By: Sean Moylan
With 12 seconds to go in regulation, Maurice Calhoun, who already had 21 points and was five-for-six from the foul line, tossed up a three-pointer which would have put the Florence Township Memorial High School boys’ varsity basketball team ahead of Northern Burlington had it gone in. It just missed.
Then, with two seconds left, Abree Jones heaved a midcourt shot, which could have also given Florence a victory. It just missed.
Somehow, someway the Greyhounds escaped Florence on Monday night with a hard-earned 52-50 win over a never surrender Flashes’ squad.
"We (NBC) had a big third quarter (19-10), but they outscored us in the fourth quarter (16-11)."
In the fourth quarter we were playing a little "keep away" and we didn’t do a very good job of it," remarked NBC head coach Herman Johnson.
"We were up by 10 points with two minutes left and to their credit they came back."
While Cedric "The Entertainer" Jackson led all scorers with 23 points, Florence held him off the scoreboard in the final quarter.
It was a great victory for NBC, considering Florence rarely loses a game in its own building. It took a total team effort and some solid zone defense to hold down the explosive Flashes, however.
Danny Zimplemann was able to help the Greyhounds expand their lead in the third quarter with a pair of three-pointers.
"Jerry Howell had a nice game today (Monday). He had seven points," added Coach Johnson.
Meanwhile, Cornel Jones scored eight points and Anthony Barksdale had four points and five rebounds. Durrell Whitmore also connected for a couple of field goals for NBC.
In the end NBC was able to hold on because it never took Florence lightly even though it’s a Group I team.
Coach Johnson knew how good Florence was and is.
"Tonight (Monday) was a good win," added the third-year NBC head coach, who was very impressed with Calhoun, in particular.
Last Thursday the Holy Cross Lancers upset the Greyhounds, 47-39, at the Delran private school.
"What was so horrible was in the fourth quarter they (the Lancers) outscored us 15-4," noted Coach Johnson.
"Last week I think the events of the season caught up with us."
Even Jackson was merely mortal and only scored 14 points. Earlier in the season, NBC had pounded Holy Cross, 63-41.
Then in the Play-By-Play Network Classic on Sunday, A.P. Schalick nipped NBC, 63-61. The game was played at Rutgers in Camden.
Nevertheless Jackson (29 points including two treys) and C. Jones (18 points) did their best to keep NBC in the contest.
"(Sunday) we came out versus Schalick and there was some carry over from the Holy Cross games," noted Coach Johnson. "We just didn’t play well."
Barksdale (eight points), Zimplemann (four points) and Whitmore (two points) also scored for NBC. Schalick superstar Paul Gause led all scorers with 38 points.
NBC (14-8) is scheduled to wrap up the regular season with a road game at Shawnee today (Thursday). The Greyhounds are scheduled to host Freehold Boro in a Group III Central Jersey playoff contest on March 4.
This is a team that has played a brutal scheduled, yet with a week layoff before the playoffs, NBC should be refreshed and ready for the post season.
FLORENCE
If there was a tribe consisting entirely of players from the Florence Township Memorial High School boys’ varsity basketball team on the show "Survivor," it would win every challenge.
They’d be victorious because they would never give up and they’d refuse to let anyone put out their flame.
On Wednesday (February 18) the Flashes played McCorristin for a piece of the Freedom Division. And although the Iron Mikes had already beaten the Flashes earlier the season, those in the "know" knew the only possible outcome of this game would be a Florence win.
That’s not a slight against a fine, athletic McCorristin squad. It’s just that Florence puts up its greatest fights when championships are on the line. And when the talent level is closeFlorence wins the big ones. So Florence defeated McCorristin, 42-36. Ironically, the Flashes did not do it with "Flash"they won with defense as they often do.
Moreover they spread the wealth with Maurice Calhoun (12 points), Matt Ordog (nine points), Akiwande "A.O." Oshidi (eight points), Danny Miller (seven points) and Ryan Shafer (six points) all sharing the scoring load. It was a great late season win.
