

The first three quarters showed the side of a North Bergen (10-9) team which is playing some of its best basketball of the year with five wins in the their last six after starting out 4-7 while being ravaged by injuries.

Led by the inside-out combination of Doris Ilic and Icies Hammer took over in the third quarter as the Bruins raced out to a 19-0 run to open the second half. Ilic and Hammer had nine and eight points respectively in the frame, displaying excellent ball movement and precision half-court passing.

Ilic found Hammer for an easy bucket to start the surge with Hammer returning the favor on the next possession to make it 34-23.

"We used to play in sixth grade so I'm used to how she wants the ball," said Ilic.

"I'm just proud I have her on my team because she can pass the ball and we understand each other," added Hammer.

The post presence of Hammer (15 points, 10 rebounds) and the perimeter play-making of Ilic (13 points, six rebounds, five assists) were further complemented by the mid-range game of senior big Nicole Paulino (eight points) and the open-court slashing of Nerylix Cerda (10 points).

"I think that we pick each other up," Ilic said. "If one person's messing up, the other person is picking them up."

Ilic's layup off a Cerda inbounds pass made capped off the run to make it 49-23, but a resilient Red Wings (11-10) team went on a run of their own.

Hoboken ended the game with 13 unanswered points and outscored North Bergen 19-4 in the final quarter.

"I'm very proud of the way our girls played," said Hoboken head coach Ryan Sorafine. "We were down by quite a bit, but we didn't give up and kept playing til the end. Three more minutes probably would have helped us out."

Sybil Lynch and Shaneka Monroe scored seven points apiece in the fourth quarter. Lynch, one of the county's top scorers, shook off some early shooting woes to finish with 14 points, while Monroe had a team-high 15 points. Guard Alysha Torres added 10 points, seven assists and six rebounds in the defeat, the fourth-straight for Hoboken.

Shaneka Monroe scored eight of her team-high 15 points in the fourth for Hoboken. (Photo: Jason Bernstein)

North Bergen at Hoboken Girls Basketball Photo Gallery