Blue Demons capture
RockTwp tourney title
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DENVILLE - Making the most of its second chance, the Denville PAL Blue Demons 5th-6th grade girls travel basketball team defeated Rockaway Township, 23-19, to capture the championship of the 7th annual Rockaway Township Post-Season Basketball Tournament at Copeland Middle School in Rockaway Township on Saturday, March 19.
Denville opened tournament play with a 43-20 victory over Jefferson; lost to the host Rockaway Township team, 24-17, in the tournament's second round; and then beat Long Valley, 31-20, to earn a rematch against Rockaway Township for the tournament championship.
In the title game, Denville trailed by one at 8-7 after the first period of play before holding Rockaway Township scoreless in the second quarter and taking a 14-8 halftime lead. Rockaway Township outscored the Blue Demons, 11-9, in the second half but couldn't close the gap more as both teams tightened up their defenses.
Caitlyn Reyes led the Blue Demons by scoring a triple double - 10 points, 20 rebounds and 11 steals - and was rewarded by being named the tournament MVP.
Cynthia Vuong, Emilee Stone, Vanessa Elliott, Romina Dichio, Amanda Mahn and Christi Conroy also contributed to the Blue Demons victory, according to Denville head coach Kevin Mahn.
"The girls deserved this championship and I'm glad that they finished out the season on a winning note," said Mahn after the game. "The tournament was a fun tournament and very well run by Rockaway Township and we were very pleased to be a part of it."
The Blue Demons finished the season with an overall 11-7-1 record that included an 8-5-1 record and fourth-place finish in their division of the Passaic Valley Sports Association; a first-round loss to top-seed Nutley in the PVSA playoffs; and a 3-1 record in the Rockaway Township tournament.
"I am pleased and proud of how much every girl on this team improved throughout the course of the season," Mahn said. "It all added up to a successful season."
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Elliott, Conroy lead rally that earns playoff berth
DENVILLE - Vanessa Elliott and Christi Conroy combined for eight fourth-quarter points when the Denville PAL Blue Demons 5th-6th grade girls basketball team defeated Kinnelon, 22-21, to clinch the fourth and final playoff spot in the Passaic Valley Basketball League (PVBL).
The Blue Demons, who trailed 15-12 going into the final quarter, outscored Kinnelon 10-6 to close out the game that was played at Valleyview Middle School on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2011.
The Blue Demons finished the PVBL regular-season with a record of 8-5-1 and will face top-seeded Nutley in the first playoff game, a game that has yet to be scheduled.
Elliott finished with six points and Conroy had five for the Blue Demons. Romina Dichio and Caitlyn Reyes each had four points; Hanna Driscoll had two; and Emilee Stone finished with a free throw.
Reyes had a team-high eight rebounds while Stone and Conroy each finished with four. Kristine Gioioso, Driscoll, Conroy and Reyes each had four steals; Driscoll had two assists; and Conroy finished with three blocked shots.
"I am really proud of how these girls have improved individually and as a team throughout the course of the season," said Blue Demon head coach Kevin Mahn after the game. "Despite some setbacks, their spirit has never wavered and their commitment to teamwork and hard work has brought them their success."
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Blue Demons fall to Petracco, 41-27
DENVILLE - The Denville Blue Demons 5th/6th grade girls basketball team suffered through three cold-shooting quarters when they lost a 42-17 verdict to the Petraco Rebels in a Passaic Valley Basketball League game played at Valleyview Middle School on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2011.
Petracco jumped out to an 11-0 lead at the end of one quarter and increased its lead to 24-5 at the half. In a slow moving third period, Denville shut out Petracco, but could score but one point and trailed by 18 points going into the final quarter of play.
Denville found the range in the final quarter, scoring 11 points; but so did Petracco as its 18 points in the fourth quarter established its 25-point margin of victory.
"We just couldn't find our shooting touch ... and we had to have it against this older and taller Petracco team," said head coach Kevin Mahn after the game. "By the time we started to score in the fourth quarter, it was already too late."
