Contrasting Final Games at New Jersey TOC
by Ray Floriani
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The New Jersey Tournament of Champions doubleheader at Continental Airlines Arena gave us two contrasting contests. The girls staged a nail-biter, while the boys championship saw the favorite lead from tap to buzzer.
Scores:
University 68, Trenton 62 (OT)
St. Patrick’s 85, Bloomfield Tech 64
In the girls game, the veteran Trenton team took a 15-point lead against the young University (Newark) team. University didn’t panic and gradually chipped away.
Freshman Lauren Mincy played a key role, and thought the defense was a key. “We went 2-3 zone to help stop their transition and trap on the wings,” she said. At the half, it was a three-point game with Trenton nursing a slight edge.
The second half, as expected, remained close. To a player the University girls were supremely confident inside. “We have been a strong third quarter team,” Latasha Hyman said. “At the half with the score close, we felt good because we knew the third quarter was ours.” University won the third quarter and the score was knotted at 43 as the final quarter began.
A crowd of just over 4,800 saw lead changes and a tense atmosphere that was the order down the stretch. With University down one, Tiffany Green rebounded a Mincy miss with ten seconds to go and was fouled. Green hit one of two and a last-gasp shot by Trenton missed.
In overtime, Mincy hit two free throws with ninety seconds to play. It was a lead University wouldn’t surrender as they earned a 68-62 decision.
In the boys final, Corey Fisher of St. Patrick’s canned a three at the first quarter buzzer that gave the Celtics a 24-8 lead. That lead was never seriously threatened as they rolled to an 85-61 decision over Bloomfield Tech.
The first quarter featured classic inside-outside play for St. Pat’s. Memphis-bound Jeff Robinson took care of things in the paint, while the Villanova-bound Fisher knocked down several threes.
In the latter part of the half Bloomfield Tech settled down, made a run and had the deficit to nine. A missed shot, turnovers and surrendering a few transition baskets once again expanded the Celtic margin.
“We had a bad pass here a floor imbalance that gave up transition,” Tech coach Nick Mariniello said. “(St. Pat’s) just doesn’t give you a margin for error. They just have so many weapons. They are far from a one-man team.”
Fisher led all scorers with 32 points and six assists, while Robinson added 21 points and Quintrell Thomas chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds. For the game, St. Pat’s shot 56 percent while limiting Bloomfield Tech to a 37 percent mark from the field. The Celtics were also a torrid 7 of 12 (58 percent) from beyond the arc.
“All season this group has had an air of confidence about them,” St. Pat’s coach Kevin Boyle said. “They’re very relaxed, but also very focused.”
In repeating as TOC titlists they were very much the latter.
Notes
- The beat goes on next year for St. Pat’s. Boyle will lose Corey Fisher and Jeff Robinson but there are others waiting in the wings. “I expect Dexter Strickland to be the best perimeter player in the state and Quintrell Thomas to be the best big man,” Boyle said.
A 6’3″ sophomore guard, Strickland is gifted but was often overshadowed by the game MVP Fisher. Thomas, a 6’6″ junior, can mix it up inside and move out to can the fifteen-footer.
Another player waiting in the wings is 6’6″ sophomore Paris Bennett. “He (Bennett) had bouts of mono,” Boyle said, “and even down the stretch only practiced in fifteen minute spurts.” After being cleared to play Bennett appeared sparingly. At full strength, Boyle feels Bennett will attract the same attention from recruiters that Strickland and Thomas are getting. - There was an interesting contrast to last season. Then, Bloomfield Tech was the veteran team upset by Linden in the TOC semis. This year the tables were turned as the young Tech group knocked off Linden in a thrilling semifinal on Saturday at Rutgers. Tech won the contest on Rich Hall’s 42 footer at the buzzer.
- A major reason this relatively young Bloomfield Tech team came so far was the play of seniors Rashon Dwight and Wesley Jenkins. Both 6’3″ guards, Dwight will head off to Iona while Jenkins is headed to another MAAC school, St. Peter’s. Dwight had 22 points while Jenkins added 20 in defeat.
“I have to give a lot of credit for our success to these two (Dwight and Jenkins),” Mariniello said. ‘They were probably my favorite players to coach. They both are excellent players, great leaders and a credit to the school in everything they do, in and out of the classroom. Both these guys will be all-MAAC players before their college careers are over.” - Both Bloomfield Tech and St. Pat’s were runner-up in their county tournaments. Seton Hall Prep knocked off Bloomfield Tech in the Essex County final, while Linden upset St. Pat’s in the Union County championship.
- Linden coach Phil Colicchio was on hand to take in the action, accept congratulations on an outstanding season and chat with writers, coaches and well wishers. “I haven’t even watched the NCAA tournament,” Colicchio said. “The snow bumped out the Bloomfield Tech game to (last ) Saturday so I didn’t watch any NCAAs.”
- The youthful exuberance was reflected in part by the four University players walking to the media room for post game interviews. As they walked down the hallway past the Net locker room and signs proclaiming recent division championships a few of the University girls lightly said, “Where’s Jason (Kidd)? Where’s Carter (Vince)? I want to meet them.”
- She is a freshman by class, but Lauren Mincy plays with a confidence, poise and skill of a seasoned veteran. The 6-foot Mincy earned game MVP honors with a game-high 22 points to go with six steals and six rebounds. Mature beyond her years, the bright lights of continental did not affect her performance.
“I’ve played a lot of AAU and in some big facilities,” said Mincy, who felt very much at home in this NBA facility. At six feet, Mincy can play inside but is better suited at the guard or wing position. Against Trenton she executed her role to perfection. “My job was to take it to the basket and get people into foul trouble.” “Attack the basket” was her priority, and she did just that with several nice penetrations into the lane.
With the NCAA Regionals headed to this same building in a few days, Mincy was asker her pick to win it all on the men’s side. “UNC,” she said. “without a doubt.” - During the half court celebration, Thoeodore Olive,r the brother of Universirty coach Felecia Oliver snapped pictures. “All my sister told the kids,” Theodore said, “was get me to the Ritacco Center (TOC early rounds). She felt this was a young team of the future.”
- Virtually a who’s who of coaches in attendance. Among those taking in the action were Tom Izzo, Tom Crean, Fred Hill, Bobby Gonzalez, Paul Hewiit and John Dunne.
- For the ladies it was a record-setting evening. University’s Nadirah McKenith handed out 13 assists, a new TOC mark. Trenton’s Torrie Childs tied a TOC standard with 9 blocked shots.
- Trenton, led by Leola Spotswood’s fifteen points, had four players in double figures. The veteran Trenton team was guilty of 25 turnovers, which proved to be their undoing. Point guards Jacoby Ford and Tracey Parsons both fouled out in the fourth quarter, which didn’t help matters.
- Spotswood earned team MVP honors. Little consolation for the junior forward of Trenton who said, “Words cannot begin to describe the hurt.”
- University’s nickname is the Phoenix which a virtually all of the players knew was a bird in mythology that rose from the ashes. It’s a quite appropriate nickname for this TOC titlist.
- Dunne was smiling watching the exploits of Jenkins. He has good range on his jumper, while the Iona-bound Dwight is probably a better penetrator. Both, as Mariniello said, will help their respective collegiate choices.
