St. Joseph’s junior forward, Owen Griffin skies for a third quarter dunk against Rutgers Prep in the 2023 Non-Public A South Semifinals at Maglio Gymnasium in Metuchen on Monday night. St. Joe’s won 70-66 to advance to its first sectional championship game in five years.
Falcons Defeat Argonauts for the 2nd Time This Season to Advance to Non-Public A South Championship
METUCHEN, NJ – For the first time since 2018, St. Joseph’s will be playing for the Non-Public A South Championship. The sixth seeded Falcons had to go through the formidable obstacle of state power and defending sectional champion, Rutgers Prep a second time. Despite playing at home, St. Joe’s had an even more difficult time dispatching the Argonauts. Trailing 45-36 at the half, and 54-44, the Falcons needed a 17-3 tear to overcome 7th seeded Rutgers Prep, and hang on for the 70-66 victory.
The Falcons decisive run was highlighted by emphatic one handed dunks from senior Josh Ingram and junior Owen Griffin. Once again, Ingram was the difference maker. Although junior Jeremy Clayville returned from injury that had sidelined him since the end of January, Ingram was the focal point with his scoring and playmaking. Ingram scored 17 points, but he got others involved including fellow classmate, Anthony Williams, who scored a game high 24 points for the winners.
Dave Caruso chipped in with 9 points on several timely three pointers along with his trademark tough and scrappy defense while Clayville added 7 points. Griffin finished with 6 points including four in the second half. Football standout, Jeremy DeCaro, who sealed the victory with two late free throws, also contributed with 7 points along with great hustle and defense that included a key charge late in the fourth quarter.
Rutgers Prep was led in defeat by senior guard, Jadin Collins, who scored a team high 21 points while also collecting 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Collins finished his stellar career with 1,134 points. Teammate Cameron Piggee chipped in with 15 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Piggee, also a senior, ended his career with 881 points. Senior guard, Jordan Atkins, who closed out his career with 509 career points, added 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
Jonathan Nsenkyire (7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block), Franklin Jones (5 points, 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal), John Kelly (4 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists), and Myles Parker (1 point and a rebound) rounded out the scoring for the Argonauts. Rutgers Prep had seven different players score in the contest while St. Joseph’s only had 6. The Argonauts also had three different players score in double figures while St. Joseph’s only had two.
Nevertheless, the Falcons found a way to pull out the hard fought victory. The Argonauts jumped out to a 21-9 first quarter lead, and maintained a nine point advantage at the intermission despite being outscored in a high scoring second period where both teams combined for 51 points in the frame. St. Joseph’s put the clamps on Rutgers Prep’s offense over the final two periods by limiting it to only 22 points.
St. Joe’s outscored the Argonauts by a margin of 18-13 in the third and 16-9 in the fourth. The crucial run of the contest began with Griffin’s dunk at the 3:02 mark of the third to end a 9-8 Argos start to the 2nd half for a 54-46 Rutgers Prep lead. Griffin’s one handed jam ignited a 10-0 rally by the Falcons that tied the contest before Rutgers Prep knocked home a three pointer to take a 57-54 lead into the fourth and final period.
The Argonauts period ending trey would be the only points they scored during a decisive 5:49 stretch that was punctuated by Ingram’s dunk and an incredible three point play by Williams. First, the Falcons 6’4” senior guard and 1,000 point scorer, got his hands on a loose ball off a rebound at the Falcons, and dribbling down the middle for an emphatic one handed jam and a 58-57 St. Joseph’s lead with 6:30 remaining in the fourth as the faithful Falcon Flock was whipped up into a delirious frenzy.
Then, Williams capped the surge by grabbing an offensive rebound and putting in a follow as he fell to the floor for an and one. The Old Bridge native then sank the bonus free throw for a four point, 61-57 edge with 6:13 to play. St. Joseph’s managed to maintain that four point lead down the stretch as both teams scored 9 points the rest of the way. Ingram highlighted the stretch run with a drive down the right lane, and then pirouetted for a layup to keep St. Joe’s ahead at 68-64 with 19 seconds to play.
DeCaro, an unsung hero of the contest, then wrapped up the victory with a pair of free throws with under 10 seconds to play. Rutgers Prep tried to put together a rare four point play, but was unable to draw any contact on a three point attempt that was off the mark as time expired. With the victory, St. Joseph’s improved to 18-10 overall on the season and advanced to the Non-Public A South Championship for the first time in five years.
The Falcons will now take on another team it played earlier this season in 5th seeded Union Catholic. The Vikings from Scotch Plains, defeated top seeded Camden Catholic in the other sectional semifinal, 61-53. Former J.P. Stevens and Edison standout, Keyshawn Winchester contributed to the Viking victory with 6 points. Plainfield native, Chimeziri Okeoma led three different players in double figures with a game high 22 points.
Both of these teams faced off at Kean University exactly a month ago with the Falcons defeating the Vikings 60-55. Ingram led the Falcons with a game high 20 points while also collecting 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals, and a block. Dave Caruso and Jeremy DeCaro each chipped in with 11 points. Winchester led the Vikings in a losing cause with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Yaw Ansong and AJ Altobelli chipped in with 12 and 11 points respectively.
The game is scheduled for Wednesday night, March 1st at 7:00 PM down in South Jersey at Lenape High School in Medford, New Jersey. Tickets can only be bought online at NJSIAA.org. Meanwhile, Rutgers Prep concludes its season at 22-8.