HRT - Hormone Replacement Therapy in Pequannock, NJ

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HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY for Women estrogen
 HRT For Men Pequannock, NJ

What Causes Menopause?

The most common reason for menopause is the natural decline in a female's reproductive hormones. However, menopause can also result from the following situations:

Oophorectomy: This surgery, which removes a woman's ovaries, causes immediate menopause. Symptoms and signs of menopause in this situation can be severe, as the hormonal changes happen abruptly.

Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can induce menopause quickly, causing symptoms to appear shortly after or even during treatment.

Ovarian Insufficiency: Also called premature ovarian failure, this condition is essentially premature menopause. It happens when a woman's ovaries quit functioning before the age of 40 and can stem from genetic factors and disease. Only 1% of women suffer from premature menopause, but HRT can help protect the heart, brain, and bones.

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Depression

If you're a woman going through menopause and find that you have become increasingly depressed, you're not alone. It's estimated that 15% of women experience depression to some degree while going through menopause. What many women don't know is that depression can start during perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.

Depression can be hard to diagnose, especially during perimenopause and menopause. However, if you notice the following signs, it might be time to speak with a physician:

  • Mood Swings
  • Inappropriate Guilt
  • Chronic Fatigue
  • Too Much or Too Little Sleep
  • Lack of Interest in Life
  • Overwhelming Feelings

Remember, if you're experiencing depression, you're not weak or broken - you're going through a very regular emotional experience. The good news is that with proper treatment from your doctor, depression isn't a death sentence. And with HRT and anti-aging treatment for women, depression could be the catalyst you need to enjoy a new lease on life.

 HRT For Women Pequannock, NJ

Hot Flashes

Hot flashes - they're one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are intense, sudden feelings of heat across a woman's upper body. Some last second, while others last minutes, making them incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for most women.

Symptoms of hot flashes include:

  • Sudden, Overwhelming Feeling of Heat
  • Anxiety
  • High Heart Rate
  • Headache
  • Nausea
  • Dizziness

Typically, hot flashes are caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen levels negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature and appetite. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to incorrectly assume the body is too hot, dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow. Luckily, most women don't have to settle for the uncomfortable feelings that hot flashes cause. HRT treatments for women often stabilize hormones, lessening the effects of hot flashes and menopause in general.

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Mood Swings

Mood swings are common occurrences for most people - quick shifts from happy to angry and back again, triggered by a specific event. And while many people experience mood swings, they are particularly common for women going through menopause. That's because, during menopause, the female's hormones are often imbalanced. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go hand-in-hand, resulting in frequent mood changes and even symptoms like insomnia.

The rate of production of estrogen, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, largely determines the rate of production the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, causing mood swings.

Luckily, HRT and anti-aging treatments in Pequannock, NJ for women work wonders for mood swings by regulating hormone levels like estrogen. With normal hormone levels, women around the world are now learning that they don't have to settle for mood swings during menopause.

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Weight Gain

Staying fit and healthy is hard for anyone living in modern America. However, for women with hormone imbalances during perimenopause or menopause, weight gain is even more serious. Luckily, HRT treatments for women coupled with a physician-led diet can help keep weight in check. But which hormones need to be regulated?

  • Estrogen: During menopause, estrogen levels are depleted. As such, the body must search for other sources of estrogen. Because estrogen is stored in fat, your body believes it should increase fat production during menopause. Estrogen also plays a big part in insulin resistance, which can make it even harder to lose weight and keep it off.
  • Progesterone: Progesterone levels are also depleted during menopause. Progesterone depletion causes bloating and water retention, while loss of testosterone limits the body's ability to burn calories.
  • Ongoing Stress: Stress makes our bodies think that food is hard to come by, putting our bodies in "survival mode". When this happens, cortisol production is altered. When cortisol timing changes, the energy in the bloodstream is diverted toward making fat. With chronic stress, this process repeatedly happens, causing extensive weight gain during menopause.
 HRT Pequannock, NJ

Low Libido

Lowered sexual desire - three words most men and women hate to hear. Unfortunately, for many women in perimenopausal and menopausal states, it's just a reality of life. Thankfully, today, HRT and anti-aging treatments Pequannock, NJ can help women maintain a normal, healthy sex drive. But what causes low libido in women, especially as they get older?

The hormones responsible for low libido in women are progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.

Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, causing low sex drive in women. Lower progesterone production can also cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, and other symptoms. On the other hand, lower estrogen levels during menopause lead to vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy or loss of muscle tension.