Amanda Mahn finished the game with four points for the Blue Devils. Caitlyn Reyes and Cynthia Vuong each scored three points; Emilee Stone, Laura Budwick and Romina Dichio each finished with two points; and Vanessa Elliot added a free throw to complete the scoring for the Blue Demons.
Conroy had a team-high five rebound while Reyes had four; Elliott finished with five steals and Vuong had three; Mahn and Vuong each had three blocked shots.
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Mahn, Reyes lift Demons to 24-19 win over Totowa
DENVILLE - Amanda Mahn's jump shot with three minutes left to play put the Denville PAL 5th/6th grade girls basketball team ahead for good and then Caitlyn Reyes scored the final four points of the game to seal the Blue Demons 24-19 victory over Totowa in a Passaic Valley Basketball League game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Friday, Feb. 11, 2011.
Trailing 19-18 late in the fourth quarter, Mahn scored her only field goal of the game to put the Demons on top, 20-19. Reyes followed with a field goal and two clutch free throws to clinch the win.
The victory was the third in the row and the third of the week for the Blue Demons, who are now 7-4-1 for the season.
Reyes finished the game as the Blue Demons high scorer with 10 points. Hanna Driscoll added four points; Romina Dichio and Mahn each finished with three points; and Cynthia Vuong and Emilee Stone each scored two points for Denville.
Reyes finished with a team-high seven rebounds while Sonte had six; Dichio had five steals Vanessa Elliott, Christi Conroy and Driscoll each had four; and Conroy also had four blocked shots.
The Blue Demons will face the Petracco Rebels of Nutley on Friday, Feb. 18, in a 6 p.m. game at Valleyview School. The last time the two teams met, they battled to an 18-18 tie.
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Blue Demons win back-to-back games
DENVILLE - The Denville Blue Demons 5th/6th grade girls basketball team improved its season record to 6-4-1 with a pair of victories in the Passaic Valley Basketball League earlier this week.
On Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2011, at Valleyview Middle School here, the Blue Demons held Parsippany to a pair of third-quarter points in easing to a 25-2 victory. On Tuesday, the Blue Demons outscored Kinnelon, 20-10, in a game played at Kinnelon.
Amanda Mahn opened the game by scoring her only four points of the game on a pair of free throws and a short jumper to give Denville a 4-0 lead and the Blue Demons held Parsippany scoreless the rest of the half to take a 16-0 lead at the break.
Caitlyn Reyes finished with eight points; Emilee Stone and Mahn each had four; Hanna Driscoll scored three points; and Romina Dichio, Christi Conroy and Cynthia Vuong each scored two points to complete the Blue Demons scoring.
Vuong played an important defensive role in the game and finished with a game-high 11 steals while Laura Budwick and Dichio each had four.
Reyes finished with a game-high nine rebounds; Vanessa Elliott had five; and Stone finished with four. Conroy and Stone each blocked two shots.
In Tuesday's game, Driscoll scored the first five points of the game to give the Blue Demons a lead they never lost and Stone hit three big baskets in the second half as Denville built a commanding lead.
Stone finished with a team-high six points; Vuong and Driscoll each finished with five points; and Kristen Gioioso and Conroy each had two points to round out Denville's attack.
Reyes finished with a game-high 10 rebounds while Elliott had four. Budwick had a team-high four steals while Dichio, Mahn, Conroy, Vuong and Stone each had two. Mahn and Vuong each had two assists.
The Blue Demons next game is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 11, against Totowa at Valleyview at 7:30 p.m.
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Blue Demons late rally falls short in 32-25 loss
DENVILLE - Trailing for most of the game, the Denville PAL 5th/6th grade Blue Demons girls travel basketball team battled back to a 20-20 tie in the third quarter only to have Montville score 12 of the last 17 points of the game for a 32-25 victory in a Passaic Valley Basketball League game played at Montville High School on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2011.
The Blue Demons (4-4-1) used a pressing defense and a balanced scoring attack to get back into the game before Montville went on its final scoring run.
