The Morris Knolls Golden Eagles (24-5) rallied late to defeat the Demarest Norsemen (23-6) 64-62 in overtime of the North Jersey Section 1, Group 3 Final at Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest in Demarest, New Jersey.
@MorrisKnollsHS rallies to defeat @DemarestNv 64-62 in overtime @NJSIAA #NorthJerseySection1Group3 Sectional Final @ONNJSports 🏀🏆 pic.twitter.com/yhb7xCa9ve
— Sports News By Sunil Sunder Raj (@SunilSportsNews) March 8, 2025
For Morris Knolls, Charlee Perna scored a game-high 23 points, while Tessa Simone added 14 points. For Demarest, Ella Peck amassed 21 points, and Gabriella Mittleman tallied 20.
Morris Knolls trailed 62-58 with two minutes remaining in overtime but answered back with Vanessa Russo hitting a short jumper off the glass in the paint.
With less than a minute left, Lucia Nash, in a display of perfect teamwork, took a pass from Charlee Perna. Nash then drove with authority to the rim and elevated for the layup off the glass, which tied the game at 62-62.
After Demarest could not retake the lead, the Golden Eagles caught a significant break as Vanessa Russo got fouled with four seconds to go. Russo calmly stepped up to the foul line and sank two free throws, putting Morris Knolls ahead 64-62.
The Norsemen had one last opportunity. Gabriella Mittleman took an inbounds pass and chucked up a desperation shot from behind the arc, but the shot went way left of the basket, setting off a jubilant celebration by the Golden Eagles players and fans.
