Vikes rally to defeat Brick in CJ IV tournament opener

By: David Gurney
  &nbspThe score: Brick 26, South Brunswick 20.
  &nbspThe time: 4:07 to go in the third quarter.
  &nbspAt this juncture, it was all in the balance according to South Brunswick High School boys basketball coach Chris Balent.
  &nbspThe dream season, the top 20 ranking, the top three seed in the sectionals, all on the line.
  &nbspAnd Balent, his staff, and his team decided to lay it all on the line with a relentless, halfcourt, sideline trapping press that resulted in a 13-0 run that helped South Brunswick seize control of the game. The run carried the Vikings to a 52-33 victory over Brick in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV quarterfinals Wednesday in Monmouth Junction.
  &nbspWith the win, the No.3 seeded Vikings (24-2) visit on No. 2 Rancocas Valley at 7 p.m. on Friday night in the sectional semifinals.
  &nbspRancocas Valley (24-2) was a 61-44 winner over North Brunswick Wednesday night.
  &nbspThanks to one pivotal stretch in the second half, the Vikings get to extend their season by at least one more game.
   "It was just one of those situations where the game could have gone either way," Balent said after the victory. "They were in a little bit of foul trouble and we though their bench was a little weak. We just decided, let’s kind of throw everything at them.
   "They’re either going to break it and get some easy layups or, what happened, happened, and we get some steals and layups. One led to another, and it just became a snowball effect."
  &nbspThe snowball became an avalanche of steals and points, with the Vikings scoring nine points in a span of 49 seconds, highlighted by three Brick (20-7) turnovers and two buckets by senior forward Devon Young, who posted a game-high 24 points, along with 12 rebounds and four assists.
  &nbspThe spurt was part of a larger 32-7 run over the final quarter and a half of the game, when SB’s full court press and penetrating guards took over.
   "A lot of us were saying we didn’t want this to be our last game, that we had to pick it up," Young said. "Coach called a time out and we regrouped. We wanted to pressure their point guard, so we changed defenses and trapped when they crossed half court. We forced a lot of turnovers and scored off of them."
  &nbspAfter shooting a substandard 25 percent from the field in the first half, SB (24-2) connected for nearly 45 percent (13-for-29) of its shots, and sank all seven of its free throw attempts after shooting 3-of-6 at the line in the first half.
  &nbspThe standout was undoubtedly Young, who scored nearly half the Vikings’ points, including 16 second-half points. This after sitting out last Saturday’s regular season game against Ewing because of a sore foot.
   "We didn’t know with his foot how he’d be, we didn’t know if it would flare up again," Balent said. "Every time he went down, we went ‘Oh no.’ But he had a great game today."
  &nbspBrick kept the game close and competitive early, inspired by the several busloads of students that made the trip up.
  &nbspSB took a 13-9 lead at the end of the first quarter, behind eight by Young and baskets by senior guards Malcolm (five points, three assists) and Martin Soaries (six points, five steals).
  &nbspAfter falling behind 18-11, Brick narrowed the gap to 18-17 behind a three-pointer by center Tom Paterno (12 points) and a jumper by guard Mike Gowranski (11 points).
  &nbspTwo more baskets by Gowranski highlighted a nine-point second-half spurt by Brick to give them their largest lead of the game of six at 26-20 before SB’s decisive 13-0 run.