By Danny Wild
MaxPreps.com
St. Anthony, the nation’s top-ranked team, improved to an incredible 25-0 last Thursday live on ESPN with a 64-53 win over American Christian at the Old Spice High School Showcase at Saint Peter’s College. The Friars led by 12 at the half, but American Christian reeled off a 14-0 run in the third quarter to take the lead.
St. Anthony had led by as much as 15, but a cold spell in the third nearly derailed the perfect season. How unlikely was the Eagles comeback? When Tyreke Evan’s basket in the third gave Christian a 40-39 lead, it marked the first time St. Anthony had trailed in the second half of a game this season.
The Friars awoke and went on a roll with 14 points in the final three minutes to snag the win. Mike Rosario led the comeback effort, scoring eight of his 17 points in the final three minutes. Dom Cheek led St. Anthony with a game-high 20 points, all in the first half.
Evans led the Eagles (26-6) with 17 points and a handful of impressive dunks.
And so, St. Anthony remains the best team in America again this week in the MaxPreps national poll. The Jersey City squad is ranked higher than Mater Dei (CA, 29-0), Hopkins MN, (22-0) and fellow Garden State rival St. Benedict’s Prep (27-1).
Rank ‘Em
We obviously know that St. Anthony is No. 1 in Jersey. Here’s a look at this week’s MaxPreps New Jersey Top-10:
1. St. Anthony (Jersey City) Have out-scored opponents 1,966-963 through Feb. 21
2. St. Benedict's Prep (Newark) Finished the regular season with 14 straight wins
3. St. Patrick (Elizabeth) Held opponents to fewer than 65 points in four of their final five wins
4. Paterson Catholic (Paterson) Took care of Pompton Lakes on Thursday, 86-39
5. Linden: Tigers took a 67-56 loss to No. 3 St. Patrick on Saturday, face Elizabeth Feb. 28
6. Science Park (Newark) Charges are 23-2 overall and undefeated since Jan. 22
7. Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey) Ironmen are 7-0 on the road and have reeled off 17 straight wins
8. Union: Two straight losses to No. 5 Linden and American Christian (PA) to finish up
9. Paul VI (Haddonfield) Eagles are 24-1 and have not lost since Dec. 18
10. Bloomfield Tech: Knocked off Caldwell,71-45, on Wednesday but had lost two of three
Bloody Drama at the Buzzer
A bloody Tom Carter nailed an incredibly clutch, overtime, half-court, three-pointer with 0.3 seconds remaining to lift Monsignor Donovan past Colts Neck, 54-53, in the Shore Conference Tournament semis on Friday.
Kind of a memorable moment.
The senior took an elbow to the face in the fourth quarter and was dripping blood all over the court, according to the Newark Star-Ledger. With a bandage on his cheek, Carter returned to action and heaved a prayer from just inside the mid-court line at the buzzer, only to give Donovan a win.
Was it shocking, though? Donovan coach Mike Kearny claims he makes his players practice that exact shot in practice.
“I've never seen such a big shot to win such a big game,” Kearney told the Star-Ledger after his boys earned a trip to the conference final. “The play was to slip a guy through the weak side. We were not pleased when we threw it to Tom at the top of the key. We do practice half-court shots at the end of every practice, though.”
Kyle Milana led Donovan with 15 points and Carter finished the game with 14 points and 11 boards. Monmouth County's leading scorer, Steve Spinella, led Colts Neck with 17 points and a dozen rebounds.
Cisco Leads Mendham to Morris County Crown
A career-high 39 points from Mark Cisco led Mendham (20-4) past Delbarton on Saturday, 62-47, to win the 39th Morris County Tournament at the County College of Morris in Randolph.
Nearly 2,000 fans saw Cisco slug it out with Delbarton star Pat Sullivan on the court in a heated battle that became somewhat one-sided in the second half. Sullivan, a 6-foor-5 senior, finished the game with a career-high 35 points – easily more than half of his team’s total score – on 12-of-16 shooting from the floor.
Cisco, however, was 14-of-18 and grabbed a dozen rebounds in the win.
"In the second half, we had no answers for Cisco," Delbarton coach Dan Whalen told the Star-Ledger. "They did a great job dribble penetrating and getting him the ball."
Cisco, a 6-foot-8 junior, dominated in the paint.
