Old Tappan can’t finish to keep the season alive

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Inside the Morris Knolls girls basketball locker room hangs a poster with a photo of the team and a quote on the poster from University of Houston men’s basketball coach Kelvin Sampson.

“Defend like it’s game point all game long,” is what the quote from Sampson says on the poster.

Morris Knolls sees the poster each time it walks into the locker room. Defense is what Morris Knolls head coach Rob Moore wanted his team’s identity to be this season, and defense was going to determine the outcome of Saturday’s matchup against Old Tappan.

Morris Knolls needed one more stop with just 3.4 seconds remaining and up by one point to make history. Old Tappan had the ball on its own baseline, looking to win the game.

And as it’s been all season long, defense won Morris Knolls the game.

Second-seeded Morris Knolls staged a fourth-quarter rally and then got a stop on the game’s final possession to beat seventh-seeded Old Tappan, 51-50 in overtime, in the North 1, Group 3 NJSIAA state tournament quarterfinals.

With the win, Morris Knolls (22-5) advances to a sectional semifinal for the first time since 2004 and will host third-seeded and two-time defending sectional champion Teaneck on Tuesday. Old Tappen went 10-16 at the free throw line. The misses really hurt Old Tappan down the stretch.

Source Link: https://highschoolsports.nj.com/game/997243

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Old Tappan too much for Eastside

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Old Tappan beat Paterson Eastside 58 to 48 on Saturday at the Showdown in the 6ix Showcase at Teaneck High School. Old Tappan set the tone with rebounding and steady free throw shooting. The Golden Knights finished with 25 rebounds and made 23 of 28 foul shots. Old Tappan led 33 to 22 at halftime and widened the gap in the third quarter. Paterson Eastside made a late push behind Alexis Chambers and cut the margin to 11 points. Old Tappan stayed composed at the line and closed out the win.Alexa Caunedo led Old Tappan with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Drullinsky finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds and went 13 for 16 from the free throw line. Alivia Badurina scored 9 points and added 2 rebounds. Quiros finished with 7 points. Nina Caunedo added 5 points and 3 rebounds. Sadie Murphy grabbed 3 rebounds. Joley Giordano pulled down 1 rebound and had a bunch of steals. Christina D’Andrea finished with 2 rebounds.For Paterson Eastside, Chambers scored 17 points with 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 blocks, and 3 steals. Jade Bethea had 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Keyrie Rodriguez scored 8 points with 1 assist and 1 block. Khori Muckle added 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal. Aubrey Newell finished with 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals. Emely Jimenez Abreu scored 3 points with 2 rebounds and 1 block.

Big win at home for Old Tappan Girls Basketball

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Old Tappan dominated from the opening tip and rolled past Tenafly 57 to 18 on Tuesday afternoon at home. Old Tappan jumped out to a 23 to 2 first quarter lead and controlled the pace for all four quarters to move to 6 and 1 on the season. Sienna Drullinsky led all scorers with 16 points and set the tone early with strong finishes inside and trips to the free throw line. Christina D’Andrea added 9 points with three made threes, while Alexa Caunedo scored 8 points and consistently pressured the defense. Sadie Murphy contributed 6 points and brought steady energy on both ends. Lea Savino and Alivia Badurina each scored 6 points, both knocking down multiple threes. Nina Caunedo and Olivia Richards chipped in 3 points apiece with timely perimeter shots. Joley Giordano coming off the bench, anchored the lineup with strong defensive focus, ball movement, and physical presence throughout her minutes. Giuliana Foschino, Mauimi Quiros, Madison Plescia, Farrah Ibrahim, Katie Degennaro, Sophia Kang, and Alivia Badurina all saw action and helped maintain intensity, spacing, and communication as Old Tappan rotated through the bench. Old Tappan outscored Tenafly in every quarter and showed depth, balance, and discipline on both ends of the floor.