Bulldog boys top Ridge for Mormile’s 100th career win

Hopewell Valley boys basketball

By: Mike Molaro
   After the Hopewell Valley Central High School boys basketball squad defeated Ridge 53-47 last Saturday afternoon at The Dawg Pound for Tony Mormile’s 100th career victory, the Bulldog head coach was more concerned about his guys getting a win than having his name entered into the record books.
   "Starting the season with a loss, we needed to turn things around," said Mormile, who in his seventh year with the Bulldogs after two seasons at Notre Dame. "There was a great improvement in the team over 18 hours."
   The Bulldogs fell to West Windsor-Plainsboro North 64-49 in their season opener last Friday night. With junior guard Pat Jablonski leading the way with a game-high 15 points and senior forward Kevin Osagie adding 10 points and 11 rebounds, HoVal (1-2) held off Ridge thanks to clutch fourth-quarter foul shooting from sophomore guard Mike Valcarcel and solid offense from junior guard Brian Skevington.
   Valcarcel was 6-for-6 from the free throw line in the final eight minutes and had 12 points for the game, while Skevington provided eight key points off the bench.
   "Kevin Osagie and (senior center) Kevin O’Shea got us going early by going inside and dominating the offensive boards," Mormile said. "Pat Jablonski carried us from midway through the second quarter to the fourth quarter.
   "Mike Valcarcel kept our lead with key free throws in the fourth quarter. He reminded me of (2005 HoVal graduate) Jeff Molinelli at the line. Brian Skevington is our sixth-man and did a great job coming off the bench. He scored eight points and we won by six. Sometimes his contributions go unnoticed."
   Not going unnoticed was Mormile’s 100th career triumph, which had to wait a day after the setback to the Knights.
   "Getting 100 wins means I’ve been fortunate enough to coach a lot of really good players over the years, starting with Notre Dame," Mormile said. "Getting 18 wins with last year’s team was very special.
   "Without the guys buying into what I’m preaching, it doesn’t work out."
   Mormile also gave thanks to the guys next to him on the bench.
   "My assistant coaches have played a huge role in those 100 wins," he said. "Guys like Jeff Losch (HoVal’s current girls varsity head coach) and my current assistants, Dave Caldwell, Herb Radeer and Brad Karisko."
   Jablonski topped HoVal with 13 points against the Knights, while O’Shea and Osagie each added 11. An 18-8 run by the home team put the Bulldogs in too deep of a hole.
   "North went on a 17-2 run to finish the first quarter," Mormile said. "From that point on, we couldn’t recover. For the good part of the first half, we followed the game plan by shutting down their top two guys. Other guys hurt us.
   "We expected a tough road game. Our guys worked hard and kept diving for loose balls. The coaches appreciated the effort."
   The Bulldogs dropped a 43-30 decision to Steinert on Tuesday at The Dawg Pound. Valcarcel led HoVal, now 0-2 in the rugged CVC, with 16 points, as the Spartans opened a 20-14 halftime lead and kept the Bulldog offense in check the entire game.
   "We beat Steinert twice last year, so we knew they’d be ready for us," Mormile said. "They played a great game. You have to give them credit. They took us out of our game and we never got untracked offensively."
• NOTES: Tonight is "Winter Homecoming" at HoVal. The girls varsity team opens things up at 5:30 p.m. against Montgomery at The Dawg Pound, the Bulldog wrestling squad takes to the mats at 6 p.m. in the old gym against Notre Dame, and the Bulldog boys face Montgomery at 7 p.m. at The Dawg Pound.