By Stephen Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
The defending New Jersey Tournament of Champions winner and consensus national champion was pushed to the brink on Sunday but came away with a victory.
St. Anthony survived a scare from a talented Trenton Catholic squad, coming away with a 37-36 victory at the Hoop Group Tip-Off Showcase on the campus of Seton Hall University.
Dom Cheek struggled for much of the game, but finished with 14 points, and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Cheek made a commitment to Villanova University recently.
The Friars will be heading to California after Christmas for the MaxPreps Holiday Classic at Torrey Pines, where they are expected to contend for the tournament title.
Plainfield 73, Paterson Catholic 61
Another headline game of the Hoop Group Tip-Off Showcase featured two blue chip-laden teams, as Plainfield downed Paterson Catholic 73-61.
Isaiah Epps led the Cardinals with 24 points. Plainfield’s two other star guards, Anthony Baskerville and Tyrone Johnson, dropped 21 and 16 points, respectively.
The win was the first for the Cardinals with new head coach Juff Lubreski at the helm.
This is the second straight season that Plainfield has beaten Paterson Catholic. The Cardinals knocked off the Cougars in Paterson last January.
Science Park 44, Linden 39
Proving that last year was no fluke, Science Park opened up the 2008-2009 season with a victory over Union County power Linden, 44-39.
Last year’s Tournament of Champions runner-up, Science Park held Linden big man and future St. Joseph Hawk David Bruce scoreless, demonstrating that defense may be the hallmark of this year’s squad.
Senior Kenneth Ortiz, one of the state's top guards, led the way with 15 points.
St. Pat’s Has Strong Showing
The Celtics of St. Patrick have enjoyed a strong showing thus far at the Bank of America City of Palms Classic.
Playing without guard Dexter Strickland, St. Patrick held off Word of God (Raleigh, N.C.) and sensational guard John Wall, 77-69.
Kevin Boyle’s squad is also without junior point guard Kyrie Irving. Irving, a transfer from Montclair Kimberly Academy, will be eligible to play in January.
Girls Notes
Held at University High School, The Festival of the Phoenix may have been missing its marquee attraction, but it still featured a very impressive line up of girls teams.
Nimitz High School (Houston, Texas) and superstar senior Brittney Griner were scheduled to attend the weekend event, but pulled out at the last minute. Weather forced a cancellation of all Friday night games.
Saturday’s action began with an impressive performance by the St. Frances Academy Panthers (Baltimore, Md.), beating Blair Academy 69-30.
The Panthers put on a shooting clinic, knocking down numerous long jumpers and three-point shots in addition to playing a smothering defense.
Shatyra Hawkes scored 18, while Deanna Harmon added 16.
The Panthers, who remain undefeated, made 12 threes in the game.
Next on the Festival’s schedule was a match-up between Chicago’s Whitney Young and Maryland’s Eleanor Roosevelt, two teams highly-touted on the national scene.
While Roosevelt hung around for much of the game, the Dolphins pulled away late earned a 66-53 victory.
Pittsburgh-bound Ashlee Anderson displayed her versatile game. The powerful guard also showed real finesse, nailing several long-range shots.
The evening’s premier game pitted St. Michael Academy (N.Y.) against the Phoenix of University High School.
St. Michael jumped on University early, enjoying a double digit lead for much of the game. The Phoenix mounted a late rally, narrowing the deficit to five, thanks in large part of the strong play of junior Laurin Mincy.
University would get no closer, however, as St. Michael held on for a big early season victory. The Eagles, ranked No. 20 in the MaxPreps/National Guard Girls Basketball Preseason Top 25, will see University again down the road. The two are scheduled to tangle in February.
