Lions Pull Away from Westfield in Third for Win at LeGrand Classic
ROSELLE, NJ–Prior to the featured GMC Hoops match-up on day one of the 2017 Eric LeGrand Classic being held at Roselle Catholic, there was a non-conference match-up between two teams from Union County: Westfield and Roselle Catholic. Both teams came off solid campaigns a year ago.
Roselle Catholic won the Non-Public B South State Tournament, but then lost to eventual NJSIAA T of C Champion, St. Anthony’s in the Non-Public B State Championship. Meanwhile, Westfield, which gave St. Joseph’s all it could handle in early January last year at the SFIC Festival at Kean University, qualified for the North Jersey Section 2 Group 4 state playoffs, and reached the quarterfinals before losing to another T of C finalist, Linden.
Both these teams have plenty of firepower back this season, and it was on display during the 6:00 PM game in the Eric LeGrand Classic. Roselle Catholic jumped out to an 11-0 lead thanks to a putback dunk by Khalil Whitney to start the game, but Westfield, behind the three point shooting of Matt LaCorte rallied with a 24-16 run over the next quarter and a half to close within three at 27-24 late in the second period.
The Lions wouldn’t let the Blue Devils get any closer though. Instead, Roselle Catholic scored 9 of the last 12 points of the first half including a power move from the left baseline by Naz Reid in the closing seconds for a 36-27 halftime lead, and then broke the game open in the third and early fourth with a 32-13 surge for a 68-40 lead. From there, Roselle Catholic cruised to a 76-51 victory.
Nate Pierre-Louis led the way for the Lions with 21 points while Raheem Carter chipped in with 16 points including four threes. Whitney added 14 points while Reid added 11. St. Joseph’s transfer, Alanzo Frink contributed with 9 points for RC while Matt LaCorte stood tall in defeat for Westfield with 21 points including five three pointers. Teammate Phil Martini chipped in with 9 points for the Blue Devils.
Whitney got the place rocking right off the bat when he perfectly timed an offensive rebound off a missed three point attempt from the left wing, and jammed it home for a 2-0 lead at the 7:30 mark. Feeding off the home crowd’s energy and enthusiasm as well as the momentum from Whitney’s dunk, the Lions scored two quick baskets for a 6-0 lead. Roselle Catholic then added five more points including a three by Carter at the four minute mark for an 11-0 lead.
Westfield would score 5 of the next 9 points as it began to get its offense in gear and settle down. However, Roselle Catholic still maintained a 15-5 lead after Reid powered in from the left baseline for a two handed stuff at the 2:27 mark. Undaunted, the Blue Devils continued to chip away at the deficit by scoring the next five points before Pierre-Louis scored on a putback to end the first quarter scoring for a 17-10 Roselle Catholic lead.
Both teams opened up the second by scoring six points over the initial 2:10 of the frame. Alanzo Frink highlighted the segment with a putback that gave RC a 23-16 lead with just under six minutes to go in the first half. Westfield then scored 8 of the next 12 points over a span of 2:18 despite an emphatic two handed dunk in transition by Pierre-Louis for a 27-24 Roselle Catholic lead. The Blue Devils wouldn’t get any closer the rest of the way though.
Instead, the Lions scored 9 of the last 11 points of the second period including a three from the left side by Pierre-Louis, and another power move from the left baseline by Reid for a layin, and a 36-27 lead at the intermission. Roselle Catholic then opened the second half by scoring 5 of the first 8 points of the third in just 2:07 including another empathic dunk by Pierre-Louis in transition for a 41-30 lead. Carter then sank three consecutive treys to increase the Lions lead to 51-37 at the 2:27 mark of the third.
Roselle Catholic didn’t stop there. Instead, the Lions finished the third quarter with a 9-3 spurt punctuated by a one handed reverse stuff by Reid for a 59-40 lead heading into the fourth. Then, the home team opened the fourth by scoring 9 unanswered points highlighted by a Frink layup at the 5:15 mark for a 68-40 lead. Westfield the closed the game on an 11-8 run including a three by Marshall Roberson at the 4:28 mark to round out the 76-51 Roselle Catholic victory.
With the win, Roselle Catholic improved to 4-1 on the young season, and returns to regular season action with a tough battle against Union Catholic. Meanwhile, Westfield dropped to 3-3, and will next play Union Catholic on Friday night.