Second round of states was Wednesday night boy-girl doubleheader
By James Evans, Special Writer
In front of a roaring crowd on both sides of the court, the South Hunterdon Eagles boys’ basketball team defeated Academy Charter Panthers, 57-28, on Tuesday night in the first round of the state playoffs.
The Eagles were scheduled to host South River last night (Wednesday) in the second half of a boy-girl doubleheader in hopes of a second-round win and their second 20-win season in three years.
On Tuesday night, South’s Tyler Frazee had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 2 steals, the Eagles improved to 19-6 on the year.
Both teams’ crowds were going crazy at the start of the game, with the Panther fans traveling very well from Belmar to see their team play. Parents, students and cheerleaders vocally combated the “Blue Crew” from South Hunterdon.
In the first quarter, it looked like the Panther fans could be cheering for a first-round upset. South’s first-quarter lead was “lowlighted” by senior guard Jake Whittaker going 0-3 shooting. He finished with only 2 points on 0-9 from the floor.
”It was good to get my first state win — actually, everyone’s first state win — despite the performance I had tonight,” said Jake.
The Eagles broke out in the second period to lead, 28-13, at the half, inspired by a 10-0 run to open the quarter.
At the half, three Eagles had 5 rebounds or more, as Tyler Frazee (finished with 5), John Conlon (6), and Clay Hope (7) all played well in finding the missed shots. Said postgame, Hope, who also had 6 points in the contest, talked about how he was “worn out from practice this week after a hard loss at Bound Brook”.
The Eagles opened the second half with a 7-0 run, with senior guard Daniel Begg playing great in the run. Begg, who scored six points, said, “It was an “electric feel to the game with both fans going nuts for there team” and that it “was truly fun to see.”
Against South River, the Eagles looked to contain star senior Matt Martinez, who had 38 points in South River’s opening-round game against Henry Hudson.