Don Bosco Prep and Saint Joseph’s Advances to Bergen County Jamboree Boys Final

(4) Saint Joseph 51, (8) Pascack Hills 43

Entering the third quarter, Saint Joseph held on to a slim 28-27 lead only to see Pascack Hills come out smoking, knocking down back-to-back trifecta’s but the Green Knights responded with a 10-0 run. In the fourth quarter, the game was still tight when Saint Joseph junior Joe Radi’s put back shot gave the Green Knights a 44-41 lead with 3:02 left. Pascack Hills fought back trimming the margin down to one point on a transition lay-up from junior Nick Guillerman.

Saint Joseph senior Nate Garvey who led the team with a game-high 21 points drained two crucial free throws with 1:15 remaining. The Green Knights defense stepped up with junior Isaac Hippolyte blocking a shot by Pascack Hills senior Evan Schumer. Radi buried two additional free throws to give Saint Joseph a 48-43 advantage.

“Free throws were key but wins boil down to simple basics did you hit your free throws, avoid turnovers and get stops defensively and our kids did that,” said Saint Joseph Head Coach Michael Doherty. “In a pressure situation they responded with great composure and tremendously proud of them. Our kids didn’t blink and dug in that third quarter after the two quick three’s. We kept talking about getting good shots and our guys on the board.”

In the first quarter the lead changed several times with the Cowboys holding a 14-13 lead. Green Knights senior Chauncey Hawkins came out on fire scoring ten of his 12 points on the night. Pascack Hills was on fire from beyond the arc connecting on five three-pointers midway through the second quarter. Guillerman finished with a game-high 14 points for the Cowboys while Schumer contributed 13 points.

(2) Don Bosco Prep 67, (1) Teaneck 57

The Don Bosco Ironmen jumped out to a big 16-2 lead in the first quarter and led 38-28 at halftime. Teaneck roared back in the third quarter with a 12-3 run, tying the game up at 43-43. However, Ironmen senior Brandon Anderson hit a key jump shot with two second left that sparked an 8-0 run and Don Bosco Prep held on for the 67-57 win. Anderson poured in a game-high 21 points.

“We knew it was important to hold on to the lead because they are a team of runs and momentum and we knew we had to stop that run and not let them get over the hump,” said Brandon Anderson. “We knew it was important to have momentum going into the fourth quarter.”

Ironmen sophomore Marcellus Earlington scored eight of his 15 points in the fourth quarter helping Don Bosco Prep maintain their lead over the Highwaymen. Teaneck did cut the lead down to 61-54 with 1:02 left but the Ironmen hit their free throws to put the game away for good. Junior Jawaun Daniels led Teaneck in scoring with 27 points  including four three-pointers while sophomore Ja’Quaye James netted 13 points.

“We did a pretty good job of minimizing their runs and didn’t turn the ball over too much,” said Don Bosco Prep Head Coach Kevin Diverio. “We settled down in the 4^th quarter by taking care of the ball and Brandon played great handling their double team pressure. We had a big lead and they cut into it but we never stopped playing and did enough to get by. Marcellus is instant offense off the bench rebounding the ball, finding the hoop, shooting the three and is a tough match-up for anyone. A valuable weapon for us coming off the bench and gives us a different look.”