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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