Shannon Culloo (22) against Ramapo in the semifinals of the North 1 Group 3 tournament. Culloo has been an anchor defensively and on the glass for PV during its recent run.
Group 3 Final: Pascack Valley v. Ocean City
Indians vie for their sixth group title, berth in Tournament of Champions
When: Today
Location: Pine Belt Arena, Toms River, NJ
Time: 2 p.m.
2016-2017 Records:
Pascack Valley (No. 14 in NJ.com Top 20): 29-1, 63.97 points per game, 37.9 opponents points per game
Ocean City: 30-1 (No. 13 in NJ.com Top 20): 48.09 points per game, 29.39 opponents points per game
Previous Meetings This Season:
None
How They Got Here: Both one-loss teams, Pascack Valley and Ocean City are on winning streaks of 13 and nine games, respectively. Ocean City beat Central Jersey Group 3 champs Ewing by a point in overtime, 58-57, in the South/Central semifinal game after Ewing only went 1-for-2 at the free throw line with 0.4 seconds left in OT. PV meanwhile beat North 2 Group 3 champion Somerville 66-53 in a come-from-behind victory that saw the Indians facing their largest halftime deficit of the season, seven points. Junior Cerina Dunkel knocked down a three in the final seconds of the third quarter to start a 13-3 run which allowed PV to pull ahead and maintain its lead.
PV Perspective: Seeking its sixth group title, the Indians enter the game as one of the hottest teams in New Jersey, having won 13 straight games. PV has gotten key contributions off the bench during this run, including a momentum shifting 3-pointer from junior Cerina Dunkel during the final seconds of the third quarter in Thursday’s semifinal win over Somerville. Kelly Smith and Shannon Culloo have been catalysts down low, often leading PV in rebounds, which in turn, leads to breakouts in transition, where PV thrives. The Indians spread the wealth as well as anyone, often having three or four double digit scorers, and will look to continue that trend again. PV can score from in the paint, mid-range, or from behind the arc, making them tough to defend. Shots will need to fall for them to push the tempo and be successful.
Ocean City Lowdown: The Red Raiders are back in the Group 3 finals for the second year in a row, after losing 51-41 to Middletown South in last year’s final. This time, the Red Raiders will have to contend with the high powered offense of PV, while trying to play their style of game, which is a more physical, grind-it-out game and will look to control the tempo early. Point guard Grace Sacco does it all for Ocean City, averaging nine points, five assists and 4.3 rebounds over her last four games, and contributed 13 points and six rebounds in the win over Ewing. Ocean City, like Pascack Valley, relies on contributions from everyone and that strategy has paid dividends thus far. Ocean City also has senior Alexis Paone, who has 11 threes in her last six games, and is averaging 16 points and 2.7 rebounds over that span. Ocean City will have to play sound defense early and keep it low scoring to have success.