DENVILLE - The Dunkin' Ds, the Denville PAL's 7th-8th grade girls travel basketball team, ended its 2009-2010 season with a 57-29 loss to eventual-champ Jefferson in the quarterfinals of the Passaic Valley League post-season playoffs in a game played at Freedom Gym in Jefferson on Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Jefferson then went on to beat Parsippany in the semifinals and Rockaway Township in the championship game to capture the playoff title.
Denville took an early lead, but Jefferson's inside game and fast break offense proved too much for the Dunkin' Ds.
Brianna Blauner and Brianna Mott each scored eight points to lead the Dunkin' Ds in scoring for the game. Chelsea Fischer added three points and lexie Boller, Jen Mele, Rachel Shea, Amanda Slomkowski and Giulia Vitolo each finished with two points to complete the scoring for Denville.
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Dunkin' Ds lose season finale in playoff quarterfinal
DENVILLE - A 3-point field goal by Sydney Bliss broke a 24-24 tie and Chelsea Fischer scored the final points of the game on a breakaway layup with a minute left to play to lead the Denville PAL Dunkin' Ds 8th grade girls travel basketball team to a 30-26 victory over West Paterson in a Passaic Valley League first-round playoff game played at Morris Tech here on Saturday, Feb. 20.
The Dunkin' Ds, seeded No. 7 in the 12-team tourney, will now face No. 3 Jefferson in a quarterfinal-round game that is scheduled to be played on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at Freedom Gym in Jefferson at 6:30 p.m.
Brianna Mott, who found Fischer with a long pass for her breakaway, was the Dunkin' Ds high scorer with 11 points. Fischer finished with seven points; Bliss had five points; Rachel Shea finished with four points; and Brianna Blaunder added three points to complete the scoring for Denville.
Bliss added eight rebounds and four blocked shots four Denville and Shea finished with five rebounds and four steals.
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Mele's late basket and block left Dunkin' Ds, 33-31
DENVILLE - Jen Mele sank the winning basket and then blocked a shot in the game's final seconds to preserve the win as the Denville PAL Dunkin' Ds 8th-grade girls travel basketball team beat Pompton Lakes, 33-31, in Passaic Valley League game played at Morris Tech on Saturday, Feb. 13.
The victory give the Dunkin' Ds a final regular-season record of 6-6 which they will take into their first playoff game against West Paterson that is scheduled for this Saturday, Feb. 20, at Valleyview Middle School at a time yet to be announced. Denvilloe is 6-7 in all games played this season.
Brianna Mott led a balanced Dunkin' Ds attack with nine points; Rachel Shea and Giulia Vitolo each had eight points; Mele finished with four points; and Megan Powlen and Chelsea Fischer each scored two points to complete the scoring for Denville.
Fischer, Shea and Powlen helped Denville control the backboards as Fischer finished with 12 rebounds, Shea had 10 and Powlen had five. Powlen also had five assists while Vitolo had three. Mele finished the game with three blocked shots.
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Dunkin' Ds lose two games to slip to .500
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL Dunkin' Ds 8th Grade Girls travel basketball team lost a pair of games this past week to see its overall record drop to 6-6 and its Passaic Valley League record slip to 5-6.
On Sunday, Feb. 7, the Dunkin' Ds lost to Totowa, 47-37, in a game played at the Totowa PAL Rec Center.
Sydney Bliss, Brianna Blauner and Brianna Mott each scored 10 points for Denville while Rachel Shea added three points and Jen Mele and Megan Powley each finished with two points.
In a game played on Wednesday, Feb. 3, at Valleyview Middle School, Denville, playing without two of its starters, fell to Jefferson, 58-27.
Mott finished as the Ds' high scorer with 15 points; Blauner scored eight point and Giulia Vitolo and Shea each finished with two points.
The Dunkin' Ds have one more regular-season game left - a Wednesday, Feb. 10, game against Pompton Lake at Valleyview - before the league's post-season playoff schedule begins on Friday, Feb. 19.
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Dunkin' Ds beat Pompton Lakes as Mott scores 26
DENVILLE - Brianna Mott had quite a night as she scored 26 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and finished with five steals when the Denville PAL Dunkin' Ds 8th grade girls travel team beat Pompton Lakes, 46-25, in a Passaic Valley League game played at Valleyview Middle School on Wednesday, Jan. 27.
Mott was 10-for-12 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line to spark the offensive attack by the Dunkin' Ds (6-4).
Sydney Bliss also had a strong game, finishing with eight points and six rebounds, and Brianna Blauner was solid on both ends of the court as she finished with four points and three steals.
Chelsea Fischer, Amanda Slomkowski, Giulia Vitolo and Megan Powlen each finished with two points to round out the scoring for the winners. Jen Mele contributed two blocked shots to the cause and Rachel Shea and Lexie Boller also played well when they got their minutes.
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Dunkin' Ds lead from start to finish in win over Nutley
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL Dunkin' Ds 8th-Grade girls travel basketball team took a quick 6-0 lead on two three-point field goals by Brianna Mott and led the rest of the way in a 36-12 victory over Nutley in a Passaic Valley League game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Wednesday, Jan. 20.
Mott finished the game with a game-high 15 points as the Dunkin' Ds improved their season record to 5-4. Brianna Blauner and Sydney Bliss each had six points for the winners and Megan Powlen added four. Giulia Vitolo finished the game with a game-high four assists.
Chelsea Fischer had five steals and Jen Mele added four blocks to lead a Dunkin' Ds defense that also included solid play from Amanda Slomkowski, Lexi Boller and Rachel Shea.
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Dunkin' Ds stop Morris Plains in defensive battle
DENVILLE - Free-throw shooting and a solid defensive effort proved to be the difference as the Denville PAL Dunkin' Ds 8th-Grade girls trave basketball team defeated Morris Plains, 23-16, in a Passaic Valley League game played at Morris Vo-Tech here on Saturday, Jan. 16.
The Dunkin' Ds were 8-for-12 from the free-throw line with Brianna Mott leading the way on offense with seven points. Sydney Bliss and Megan Powlen each added four points and Chelsea Fischer chipped in with three points.
Fischer also had a team-high five steals to key the Dunkin' Ds defense.
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Dunkin' Ds turn back Montville, 34-20
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL Dunkin' Ds 8th-grade girls travel basketball team led from start to finish in a 34-20 victory over Montville in a Passaic Valley League game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Wednesday, Jan. 13.
The Dunkin' Ds jumped out to a 15-7 lead after the first period of play and never looked back as they improved their season record to 3-4.
Brianna Mott led all scorers with 12 points; Giula Vitolo added six; and Brianna Blauner and Sydney Bliss each scored five points. Lexi Boller, Chelsea Fischer and Megan Powlen each had field goals to complete the Dunkin� Ds scoring.
Jen Mele finished with six blocked shots while Rachel Shea and Amanda Slomkowski each finished with a team-leading five rebounds.
In an earlier 37-30 victory over West Patterson, Blauner was the team's high scorer with 12 points. Mott added nine points and Shea finished with eight while Bliss scored five points and had a game-high 12 rebounds.