Lastly, testosterone plays a role in lowered libido. And while testosterone is often grouped as a male hormone, it contributes to important health and regulatory functionality in women. A woman's testosterone serves to heighten sexual responses and enhances orgasms. When the ovaries are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone, it often results in a lowered sex drive.

 Hormone Replacement Pequannock, NJ

Vaginal Dryness

Often uncomfortable and even painful, vaginal dryness is a serious problem for sexually active women. However, like hair loss in males, vaginal dryness is very common - almost 50% of women suffer from it during menopause.

Getting older is just a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for the side effects. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women correct vaginal dryness by re-balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When supplemented with diet and healthy living, your vagina's secretions are normalized, causing discomfort to recede.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Pequannock, NJ

Fibroids

Uterine fibroids - they're perhaps the least-known symptom of menopause and hormone imbalances in women. That's because these growths on the uterus are often symptom-free. Unfortunately, these growths can be cancerous, presenting a danger for women as they age.

Many women will have fibroids at some point. Because they're symptomless, they're usually found during routine doctor exams. Some women only get one or two, while others may have large clusters of fibroids. Because fibroids are usually caused by hormone imbalances, hysterectomies have been used as a solution, forcing women into early menopause.

Advances in HRT and anti-aging medicine for women give females a safer, non-surgical option without having to experience menopause early. At Global Life Rejuvenation, our expert physicians will implement a customized HRT program to stabilize your hormones and reduce the risk of cancerous fibroid growth.

 HRT For Men Pequannock, NJ

Endometriosis

Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS, and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.

Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.

Xenoestrogen is a hormone that is very similar to estrogen. Too much xenoestrogen is thought to stimulate endometrial tissue growth. HRT for women helps balance these hormones and, when used with a custom nutrition program, can provide relief for women across the U.S.

 Sermorelin Pequannock, NJ

What is Sermorelin?

Sermorelin is a synthetic hormone peptide, like GHRH, which triggers the release of growth hormones. When used under the care of a qualified physician, Sermorelin can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and help you feel much younger.

 HRT Pequannock, NJ

Benefits of Sermorelin

Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy has been used for years to treat hormone deficiencies. Unlike HGH, which directly replaces declining human growth hormone levels, Sermorelin addresses the underlying cause of decreased HGH, stimulating the pituitary gland naturally. This approach keeps the mechanisms of growth hormone production active.

  • Benefits of Sermorelin include:
  • Better Immune Function
  • Improved Physical Performance
  • More Growth Hormone Production
  • Less Body Fat
  • Build More Lean Muscle
  • Better Sleep
 Hormone Replacement Pequannock, NJ

What is Ipamorelin?

Ipamorelin helps to release growth hormones in a person's body by mimicking a peptide called ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of three hormones which work together to regulate the growth hormone levels released by the pituitary gland. Because Ipamorelin stimulates the body to produce growth hormone, your body won't stop its natural growth hormone production, which occurs with synthetic HGH.

Ipamorelin causes growth hormone secretion that resembles natural release patterns rather than being constantly elevated from HGH. Because ipamorelin stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, our patients can use this treatment long-term with fewer health risks.

Hormone Replacement Therapy Pequannock, NJ

Benefits of Ipamorelin

One of the biggest benefits of Ipamorelin is that it provides significant short and long-term benefits in age management therapies. Ipamorelin can boost a patient's overall health, wellbeing, and outlook on life.

When there is an increased concentration of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, there are positive benefits to the body. Some benefits include:

  • Powerful Anti-Aging Properties
  • More Muscle Mass
  • Less Unsightly Body Fat
  • Deep, Restful Sleep
  • Increased Athletic Performance
  • More Energy
  • Less Recovery Time for Training Sessions and Injuries
  • Enhanced Overall Wellness and Health
  • No Significant Increase in Cortisol

Your New, Youthful Lease on Life with HRT for Women

Whether you are considering our HRT and anti-aging treatments for women in Pequannock, NJ, we are here to help. The first step to reclaiming your life begins by contacting Global Life Rejuvenation. Our friendly, knowledgeable HRT experts can help answer your questions and walk you through our procedures. From there, we'll figure out which treatments are right for you. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better than you have in years!