Christi Conroy and Romina Dichio each scored five points to pace the Blue Demons. Vanessa Elliott added four points; Laura Budwick and Emilee Stone each scored two points; Amanda Mahn and Cynthia Vuong each finished with two points; and Hanna Driscoll added a free throw to complete the Blue Demons scoring.
Elliott finished with a team-high seven rebounds and Caitlyn Reyes, Kristen Gioioso and Mahn each had four. Driscoll finished with four steals and Gioioso had three. Mahn finished with a team-high two assists.
The Blue Demons have a busy week ahead, playing Kinnelon on Tuesday, Feb. 8, in an 8 p.m. game at Stonybrook School in Kinnelon; facing the Parsippany Pacers in a 6:30 p.m. game on Wednesday, Feb. 9, at Valleyview Middle School here; and closing out the week with a 7:30 p.m. game against the Totowa PAL on Friday, Feb. 11, also at Valleyview.
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Balanced scoring, pressure 'D' spark Demons to victory
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL 5th-6th grade Blue Demons girls travel basketball team combined a pressure defense with a balanced offense to defeat Wayne, 27-11, in a Passaic Valley Basketball League (PVBL) game played at the Wayne YM-YMHA in Wayne on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011.
Amanda Mahn, Caitlyn Reyes, Christi Conroy and Cynthia Vuong each scored four points for the Blue Demons. Vanessa Elliott added three points and Emilee Stone, Hanna Driscoll, Kristen Gioioso and Romina Dichio each finished with two points as nine of the 10 Demons who played scored points for the Denville club.
Denville's pressure defense led to 27 steals with Vuong leading the way with six and Reyes and Gioioso each adding five. Reyes finished the game with a game-high rebounds and Gioioso had a team-high four blocked shots while Dichio and Elliott each added three.
The Blue Demons, now 4-3-1 in the PVBL, have two games this week - the first a 6:30 p.m. game against the Parsippany Pacers on Friday, Feb. 4, at Valleyview Middle School; and the second a 1:30 p.m. game on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 6, against Montville at Montville High School.
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Blue Demons gain split in two weekend games
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL Blue Demons 5th/6th grade girls travel basketball team won on and lost one in the Passaic Valley Basketball League (PVBL) over the weekend, using defensive pressure to defeat the Wayne Lady Knights, 27-3, on Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011, at Valleyview Middle School here and then falling victim to Totowa PAL, 19-8, in a game played Sunday, Jan. 23, at the Totowa PAL in Totowa.
The Blue Demons are 3-3-1 after their weekend split.
In Saturday's game, the Blue Demons sprinted out to a 7-0 lead after one quarter of play and a 17-1 lead at the half in shutting down Wayne.
Laura Budwick led the way with 10 points; Cynthia Vuong had eight; Caitlyn Reyes finished with four points; Amanda Mahn and Hanna Driscoll each had two; and Christi Conroy scored on a free throw to complete the Blue Demons' scoring.
Emilee Stone finished with a team-high seven rebounds while Mahn and Vuong each had five; Vuong's eight steals led the Demons while Romina Dichio had three; and Conroy finished with six blocked shots.
On Sunday, the Blue Demons had trouble getting their shots to fall and scored but eight points - two each by Mahn, Conroy, Vuong and Driscoll.
Reyes was the rebound leader with 10 while Kristin Gioioso, Stone and Dichio each had four; Dichio had four steals and Vuong and Reyes each had three; and Reyes blocked four shots and Vanessa Elliot and Conroy each blocked three.
The Demons have two games scheduled again for this week, playing host to the Parsippany Pacers on Wednesday, Jan. 26, at Valleyview in a 7:30 p.m. game and traveling to the Wayne YMCA on Saturday, Jan. 29, for a 10:30 a.m. game against the Wayne Y.
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Driscoll's late field goal gives Demons 18-18 tie
DENVILLE - Hanna Driscoll's basket late in the fourth quarter gave the Denville PAL 5th-6th grade Blue Demons girls basketball team an 18-18 tie with the Nutley Rebels in a Passaic Valley Basketball League game played at Valleyview School here on Friday, Jan. 14.
