2/28/08: Section I, Group III Quarterfinals: Valley 52, Hills 47: Two months after the Wayne Hills football team defeated Wayne Valley in the Section I, Group III football championship, the Indians exacted revenge on the basketball court with a victory in the Section I, Group III quarterfinals at Wayne Hills.
"It doesn't really match up with the football game, but we're just glad to get out of here with a win," said Chris Pantale, a tightend on the football team and a center on the basketball team.
"It's a big rivalry," Valley coach Joe Leicht said. "I don't teach at Wayne Valley, but the kids said that's all anybody talked about Thursday. It was a wonderful game. It was a high school atmosphere like it used to be."
Over 1,000 screaming fans crammed into the Hills gym. Chants of "Lets Go Valley" and "Lets Go HIlls" echoed throughout the night.
"It was crazy to just come out here and play in front of all of these people," said Valley's Paul Siljee. "It was the best game of the year atmosphere wise."
Paul Siljee finished with 22 points and 6 rebounds to lead Valley (No. 10, 18-9). Pantale added 11 points, 5 blocks and 6 rebounds. Nick Siljee and Mike DeMoor chipped in with 9 and 8 points respectively. Jason Rosenberg had 6 assists and 4 rebounds. DeMoor had 4 assists.
Chris Fonti led Hills (No. 2, 19-8) with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Justin Hourihan and Joe Russo tallied 10 and 9 points respectively. Hourihan finished with 6 assists. Steve Lequerica, the leading scorer for Hills, was held to just 3 points.
Hills led the back-and-forth struggle by three at the half. But the tone of the game turned for good in the third quarter, when the Indians outscored the Patriots, 14-6, to turn a three-point halftime deficit into a 38-33 lead after three.
Valley pushed its lead to eight points, 45-37 at the 3:06 mark of the fourth, but Hills went on an 10-3 run -- getting 3-pointers from Hourihan and Travis Della Volpe -- to cut the lead to 48-47 with 38 seconds left. But after Nick Siljee made 1-of-2 free throws to extend the lead to 49-47, Della Volpe tried a hard bounce pass to Fonti under the bucket that resulted in a turnover. DeMoor hit 3-of-4 clutch foul shots in the final 9.3 seconds to push the lead to 52-47.
"We lost our poise," Hills coach Jim Catalano said. "We just made bad decisions and got ourselves in trouble passing and screening away from the entry (pass)."
With the win, Valley returns to the sectional semifinals for the second year in a row. They will play at Jefferson (No. 3) on Saturday night.
2/26/08: The Wayne Bowl II: It's Valley Vs. Hills Again: The months after squaring in the State Sectional Football Finals, Valley and Hills will meet up on the hardwood. The Section I, Group III quarterfinal game between the two schools will take place Thursday night at Wayne Hills (No. 2), the higher seed. The date was made when Valley (No. 10) knocked off Old Tappan (No. 7) in the first round. Hills earned a first round bye. If Hills beats Valley, they will host either Jefferson (No. 3) or Morris Hills (No. 6) in the semifinals on Saturday. If Valley beats Hills, they will play at either Jefferson or Morris Hills.
"That will be fun because I'm best friends with everyone on that (Wayne Hills) team. My mom lives on that side of town so I'm always seeing them, hanging out with them. It's going to be fun," said Valley sophomore point guard Jason Rosenberg.
2/22/08: Pascack Valley 58, Wayne Hills 52: Steve Lequerica hit for 18, but Hills (19-6) still suffered a rare loss. Joe Russo chipped in with 14. Justin Hourihan contributed 7 points.
2/16/08: Wayne Hills 63, Eastern Christian 51: Joe Russo tallied 23 points for Hills (19-5). Steve Lequerica had 17 and Chris Lala had 11.
2/14/08: Wayne Hills 67, Ramsey 53: Joe Russo led Hills (18-5) past Ramsey with 24 points. Steve Lequerica and Travis Della Volpe had 13 and 10 points respectively.
2/9/08: Passaic County Quarterfinals: Paterson Catholic 65, Wayne Hills 51: Hills (No.8, 15-5) trailed 33-30 after a valiant first half, but nationally renowned Paterson Catholic (No. 1) eventually pulled away. Joe Russo led Wayne with 25 points. Steve Lequerica contributed 13 points. Chris Fonti had 11 points. Fuquan Edwin scored 19 points for Paterson Catholic. Jayon James had 11 points. Lance Brown had 15 points. Jordan Theodore and Wayne Mack tallied 10 points apiece.
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2/8/08: Wayne Hills 61, Bergenfield 42: Joe Russo had 16 points, six rebounds and six steals as Hills (15-4) won. Chris Fonti added 14 points and 10 rebounds. Steve Lequerica had 12 points.
2/6/08: Demarest 88, Wayne Hills 79: Steve Lequerica had 27 points and Chris Fonti had 20, but Hills (14-4) still lost to Demarest (6-13). Travis Della Volpe and Joe Russo had 11 and 10 points respectively.
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2/2/08: Passaic County Tournament First Round: Wayne Hills 74, Manchester 60: Joe Russo led Hills (No. 8) past Manchester (No. 9) with 22 points. Steve Lequerica had 19 points and 7 assists. Travis Della Volpe added 17 points. Chris Fonti was next with 12 points. Hills will play nationally renowned Paterson Catholic (No. 1) in the quarterfinals.
"Paterson Catholic is a great team," Lequerica said. "They're the team to beat. But we're a great team too. And we're playing well. We're very confident. We won't back down from anyone."
