By Steve Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
JERSEY CITY, N.J. – It was a father-son sweep for the Hurley family Thursday night.
First it was son Dan Hurley’s St. Benedict’s Prep (N.J.) squad beating Benedictine (Va.), 58-44, followed by father Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony (N.J.) squad holding off a perseverant American Christian (Pa.) squad, 64-53, in a doubleheader held at the Yanitelli Center on the campus of St. Peter’s College, and televised by ESPN.
St. Benedict’s Prep 58, Benedictine 44
Samardo Samuels once again keyed St. Benedict’s Prep to victory. He led all scorers with 19 points. Along with fellow big man Greg Echenique, Samuels held Benedictine star Ed Davis to 12 points, frustrating him whenever he touched the ball and disrupting a rhythm he developed early on.
The win concluded a very successful season for the Gray Bees, who defeated numerous high-profile teams and suffered only one loss all season, to Academy of New Church (Pa.) in early January.
“This team played as close to its talent level as they could all year,” Dan Hurley said. “We probably didn’t expect to have the type of season we had, with all the big games we’ve won.”
It was also the final game in the highly-decorated career of Samuels. When asked what memory sticks out most from the big man’s career at St. Benedict’s, Hurley had a hard time singling out any particular instance, instead pointing out his countless clutch performances.
“He’s had a ton of great games. The thing about him is he’s got a talent level and ability to play the game combined with the physical stature. It’s hard to narrow it down to a single game,” Hurley said.
The Gray Bees coach downplayed the hoopla surrounding the “Hurley Night” concept, saying that the focus should be on the players.
“The Hurley Night thing ain’t about me and my dad. If our players weren’t as good as they are, I’d be sitting up in the 50th row up there watching,” Hurley said.
Benedictine brought a sizeable student crowd. Apparently having misheard the player introductions, the Cadet fans turned their backs to the court, chanting “No one cares!” as their own team was being introduced.
It was that kind of night for the Virginia squad, who never cut the deficit to single digits in the second half.
St. Anthony 64, American Christian 53
Bob Hurley’s St. Anthony Friars had much more of a scare than the Gray Bees. For a team that has consistently routed opponents by 20 points or more this season, the Friars were on their heels in the third quarter, when a Tyreke Evans lay up gave American Christian its first lead of the night, 40-39, with 2:35 left in the third quarter.
That lead was short-lived. A strong fourth quarter from Mike Rosario and Travon Woodall allowed St. Anthony to bounce back from a very sloppy third quarter, as the Friars pulled away late for a 64-53 victory.
Leading 39-27 at half time, the Friars were flat to start the second half. American Christian came out firing, and a flurry of three pointers quickly brought them back in the game. Turnovers, bad passes and questionable shot selection – problems the team doesn‘t ordinarily face – plagued the Friars, and put their undefeated season in serious jeopardy.
Hurley recognized that a close, competitive game might be beneficial for St. Anthony as it heads into postseason play.
“It’s good for us,” Hurley said. “Not that we played great, but let’s look at who we played against. That’s not necessarily your standard high school team. I’m very happy with how we responded.”
The Friars made it look easy early. They jumped out to an 18-6 lead, much to the delight of the partisan hometown crowd. Junior Dominic Cheek was extremely impressive early, netting 20 first-half points, only to be held scoreless in the second half.
Evans did most of the damage for American Christian. He scored 17 points, including back-to-back threes to start the second half. It was a goal of St. Anthony to hold Evans under 20 points. The American Christian long-range shooting, which got them back into the game, is exactly what allowed St. Anthony to pull away, according to Hurley.
“What got them back in it, got them back out of it,” Hurley said. “They shot themselves in it, and then out of it. That’s what happens with threes.”
For Rosario, who, along with Woodall and Tyshawn Taylor, provided noticeable senior leadership down the stretch, it was a special game. Playing a game with a 9 p.m. start in Jersey City afforded him the opportunity to play in front of his biggest fan, his mother Joanne.
“It was a great experience, especially my mom being here to see me play,” Rosario said. “She works, so she usually doesn’t have a lot of time to see me play. This is the third game she’s been to this year. Every time she comes it just lights up my eyes to see my mom there.”
Rosario finished with 17 points, eight of which came in the critical fourth quarter. Woodall ended up with 11 points, while Taylor totaled nine. Hurley alternated the two on guarding Evans to present different matchups on the American Christian star. Taylor is taller and longer, while Woodall was able to guard the dribble more closely, Hurley said.
The win pushes the Friars to 26-0. They the winner of Kearny Christian vs. Morristown-Beard in the opening round of the Non-Public B playoffs.