Boys Basketball: North Brunswick starts strong, cruises to win in game of GMC Top 10 teams
NORTH BRUNSWICK— North Brunswick took the floor for Tuesday’s White Division showdown against Woodbridge with a little extra pep in its step, and it made all the difference.
The Raiders asserted themselves as the aggressors from the opening tip and maintained that energy to post a 69-56, wire-to-wire victory over Woodbridge in a matchup of teams boasting three-game winning streaks.
North Brunswick, 8-2 and ranked ninth in the latest MyCentralJersey Top 10 ranking, rode the energy of Alani Ajigbotosho to amass a 10-point advantage in the first quarter and a 34-25 halftime lead. Ajigbotosho delivered 15 points and eight rebounds, four at the offensive end, before intermission.
“We already knew that Woodbridge was going to be a really good team so we just knew that we had to come out and get them from the get-go,” Ajigbotosho said.
Woodbridge, 7-4 and ranked seventh, employed a box-and-one defense at times in the second half, limiting Ajigbotosho to four points after the break, but other Raiders stepped up and the outcome was never truly in doubt.
“I knew that even if I couldn’t score I have a lot of teammates who can score so I tried dishing the ball out to them,” Ajigbotosho explained.
North Brunswick used an 8-0 run, four apiece by Ajigbotosho and Brandon McCain (18 points, nine boards) to forge a 19-9 edge late in the first quarter, and the margin remained in double digits for most of the remainder.
Woodbridge failed to draw a North Brunswick foul, let alone attempt any free throws, in the first quarter, too, often settling for jump shots instead of attacking the rim.
The Barrons ran off six unanswered points to reduce the deficit to 43-37 on an inside bucket by Nadino Joseph off a feed from Derek Anderson with 2:30 left in the third quarter. But North Brunswick responded with seven consecutive points, the first five by Frankie Garbolino, and the margin never dipped back to single digits.
Garbolino tossed in eight of his 12 points after halftime and McCain struck for 10 of his as the extra attention for Ajigbotosho, who finished with 19 points and 11 boards, created opportunities elsewhere.
The Raiders got a huge lift off the bench from sophomore Tommy Karoma, who had seven points and three assists in the second half to provide another spark of energy.
Micah Eason paced Woodbridge with 15 points while Joseph added 13 and four blocks. Kendall Pala also rejected three North Brunswick shoots in the first half, further testimony to the Raiders’ commitment to offensive aggression.
“I think we’re doing really good, we just have to keep practicing hard, focusing on us and playing strong defense and we’ll be able to go far,” Ajigbotosho surmised.
Leaders: Scoring: (W) Eason 15, (NB) Ajigbotosho 19; Rebounds: (W) B. Anderson, Joseph 5, (NB) Ajibotosho 11; Assists: (W) Pala, Green, D. Anderson, Eason, Green, Pala, 2; (NB) Karoma 3.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Boys Basketball: North Brunswick starts strong, cruises to win
