It was pick your poison for Paramus Catholic - either a heavy dose of Carly Cerone on the inside or the precise shooting of Floriana Borova on the outside.

In front of the home crowd, the duo dissected the Paladin defense for a combined 29 points in a 43-29 victory.

The win advances No. 13 Cresskill past No. 20 Paramus Catholic in the first round of the Bergen County Women’s Coaches Association Girls Basketball Tournament.

"It’s a really big win," said Borova. "We knew it was going to be a hard game to win, but we’d come out on top if we played tight defense and controlled the tempo."

In addition to the big two, the Cougars’ team defense stole the show. In the first quarter the home team held Paramus Catholic to two points. The Paladins tried to work the inside, but Cerone and center Colleen Ahearn prevented scoring attempts with stiff coverage.

Any ball that the visiting team tried to force into the post was stolen or jabbed away. Ahearn and Cerone were also able to control the boards.

"There was a strong effort on the inside," said Sara Malmut. "Cerone and Ahearn did a great job boxing out."

The Cougars, however, had their own share of failed attempts in trying to attack inside, but Borova was able to hit outside shots early.

She opened the scoring by hitting a jumper while being fouled for an "and-one" play. On the next home team possession she sank a three-pointer to put the Cougars up 6-0.

Paramus Catholic started the game flat and didn’t score their first points of the game until there was 3:54 left in the first. It would be their only points of the quarter as Cresskill went up 11-2.

Between quarters Cougar coach Jennifer Rilli urged her team to "keep holding them to one shot" and reminded them that the Paladins were in foul trouble with five.

Cresskill sustained their stellar zone defense, but the Paladins continued to try and penetrate the inside. It seemed like any time the ball would find its way to a Paladin down low, the Cougars defense collapsed to apply pressure.

"I told them to duplicate the first half, but bring it up one more level," said Rilli. "I told them to put this game away and not to give Paramus Catholic a chance to sneak back into this one."

The Cougars opened the third quarter the way they began the first with Borova swishing an "and-one" shot, but this time the Paladins were able to keep up offensively.

A five-minute scoring drought helped the visitors get back into it. In those five minutes the Cougars were unable to create quality shots.

With 3:24 in the third the Paladins came within five, 23-18. But Borova knocked down a jumper at the 2:30 mark to not only end the drought, but also wake up the offense.

"She (Borova) played a great game and she sees the floor better than anyone out there," said Rilli.

As the game went on, so did the physical play, as collisions, fouls and pushes increased.

"It was a rough game, but we came through in the end," said Borova.

As the third quarter ended, Cresskill retained a healthy 27-19 lead.

"Our defensive effort was excellent," said Rilli. "We switched between many defensive looks and the key was being able to box out and hold them to one shot."

Another key to the game was holding Paramus Catholic’s number one scoring option to only four points on the night.

"We practiced a lot on defending against their big player, Jessica Biggs," said Malmut. "We made sure to perfect everything in practice so when we did face her we were ready."

Rilli and the Cougars were overjoyed with the win and Borova called it a "really big win" and confidence booster, but both the coach and team remained humble.

"For the most part we executed well and were really aggressive," said Rilli. "Paramus Catholic is a very skilled team, but we just came out and executed the way we needed to."