South Brunswick beats Cherokee in overtime; meets Linden at high noon Sunday for championship
By: David Gurney
ATLANTIC CITY – Without a field goal all game and his team down by one, South Brunswick High School senior guard Brian Morgan couldn’t have picked a better shot or time to break the proverbial slide.
Morgan’s three-pointer 58 seconds into overtime gave SB a one-point lead and consecutive three-pointers by senior guard Malcolm Soaries helped solidify the advantage, carrying the Vikings to a 57-49 overtime victory over Cherokee in the NJSIAA State Group IV Semifinals at Atlantic City High School yesterday.
With the win, SB moves on to the NJSIAA Group IV Finals against North Jersey champion Linden (29-2) at Rutgers Louis Brown Athletic Center Sunday at noon.
SB was paced offensively by Soaries, who led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-3 from three-point range. Senior forward Devon Young was the only other Viking in double figures, with a workmanlike 12 points on 5-for-11 shooting while dishing out five assists.
But after the game, it wasn’t about the stats or who did what. It was all about finally getting to the Rutgers Athletic Center, otherwise known as ‘the RAC.’
"I just thought about the RAC when I took those shots in overtime," said Soaries after the game, who also chipped in with two assists and a steal. "I knew that we were only minutes away from the RAC. Brian Morgan has stepped up all season and I saw they were on Devon in the paint and I just hit those shots."
In overtime, SB attacked the Cherokee (22-8) zone defense, which switched from a 2-3 to a 3-2 in the second half, by getting the ball inside to Young.
Drawing constant double and triple teams, Young identified the traps and found the open shooters on the perimeter, who, more often than not, was Soaries spotting up for three.
"In the overtime, they knew we were going to throw it inside so they knew they had to take it away," Young said. "In this case, I just tried to get it to the open guy and we hit some shots down the stretch.".
After Morgan’s three-pointer made it 44-43 in favor of SB, Young assisted on each of the next two hoops, both treys by Soaries from near identical spots on the floor at the top right of the arc.
Those two threes made it 50-45 with 1:10 remaining in the extra period. A forced turnover by Young on reserve forward Mike Roeder gave the ball back to SB (27-2), needing to hit free throws to maintain the advantage.
SB went 7-for-8 from the line in overtime to clinch the victory and state finals berth for only the second time in school history.
Meanwhile, defensively the Vikings held Cherokee’s leading scorer Clarence Jackson (20 points) to just four points in overtime on 1-of-4 shooting, making him a virtual non-factor.
"We had seen on film a couple teams play a box and one on him and even when they play that he’s going to get his points," South Brunswick head coach Chris Balent said. "But in the fourth quarter and overtime he kind of wore down."
The game was a nail-biter from start to finish, featuring nine ties and 13 lead changes, with neither team holding a lead of more than four in regulation.
The largest advantage of the game was 10, reached by the Vikings with 9.9 seconds left in overtime.
Young had a chance to win the game in regulation after Cherokee tied it at 41 with 18 seconds left. But Young’s drive and shot in the paint rimmed out with a second remaining to send the game into OT
"I thought it was going in," Young said of the potential game-winner. "But once I missed it, I said ‘It’s overtime.’ I looked at the players in the face and knew they wanted it."
SB excelled in front of a pro-Viking crowd that predominantly contained students who made the trip down. The Vikings were complimentary of the support after the game, especially with SB fans outnumbering South Jersey school Cherokee, who had a much shorter drive.
"It’s crazy, it’s been a whole other experience," Soaries said. "Everyone was hyped. That’s what we needed, really. This really picked us up."