1/31/08: Wayne Hills 58, Ramapo 52: Travis Della Volpe led Wayne Hills (15-3) with 21 points. Steve Lequerica added 12 points and Chris Fonti contributed 10. Eric Halejian led all scorers with 26 points for Ramapo.
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1/30/08: Northern Highlands 72, Wayne Hills 49: Joe Russo had 9 points, but Hills still lost for just the third time all season. Chris Lala and Travis Della Volpe added 8 points each. Steve Lequerica, who came in averaging over 20 points per game, was held to just 3 points.
1/26/08: Wayne Hills 53, Hawthorne 44: Joe Russo had 23 points as Hills (14-2) won again. Steve Lequerica added 11 points.
1/24/08: Wayne Hills 65, Old Tappan 56: Steve Lequerica scored 28 points for Hills (13-2). The junior hit 14 of 14 foul shots. Joe Russo added 20 points. Justin Hourihan added 8.
1/23/08: Wayne Hills 56, Fair Lawn 45, By Skiffo Drake: Justin Hourihan led the way with 17 points. Steve Lequerica and Joe Russo added 13 and 12 points repsectively. After starting off the season 1-2, Hills (12-2) has rattled off 11-straight wins. The Patriots have not had a winning season since 2002.
"Attitudes had to change," said third year coach Jim Catalano. "Our entire approach had to change. My guys now believe they can play with anybody in Passaic County."
They will get a chance. The County Tournament seeds come out tonight. Hills should earn a home game and be seeded among longtime stalwarts such as Paterson Catholic, DePaul, Kennedy, Eastside, Passaic and Passaic Tech. Crosstown Wayne Valley (7-7) could possibly meet up with Hills in either the County or State Sectional Tournament.
"The other teams in Passaic County might not think we're good enough," Russo said. "But we do."
Added Lequerica, "In the past, we just wanted to get through the season. Now we're hoping for a home game (in the County Tournament) and more."
1/20/08: Wayne Hills 57, Hawthorne Christian 44: Steve Lequerica scored 16 points to lead Hills (11-2). Joe Russo and Travis Della Volpe knocked down 11 and 10 respectively.
1/18/08: Wayne Hills 57, Pascack Hills 56: Wayne Hills (10-2) rallied from an 18-point deficit to beat previously unbeaten Pascack Hills (10-1) . Joe Russo's runner with 26 seconds left proved to be the game-winner. Russo scored 10 of his 17 points in the third quarter. Steve Lequerica had 10 or his 21 points in the fourth quarter. Chris Fonti had 8 points. Justin Hourihan had 6. Wayne Hills is well on-it-way to its first winning season since 2002.
1/16/08: Wayne Hills 69, Indian Hills 53: Steve Lequerica dumped in 31 points to pace Hills (9-2). Joe Russo chipped in with 20 points. Chris Fonti had 11 points. More Photos
1/13/08: Wayne Hills 66, Kinnelon 47: Steve Lequerica and Joe Russo had 18 and 17 points respectively as Hills (8-2) won. Justin Hourihan was next with 8 points. Joe Brandl added 7 points. Kyle Wiedemann scored 11 points for the Colts (3-6). Doug Jenne had 7.
1/12/08: Wayne Hills 70, Mahwah 55: Joe Russo had 19 points and Chris Fonti had 17 as Hills (7-2) rolled. Steve Lequerica was next with 15.
1/9/08: Wayne Hills 65, Demarest 39: Steve Lequerica hit for 19 as Hills (6-2) rolled. Joe Russo pitched in with 13 points. Travis DellaVolpe contributed 8 points.
1/5/07: Wayne Hills 72, Pompton Lakes 50: Steve Lequerica and Joe Russo hit for 24 and 23 points respectively as Hills (5-2) rolled. Travis DellaVolpe dished off 7 assists. Lequerica had 5 assists. Tim Kirk had 22 points for Pompton (0-6).
1/4/07: Wayne Hills 58, Ramapo 49: Joe Russo poured in 24 points as Hills (4-2) triumphed. Steve Lequerica added 11 points. Chris Fonti and Travis DellaVolpe had 8 and 7 points respectively.
12/30/07: Jack Reilly Holiday Tournament Final: Wayne Hills 55, Old Tappan 49: Two weeks after losing to Old Tappan in a regular season game, Wayne Hills (3-2) stormed back to avenge the loss and take home a tournament title. Junior Steve Lequerica led the way with 18 points. He hit 10-of-10 free throws. Chris Fonti added 10 points. Joe Russo had 9 and Chris Lala had 7.
12/27/07: Jack Reilly Holiday Tournament: Wayne Hills 35, Mahwah 29: Joe Russo had 11 points to lead Hills. Steve Lequerica had 9 and Justin Hourihan had 6.
12/21/07: Northern Highlands 50, Wayne Hills 49: Joe Russo had 17 points, but Hills still lost another close one. Steve Lequerica added 15 points. Chris Lala chipped in with 11 points.
12/18/07: Old Tappan 55, Wayne Hills 53: Steve Lequerica dropped 24 on Old Tappan, but Hills still lost. Chris Fonti and Travis DellaVolpe had 9 and 8 points respectively.
12/15/07: Wayne Hills 69, Fair Lawn 52: Steve Lequerica torched Fair Lawn for 31 points as Hills opened with a win. Chris Fonti chipped in with 14 points. Joe Russo added 10 points.
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