Since Bordentown moved exclusively to Group II this season, the Flashes versus the Scotties doesn’t pack the same punch as it once did.
Even so, many of the players on both squads know each other so the Flashes’ 73-32 victory over the Scotties at Florence last Thursday was, at the very least, for local bragging rights.
Calhoun (17 points), Miller (13 points), Oshidi (10 points) and Abree Jones (10 points) all scored in double figures. While Francis Ugowe had seven points and Shafer scored a half dozen points.
Florence’s most impressive victory of the week, however, was Saturday’s 53-29 win over Holy Cross.
In it the Flashes put on a defensive clinic early to take an incredible 30-9 halftime lead against a good Lancer’s squad.
With 15 points Shafer had one of his finest offensive games of the season. Oshidi was also terrific with 13 points.
Florence head coach Art Bobik was able to play everyone. Consequently, Joe Spahn (six points), Ordog (five points), Miller (five points), Jones (four points), Calhoun (three points) and Shaquan Virgil (two points) all scored against the Group III powerhouse.
Then on Monday, Northern Burlington edged Florence, 52-50, despite an amazing fourth-quarter comeback by the Flashes.
In fact, both Calhoun and Jones, took long shots in the final minute, which could have won the game for Florence.
Calhoun was amazing with 21 points. Miller and Ordog each chipped in with eight points while Oshidi (seven points), Jones (four points) and Spahn (two points) also tallied.
It was a week of games which would have devastated most teams. However, the Flashes managed to get three wins and a Freedom Division championship out of it.
As usual, they are the ultimate survivors.
Florence (16-4) was scheduled to have played at Hamilton West yesterday (Wednesday).
Then, on Friday, Florence is scheduled to host Burlington Township. The top-seeded Flashes are scheduled to host a playoff game on March 4.
BRHS
"I played the seniors (Tuesday) because it was their last game. And they did well," said Bordentown Regional High School boys’ varsity basketball head coach Mark Drew after Pemberton defeated his Scotties, 69-42, at Bordentown.
For the Scotties, who finished the season at only 6-16, it wasn’t about winning. It was and is about becoming better players.
In recent weeks Bordentown senior Kamal Patel had been getting more minutes on the court and he responded with several quality efforts. Against Pemberton, Patel scored a half dozen points. Longtime senior starters Kevin Cummings (five points) and Tom Gutowski (seven points) also played well against the bigger school.
Nevertheless, with Bordentown out of the playoff hunt early this year (it was the first time in Coach Drew’s great career that his basketball team didn’t qualify for the state tournament), over half of this season was devoted to developing a squad for next year while still remaining competitive.
This season junior Danny Sasso solidified his position as the Scotties most dangerous offensive threat. He canned a pair of treys while scoring seven points versus a defensive-minded Pemberton squad.
Amazingly, Sasso made 65 three-pointers this season. That’s nearly three a game.
In general, Coach Drew has been very pleased with the play of junior Thomas Knapp (four points), who is a hard-working defender and rebounder.
Sophomore Mike Pracko, who led the Scotties in scoring Tuesday night with nine points, has the potential to be a star. Moreover, James Brotherton (four points) also played well (four points) at Pemberton.
"I think we had a positive today," said Coach Drew following the contest.
Last Thursday, Bordentown had trouble in the intense heat of the Florence gym. A speedy Flashes team beat the Scotties, 73-32, that day.
Nevertheless Patel had a very impressive 12-point game in a losing cause.
Moreover, Mike Medina (five points), Knapp (four points), Ryan Pina (four points), Cumming (two points), Sasso (two points), Brotherton (two points) and Matt Rodenbaugh (a point) all scored for Bordentown.
By playing underclassmen much of the second half of the season, Coach Drew has a very good idea of what his club will look like next year. Furthermore a lot of players were able to get valuable varsity experience. In the end, Bordentown was able to turn a negative (losing) into a positive.
