Basketball score-a-thon leads New Jersey prep sports week

When a relentless 40-minute stretch of boys basketball ended in southern Bergen County last Wednesday, Lodi and Wood-Ridge combined for what is believed to be the highest-scoring game in county history.

After two overtimes, Wood-Ridge finally outlasted Lodi at this extended game of run-and-gun, producing a thrilling 130-123 triumph that left players, coaches and fans alike short of breath of afterward.

While the National Federation of State High School Associations does not have records for each state, the 253 points produced in the Wood-Ridge-Lodi score-a-thon is the most listed for a New Jersey game and the 11th most all-time.

"That's actually pretty wild," Wood-Ridge coach Eddie Rendzio told The Record afterward. "We try to stop people, I swear, but sometimes we don't do it as well as we should."

Wood-Ridge led Lodi 59-51 at halftime — especially notable because it scored 65 points in its win the previous day over Hawthorne, while Lodi entered averaging just 55.2 points per game.

Both teams put up video-game numbers. Each squad had four players with 20-plus points, led by Wood-Ridge's Angel Colon, who tallied 22 of his game-high 45 during the two overtimes. He also helped the Blue Devils can 37 tries from the charity stripe.

Heithem Odeh scored 25 points to lead Lodi, which knocked down 18 3-pointers and hit game-tying shots at the end of regulation and the first overtime.

ST. PATRICK STATES ITS CASE
Trenton Catholic won the NJSIAA boys basketball Tournament of Champions last winter when St. Patrick (Elizabeth) did not compete because of an offseason coaching violation. But the Celtics became the top contender for that title after their 72-57 victory Saturday at the Hoop Group Showcase held at Rider University.

Quickly and emphatically, St. Patrick displayed its depth and skill, racing out to a 21-7 lead after eight minutes and a 40-17 halftime cushion in its first game since winning the City of Palms Classic. It got 17 points from the nation's top recruit, swingman and Kentucky signee Michael Gilchrist, senior guard and Western Kentucky recruit Derrick Gordon poured in 14 points and sophomore forward Austin Colbert swatted away four shots.]

SCOTCH PLAINS SHOCKS ST. BENEDICT'S
Scotch Plains-Fanwood went 7-17 last season and even after starting off 5-2 this season, who would have given the Raiders a chance of keeping things close against national juggernaut St. Benedict's on Sunday at the New Year's Jump-Off in Teaneck? Especially after being on the wrong end of a 20-0 run that put the upstarts in a 17-point hole during the second quarter?

As it turns out, Scotch Plains just might be a sectional contender this season. Charles Oliver scored a team-high 21 points, Patrick Dougher hit three of his five 3-pointers as the Raiders outscored the opposition 23-6 in the third period, and Matt Jegede tallied 10 of his 18 points in the fourth, adding up to a 68-64 win that ranks as the state's most shocking result thus far.

Meanwhile, the Gray Bees continued to struggle under first-year coach Roshown McLeod, dropping to 4-3. Tyler Harris scored 21 points for St. Benedict's, but is one of many newcomers to the Newark prep school's roster this season.

RUMSON REPEATS AS WOBM CHAMPION
Manhattan College is getting a terrific shooter next season when Nicole Isaacs leaves Rumson-Fair Haven (Rumson). The senior guard hit six of her team's nine 3-pointers and earned tournament MVP honors as the Bulldogs won their second-straight WOBM Classic championship with a 57-47 victory over previously undefeated Point Pleasant Boro last Sunday at Toms River North High School.