Will First Round Bye Be A Blessing Or Curse For St. Joe’s
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–For two straight years, the St. Joseph’s Falcons have won the Non-Public A State Championship, and with it, a first round bye in the Tournament of Champions. The first ever team from Middlesex County to participate in back to back T of C’s had to wait a whole week after winning the state title last year to play in the semifinals of the T of C only to lose to third seeded Plainfield, a team that had to play an opening round game against Asbury Park.
It is not unusual though for a top seeded team that receives a bye to end up losing in the semifinals. In the 24 year history of the Tournament of Champions, 13 top seeded teams have exited the showcase in the semifinals after receiving that first round bye including the past two seasons, 4 out of the last 5 years, and 6 out of the last 9. Of those 13 teams, 11 of them were the second seed in the field. Only Bloomfield Tech Idefeated by Linden) in 2006 and Linden in 2007 Idefeated by Bloomfield Tech) were top seeded teams that were defeated in the semifinals.
So, while being a top seed with a first round bye can be a blessing in the form of extra rest for players suffering from nagging injuries, soreness, or the usual bumps and bruises that go with a 30 plus game season, it can also be a curse in the form of another “R” word, and that is rust. Plainfield, which made the T of C final in each of the previous two years, did so as a three seed that had to win three games in order to get the title. In order for St. Joseph’s to make history, and become the first GMC school to play in the ultimate title game, it will have to break through the recent trend of two seeds coming off a bye and getting knocked out in the semis.
It won’t be easy either. The Falcons are playing against a third seeded Atlantic City team that has only lost once this season (to St. Anthony’s 45-31 in January), and defeated a common opponent in East Brunswick in the Group IV state semifinals at Egg Harbor Township High School ten days ago. In each of the last three playoff rounds, the Vikings have found themselves behind at the half or later only to rally from behind and win the game including the last two in overtime and double overtime respectively. Atlantic City plays tremendous man to man defense that went full court in the second half against Point Pleasant Beach in the opening round of the T of C, and change the whole complexion of the game by rushing the Garnet Gulls into missed shots and turnovers, and thus creating transition and easy basket opportunities for the Vikes.
The one positive for the Falcons is that they don’t mind playing up-tempo with the likes of 1,000 point scorers Wade Baldwin and Marques Townes looking to get out in the open court and go in for easy buckets and high flying dunks. In addition to his prolific scoring from both the inside and outside, Karl Towns has a great knack of getting rebounds and dishing out great outlet passes to the other two members of the heralded “Big Three” for transition opportunities. Towns may have a tough task ahead of him though. Although he has at least four inches of height over AC’s big man, Jahleem Montague, the latter will be up to the challenge as he was against Linden’s Quadri Moore in the Group IV state final.
Despite the fact that he gave up 70 pounds to Moore, Montague limited the Tigers big man to just nine points, and it proved to be one of the factors as Atlantic City won its second straight state title in overtime. Another factor going for the Vikes is just their sheer resiliency, and ability to make big shots when called upon. Both Isaiah Graves and Dayshawn Reynolds have highlighted this post-season run with huge threes late in games. or scoring binges in the fourth quarter. The guard trio of Baldwin, Townes, and top defender, Jimbo Long will have to do a solid job of locking down the duo of Graves and Reynolds. James Ziemba, a solid rebounder in his own right, along with Towns will also have to deal with an AC front line that not only consists of Montague, but also includes Ga’briel Chandler and Dennis White.
The Viking frontcourt trio of Montague (16 points), Chandler (17 points), and White (8 points) accounted for 41 of their team’s points against Point Pleasant Beach, and played a huge role in a pivotal 31-7 surge that turned a 43-24 deficit midway through the third into a 55-50 lead with under four to play in regulation. In the state championship against Linden, White was one of the heroes with his play in the second half and overtime en route to 16 points. Both teams have been battle tested with AC playing the likes of St. Anthony’s, St. Augustine Prep, Paulsboro, Middle Township, Toms River North, Lenape, East Brunswick, Linden, Medford Tech, and Point Pleasant Beach while St. Joe’s has played Teaneck, Broughton (NC), DeSoto (TX), East Brunswick (3 times), Phelps School (PA), Patrick School, Irvington, St. Augustine Prep, Paul VI, and St. Peter’s Prep (twice).
Both teams have played the common opponents of East Brunswick and St. Augustine Prep. Atlantic City defeated both teams by slim margins including a two point victory over EB in the state semifinals (51-49). St. Joseph’s lost to EB twice during the regular season, but defeated the Bears to earn their fourth straight GMCT Championship (66-63). The Falcons also broke away from a 16-14 late first half deficit with a 25-2 tear for a 41-18 lead en route to an 80-39 rout of St. Augustine in the Non-Public A South semifinals.
Keys to the game will be the following: For St. Joseph’s, they will need to keep Karl Towns out of foul trouble. In the last game against St. Peter’s Prep, the Kentucky bound sophomore was hampered by fouls in the first half, and was limited to just 12 points including two late fourth quarter dunks to put the game away. The Falcons will also need to take care of the basketball against an AC backcourt that likes to create havoc by forcing turnovers. St. Joe’s will need to dictate tempo by executing in the halfcourt, and picking their spots in transition. Solid play from the Falcon bench including contributions from Raven Owen and Brian Fitzpatrick will be a big help also. For Atlantic City, the Vikings can’t afford to fall too far behind in this one. The trio of Montague, Chandler, and White will need to crash the boards, and combine to make life difficult for Towns at both ends of the floor while Graves and Dayshawn Reynolds must continue to have the hot hand from the perimeter.