After last year's title game loss to Saddle River Day, the Northern Valley Demarest Norsemen Varsity Girls Basketball Team earned redemption by defeating Ramapo 54-41 in front of a capacity crowd at Pascack Valley High School.

Gabriella Mittleman finished with a game-high 21 points for Demarest, while her teammate Ella Peck supplied 14 points and knocked down four three-pointers. For Ramapo, Camden Epstein tallied a team-high 15 points while her teammate Toni Pernetti added 10 points.

Gabriella Mittleman of Demarest said, "We used our motivation after coming up short last year as a team to win, and that’s how we play games. Playing last year calmed our nerves and gave us a ton of experience when it comes to big moments." Added, "It’s important to explore all our offensive options, score both inside and outside, and do whatever it takes to win."

Demarest Head Coach Jenny Jurjevic reflected on the victory: “I feel like I’m doing my job right. As a female, I want to be a mentor for these girls. I want to provide them with opportunities to win. This championship is for them and for the school. I just stand on the sidelines and yell.”

It was an awesome environment, and we fed off that. Games like this are vital for young girls and help keep community interest in girls' basketball alive despite national decline. I hope the championship game stays here and these facilities continue to be used.

Jurjevic praised her coaching counterpart, saying, “I’m unafraid to compliment another coach. Sandy (Gordon) isn’t easy to coach against. She’s smart and adjusts her game. She has evolved on the coaching side, especially in her defense sets. She knows what to do.”

We knew Ramapo was skilled, and the game depended on which team's style dominated. It went back and forth, but ultimately, NVD's style prevailed.

In the first quarter, both teams traded leads, with Demarest edging ahead 11-10. The Norsemen took control in the second quarter as Gabriella Mittleman sparked a run, scoring nine points and hitting two three-pointers.

Demarest led 24-18 with under a minute left in the half, then extended the lead to 30-20 as Ella Peck hit back-to-back threes.

Reflecting on the first half, Head Coach Jenny Jurjevic said, “I think we did a great job of executing, and that last three-pointer by Ella (Peck) was excellent.”

She elaborated, “Gabriella (Mittleman) has the complete game, and she really can, minus the size mismatch. She has the patience of God and just waits for her time. I think it took her seven minutes to get a first shot off, but she didn’t get flustered. Then everything opened up for her. That’s important. It takes a level of maturity, and she’s very seasoned.”

In the third quarter, Demarest built on momentum as Zoe Wasserlauf drove for consecutive layups to extend the lead to 34-20.

Ramapo responded with a 5-0 spurt to narrow the gap, but Demarest’s Gabriella Mittleman halted their momentum by sinking her third three-pointer of the game. By the end of the period, the Norsemen led 41-25.

In the fourth quarter, Demarest expanded its lead as Ella Peck hit consecutive three-pointers to make it 47-30.

Summing up the team’s resilience, Head Coach Jenny Jurjevic noted, “Luckily, with this crew we’ve been through a lot of adversity. We blew the lead before and, in last year’s semifinals, were down to Teaneck. But we showed resilience and that game exposure helped us execute today.”