Overtime is not permitted in the PVBL and the result stays in the book as a tie for each team, making Denville's record for the 2010-11 season 2-2-1.
Denville fell behind 8-3 in the first quarter but outscored Nutley, 8-2, in the second quarter to send the team into the halftime break tied at 10-10. Each team scored six points in the third-period and Nutley took an 18-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter before Driscoll scored the last two points of the game later in the quarter to create the 18-18 tie.
Driscoll and Romina Dichio each scored four points to lead the Blue Demons' balanced scoring attack. Amanda Mahn added three points; Caitlyn Reyes, Cynthia Vuong and Kristin Gioioso each scored two points; and Vanessa Elliot sank a free throw to round out the Denville scoring.
Reyes finished with a team-high eight rebounds with Dichio adding seven and Mahn and Elliott each adding four; Reyes also had a team-high four steals with Vuong adding three; Mahn had two assists and Laura Budwick had one; and Dichio finished with four blocked shots.
The Blue Demons have two games this weekend - a 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 22, game against Wayne at Valleyview Middle School here in the township and a game the following day (Sunday, Jan. 23) against the Totowa PAL at the Totowa PAL Complex in Totowa at 6 p.m.
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Blue Demons rally for split at Wayne tourney
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL Blue Demons 5th-6th grade girls travel basketball team split its two games in the Wayne PAL Holiday Slamfest Basketball Tournament, losing to Wyckoff, 25-20, on Saturday, Dec. 18, and then coming back on Monday, Dec. 20, to defeat Parsippany, 24-21, in games played at the Wayne PAL.
Against Wyckoff, Denville trailed 4-2 after one quarter and 10-6 at the half before cutting the lead to 18-16 with a 10-8 third-period edge. Wyckoff responded with a 7-4 fourth quarter, however, to move out to its five-point victory.
Amanda Mahn had six points to lead the Blue Demons. Cynthia Vuong, Hanna Driscoll and Romina Dichio each had four points; and Vanessa Elliott finished with two to complete Denville's scoring.
Caitlyn Reyes had a team-high six rebounds and Emille Stone had five; Mahn and Kristen Gioioso each had five steals; Mahn had a team-high three assists; and Dichio finished with five blocked shots and Reyes had three.
The Blue Demons went into the fourth quarter of their game against Parsippany trailing 15-14 before closing out the game with a 10-6 fourth period to come back for the victory.
Dichio led Denville in scoring with 10 points; Reyes had six; Mahn finished with four; and Stone and Gioioso each had two points to round out the attack.
Reyes and Christi Conroy helped Denville dominate the boards with Reyes finishing with 16 rebounds and Conroy eight.
Dichio had four steals with Mahn, Vuong and Stone each finishing with three; Elliott and Stone each had two assists; and Dichio blocked three shots for the Blue Demons.
The Blue Demons will close out the 2010 portion of their season with a 3-3 overall record and a 2-2 record in the Passaic Valley Basketball League (PVBL).
The Blue Demons next game is a PVBL game scheduled for Friday, Jan. 7, against the Parsippany Pacers at Valleyview Middle School here. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
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Blue Demons fall to Nutley, 26-11
DENVILLE - After trailing by only two points at the half, the Denville PAL Blue Demons 5th-6th grade girls travel basketball team had a cold-shooting second half and lost a 26-11 decision to Nutley in a Passaic Valley Basketball League (PVBL) game played at the John Walker Middle School in Nutley on Friday, Dec. 17.
Nutley outscored Denville, 18-5, in the second half to secure the win in the JV Red Division game.
Amanda Mahn was the high scorer for the Blue Demons with three points while Christi Conroy, Caitlyn Reyes, Kristen Gioioso and Hanna Driscoll each finished with two points.
Reyes had a team-high six rebounds while Emilee Stone and Gioioso each had four; Laura Budwick finished with two assists; Conroy had five blocked shots and Reyes had four; and Dichio finished with five steals while Cynthia Vuong, Mahn and Conroy each had two.