“We started playing real well in the second half and it made easier for me to score,” Cisco told the newspaper. “Even on rebounds, I thought the ball would bounce one way or the other, but it would bounce straight to me. It felt awesome."
Ortiz Helps Science Park to Essex County Championship
Ken Ortiz scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead No. 6 Science Park to a 54-43 win over defending champs Seton Hall Prep on Saturday for the crown in the 62nd Essex County Tournament at Essex County College.
It’s the first county title for Science Park, a Newark squad that entered the tournament as the top seed. Seton Hall entered as the10th seed and leads the county with 12 titles all-time.
"The whole plan was to get past them, Ortiz said of his speed to the Star-Ledger. “We knew they weren't as quick or athletic as us. We just wanted to get in the lanes. And then if they helped out, we could just kick it out."
Sofman, Houser, Mellina Team Up for West Milford over Newark
West Milford and Newark Academy hooked up for a classic shootout on Saturday – an eventual 90-88 win for Milford thanks to 18 points from Jason Sofman.
Newark took an 18-13 lead after the first and then scored 30 points in the second quarter for a commanding 48-35 lead. West Milford stormed back with 22 in the third and 33 points in the final eight minutes to pull out the win. Sofman was 8-of-14 from the floor and had plenty of help from his teammates. Nick Mellina scored 17, Chad Houser added 17 (thanks to five from the foul line) and Nick Resavy hit three from long range and finished with 15.
From the Turnpike to the Parkway…
Jefferson Township fell to Pope John XXIII on Saturday, 57-51, in one of the closer games played on the afternoon. Northern Highlands got past Ramsey, 61-39; Jackson Memorial thrashed Pemberton, 61-52; Kennedy of Paterson slammed Ridgewood, 69-63 and Mendham handed Hanover Park a 61-49 loss. Cranford, Cape May, Ramapo, Chatham, Bound Brook, Ridgefield Park, Ramsey, Notre Dame, Wayne Valley and St. Peter’s Prep all scored wins last week.
Playoff Brackets
Round 1 of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) begins on Monday, and here’s what the pairings look like, thanks to NJ.com. Seedings precede each team – where does your school rank?
NORTH JERSEY SECTION 1
GROUP 4
9-Kearny at 8-Vernon; winner at 1-Passaic.
12-Passaic Tech at 5-Paterson Kennedy.
13-Ridgewood at 4-Paterson Eastside.
14-Newark West Side at 3-Hackensack.
11-Barringer at 6-Bloomfield.
10-Montclair at 7-North Bergen, winner at 2-East Orange Campus.
GROUP 3
9-Passaic Valley at 8-Teaneck; winner at 1-West Milford.
12-Montville at 5-Northern Highlands
13-Sparta at 4-Mount Olive
11-Roxbury at 6-Morris Hills; winner at 3-Jefferson
10-Wayne Valley at 7-Old Tappan; winner at 2-Wayne Hills.
GROUP 2
9-Mahwah at 8-Kittatinny; winner 1-Newton
5-Manchester Reg. at 4-Englewood
6-Westwood at 3-Pascack Valley
10-North Warren at 7-Elmwood Park; winner at 2-Pascack Hills.
GROUP 1
9-New Milford at 8-Leonia; winner at 1-Cedar Grove
5-Palisades Park at 4-Wood-Ridge
11-Bogota at 6-Cresskill; winner at 3-Saddle Brook
10-Hasbrouck Heights at 7-Verona; winner at 2-Park Ridge
NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2
GROUP 4
9-Plainfield at 8-Ridge; winner at 1-Bridgewater-Raritan
12-Elizabeth at 5-Linden; winner at 4-J.P. Stevens
11-Irvington at 6-Union; winner at 3-Columbia
10-Bayonne at 7-Watchung Hills; winner at 2-Piscataway
GROUP 3
9-Shabazz at 8-Warren Hills; winner at 1-Rahway
5-Union Hill at 4-Colonia
6-Emerson (U.C.) at 3-Scotch Plains-Fanwood
7-Cranford at 2-Mendham.
