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Wayne Valley is making a habit of this. The Indians defeated boys' basketball archrival Passaic Valley for the third time this sports season. The Indians played an excellent all around game in handing the Hornets a 22-point loss. The victory appears to keep Wayne Valley on the right track as it looks ahead to the New Jersey high school state tournament in less than two weeks' time.
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The Indians came out playing sharp, executing their offense to perfection en route to a 10-3 lead to start the quarter. The Hornets struggled to get their offense going but by the start of the 2nd period they had better basketball movement and capitalized on some open looks. The Hornets went on a 6-0 run to cut the lead to three at 16-13.
But the Indians’ offense then exploded for 11 unanswered points, orchestrated by junior point guard Jason Rosenberg. The Indians displayed a cohesive offense with great cuts to the basket and sharp perimeter shooting. Heading to the break with a 29-16 advantage, the Indians looked in total control of the basketball contest.
The Indians defense was just as impressive holding the Hornets to single digit scoring in each of the first three periods. Wayne Valley had a 40-22 lead at the end of the third quarter and this game was all but over. Shortly into the fourth period the Indians had increased their lead to twenty points and the started to work the clock.
Senior guard Colton Callahan said, “We played as one unit and we knew Passaic Valley cannot be taken lightly." Added Rosenberg, "It always feels like a one-point game when we play them."
For the Hornets, this defeat marks their sixth loss in their last eight sports contests. The team's recent struggles helped drop Passaic Valley to the seventh seed for the state sectionals. The Hornets have only three more regular-season basketball games left to turn things around before then.
On the other hand, Wayne Valley's recent performance in the Passaic County tournament against Paterson Catholic was impressive. The Indians trailed the #3 basketball team in New Jersey by just a point before losing 44-37, and off that effort they believe they have a squad that could go deep into the state tournament.
Coach Joe Leicht's squad won the section as a 10th seed last year. This year they go in as the #8 seed. "There are only nine teams in the section but they're all good teams," Leicht said. "If we can play like we did tonight, it could be interesting."
The Indians open the states at home against Mount Olive on Tuesday, March 3. -- Emir Liguori for Jersey Sports Now
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