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Latest News in Pequannock, NJ

Work has Begun on Pequannock to Wayne Rail to Trail Five-Mile Path

Photo Credit: Morris County/Karen MancinelliWorkers last week at the Pequannock Township end of the project.Photo Credit: Morris County/Karen MancinelliWorkers last week at the Pequannock Township end of the project clearing vegetation and removing track bolts.Photo Credit: Morris County/Karen Mancinelli By TAPinto Montville StaffPublishedJune 28, 2022 at 3:22 PMPEQUANNOCK, NJ – Construction has begun on the long-awai...

Photo Credit: Morris County/Karen Mancinelli

Workers last week at the Pequannock Township end of the project.Photo Credit: Morris County/Karen Mancinelli

Workers last week at the Pequannock Township end of the project clearing vegetation and removing track bolts.Photo Credit: Morris County/Karen Mancinelli

By TAPinto Montville Staff

PublishedJune 28, 2022 at 3:22 PM

PEQUANNOCK, NJ – Construction has begun on the long-awaited New York Susquehanna & Western (NYS&W) Railway Bicycle and Pedestrian Shared Use Path, a 4.8 mile-trail project spearheaded by Morris County to repurpose an abandoned stretch of railroad for a non-motorized recreational path from Pequannock Township to Wayne.

Brush clearing and preliminary work on lifting old rails began last week on the $20 million, federally funded project which was initiated by the Morris County Board of County Commissioners to transform an old railroad bed into a recreational trail linking Morris and Passaic counties. The path of the project begins at River Drive in Pequannock near Route 23, connecting with the township’s Aquatic Park, and runs southward to Mountainview Boulevard near NJ Transit’s Mountain View rail station in Wayne.

Work is anticipated to be completed in 2024, and the project will eventually tie into Passaic County’s Morris Canal Greenway. As milestones are reached during the project, periodic updates will be announced.

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“This project has been eagerly anticipated by many people in the region, particularly in both Morris and Passaic counties, and we’re pleased that work is underway,” said Director Tayfun Selen of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners. “This will provide another unique recreational opportunity for our residents, one that connects different greenways while providing bicyclists and hikers easy access to downtown amenities that are a short distance from this path.”

The path has long been envisioned as a walking and biking route that will connect residents, commuters and visitors with parks, schools, libraries, businesses and transit facilities. The Morris County Office of Engineering and Transportation is overseeing the project and the Morris County Park Commission eventually will manage the 10-foot wide trail, which is similar in concept to the popular Traction Line in Morris County. That path runs from Morristown to Madison, and is heavily used by walkers, joggers and bicyclists.

The NYS&W Railway Bicycle and Pedestrian Path will be asphalt covered, and will be the first of its kind near the Route 23 corridor of Morris and Passaic counties.

The idea for the bike path was conceived more than two decades ago by Pete Standish, a Pequannock resident and avid cyclist.

Trains have not run for more than a decade on the tracks being lifted up in the coming days. The stretch had once been a commuter line and was later used as NYS&W’s Pompton Industrial Spur, serving freight customers along the path.

Parts of the southern section of the path, which will stretch south of Ryerson Road to Mountain View in Wayne, will be elevated through wetlands. The path will be separated from automobile traffic, although there will be path crossings on streets along the corridor.

Pequannock junior Karson Culuko adds to family basketball tradition with 1,000th point

Not long after Karson Culuko was born, he had a stuffed basketball in his crib. He's been attending camps run by his father Kent and uncle Craig Culuko since he was 3, before he could even dribble.Hoops is part of the family history, something discussed at every gathering.Karson Culuko added to the scrapbook on Thursday night, scoring his 1,000th career point in Pequannock's 79-62 NJAC-Liberty loss to visiting Morris Catholic. He sank a 3-pointer from the right side off a pass from senior Gavin Fazekas with 2:33 ...

Not long after Karson Culuko was born, he had a stuffed basketball in his crib. He's been attending camps run by his father Kent and uncle Craig Culuko since he was 3, before he could even dribble.

Hoops is part of the family history, something discussed at every gathering.

Karson Culuko added to the scrapbook on Thursday night, scoring his 1,000th career point in Pequannock's 79-62 NJAC-Liberty loss to visiting Morris Catholic. He sank a 3-pointer from the right side off a pass from senior Gavin Fazekas with 2:33 left in the third quarter.

A 6-foot-1 guard, Karson Culuko is the eighth Golden Panthers boy to reach the milestone. But he's the third in his own family.

