Monday, February 8, 2009

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Eric Halejian made a 50-footer that just beat the first quarter buzzer to set No. 11 Ramapo on course for a 54-36 win over Bergen Catholic in the Jambo's Round of 16.

TENAFLY – Whether at practice, at a park, at a friend’s house, or in one’s own backyard, the half-court heave is a shot every kid tries over and over and over (usually without much success) throughout his or her life. Ramapo’s Eric Halejian is no exception to that rule. The senior is a bonafide gym rat who plays the game he loves every chance he can get. Sometimes he takes some long heaves just for fun to see if he can make them.

But with 1.6 seconds left in the first quarter of yesterday’s Round of 16 Bergen County Jamboree game against Bergen Catholic, Halejian make good on a shot that basketball players only dream of making by themselves, let alone in the most important game of a team’s season.

The senior point guard nailed a 50-foot, one-handed heave from just beyond the mid-court line to punctuate a first quarter where No. 11 seed Ramapo grabbed a 12-point lead and led from start to finish in a 54-36 upset over sixth-seeded Bergen Catholic 54-36 at Tenafly High School.

“That was a crazy shot and the rest of our team fed off of that,” said Ramapo’s Ryan Brew. “We knew Bergen Catholic was going to make a run and we had to hold our ground in the second half.”

Sean McGuire (11 points) was the only BC player to reach double figures in scoring.

Ramapo showed its diversity offensively by having five different players score in a 10-1 run to open the contest. The margin was still nine points with Ramapo about to inbound the ball from underneath its own basket. Halejian took the inbounds pass and took a dribble to his right towards the sideline.

With two defenders converging on him, he got in the air and got off a one-handed, shot-put style shot off that hit nothing but the bottom of the net to put the Green Raiders ahead 17-5 after one quarter of play.

“I just threw it up there and hoped for the best,” said Halejian. “I didn’t think it had a chance to go in when it left my hand. When it went in, I was pretty surprised and I looked at the ref real quick to make sure it counted. It was a pretty crazy shot, but there was still a long way to go if we wanted to win this game.”

Bergen Catholic snuck back in the game behind the play of junior point guard Sean McGuire and sophomore Maurice Grant off the bench. Grant scored all seven of his points in the second quarter. McGuire hit a jumper from the elbow just before halftime; then he hit a three from the corner on the first possession of the third quarter to trim the lead down to four, 28-24.

As talented as the Green Raiders are at the guard slots with Halejian, Peter Garrambone, and R.J. Voorman, they relied more on their defense and their inside tandem of Ryan Brew and Donny Fletcher to turn the momentum back in their favor. Fletcher was solid in the paint on the defensive end, while Brew used his savvy to get to the foul line often in the second half.

Ramapo center Ryan Brew had 12 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals.

More importantly, they held Bergen Catholic’s leading scorer, Eric Flanagan, without a point. Ramapo led by seven going into the fourth quarter and pulled away by allowing just five points over the final eight minutes to pull the upset and advance to the Jambo quarterfinals next week.

Halejian scored a game-high 20 points for. Brew had 12 points, eight rebounds, and three steals. Fletcher and Garrambone combined to have 15 points and six steals for Ramapo, which improved to 12-5 on the season.

McGuire was the only Bergen Catholic (10-7) player to reach double-figures in scoring with 11 points. Doug Rigg added a game-high nine rebounds, six points, and three assists. Ramapo is the lowest seed remaining in the tournament and will face a tough test in Teaneck, which cruised to 24-point win over Elmwood Park yesterday. But in a one-game scenario anything can happen.

With Ramapo having at least three seniors on the floor at all times and Teaneck only having three seniors on its entire roster, that leadership can only help the Green Raiders if they are to pull a much bigger upset next week.

“I play with a lot of the kids from Teaneck on my AAU team, so I know how well they are capable of playing,” added Brew. “They are a very tough team, as are we. If we can control the tempo, take care of the ball, and hit our free throws, we have a good shot. But if we don’t do that, we know it could be a long night. After not making it to the Jambo last year, we’re excited about getting this far and trying to go even further.”

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