Sunday, February 10, 2008

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

After making the final last year with Bergen Catholic, Ricky Carroll scored 19 points to lead Hackensack in the Jambo semis with a 50-43 win over Saddle Brook on Sunday afternoon.

MAHWAH -- Had the story ended in a blowout loss to yet another heavy favorite on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the Bergen County Jamboree there still would have been plenty of pleasant memories for Saddle Brook, the last remaining Hoosiers-type underdog remaining in the tournament. The Falcons were seeded 12th, they pulled a stunning upset of Pascack Hills last week just to get invited to quarterfinals at Ramapo College and the end was certainly near when it drew Hackensack as its next opponent.

But Saddle Brook didn't show up to just get run over, it came to rattle a few more cages before bowing out. When Justin Maneri scored on an inside move with 2:40 to go in the fourth and final quarter, Saddle Brook was trailing by just two measly points.

"Everybody picked us to lose this game by 20 and a lot of people didn't think we should be here. They thought that Pascack Hills got robbed in that game," said Saddle Brook center Justin Maneri, who made an indelible impression on the tournament with his all around game. "I think we proved our point today that we could play with the big schools. Unfortunately we didn't hit enough shots at the end."

Saddle Brook senior center Justin Maneri had a breakout Jambo and finished with a game-high 21 points.

In fact it was Hackensack senior Keon Williams who was the guy making the big shots down the stretch. He hit a baby jumper in traffic in the middle of the lane then, after a turnover on Saddle Brook's ensuing possession, Williams used a head fake and stepped through a defender, converting two clutch baskets in the final 2:03 of Hackensack's 50-43 win.

"In the Jamboree you don't expect to blow teams out. It is a slower paced game and we just wanted to win," said Hackensack head coach Scooter Whiting, whose team will face top-seeded Queen of Peace in the Final 4 next Saturday at FDU. "We are one of the four teams left with a chance to win the Jambo and that is all you can ask for leaving here today."

Saddle Brook did not make it easy. When Mark Gallo hit a reverse layup 4:31 into the game, Saddle Brook was off to an 8-2 start. Frank Daniello's back-to-back three-pointers from the corner put the Falcons up 14-9 before Ricky Carroll answered with a trey that drew Hackensack back to within 14-12 at the end of the first quarter.

Carroll, the senior point guard who played in the Jambo final last year at Bergen Catholic, has been a steadying influence for Hackensack since he became eligible and he was again on Sunday afternoon. The Comets are 9-2 in the 11 games that Carroll has played this season and he was the one player that Saddle Brook had no answer for.

Keon Williams scored two key baskets in the fourth quarter to help Hackensack avoid the upset.

"This is the time I feel like I have to step up the most. I know that during the Jamboree and state [tournament] time, a lot of eyes are watching. I just feel like I need to bring a lot of intensity to the floor and when I am out there to just leave everything on it," said Carroll. "Overall we are playing great as a team; we are coming together more as a team. I don't want to take all of the credit because everybody on the team, they are all great players."

Carroll hit four first-half three-pointers and the one he nailed 2:03 into the second quarter kicked off a 12-0 run that Hackensack used to go from down 17-12 to up 24-17. The spurt ended with a Carroll three and the Comets never trailed thereafter.

Sure basketball is a team game, but there is no denying that Hackensack has played it best basketball after Carroll finished the 30-day, state-mandated layoff that comes from transferring without changing an address.

"He is poised. He is a four-year varsity guy and that makes a big difference. We need him," said Whiting. "We are 9-2 since he has been back, we are doing very well and I'll say it again, Ricky Carroll makes a big difference."

Frank Danniello hit two first quarter three-pointers to help Saddle Brook take an early lead.

But even as well as Carroll and his teammates played, Hackensack could not shake Saddle Brook. Maneri scored five points in the 7-2 run that the Falcons closed to the third quarter with to pull within 36-34 and they were still within two when Maneri made that basket with 2:40 left in the game. It was not until Williams' two baskets that came exactly one minute apart that Hackensack was able to salt the win.

Maneri who was this year's breakout player in the Jambo, finished with a game-high 21 points and the respect of the rest of Bergen County. Daniello and Steve Beauharnais each finished with 7 points, Mark Kirwan had two field goals and Mike DeVito and Anthony Gallo each scored a pair of points to round out the Saddle Brook scoring.

Falcons fell to 13-7 on the season, but what they gained in experience is far more important. There are no Hackensacks in the North 1, Group 1 state sectional tournament.

"To get here was fun. We won the first game we played [against Pal Park] and got used to playing in the tournament, then we pulled the upset last week played well here today, it was a great experience for the kids. There was less teams and more people," said Saddle Brook head coach Brian Gelanius. "Our goal before the season was to win a state championship. We wanted to make the counties, we wanted to win a game in the counties and we did that and no question that this experience, with the big gyms and the full house, there should be no butterflies when we get to the state tournament."

Junior Solic and Hackensack are the last public school left standing in the Jambo's Final 4.

Carroll (19 points) and Williams (15 points) formed a potent 1-2 punch for Hackensack, which also got offensive contributions from Romaine Wall (7 points) and Ausar Walcott (6 points). When the time comes, the Comets will be players in the North 1, Group 4 state sectional tournament. But first things first and Whiting knows exactly what his team has in its sights with two more Jambo wins.

"I've won a Jamboree championship before as a player. I was a sophomore in 1984 and all of my coaches have Jamboree championship trophies," said Whiting. "It's a great feeling to win a Jamboree championship and it is something I want our kids to get to experience."

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