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Sports

Lady Maroons Can't Wait for 2011-2012

Ridgewood girls hoops best yet to come with the majority of the team returning, including its top returning scorers.

Ridgewood girls head basketball coach Megan Palmer paid a visit to athletic director Nick Scerbo to see if next year's schedule has been listed. It may be a little early, but that just shows how much Palmer can't wait for the 2011-12 season to come around.

Palmer admitted that her 2010-11 team ended on a sour note with a 42-41 loss to Cinderella Fair Lawn, the 16th seed in Group 4 North 1.

Before upending eighth-seeded Ridgewood, the 16th-seeded Lady Cutters upset top seeded North Bergen.

What hurts is that the Ridgewood head coach felt her team was better than Fair Lawn. "It was probably the hardest loss of my life," said Palmer who finished her second season as head coach. "I think we could have won...It just stung."

At the end of the loss to Fair Lawn, Ridgewood had all the players that they expect will be back on the floor when official practices start this November. "I hope it adds fuel to their fire," said Palmer of the loss.

Good news for Ridgewood is those young players will be experienced in 2011-12. "Next year we don't have that excuse."

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The Maroons finished with a 14-11 record after the loss to Fair Lawn and tied for the second in the Big North Liberty division with Paramus, behind Teaneck.

Palmer points to several games where the team played its best ball, including the Bergen County Tournament victory over Mahwah and the first game to county powerhouse Teaneck, where the Maroons were down by one at halftime only to fall just short of an upset.

For Palmer, the most uplifting victory came during the River Dell Holiday Tournament where Ridgewood defeated Wayne Valley, 49-48, with junior guard Meghan Roxas leading the way with 20 points.

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"She [Roxas] just carried us in the fourth quarter and it was awesome," said Palmer, whose team came behind in the last period to outscore the Indians, 18-7.

Along with Roxas back next season, Palmer has high hopes with another junior, Kelci Smesko, will be on the floor starting in December.

Both were not only first team All Big North, but also third team All Bergen County.
Smesko averaged 15.5 points per game along with eight rebounds a game and has 845 career points. She shot 70 percent from the free throw line and 40 percent from the field. She had 30 points against North Bergen and 14 rebounds against Teaneck.

"She out works everybody and she is just a work horse," said Palmer. "She would go up against the biggest girls and she could match up with anybody."

In Roxas she will be looking to make two one-thousand point scorers in the starting five next season. The junior guard has 771 career points and averaged 14.5 points per game and five rebounds, along with 2.5 assists and two steals on the year.

"I think Megan developed a consistent three point shot," said Palmer. "She's able to shoot off the pass and off the dribble."

One of the unsung heroes for Ridgewood this season was senior captain Clare Keating who stepped into the starting five for the first time this season. "She played a huge role on the team this year," said Palmer. "She stepped into a starting role and really led the team on and off the court."

The other team's senior Tara Porfido who rebounded this season after missing the previous two seasons because of an ACL injury. "She improved so much over the course of the season and was a top defender for us," said Palmer of Porfido.

With a one-two scoring punch in Roxas and Smesko and a more experienced group next year, 2011-2012 is shaping up to be a much better year for Maroons basketball.   


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