Boys basketball: North Jersey highlights from Day 5 of state tournament
RAMSEY – Don Bosco is still alive because of defense … defense … and more defense.
The top-seeded Ironmen forced Hudson Catholic to miss its final three shots in the final 40 seconds to hold on for a dramatic 43-41 victory in Friday night’s North Non-Public A boys basketball quarterfinal.
Junior Dylan Harper blocked the first shot, junior reserve William Mensah blocked the second shot, and the duo combined to force a missed 3-pointer that, if good, would have brought Don Bosco’s season to an inglorious end. The Ironmen had to defend three shots because the ball went out of bounds after the two blocks.
“Somehow we found a way to win the game, and at this point in the year, that’s all that matters,” said coach Kevin Diverio, whose Ironmen host No. 5 Bergen Catholic in Monday’s semifinal.
Don Bosco (26-2) picked it up after intermission. Harper scored 13 of his game-high 17 and junior Isaiah Brown scored eight of his 14 in the second half. Brown put the Ironmen ahead for good, 41-39, on a driving left-handed banker, and his transition layup off a Harper feed made it 43-39.
“We had to regroup, get together, figure out what we were doing wrong,” said Brown, whose Ironmen trailed by as much as 21-11 in the second quarter and 23-18 at halftime. “In the second half, we just came out faster, stronger, and we just locked in.”
Hudson Catholic outworked Don Bosco on the glass and the return of Tahaad Pettiford turned the Jersey City school from a No. 9 seed into a legitimate sectional title contender. Pettiford scored 11, while Chazz Dubois scored 10 of his team-high 16 in the first quarter to help provide a 15-7 lead.
“It’s kind of what we expected, a war,” Diverio said. “They’re really good, getting Pettiford back is huge for them, and they gave us everything that we could handle.”
The final play. With 6.5 seconds left, Hudson Catholic inbounded near its bench to Pettiford, guarded by Harper. Pettiford took the pass 30 feet from the basket, dribbled left, and Hudson Catholic set a screen on Harper. Mensah immediately switched onto Pettiford and, as the 3-pointer was released from the left wing, Mensah contested by extending his left arm and the shot grazed off the front rim.
“When I first checked in on the block, I felt a little bit nervous,” Mensah, a 6-foot-4 forward, said of his late-game reentry with 40 seconds left. “But after a while, I was like, ‘I got this.’” And then I locked in for the last possession of the game.”
Elsewhere in North Non-Public A
Bergen Catholic: Big third quarter
Bergen Catholic’s standout frontcourt of juniors Terry Copeland and Brandon Benjamin led the way to a 63-52 quarterfinal victory at No. 4 Seton Hall Prep.
Copeland scored 19 and Benjamin 18 and the No. 5 Crusaders (21-8) rallied from a 24-18 first-quarter deficit. Naiim Parrish added 11 points and Austin Spencer nine and the Crusaders outscored Seton Hall Prep in the third, 20-8, to take a 53-42 lead.
St. Joseph: 4-game win streak
St. Joseph, the No. 7 seed, rode another strong defensive effort to knock off No. 2 Delbarton, 49-40.
Anthony Pacciarelli continued his strong postseason with 11 points, and Jahmir Joseph also scored 11 for St. Joseph (19-9). Donovan McKoy scored 10 and Justin Noelizaire nine to push the Green Knights into Monday’s semifinal at No. 3 St. Peter’s Prep.
North 1, Group 3
Ramapo: Defending champ survives
Junior Peyton Seals scored 23 to pace top-seeded and defending champ Ramapo to a 55-53 semifinal victory over No. 4 Pascack Valley.
Nate Burleson scored 11 and Chris Cervino had eight for Ramapo (27-3). The Green Raiders host No. 2 Teaneck in Monday’s sectional final.
Jimmy Shea scored 22 and Christian Vargas 14 for Pascack Valley (20-9).
Teaneck: Tejada still a terror
Senior Tyler Tejada had 24 points, 13 rebounds, three blocks and three steals to lead No. 2 Teaneck to a 63-42 semifinal win over No. 3 River Dell.
Mickell Taylor added 10 points and three rebounds, and Ty Carnegie added nine points, three rebounds, two blocks and two steals for the Highwaymen (23-5).
North 1, Group 1
Cresskill: Zitomer leads charge
Talen Zitomer scored 28 and top-seeded Cresskill survived a high-scoring fourth to defeat No. 4 West Caldwell Tech, 72-59.
Cody Song scored 10 and Marko Radovich nine as Cresskill (18-9) entered the fourth leading, 43-25. The Cougars host defending champ and No. 3 Paterson Charter in Monday’s final.
Paterson Charter: Back to the final
Ka’Juan Gee had 19 points, five rebounds and four assists to lead defending champion and No. 3 Paterson Charter to a 65-45 win at No. 2 Park Ridge.
Adrian Mouzone had 12 points, six assists and two rebounds, and Deangelo Hibbert added eight points and eight rebounds for the Lions (17-6).
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Boys basketball: North Jersey highlights for Day 5 of state tournament
