Monday, February 4,
2008
By
Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
TENAFLY
– A team like Hackensack, which has one of Bergen County’s
best inside-outside combinations, forces an opposing defense to
pick its poison. It is either double-team Keon Williams down in
the post, or key on standout guard Ricky Carroll. In yesterday’s
Round of 16 game in the Bergen County Jamboree against Cresskill,
the Cougars chose to focus their defensive attention on Carroll
and keep an eye on Williams in the process.
With that in mind,
Hackensack needed another option offensively to get them going
and Alex George filled that role.
He set the tone on
both ends in a game-changing second quarter before Williams took
over in the second half. The Iona-bound Williams finished with
game-highs of 22 points and 13 rebounds as Hackensack, the No.
5 seed, cruised to a 78-58 win over the 13th seeded Cougars.
“Coach (Scooter)
Whiting stressed to us that we have to make them play at our pace
and that’s what we did,” said Williams. “Cresskill
has the reputation of being a tough team to play against and they
are very smart with the ball. Even though we were the favorite,
we had to keep playing like we had nothing to lose. This tournament
has seen a lot of upsets over the years and a couple of them this
year, so there isn’t a team in here that you can take lightly.
If you sleep on anyone in the Jambo, you could easily end up losing
on any given night.”
Behind the play of
Erik Torenberg, the Cresskill controlled the pace of the game
and stayed with Hackensack for a quarter, down 10-7 at the end
of the opening stanza. But the Comets slowly took over the game
and it was George who was the catalyst. He pressured Cresskill’s
guards into several turnovers and hit for five straight points
as Hackensack bumped its lead up to 12 by halftime, 32-20.
“I was very happy
that we had that kind of lead at the half,” said Whiting.
“Our strategy was to stay out of foul trouble in the first
half and then explode out with full-man pressure defense in the
second half. To be up by 12 and to not have anyone in significant
foul trouble gave us a big advantage going into the second half.”
After a scoreless first
half, Cresskill center Phil Morman came alive and tried to get
his team back in the game. But he was matched basket-for-basket
by the 6-6 Williams, who used his frame and experience to overpower
the undersized Cougars on the block. The lead never got below
11 points the rest of the way as Hackensack moved into the Jambo’s
quarterfinal round.
Williams and George
were the only scorers in double-figures for Hackensack, as they
combined for 37 points. Torenberg played well throughout and led
Cresskill with 14 points. Morman scored all 13 of his points in
the second half, and Mike Sanchez added 12.
Hackensack will face
the biggest surprise of this year’s tournament, Saddle Brook,
in next Sunday’s quarterfinal. The Falcons are led by 6-7
center Justin Maneri. The Lehigh-bound senior leads all players
in Jambo play with 55 points, including 27 in a big upset over
Pascack Hills on Saturday.
“We know better
in this tournament than to look past anyone,” added Whiting.
“Saddle Brook has one of the county’s best players
and they are on a roll right now. The bottom line is that every
weekend, we’re going to be playing in a one-game tournament.
That is what makes this tournament so great because of the depth
of quality teams we have in Bergen County. We won our one-game
tournament this week. I just hope that we continue to play well
and we have a similar outcome next week.”
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