Desperation Shot Can't Advance Ridgewood Girls in State Tourney

Every player in every sport dreams of that golden moment. Down by one with less than ten seconds left to play and the ball is in your hands. You dribble twice, make a quick move to open up your shot, you stop pull the trigger, see a perfect jump shot and . . . swish!

But not all games can end in fairy-tales, as Courtney Tarleton and the Ridgewood girls basketball team found out Wednesday night in their opening round state tournament game against Fair Lawn.

From the opening tip-off the game went back and forth with each team playing shut-down defense. Led by the perimeter shooting of Lauren Beousoleil, who finished with 17 points, Ridgewood built a five point lead. The Cutters closed the gap on the back of Regina Tillar's 12 points and the Cutters would walk into halftime with a 24-23 lead.

The second half was again a back-and-forth affair. This time, however, it was Fair Lawn's low post game of Kristna Nieves–whose 12 points and 8 rebounds built them a five point lead–and Ariel Mann-Harper inflicting heavy damage on the Maroons. With the duo knocking down points and collecting boards, it looked as if Fair Lawn had the game well in hand.

But Ridgewood refused to lay down. Led by Kelci Smesko’s 13 points and 9 rebounds steals along with Courtney Tarleton’s 8 points, Ridgewood pulled within one with 9 seconds left to play and the ball in Courtney Tarleton’s hands. With time dwindling Tarleton hoisted a beautiful jumper only to hear the ball hit the rim, effectively ending Ridgewood’s comeback and giving Fair Lawn the 42-41 victory.

The Ridgewood girls' season (14-11) is over with the loss to the underdog Fair Lawn team, which knocked off top-seeded North Bergen to advance just days before.