Grandfather Cliff Culuko scored 1,032 points at Bergenfield High School, graduating in 1965. After a four-year basketball career at Long Island University in Brooklyn, he became a physical education teacher and boys varsity basketball coach back at Bergenfield. After 18 years, he shifted to a volunteer assistant position at Mahwah so he could coach his own sons: Kent and Craig.

Kent Culuko, Karson's father, scored 2,780 points for Mahwah. He is No. 2 in Bergen County, one point behind Les Cason, who played at East Rutherford (now Becton) until 1971. Kent Culuko was with the then-New Jersey Nets for two preseasons, then played overseas for 10 years and even with the Harlem Globetrotters.

"I didn't have any other option. It was just born in me," said Karson Culuko, who grew up shooting from long range, like his 10-year-old brother Jordan does now.

"Ever since my freshman year, that's all I've been thinking about: having my name on that banner with 1,000 points. It means a lot to me and my family."

'Most pressure I've ever had':Pequannock junior Chloe Vasquez reaches basketball milestone

Kent, Craig and Cliff Culuko were all part of Karson's celebration, just like they have been for every other step in his basketball career. Cliff Culuko, 76, drove up from Brigantine Island to stay at his daughter's house in Franklin Lakes to make sure he'd be there for Pequannock's Thursday night game.

Karson was also planning a party for his teammates, who had an internal competition over who would assist the milestone.

"As soon as I saw him on the court, I knew he was a tremendous player," Pequannock coach Jeff DeBell said. "He knows the game, and has a tremendous basketball IQ."

Culuko scored 132 points in his 14-game COVID freshman season and 380 points last winter, leading balanced Pequannock in scoring en route to the Morris County Tournament final. But Cliff Culuko "put a question mark on (his) chest," because his grandson wasn't consistent.

Culuko is averaging 24.3 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, stepping up into a leadership role alongside Pequannock senior Finn Powers. He scored 33 points on Thursday night, giving him 1,007 in three years.

He is already aiming at Jordan Tabakman's boys' school-record 1,494 points, something he's "been trying to beat in my head for a while." His father scored No. 1,000 early in his junior season and got to 2,000 at a holiday tournament a year later, so it's certainly possible.

"I can shoot. Craig can shoot. Kent was a great shooter," Cliff Culuko said. "Karson's a complete player. He can play inside and outside, shoot and rebound. He can do it all."

'Most pressure I've ever had': Pequannock junior reaches basketball milestone

Chloe Vasquez wasn't counting down to her 1,000th point as Pequannock played Hanover Park on Tuesday night. But when she stepped to the free-throw line with a minute and 13 seconds left in the game, Vasquez "knew that was it."The Golden Panthers junior point guard was also convinced she had to take the foul shots just like thousands of others before."That was the most pressure I've ever had in my basketball career," Vasquez said. "I've been on the free-throw line many times in close games...

Chloe Vasquez wasn't counting down to her 1,000th point as Pequannock played Hanover Park on Tuesday night. But when she stepped to the free-throw line with a minute and 13 seconds left in the game, Vasquez "knew that was it."

The Golden Panthers junior point guard was also convinced she had to take the foul shots just like thousands of others before.

"That was the most pressure I've ever had in my basketball career," Vasquez said. "I've been on the free-throw line many times in close games. But it was a different kind of feeling. I was very nervous, shaking, but also happy. It was a bunch of different emotions. I had to check in mentally, because I had to hit this."

She sank both, giving her 23 points in the game and exactly 1,000 for her career.

Vasquez had seen both the milestone and the number of points she needed on Tuesday as challenges she had to meet. And by reaching her goal, she also helped Pequannock beat NJAC-Liberty foe Hanover Park.

Teammates, friends and family members rushed to the corners of Pequannock's gym to get balloons, flowers and posters they'd stashed away, just in case. Vasquez is the eighth Golden Panthers girl to reach the milestone.

"Once I hit it, I think the whole crowd and my whole team (had) a weight lifted off their shoulders – especially my shoulders," said Vasquez, who made all nine free throws on Tuesday.

"I was like, 'I did it. I can breathe. I can relax now.' ... Getting it as a junior was great. I was very determined to get it this year with this team."

Vasquez has been Pequannock's "most impactful player" since she walked into the gym as a 5-foot-9 freshman guard, according to coach Jennifer Baggott. She runs the Golden Panthers' offense, and is able to score both in the paint and beyond the arc.

The only thing that set Vasquez back was COVID, which restricted Pequannock to only 15 games in her first season. She is averaging 20.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.6 steals this winter.