GROUP 2
9-Mountain Lakes at 8-Newark Central; winner at 1-Bernards
5-Orange at 4-Ridgefield Park
11-Hanover Park at 6-Lodi; winner at 3-Lincoln
10-West Essex at 7-Hackettstown; winner at 2-Chatham
GROUP 1
9-North Arlington at 8-N. 13th Street Tech; winner at 1-Science Park
12-Lyndhurst at 5-Technology
13-University Charter at 4-Secaucus
11-Hoboken at 6-High Tech; winner at 3-University
10-Newark Tech at 7-Dayton; winner at 2-Bloomfield Tech.
CENTRAL JERSEY
GROUP 4
9-Hunterdon Central at 8-South Brunswick; winner at 1-Trenton
5-Sayreville at 4-Colts Neck
6-West Windsor South at 3-Freehold Township
10-Montgomery at 7-North Brunswick; winner at 2-Rancocas Valley
GROUP 3
9-Hopewell Valley at 8-Freehold Boro; winner at 1-Middletown South
12-Hightstown at 5-Red Bank
13-Princeton at 4-Monmouth Regional
11-Point Boro at 6-Monroe; winner at 3-Nottingham
10-Westampton Tech at 7-Hamilton; winner at 2-Neptune
GROUP 2
9-Shore Regional at 8-Bordentown; winner at 1-Manasquan
5-Somerville at 4-Weequahic
11-Spotswood at 6-Carteret; winner at 3-Roselle
10-Gov. Livingston at 7-Rumson-Fair Haven; winner at 2-Delaware Valley.
GROUP 1
9-Brearley at 8-New Providence; winner at 1-Middlesex
12-Metuchen at 5-South Amboy; winner at 4-Asbury Park
11-Dunellen at 6-Create Charter; winner at 3-Keyport
10-Perth Amboy Tech at 7-Bound Brook; winner at 2-Academy Charter
SOUTH JERSEY
GROUP 4
9-Pennsauken at 8-Mainland; winner at 1-Toms River North
5-Atlantic City at 4-Vineland
6-Cherokee at 3-Williamstown
10-Eastern at 7-Absegami, winner at 2-Winslow
GROUP 3
9-West Deptford at 8-Camden Wilson; winner at 1-Ocean City
5-Seneca at 4-Clearview
11-Shawnee at 6-Delsea; winner at 3-Timber Creek
10-Deptford at 7-Moorestown; winner at 2-Lower Cape May
GROUP 2
9-Overbrook at 8-Glassboro; winner at 1-Cinnaminson
5-Pleasantville at 4-Medford Tech
6-Middle Township at 3-Haddonfield
7-Pennsauken Tech at 2-Collingswood
GROUP 1
9-Pitman at 8-Lindenwold; winner at 1-Salem
12-Burlington City at 5-Woodbury; winner at 4-Palmyra
11-Lower Cape May at 6-Wildwood; winner at 3-Paulsboro
10-New Egypt at 7-Clayton; winner at 2-Penns Grove.
NORTH JERSEY
NON-PUBLIC A
9-Bergen Catholic at 8-Immaculata; winner at 1-Queen of Peace
5-Seton Hall Prep at 4-DePaul
11-St. Peter's Prep at 6-St. Joseph (Mont.); winner at 3-Pope John
10-Pingry at 7-Delbarton; winner at 2-Don Bosco Prep
NON-PUBLIC B
9-Kearny Christian at 8-Morristown-Beard; winner at 1-St. Anthony
5-St. Mary's (Ruth.) at 4-Paterson Catholic
11-Montclair Kimberley Academy at 6-Eastern Christian; winner at 3-St. Patrick
10-St. Mary's (Eliz.) at 7-Marist; winner at 2-Newark Academy
SOUTH JERSEY
NON-PUBLIC A
9-St. Joseph (Met.) at 8-Gloucester Catholic; winner at 1-Holy Spirit
5-Bishop Ahr at 4-St. Augustine
11-Red Bank Catholic at 6-Notre Dame; winner at 3-Camden Catholic
10-Christian Brothers at 7-Msgr. Donovan; winner at 2-Paul VI (Hadd.)
NON-PUBLIC B
5-St. Joseph (Hamm.) at 4-Holy Cross; winner at 1-Cardinal McCarrick
6-Timothy Christian at 3-St. Rose
7-Bishop Eustace at 2-Trenton Catholic
Danny Wild is a writer and photographer for MaxPreps and can be reached at danny@danny-wild.com
