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Sports

Done in by Turnovers, Ridgewood Falls to Powerful Ramapo

Ramapo restored order Tuesday night, defeating the talented but inexperienced upstart Maroons 60-47.

Many knew the Maroons would be talented this season but the question remained if the youthful lineup was ready to take the next step and join the ranks of the county's elite.

The inexperienced Maroons got a chance to prove themselves Tuesday night as they faced off against to the two-time defending county champion Ramapo Raiders.

The results were a mixed bag to for Ridgewood. The uptempo-focused team charged out to a 12-4 first quarter lead but couldn't maintain the pace or slow down the consistent Raider attack, succumbing to the veteran Raiders 60-47.

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Ramapo (2-1), coming off a devastating loss to other Bergen power IHA, was able to fight off Ridgewood's (1-1) early charge thanks to star senior captain Sarah Halejian. The Yale-bound point guard, who averaged 16 ppg, 5 assists and 5 rebounds as a junior, poured in 24 points for the victorious Raiders. She was at her best when it counted – Halejian poured in 14 points in the final quarter, sealing the Ramapo win.

Although the Maroons came up short of the proverbial measure stick, they did manage to open some eyes with play that was at times up there with anyone else in the league.

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"I saw a lot of things that I liked," said head coach Meaghan Palmer. "But I also saw a lot of things that we need to work on. Our ball security was not up to our standards and because of it we struggled to execute our offense."

The Raiders were able to control the tempo of the game by forcing the Maroons in to 20 total turnovers, converting many for easy scoring opportunities.

"We pride ourselves on our effort and intensity," said Halejian after the game. "You can't always control whether your shots [are] falling or not, but you can control how hard you play defense and tonight I thought the entire team was fantastic in that department."

The Maroons received strong efforts from backcourt duo Lauren Beausoleil (17) and Meghan Roxas (15) who combined to score 32 of the Maroons 47 total points. Unfortunately, lauded forward Kaci Smesko was largely held in check during the game and the rest of the lineup had little luck hitting shots against the guard-heavy Raiders.

To contend with the county's best, Ridgewood will need a more balanced output.

Ridgewood will look to get back on the winning track next Monday when they start their Holiday tournament.

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