By Stephen Spiewak
MaxPreps.com
JERSEY CITY, N.J. - In its fifth year, the Dan Finn Classic once again attracted some of the Garden State’s top teams to the Jersey City Armory.
The event featured five high school games and a sixth game between the Jersey City Firefighters and Police Officers and honors the memory of Dan Finn, a graduate of St. Peter’s Prep who was the victim of a hit and run in 2004 and died at the age of 23.
With several of the games decided in the closing seconds, the day did not disappoint.
St. Peter’s Prep 48, Seton Hall Prep 43
A battle between a longstanding non-public Group A heavyweight and an emerging, upstart program tipped off the day’s agenda.
St. Peter’s Prep, who captured the Hudson County title as an eighth seed last year, kept its momentum going this season by downing one of North Jersey’s most respected programs in Seton Hall Prep.
The Marauders, who don’t have a single senior on their roster, received 19 points from sophomore Miles Davis and 16 from junior Ronald Roberts.
Up by one with under two minutes to play, St. Peter’s Prep came out of a time out in a zone defense, which seemed to confuse Seton Hall Prep and neutralize the Pirates’ talented guard combo of Sterling Gibbs and Jimmy Burke.
A big block by sophomore forward Keith Lumpkin on a 3-point attempt by Gibbs helped the Marauders secure victory.
Malcolm X Shabazz 55, Colts Neck 53
The lone girls contest saw Shabazz launch a late comeback to thwart an upset bid by Colts Neck, as the Bulldogs escaped with a 55-53 victory.
Coach Vanessa Watson’s squad led Colts Neck 27-26 at halftime but struggled offensively in the second half. With just under three minutes to play, Colts Neck led by seven points thanks in large part to the strong play of guard Lauren Clarke.
However, Shabazz’s talented junior guard Ka-Deidre Simmons refused to go down without a fight. Two late 3-pointers and some stout defense helped propel the Bulldogs to victory.
Simmons finished with 24 points. Clarke poured in 31 in defeat.
Paterson Catholic 52, Trenton Catholic 42
A strong fourth quarter helped Paterson Catholic pull away from Trenton Catholic, 52-42.
With the score knotted at 35 after three quarters, Fuquan Edwin and and Myles Mack gave the Cougars a much needed boost. Edwin, a junior, and Mack, a sophomore, each scored 16 points.
The immensely talented Cougars have struggled with consistency at times this season, but pulled together nicely in the fourth quarter, playing tough defense and running the floor well.
Junior guard Dondre Whitmore put on an impressive performance for the Iron Mikes. Going up against a slew of future Division I guards, Whitmore managed 14 points and created turnovers on defense.
The victory should help give Paterson Catholic some momentum as the team braces for the second half of its schedule. The Cougars are hoping to emerge from the loaded non-public group B state tournament bracket which should include St. Patrick and St. Anthony.
St. Benedict’s Prep 53, Linden 40
Phil Colicchio’s Tigers gave an admirable effort, but in the end, Danny Hurley’s St. Benedict’s Prep squad was too big and too deep in a 53-40 win.
Versatile forward Tristan Thompson led all scorers with 20 points. The Texas-bound junior is already one of the state’s best players and has emerged from the shadows of Samardo Samuels (Louisville) and Greg Echenique (Rutgers) to become an elite player nationally.
Linden was led by Elijah Hodge, who scored 13 points.
The Gray Bees remain undefeated. Despite a national-caliber schedule, their biggest test may come from a few miles south on Route 1/9. The St. Patrick Celtics loom on St. Benedict’s schedule in what is annually one of the state's most anticipated match-ups. That game is set for Feb. 4 at Rutgers University.
Plainfield 51, St. Anthony 48
Plainfield handed St. Anthony just its second loss to a public school in three years, as the Cardinals upset the Friars 51-48 in the day’s marquee match-up.
Plainfield jumped out to an early lead against the Friars as the Cardinal trio of Isaiah Epps, Tyrone Johnson and Anthony Baskerville pushed the game’s tempo and beat St. Anthony down the court on several fast breaks.
St. Anthony and coach Bob Hurley made some halftime adjustments and scored the first six points of the third quarter as the Friars entered the fourth quarter with a 35-34 lead.
But the guard play of Plainfield prevailed over the Friars’ inexperienced ball handlers. Epps and Johnson each made big plays down the stretch, and Jibreel Elliot hauled in a big rebound off a missed St. Anthony free throw to help secure the victory.
Epps,who recently committed to Pittsburgh, finished with 17 points. Sophomore Tyrone Johnson, being courted for both football and basketball, tallied 16 points. Baskerville added seven.
Dom Cheek led the scoring for St. Anthony. The senior finished with 13 points, but was a non-factor offensively for much of the game, perhaps still bothered by a knee injury that has plagued him for much of the season.
Notes
- The event attracted some notable Hudson County natives, including former Nebraska quarterback Jamaal Lord, a graduate of Bayonne High School, and Mike Rooney, who had an All-American career at Snyder High School.
-St. Joseph University head coach Phil Martelli was in attendance for several of the later games, likely to check out future Hawks’ big man David Bruce. The Linden forward struggled against St. Benedict’s, but showed flashes of extreme promise. Martelli is also recruiting St. Peter’s Prep junior Ronald Roberts.
-In the day’s third game, the Jersey City Fire Department defeated the Jersey City Police Department.
-St. Anthony played without transfers Derrick Williams, Devon Collier and Ashton Pankey. The trio of junior big men are eligible for the team’s next game against Putnam City (Okla.)
-The girls of Colts Neck will be highly ranked in the state again next year as their entire team is comprised of underclassmen.
