Continuing a look back at the 1963-64 South Plainfield Boys Basketball team’s historic season, GMC Hoops focuses on the 1964 NJSIAA Group 3 State Championship between those Tigers and the Summit Hilltoppers.
1964 NJSIAA Group 3 State Championship–The Particulars
South Plainfield (23-1) vs. Summit (21-2)
Where: Atlantic City Convention Hall–Atlantic City, NJ
Capacity: 12,000 seat gym
When: Friday, March 20, 1964
Time: 9:00 PM
South Plainfield Head Coach: Anthony Cotoia
Summit Head Coach: Joseph Coleman
1963-64 South Plainfield Tigers–Team Roster
| Player Name | Position | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Laney McLaughlin | Center | 6’7″ |
| Greg Cisson | Forward | 6’4 1/2″ |
| Richie Steele | Guard | 5’11” |
| Roger Catarino | Guard | 5’10” |
| Wally Cirafesi | Guard | 6’1 1/2″ |
| Louis Calderone | Guard | 5’9″ |
| Ward Spisso | Guard/Forward | 6’2″ |
| Bob Fulton | Guard | 5’11” |
| Greg Burgoyne | Guard | 6’0″ |
| Artie Bierns | Guard | 6’0″ |
| Richie DeVito | Guard | 5’9″ |
| Bobby Yackanin | Guard | 6’0″ |
| Billy Piotrowski | Forward/Center | 6’5″ |
1963-64 Summit Hilltoppers–Team Roster
| Player Name | Position | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Brent Cromwell | Guard | 5’11” |
| John Mallory | Guard | 6’0″ |
| Sid Rhines | Guard | 5’11” |
| Jim Royer | Forward | 6’3″ |
| Jeff Hartlaub | Forward | 6’3″ |
| Paul Prather | Guard | 5’10” |
| Bob Smith | Center | 6’5″ |
| Larry Webb | Forward | 6’2″ |
| Hugh Moore | Guard | 5’9″ |
| Mike Bloomstein | Guard | 6’0″ |
| Rick Wilkerson | Guard | 5’9″ |
How They Got Here–1963-64 Summit Hilltoppers
Finishing the regular season at 17-2 by defeataing Madison (76-41), Summit clinched the Suburban Conference Championship. The Hilltoppers were one of two favorites besides Newark South Side to win the North Jersey Section 2 Group 3 Championship.
| Date | Round | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 6, 1964 | North Jersey Section 2 Group 3 Quarterfinals | Irvington Tech | Upsala College | Won 89-56 |
| March 10, 1964 | North Jersey Section 2 Group 3 Semifinals | Newark West Side | Upsala College | Won 56-49 |
| March 14, 1964 | North Jersey Section 2 Group 3 Championship | Governor Livingston | Seton Hall University | Won 53-50 |
| March 17, 1964 | Group 3 State Semifinal | Dumont | Upsala College | Won 75-66 |
How They Got Here–1963-64 South Plainfield Tigers
Before being upset by Dunellen (63-59) at Dunellen High School on February 22, 1964, South Plainfield won its first 18 games. Following the defeat, the Tigers rebounded to finish the regular season with victories over Watchung Hills (57-34) and Middlesex (67-43) for a record of 20-1. Ranked 14th in the Star-Ledger Top 20 at the start of the season, the Tigers were ranked as high as 4th in the state before falling to the Destroyers.
| Date | Round | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 9, 1964 | Central Jersey Group 3 Semifinals | Sayreville | Rutgers University | Won 75-56 |
| March 12, 1964 | Central Jersey Group 3 Championship | Piscataway | Rutgers University | Won 68-48 |
| March 16, 1964 | Group 3 State Semifinal | Burlington | Rutgers University | Won 75-69 |
Did You Know?
One of the key factors that helped shape this Group 3 State Final match-up came about during the course of the 1964 North Jersey Section 2 Group 3 State Tournament.
After rolling past Chatham (68-40) in the opening round of the tourney on March 2nd, Governor Livingston of Berkeley Heights, upset the section’s tourney favorite, Newark South Side in the Quarterfinals (50-45) on March 7th. Surprisingly, the Highlanders had actually lost twice to South Plainfield and ultimately three times to Summit during the 1963-64 season.
How Good Was Newark South Side?
Finishing the season at 20-4 overall, Newark South Side, recently was crowned Essex County Tournament Champion. South Side appeared the heavy favorite not only to win North Jersey Section 2 Group 3 title, but also the Group 3 state title. South Side had defeated top ranked Newark Central in the Essex County Tourney Final.
Ranked number one in the state according to the Star-Ledger at the time, Central had won 41 games entering the contest against Newark South Side. Recovering from the ECT Championship defeat, Central would go on to win the Group 4 Championship over Hillside. Newark South Side would also rebound and win the Group 3 State Championship over South Plainfield (86-48) in 1965.
1964 NJSIAA Group 3 State Championship–The Game
According to an article written by Tom Gannon for the South Plainfield Suburban Review from March 26, 1964, the Tigers got off to a good start as Richie Steele knocked down the first two buckets of the game while teammate Roger “The Cat” Catarino chipped in with 7 points in the opening period.
Taking advantage of Summit’s early struggles, South Plainfield continued its fast start into the early portion of the second period to build a double-digit lead at 30-15. Responding with a 12-2 spurt to end the second quarter, Summit only trailed 32-27 at the half. The 2nd quarter rally included a pair of free throws from Jeff Hartlaub, Sid Rhines, and Jim Royer while John Mallory added a field goal and Brent Cromwell connected for two baskets.
Continuing to climb back into the contest, Summit put together a 20-15 run over the first 10 minutes of the second half to tie the game at 47-47. According to Jim Ellowitch for The Summit Herald, Summit had closed the gap to three at the end of the 3rd as Cromwell scored 7 points in the frame.
Tigers Pull Away in Fourth Quarter
South Plainfield then opened up fourth by building the lead back to nine before Summit rallied to tie the game. The game went back and forth for a bit before the Tigers broke away from a 53-53 tie with 4 minutes remaining with a 14-1 tear to end the contest.
Sparking the decisive rally was the departure of Summit’s big three players of Cromwell, Mallory, and Rhines in just a span of 90 seconds. Laney McLaughlin, who led the Tigers with a team high double-double of 16 points and 16 rebounds, and Greg Cisson, who chipped in with a double-double of his own of 14 points and 12 boards, had 6 and 4 points respectively in the pivotal run.
Leading the way in defeat for Summit, Cromwell had a game high 17 points along with 10 rebounds for a double-double of his own while Mallory chipped in with 11 points and 7 rebounds. South Plainfield, which went 21 of 29 from the foul line in the contest, had four players score in double figures as Catarino chipped in with 14 while sophomore sensation, Wally Cirafesi added 13 points and 5 boards.
Team Stats
| Category | South Plainfield | Summit |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals Made | 23 | 22 |
| Field Goals Attempted | 49 | 60 |
| FG % | 46.9 | 36.7 |
| Free Throws Made | 21 | 12 |
| Free Throws Attempted | 30 | 17 |
| FT % | 70.0 | 70.6 |
| Total Rebounds | 44 | 31 |
| Score | 67 | 54 |
| Number of Players Scored | 6 | 8 |
| Number of Players Scoring in Double Figures | 4 | 2 |
| Number of Players with Double Digit Rebounds | 2 | 1 |
| Number of Players with Double-Doubles | 2 | 1 |
South Plainfield Box Score
Summit Box Score