Jackson Memorial High School boys basketball teammates Eric Carter and Marcus Ademilola share in the excitement of the Jaguars winning the Shore Conference A South Division championship
Carter, a 6-foot-7 senior forward heading to the University of Delaware in the fall, has been on the varsity roster since his freshman year. In three years as a starter, he has experienced three championships.
“It’s been awesome,” said Carter, the only established starter from last season.
Ademilola, a senior who was on the bench for the first time last season, has started on two A South championship teams this school year. He first won as a tight end on the football team that captured its first division championship since 2005, and then as a forward on the basketball team.
“It’s pretty cool, but both [championships] come with hard work,” Ademilola said. “We all work hard every single day, and it’s shown on the court and on the football field. It’s hard work and dedication.”
At 16-5, the Jaguars carried that championship mantle into tournament play, beginning on Feb. 18 in the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT). The No. 9-seed Jaguars played host to No. 24 Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, with the winner moving on to the next round on Feb. 20 against either No. 8 Shore Regional High School or No. 25 Marlboro High School. A year ago, Jackson Memorial lost in the SCT quarterfinals, 45-41, to Manasquan High School.
Jackson Memorial is seeded sixth in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV tournament and plays host to No. 11 South Brunswick High School on March 4. The Jaguars beat the Vikings, 54-51, in its state tournament opener a year ago. North Brunswick ended Jackson Memorial’s season in the next game, 50-43.
Although it’s a different starting lineup from a year ago, when the Jaguars went 22- 6, they want to go further in postseason play.
Losing only twice to Southern Regional High School in A South play, coach Joe Fagan said winning the division was “not a shocker” behind Carter, who averages 15 points and 10.9 rebounds a game. He also averages 1.8 blocks. “We were projected to win it [in preseason forecasts], but by no means was it easy,” Fagan said. “We struggled defensively to find ourselves all year and to get consistency on the offensive end. But in the last two weeks, we showed signs of progress on both sides of the ball. We’re starting to play our best basketball of the year.”
That includes not only Carter and Ademilola, who averages 5.5 points and 2.2 rebounds a game, but also the three juniors who start at the other spots. Forward Jesse Hill averages 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds two blocks per game. Point guard C.J. Blue and shooting guard Gino Palumbo are new to the backcourt. Blue averages 4.7 points a game, while Palumbo drops in 6.4 points a game. Fagan said the guard play “is improving,” with junior Ed Landi contributing off the bench.
Jackson Memorial won eight of its last nine games, marred only by a 45-43 loss to Southern Regional on Feb 4. Southern Regional won the other game between the two teams, 54-47, on Jan. 10. Jackson Memorial also lost to Manchester Township High School, 58-42, in the WOBM Christmas Classic finals.
As a team, Jackson Memorial hits 51 percent of its shots, with Carter putting in a blistering 64 percent from the low post.
“Over the last four or five games, I’ve really gone into my zone,” Carter said. “I’ve found my strong points and my weak points.”
That includes good shot selection and involving his teammates to take the pressure off him, as shown in his team-high 3.3 assists per game. As a team, Jackson Memorial averages 10.3 assists a game.
“I try not to force my shots and let the game come to me,” Carter said. “When my teammates score, it opens up the floor. It’s the best time to go into the tournaments right now.”
“Our team chemistry is up there,” Ademilola said. “When we’re communicating on defense, it’s hard to score on us. We’re passing the ball well, and when we do that successfully, it’s hard to stop us. But going into the postseason is no different from the regular season. We’ll just take it one game at a time.”
Ademilola said he hopes for a solid ending to the season. He is deciding to spend a fifth year in prep school this fall at either Avon Old Farms School in Connecticut or the Lawrenceville School.