Indians knocked out by Old Tappan in quarterfinals

Pascack Valley defeated in North 1, Group 3 state sectional quarterfinals

BJ McGrane and Spencer Goldstein|March 4, 2020

Matt Austin

Coach Jeff Jasper attentively watches his team.

The girls basketball team’s hopes at a state sectional title were diminished when Old Tappan routed the Indians by a score of 59-52 in front of the Golden Knights’ home crowd on Wednesday.

Despite the loss, coach Jeff Jasper was proud of his team and the way it battled throughout the game — and the entire season — even with the loss of sophomore Jules Vassallo, who has been out due to injury.

“[Vassallo] is a marvelous player, and we’ve lost her for a month,” Jasper said. “It has taken us a while to recognize how to play without her.”

Senior Paige Skene, despite having a high ankle sprain, played in Monday’s and Wednesday’s games, barely taking a break during either contest.

“[Skene] is such a warrior,” Jasper said. “Almost any athlete I know at Pascack Valley, they would not be playing.”

This loss marks the end of the high school careers of Skene and fellow senior Sofia Battista, who will be continuing her basketball career at NYU next year.

“[Skene and Battista] are going out as seniors, and this is the way to go out,” Jasper said.  “[Battista] played great Monday, and she played great [Wednesday].”

In basketball, with the fans being so close to the players, and only ten players on the court at once, everyone is held accountable. Jasper credits anyone who is willing to take on the challenge of accountability, just like his team does every time it steps foot on the court.

“Basketball is a game of accountability,” Jasper said. “Basketball right here, is not like any of the other sports. I’m not hiding behind a helmet. I’m not some number way out on the field.”

In Monday night’s win against Wayne Hills, junior Kelly Andreasen torched the Patriots defense. On Wednesday, however, Old Tappan was ready for her. The Golden Knights kept Andreasen in check, holding her to just one made field goal, with her only point in the first half coming on a free throw.

“[Andreasen] takes the other teams’ best defenders,” Jasper said. “She responded great today.”

Jasper encourages Andreasen to trust her shot – and to continue shooting.

“I tell [Andreasen] before every game, ‘What’s the worst shot you’re going to take? The one you don’t take,'” Jasper said. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. I tell her to keep shooting that ball up.”

The Indians played a flawed game Wednesday afternoon, but Jasper knows that no team is playing perfect basketball for all four quarters.

“In the course of a 32-minute game, nobody is playing perfect basketball,” Jasper said. “We’re chasing excellence all the time in hopes that we find some perfection for a moment.”