Raritan rockets to school’s first SCT title
Outlast top-ranked Neptune in hard-fought final
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer
TOMS RIVER — The Raritan High School boys basketball team was not about to let a chance at making history pass them by for a second year in a row.
With a second consecutive shot at winning the first Shore Conference Tournament title in school history at stake, the Rockets survived a hectic contest against top-seeded Neptune on Saturday and won the elusive title with a 60-58 victory at Toms River North’s Ritacco Center.
In a game that was played like a heavyweight prize fight, with both teams trading punches throughout, the Rockets persevered thanks to an inspired effort from their big man, the play-making ability of their point guard, and some clutch foul shooting from a quiet senior.
Junior forward Qa’rraan Calhoun was a menace underneath for the Rockets, scoring 18 points, grabbing eight rebounds and registering six blocks. His presence around the hoop forced Neptune to take bad shots throughout the game, while his athletic ability and endurance wore down the Scarlet Fliers’ defense at the other end of the floor.
Meanwhile, junior point guard Marques Johnson had the unenviable task of handling the non-stop defensive pressure the Scarlet Fliers throw at the opposition through a series of full-court presses and zone defenses.
"They’ve got a great defense. They were pressing pretty well, and we just had to keep our poise out there, limit our mistakes, and keep control of ourselves," Johnson said.
That is easier said than done, but Johnson was able to provide that stability for the Rockets, while simultaneously adding 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists.
"You get tired with all the pressure coming at you all game, but I’ve got some great teammates to pass the ball to, so I caught my breath whenever I could," Johnson said.
The Rockets got contributions from a number of players on Saturday, including senior Joe Reyes, who chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore guard Dave Lonnay, who hit two treys
And then there was senior Mike Nunes, who was relatively quiet offensively for most of the afternoon, but still managed to step up to the foul line and calmly hit four clutch free throws in the game’s final two minutes, including two with just 10 seconds left that essentially sealed the win for the Rockets.
"You’ve got to come up big, and make big-time plays," Nunes said. "And the whole team came up big today."
And while the win made history, it hardly came as a surprise to the confident Rockets.
"We knew that we could beat them, after our come-from-behind victory over them the last time we played," Nunes said. "We just wanted to play like we did in the second half of that game, and make sure we won this one, not like last year [when the Rockets scored just seven second-half points in a loss to Christian Brothers Academy in the SCT final]."
"We expected to come out here and play our game and win the first Shore Conference Championship for Raritan High School," Calhoun added.
The game itself consisted of a series of runs, with Raritan holding a 13-11 lead after the first period. The Rockets’ lead grew to 19-13 with just over five minutes left in the first half, but Calhoun was called for a technical foul for jawing with Neptune’s Akeem Humphrey, and that sparked a 13-0 Neptune run that led to a 28-19 Fliers lead. During that time, Neptune’s Kevin Brown took advantage of Calhoun’s absence to make his presence felt. Brown scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the first half, most of which came with Calhoun on the bench.
Raritan clawed back and closed to within five, 28-23 at the half, and continued to come back once play resumed. The two teams battled it out through the third quarter, leading to a 41-41 deadlock after three periods.
The two teams continued to trade hoops before Brown was called for his fourth foul with 7:18 left to play and had to take a seat. His absence led to a 7-2 run which gave Raritan the 50-43 lead with just over four minutes left. Neptune got to within three when Brown was whistled for his fifth foul, and what turned out to be the turning point of the game.
Raritan was in control from there, clinging to the lead, and hitting their free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Following the game, Raritan coach Sean Devaney had mixed emotions regarding his team’s play, though he couldn’t hide his emotions regarding the end result.
"It didn’t look like it, but we wanted to handle their pressure, but obviously they’re relentless on their press," he said, pointing to his team’s inability to break the Neptune press consistently. "That was disappointing in one way, but I thought in the first half we kind of lost our composure, and when we got the lead back, even though we turned it over, I thought we stayed calm, so I was happy with that.
"We’ve played them so many times, I don’t think there are any surprises. They’re just a great team. They’re relentless. I thought we had them early on. It’s just a typical Raritan-Neptune game. It’s a war."
Devaney credited Johnson with his ability to keep his composure in the face of relentless pressure.
"Marques Johnson did a great job all year for us," he said. "He’s one of our main guys, so we get the ball to him and try to clear out a little bit, and create space for him. And if he gets fouled, we’re confident that he’s going to knock it down."
And once the SCT championship trophy was in his players’ hands, Devaney was finally able to relax.
"This is a credit to this year’s kids, and last year’s kids. I’ve been saying that Raritan’s had good basketball since before I got here, and we were finally able to top it off."
As for his players, they’re already licking their chops at the state tournament, which gets under way this week.
‘This should definitely give us some momentum heading into the states," Johnson said. "We’re really jelling as a team, so we’ll just look to keep moving the ball around, and hopefully we’ll get things done in the states."
The Rockets are the third seed in the North II, Group III tourney, and received a first-round bye. They will face sixth-seeded Mendham tomorrow night in the quarterfinals. Greater Middlesex Champion South Plainfield is the top seed in the bracket.