The Blue Demons are 2-2 in the PVBL.
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Demon rally falls short in 23-20 loss to Nutley
DENVILLE - A second-half rally fell short when the Denville PAL Blue Demons 5-6 grade girls travel basketball team lost a 23-20 decision to Nutley in a Passaic Valley Basketball League (PVBL) game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Wednesday, Dec. 10.
Nutley held a 14-4 lead at the half, but Denville opened the second half with an effective full-court zone press and used a 11-2 third-period run to pull to within a point at 16-15 going into the final quarter of play.
Denville continued its comeback into the fourth period and actually pulled ahead at on point, but Nutley outscored Denville down the stretch to escape with its three-point victory.
The Blue Demons are now 2-1 overall and in the Junior Varsity Red Division of the PVBL.
Romina Dichio led a balanced Blue Demon scoring attack with five points; Cynthia Vuong finished with four; Christi Conroy, Caitlyn Reyes, Emilee Stone, Kristen Gioioso, and Vanessa Elliot each had two points; and Amanda Mahn finished with a free throw to complete the Denville scoring.
Reyes had a game-high eight rebounds; Dicchio had two steals and Reyes one; Elliot, Mahn and Vuong each had an assist; Conroy and Vuong each had two blocked shots; and Hannah Driscoll forced five jumps balls and Mahn forced four.
The Blue Demons are scheduled to face Nutley on Friday, Dec. 17, at John Walker Middle School in Nutley at 7:30 p.m.
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Second-half rally turns back Pacers, 20-17
DENVILLE - A third-quarter 10-7 run and a strong defensive showing in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference in the game when the Denville PAL 5th/6th grade Blue Demons girls travel team beat the Parsippany Pacers, 20-17, in a Passaic Valley Basketball League JV Red Division game played Wednesday, Dec. 8.
Denville trailed 8-7 at the half but caught up and went ahead in the third period and took a 17-15 lead into the final period of the game played at Central Middle School in Parsippany.
A strong defensive and rebounding fourth period preserved the win for the Blue Demons, who are now 2-0 in PVBL competition.
Romina Dichio led Denville's scoring with seven points; Caitlyn Reyes added six points; Hanna Driscoll finished with three points; and Christi Conroy and Vanessa Elliot each scored two points to complete the Blue Demons scoring.
Reyes finished with a team-high 11 rebounds while Kristin Gioioso had seven; Reyes had three steals with Gioioso and Dichio each adding two; and Amanda Mahn, Gioioso and Dichio each had assists.
The Blue Demons next game is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 10, against Nutley at Valleyview Middle school here at 7:30 p.m.
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Mahn's late jumper lifts Demons to 26-25 victory
DENVILLE - Amanda Mahn's jump shot late in the game - her team's only two points of the final quarter - gave the Denville PAL Blue Demons 5th/6th grade girls travel team a 26-25 victory over Montville in a Passaic Valley Youth Basketball League opening day game played at Valleyview School here on Friday, Dec. 3.
Montville, which had trailed 24-19 going into the fourth quarter, had a chance to go ahead as time ran out but missed the shot and the Blue Demons' Emilee Stone came up with a key rebound and Montville never got another chance.
Denville took a 10-4 first period lead and led 16-9 at the half before Montville rallied in the second half to outscore the Blue Demons 16-10 to make the game close.
Romina Dichio and Mahn each had six points to lead Denville in scoring. Cynthia Vuong and Hanna Driscoll each had four; and Vanessa Elliott, Caitlyn Reyes and Stone each finished with two points.
Reyes had a team high 10 rebounds with Kristin Gioioso and Dichio each finishing with six. Gioioso, Dichio and Reyes each had four steals; Mahn and Gioioso each finished with two steals; and Mahn forced three jump balls on defense.
The Blue Demons face Parsipany on Wednesday, Dec. 8, at 7:15 p.m. at the Central Middle School in Parsippany and then return to Valleyview on Friday, Dec. 10, to face Nutley in a 7:30 p.m. game.
