A courageous performance

Hopewell Valley boys basketball

By: Mike Molaro
   This was the only way the inaugural John Molinelli Holiday Classic could have ended.
   Senior guard Jeff Molinelli poured in 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds and controlled the action on both sides of the court Dec. 30 to help the Hopewell Valley Central High School boys basketball team defeat Lawrence 56-44 in the tournament final. Molinelli, who scored a combined 38 points in the two games, was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament that was named in memory of his father.
   With Molinelli leading the way, the Bulldogs overcame a 28-26 halftime deficit. HoVal’s one-two punch of senior center Brendan Rutledge, who had 23 points 10 rebounds and three blocks, and Molinelli was the too much for the Cardinals to handle.
   "Jeff was terrific against Lawrence," Hopewell coach Tony Mormile said. "It’s truly been amazing how he’s been able to separate what he’s gone through from what he does on the court.
   "We don’t win if Brendan doesn’t play the way he did in the second half. He has all kinds of potential. When he challenges himself, he can be unstoppable like he was in the second half."
   Lawrence, which advanced to the tournament final with a last-second 42-41 win over Hillsborough, led 15-10 after the first quarter and gave HoVal all it could handle.
   "Lawrence is a tough team," Mormile said. "They started out real well. Our defense brought us back in this game. We only gave up 29 points over the last three quarters.
   "I give Lawrence a lot of credit for how they came out. They forced us to play our best game."
   Mormile made a key defensive switch in the second half by putting Molinelli on Lawrence’s Brett Brackett, who is four inches taller. Molinelli responded by shutting down Brackett, and Rutledge caught fire offensively as the Bulldogs went on a 30-16 run.
   "Jeff plays Brackett very well," Mormile said. "He is able to play him low, and his teammates help him out well. I thought halftime was a good time for the defensive change."
   Molinelli was presented the tournament’s MVP trophy by his mother in front of a standing-room only crowd at the Dawg Pound. The fans, players and coaches recognized the importance of the award.
   "It was fate that Lawrence made it to the championship game against us," Mormile said. "This was the final Mr. Molinelli wanted to see.
   "This tournament was nice for the community. This was their way of saying how much they appreciate what the Molinellis are about."
   The Bulldogs advanced to the title game by downing St. Peter’s (N.Y.) 69-54 Dec. 29 behind 21 points from Molinelli and 20 from Rutledge. Senior guard Aksel Gungor added 12 points, and senior forward Dave Coville chipped in with 11.
   HoVal led by as many as 17 points in the second half, but the visitors cut the deficit to 10 going into the final quarter. The Bulldogs made 11 of 12 free throws over the final eight minutes to put the game away.
   Emotions understandably were high on the Bulldog bench before the game, but HoVal was able to channel its energy to the game at hand.
   "I was a little concerned going in that the guys might be too high," Mormile said. "But I got a sense from the shoot-around prior to the game and in the locker room that they were focused and ready to play."
   HoVal broke out to a 20-5 first-quarter lead before St. Peter’s roared back.
   "We played our best eight minutes in the first quarter," Mormile said. "Our passing was great, and we played terrific defense. We started well, but we weren’t able to finish them off. I credit St. Peter’s for not folding.
   "I expect Molinelli and Rutledge to lead us each game."
   After Hopewell defeated Lawrence, Mormile felt he witnessed the breakout game for Rutledge.
   "This is the kind of game that can build his confidence," Mormile said following the triumph over the Cardinals. "I don’t think there is anybody in Mercer County who can stay with him.
   "Brendan has a lot of ability. He can hit the 3-pointer, and he has every post move. I see it a lot in practice. I’d like to see it more in games."
   Rutledge continued his dominating play in Tuesday’s 59-49 home victory over West Windsor-Plainsboro South with a team-high 18 points in addition to 12 rebounds and three blocks as the Bulldogs (4-1) won their fourth consecutive contest.
   While Rutledge was controlling the glass and keeping the Pirates honest inside, it was a key 3-point play by Gungor with four minutes remaining that stemmed a South rally and gave momentum back to the Bulldogs.
   After the Pirates cut a 16-point deficit to three, Gungor finished off his 3-point play to up the HoVal lead to six and give the Bulldogs some breathing room down the stretch.
   "Aksel’s play was the turning point in the game for us," Mormile said. "South was coming on and had the confidence. Aksel gave the momentum back to us."
   Molinelli added 16 points for HoVal, which led 19-7 after the first quarter and 29-21 at halftime. The middle two quarters proved to be a little too helter skelter for the Bulldogs.
   "The final score was not indicative of the type of game this was," Mormile said. "It could’ve gone either way.
   "We were in complete control in the first quarter. We let them back in during the middle of the game. South pressured us defensively, and we didn’t deal with it. We rushed our shots. We need to work on that. It’s better to learn from a win than a loss."
   After a season-opening loss, the Bulldogs have ripped off four straight wins. Still, there is some fine-tuning to be done before they reach their full potential.
   "We have to get better at playing a full game," Mormile said. "We have to put 32 minutes together. We start out strong every game but seem to have some challenges in the middle of the game. We need to work on handling the opponent’s defensive pressure better.
   "It’s not like we’re starting from scratch. We’re 4-1, and I feel we are building from strength."
• NOTES: The Bulldogs host Notre Dame tomorrow evening and Steinert next Tuesday.