Zangara pours in 17 twice to lead way
by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
The Manville High boys built a little winning streak last week, yet another reflection of how far this basketball team has come in the second year of head coach Marty Geiger.
Last winter, the Mustangs finished 2-20 with both victories coming over Sussex Tech. This year, the MHS boys have more than doubled that win total and they’ve beaten two more teams than last season.
While they’ve beaten Sussex Tech twice, the Mustangs also completed another season sweep with last Thursday night’s 67-52 home triumph over Belvidere. Manville’s other victory came against Roselle Park and there’s a chance those two old Mountain Valley Conference rivals will meet again before the end of the season.
”I’m real happy, this is great for the kids,” Geiger said after Thursday night’s victory. “These wins are only going to help them believe in what we’re doing and believe in themselves. This means a lot to them.”
The Mustangs had to work for Thursday night’s win. Belvidere came in hungry for revenge after losing to Manville on its home court on opening night. The Mustangs took control early and built a double-digit lead in the second half but had to weather a storm in the fourth period. The visitors pressed and got back in the game and the Mustangs were in foul trouble.
Things got very interesting but the Mustangs showed poise and composure, much like they did in the first meeting between the schools, to prevail again. Manville limited its mistakes and turnovers and made 10-of-14 free throws down the stretch.
”The big thing was that when it was slipping away, we pulled it out,” Geiger said. “This was a good win for the boys. They really did a good job.”
The Mustangs, who rarely have been completely healthy all season, were missing starting point guard Matias Gualtieri, who did a great job running the floor in the first meeting between the schools. Big man Karol Blicharz and scoring threat Matt Zangara fouled out, leaving the Mustangs even more depleted down the stretch.
Sophomore Mike Hopkins, who has picked up his scoring and made bigger contributions in recent weeks, did a great job stepping in. Junior Doug Bradley scored nine of his 15 points in the fourth quarter. Hopkins made 5-of-6 from the line in the final quarter.
Manville saw its 15-point lead shaved down to nine with 3:22 to play and Belvidere charging. Hopkins hit two free throws to make it 55-44 with 3:03 left but the County Seaters scored the next four points to make it a seven-point game with 2:51 remaining.
Geiger called timeout to settle things down and the Mustangs responded. Bradley hit a free throw, Dan Pierrot converted a layup after Hopkins did a great job keeping the ball inbounds and Bradley converted in transition to make it 60-48 with 1:54 left. Belvidere was stubborn and continued to foul the Mustangs, who made seven more free throws in the final 1:18.
The Mustangs outscored Belvidere 15-12 in each of the first two quarters to take a six-point lead at the half. Zangara fired in 17 points for the second straight game, with 11 coming in the first quarter. Pierrot scored six of his 15 in the second period. The Mustangs had three men in double figures for the second time this year vs. Belvidere.
Manville had four players in double digits in the team’s 60-40 victory at Sussex Tech earlier in the week. Zangara (17), Hopkins (14), Eric Hall (13) and Pierrot (12) were consistent throughout the contest.
The Mustangs struggled to squeeze past Tech 11 days earlier at home but rolled to victory on the road. The team made the proper defensive adjustments against Sussex Tech big man Jake Boylan, who dominated the first half of the previous meeting.
”It’s always an advantage playing a team the second time,” Zangara said. “You get to experience who their good players are and you know who to stop. The key to both wins was our defense.”
Manville clamped down on Belvidere’s Nick Hummer in Thursday’s contest. Although Hummer wound up with a game-high 23 points, he did most of his damage during the fourth quarter rally.
”He’s a really good player so we knew we had to stop him and make other people make plays,” said Zangara, who guarded Hummer most of the time with occasional help from his teammates.
Zangara matched Hummer’s scoring until fouling out on a controversial call with 3:03 to play in the game. The Mustangs kept their poise and did a great job handling the ball against Belvidere’s pressure. Hall, Pierrot, Bradley, Hopkins and Richie Kloskowski played keep away in the final minutes.
The Mustangs hope to add a few more victories to their record before the season ends. They still have winnable games remaining vs. Somerset Vo-Tech, Bound Brook, North Warren, South Hunterdon and Perth Amboy Tech.
”It’s good to get into a flow now,” Zangara said. “We just have to keep playing our best.”