Metuchen High School’s Cassie Smith, right, tries to pull down a rebound as South River High School’s Aleah Bass, left, and Lubica Zifovski, middle, look on during the March 11 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I finals played in South River. The Bulldogs won the state sectional title, needing overtime to get past the Rams, 45-43. STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER ERIC SUCAR ST. JOSEPH
T he basketball team at St. Joseph High
School, Metuchen, has one more hurdle to clear before it returns to the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title game. If the Falcons accomplish that goal, there’s a chance the team that defeated them in last year’s championship finals, Roselle Catholic High School, will be waiting for a rematch.
In a duplication of last year’s Non-Public championship games, St. Joe’s disposed of St. Peter’s Preparatory School, 85-72, to win the Non-Public A crown, while Roselle Catholic fought off St. Anthony’s High School of Jersey City, 60-57, to capture the Non-Public B title. The games were played on March 15 at the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River.
The Falcons (28-2) were awarded the top seed in the Tournament of Champions, which meant they earned an opening-round bye before taking on the winner of a game between Group I champion Pitman High School (fifth seed) and Group IV winner Linden High School (fourth seed) on March 20 at Monmouth University. If St. Joe’s wins, it earns another trip to the Tournament of Champions title game, which will be played at Sun Bank Arena in Trenton on March 24.
It was a time for celebration following their victory over St. Peter’s, as the Falcons captured their third consecutive state group crown and second straight over the Marauders. Following an all too familiar script this season, St. Joe’s languished in the first half, which ended with the Falcons on the short end of a 35-32 score. It didn’t help that two of the “Big Three,” Karl Towns and Wade Baldwin, rode the bench for much of the half after picking up their second fouls late in the first quarter. However, Marques Townes, the third member of the heralded trio, saved the day — and perhaps the game — by scoring 15 points to keep the Falcons close.
The third quarter featured the patented St. Joe’s lightning transition game, as the Falcons went on a 14-0 streak at the outset of the third quarter to take a 57-46 lead. St. Peter’s never recovered as St. Joe’s successfully fought off the Marauders’ attempts to retake the lead.
When asked how important it would be to win the Tournament of Champions, head coach Dave Turco brushed aside the implication that the season would be a failure if the Falcons don’t go all the way.
“It’s not fair to put it on this group [that it’s] Tournament of Champions [title] or bust,” Turco said. “These are 16- and 17-year-old kids, and this was their ticket to get to the [Tournament of Champions]. We were not ranked high because we didn’t play well at the beginning of the season. Wade had a bad back, and 40 percent of our team was playing football. It took some time for us to get our legs. But we’re playing the way we are supposed to play now, and I’m happy.
“Honestly, [the Non-Public A title] was our goal,” the coach added. “It would be nice to win the [Tournament of Champions], but you have to remember that these are kids, and they’ve had an outstanding season. To say that if [the Falcons don’t win the next two games that] they are not champions is wrong.”
METUCHEN
The Metuchen High School girls basketball team was eliminated in the state tournament last week, but not before the capturing the Central Jersey Group I championship.
The loss came at the hands of Haddon Township High School, 70-42, in the Group I semifinals at Deptford High School on March 13. What paved the way for the Bulldogs to reach the semifinals was a thrilling 45-43 overtime win against South River High School to capture the sectional title. In that contest, played at the top-seeded Rams’ court, Liane Cifrodelli drained a 3- point shot with a half-minute remaining to give Metuchen a one-point lead. The Bulldogs added another point to seal the deal.
Cifrodelli’s heroics were especially significant because Metuchen’s leading scorer, Cassie Smith, was held to 13 points, and often had four defenders boxing her out from getting to the basket.
The senior, who signed a letter of intent to attend Bentley College in Waltham, Mass., when she graduates, averaged more than 28 points a game this season and finished her career with 2,062 points, making her the all-time scorer in school history for either boys or girls.