St. Joseph’s, Roselle Catholic, Linden, and St. Benedict’s All Winners in Day 2 Action
CALDWELL, NJ–On Sunday afternoon, the second and final day of action took place at the 2015 Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic at Caldwell University’s Newman Center. There were four games on tap involving some of the top teams in the state including the GMC Hoops top ranked, St. Joseph’s, which defeated South Brunswick in its season opener on Friday night (58-42). The Falcons as well as Roselle Catholic, Linden, and St. Benedict’s all won their contests with St. Joseph’s and Linden battling tough opponents to earn hard fought wins while RC and St. Benedict’s cruised to 20 point victories. Below are capsules on all four games:
St. Joseph’s vs. Ramapo
In the nightcap game of the second and final day of action at the 2015 Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic, St. Joseph’s only led 19-17 at the half as Syracuse bound Tyus Battle and Mississippi bound Bree Tyree were limited to just a combined two field goals.
The Falcons turned things around in the second half though as Battle scored 16 of his 19 points while Tyree scored 10 of his 12 points. St. Joe’s opened the second half on a 7-0 run, and led 45-33 midway through the fourth before Ramapo of the Big North Conference rallied with a 15-5 tear to pull within two. Battle, who scored his 1,000th career point with 2:31 left in the third, came up with a big block on Ramapo’s Matt Latka to help preserve the lead.
St. Joseph’s would hang on by scoring 5 of the last 6 points as Tyree scored a clutch basket, and made two foul shots while Battle, who scored 12 of his points from the line, added a free throw. Joe O’Hagan scored 14 points to earn game MVP honors for Ramapo while Latka chipped in with 10. Battle, who scored 17 points in the game opener against South Brunswick, was game MVP for Joes. View game notes and photos from the action.
Roselle Catholic vs. Newark Eastside
In perhaps the most entertaining game of the afternoon. Roselle Catholic and Newark Eastside combined to score 135 points, but the Lions of RC got most of them in a 79-56 victory. This back and forth game started out close as Roselle Catholic jumped out to a 22-17 lead late in the first period before Newark Eastside got a three point play in the waning seconds to pull within a bucket heading into the second. The Raiders wouldn’t get any closer after that as the Lions gradually pulled away by outscoring the Newark foe by a 57-36 margin the rest of the way including a 41-27 showing in the second half.
Baltimore native, Andre Rafus registered a game high 23 points including five three pointers and a two handed dunk to earn game MVP honors for Roselle Catholic. With its reloaded backcourt of Teaneck transfer, Leondre Washington (13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists), St. Benedict’s transfer Nate Pierre-Louis (8 points), and Cardinal McCarrick transfer, Gilberto Cue, the Lions were able to eventually wear Eastside down. Jahid Jenkins led Newark Eastside with 16 points to earn game MVP honors for the Raiders. This marked the first time these two schools met each other since Eastside defeated RC in the 2014 TOC Semis. View photos from the action.
Linden vs. The Hun School
For the second straight year, Linden took on and defeated the post-graduate Hun School out of Princeton in the Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic. This year’s win was more of a challenge since the Tigers had to come from behind in order to get the victory. The Red Raiders of Hun scored 13 of the first 16 points of the game, and had a 23-13 lead midway through the second quarter before Linden rallied.
The comeback began with the Tigers scoring 9 of the last 13 points of the second period to pull within 27-22 at the intermisson. Then, Linden opened the third by scoring 6 of the first 8 points, and ended up outscoring Hun by a 13-6 margin in the frame to take a 35-33 lead. Linden had a 46-42 lead at the 3:48 mark of the fourth when the Hun school rallied to pull within a single possession, and then had a couple chances to tie down the stretch, but the Tigers were able to hang on for a 55-50 victory.
Sophomore Tavon Jones was game MVP for Linden with 15 points while Jose Morales was game MVP for Hun with a game high 22 points. View photos from this year’s action as well as highlights, photos, and slideshow from last year’s game.
Rutgers Prep vs. St. Benedict’s
Rutgers Prep of Somerset, ranked 19th in the NJ.com’s pre-season Top 20, took on a tall order with St. Benedict’s in the opener of day two action at Caldwell University. The Grey Bees size and length proved to be too much to overcome for the Argonauts. St. Benedict’s outscored Rutgers Prep in each period, and gradually pulled away from a first period 11-9 lead to post a 59-39 victory. David Beatty earned game MVP honors for St. Benedict’s with a game high 20 points including four three pointers while big man, Arnaldo Toro chipped in with 14 including four in the final four minutes of play. The Grey Bees had built up a 51-36 lead midway through the fourth when they closed the game on an 8-3 run. Jayson Oweh earned game MVP honors for Rutgers Prep with 14 points and 6 rebounds. View photos from the action.