Flashback!Pequannock girls basketball player Chloe Vasquez voted Athlete of the Week

"When she goes, we go," Baggott said. "I don't think (1,000 points) was even a question. It was like, 'Wow, what are we going to accomplish as a team with her leading us. It was never a question of if, it was when."

Vasquez has been playing basketball since second grade, and she fell in love with the game almost immediately. She was part of coed rec teams, and went to camps with boys. Vasquez has since transitioned to girls travel and then AAU teams, but the initial experiences built both her skills and confidence.

"I was and still am a very competitive person, so playing against boys was a big thing for me back then," Vasquez said. "It made me tougher, more competitive, more determined. Like, 'I can do this. You can't stop me.'"

For some students, a tour of Newark’s 35,000-acre watershed could lead to ‘an interesting job’

About 40 miles north of Newark’s skyscrapers and busy streets, there’s a 35,000-acre city-owned wilderness of mountains, forests, rivers and lakes spread over parts of Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties.Known as the Pequannock Watershed, the nearly pristine expanse near the state’s northern corner provides drinking water for Newark’s 310,000 residents and countless others in surrounding communities that get their ...

About 40 miles north of Newark’s skyscrapers and busy streets, there’s a 35,000-acre city-owned wilderness of mountains, forests, rivers and lakes spread over parts of Passaic, Morris and Sussex counties.

Known as the Pequannock Watershed, the nearly pristine expanse near the state’s northern corner provides drinking water for Newark’s 310,000 residents and countless others in surrounding communities that get their water from the city’s Pequannock Treatment Plant in West Milford, in the heart of the watershed.

Beyond quenching thirsts and filling cooking pots and bathtubs from 14 billion gallons of water in five reservoirs, the watershed is also a haven for hiking and boating, open year-round to the general public. No swimming and only row boats or electric motors, for obvious reasons.

To expose Newark’s younger residents to the natural wonders of the New Jersey Highlands region and inspire them to pursue careers in water treatment, infrastructure, or conservation, for years, the Newark Department of Water and Sewer Utilities has led students on tours of the watershed and the plant. The program is known as the Newark Watershed Science & Leadership Academy.

School officials didn’t allow the students to be identified or quoted. But Fraser’s Mathematics Solutions CEO Jaliyla Fraser, an education consultant hired to coordinate the tour, said exposing young minds first-hand to science being put into practice was more likely to reverberate with them than classroom learning alone.

“It’s very exciting,” Fraser said. “Videos can’t do but so much. But for them to be here, doing things, it creates a memory in their minds.”

On a recent sunny and brisk weekday, a bus arrived mid-morning carrying about 20 freshmen from Jay Mariano’s biology class at Newark’s School of Data Science & Information Technology, a public specialty high school.

Their first stop was a watershed office and the recreation center a couple of miles from the treatment plant, by the shore of Echo Lake, one of the reservoirs. Stuffed beaver, foxes, waterfowl and a wild turkey perched on wooden rafters, while jump ropes, hula hoops, soccer and kick balls occupied a corner under a window overlooking the lake and its wooded shoreline.

Officials, including Kevin Greer, the watershed superintendent, greeted them. Following a short briefing, students filed back onto the bus for the drive to the Charlotteburg Dam and Reservoir of the same.

On the bus ride there, several students said they had no idea where their drinking water came from before the trip. Some said rainwater. Some said the Passaic River. Most hadn’t given it much thought. Several were visibly impressed by the surroundings, and many were surprised to learn that their hometown owned such a vast expanse so remote from their everyday surroundings.

Surrounded by wooded hills, a clear sky above, and the bright sunshine glinting off the water, the concrete dam was a sight to behold, with the deep blue reservoir behind it and a broad, sloping spillway in front. The students posed for a group photo on the road overlooking the spillway, where a thin curtain of white water cascaded down toward a Pequannock River tributary and the treatment plant a few miles away.

“It’s probably the highlight of what I do every day,” said Greer, who added that showing students where their water comes from can inspire them to make it a career. “I’ve got nothing against amusement parks, but it’s not like I would come away from them feeling like I want to be a Ferris wheel operator.”

From the dam, the students got back on the bus for a short ride over to the treatment plant on Route 23, which is undergoing $23 million in upgrades to enhance the taste of city water, boost capacity in anticipation of growth and increased demand, and keep the cost of water down.

The project, which broke ground last spring, includes replacing valves and filters, creating an automated central control room, and changes to remove organic particles and other impurities.

In a testing lab at the plant, staff engineer Erica Espiritusanto showed the students how to measure chlorine content in water samples taken at various stages of treatment.

One student asked if he could drink the water Espiritusanto held up a clear glass sample bottle.

“This is the water that’s going to your house,” she told the group.

In the control room, Greer told students that no matter how much of it we drink or how much goes down the drain or evaporates, the amount of water on Earth remains constant, if not always in liquid form. He asked the students why, and Andy Barrera had the answer:

“The water cycle,” said Barrera, 14, whose mother later consented to his being quoted.

By the water cycle, Barrera meant that while water may move from the ice caps to the oceans, to the clouds, reservoirs and through our bodies, changing locations and forms, its overall supply stays the same.

In a brief phone interview Barrera spoke for himself and several classmates when he said the tour was fun, interesting and could lead to a career.

“I feel like water treatment might be an interesting job,” he said.

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Jefferson outlasts Pequannock, defends girls basketball sectional title

JEFFERSON – Amanda Nwankwo still remembers stepping on the court at Jefferson High School against Newton as a freshman, trying to shoot a layup and getting pushed. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament, and missed her entire sophomore season.With Nwankwo back in the lineup last winter, the Falcons reached the NJSIAA Group 2 final. When the 6-foot-3 center hurt her right knee early in Tuesday's NJSIAA North 1, Group 2 final, Nwankwo was very clear."It cannot happen again," said Nwankwo, who misse...

JEFFERSON – Amanda Nwankwo still remembers stepping on the court at Jefferson High School against Newton as a freshman, trying to shoot a layup and getting pushed. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament, and missed her entire sophomore season.

With Nwankwo back in the lineup last winter, the Falcons reached the NJSIAA Group 2 final. When the 6-foot-3 center hurt her right knee early in Tuesday's NJSIAA North 1, Group 2 final, Nwankwo was very clear.

"It cannot happen again," said Nwankwo, who missed much of the second and third quarters of Jefferson's nail-biter 66-61 victory over Pequannock.

"I could not give up on my team. I pushed my butt off. My team did not give up on me."

Comeback cats?

With Nwankwo getting treatment on her right knee, Pequannock was able to crank up its inside game. The seventh-seeded Golden Panthers opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run that lasted nearly five minutes.

Pequannock (11-7) was within three points when Jefferson junior Emily Poulas responded. She scored 10 of the top-seeded Falcons' 13 points in the third quarter, stretching the lead back out to eight.

"Amanda went down, and we did what we had to do," said Poulas, who finished with a game-high 23 points.

"I didn't really think about it beforehand. It just sort of happened. ... I don't think any of us are ready for it to end yet."

But the rejuvenated Golden Panthers never backed down again.

They took the lead on senior Nicole Klimek's 3-pointer from the right corner with 50 seconds left. Poulas responded with a three of her own from almost the exact same spot at the other end of the court 16 seconds later.

Jefferson coach James MacDermid called timeout, then Poulas got fouled and made both free throws to build the lead to three points. Pequannock coach Jennifer Baggott called a timeout of her own. But after Klimek missed another 3, the Golden Panthers were forced to foul.

Sophomore Kiley Shatzel sank one, waited out another Pequannock time out, and coolly made the second to start Jefferson's celebration.

Golden Panthers junior Chloe Vasquez scored 22 points. Senior Faith Tucker added half of her 16 points in the fourth quarter. Klimek had 15 for Pequannock.

'Most pressure I've ever had':Pequannock junior reaches basketball milestone

"Our girls felt a little more comfortable in the moment," Baggott said. "We're definitely an outside threat: a driving threat and a 3-point shooting threat. Our weakness is our size, and that's one of their strengths."

Countdown to the final

The Falcons (22-7) will play Secaucus in a Group 2 semifinal at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Bloomfield High School. Secaucus, the top seed in North 2, Group 2, toppled defending sectional champion Madison.

Jefferson had beaten the Dodgers in last year's Group semi, falling to Manasquan in the final.

Not long after that disappointment, the Falcons started building toward this year's title. They played in a Paterson summer league, then a challenging regular-season schedule including many larger schools like Montville (twice), Morristown and Paterson Eastside.

"We got the competition we needed for games like this," Poulas said, shortly before climbing a ladder to help cut down the net.

"We knew we would need moments like that for moments like this."

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