Monday, February 1, 2010

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Reuben Torenberg finished with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists to lead Cresskill past Glen Rock in the first round of the Bergen County Jamboree.

ORADELL – As a sophomore getting playing time on the varsity level, Cresskill’s Rich Van Cleft knows his role. Van Cleft’s job is to come off the bench and play good interior defense, set good screens, and not make any major mistakes along the way. With Cresskill holding just a one-point lead heading in the fourth quarter against Glen Rock in the opening round of the Bergen County Jamboree, Van Cleft added an new element to his contributions; an unexpected scoring surge that helped put the game away.

Van Cleft, who averages less than three points per game on the season, hit six of his seven fourth-quarter shots. His 13 points, 12 in the final stanza, more than doubled his previous career-high as 16th seeded Cresskill pulled away for a 53-38 triumph over 17th seeded Glen Rock at Bergen Catholic High School on Sunday.

“Rich (Van Cleft) really finished well around the basket in that fourth quarter,” said Cresskill head coach Mike Doto. “We have a lot of players that have been here before and players like Rich who were ready to get in there and make an impact. I thought we started off sloppy, but we kept our composure. In the second half, we had a lot of balance both offensively and defensively. We focused on holding them to one shot each time down the floor and we did a real good job doing that.”

Brett Lederer's 3-pointer gave Glen Rock and early 13-5 lead.

Both teams showed some early jitters with each committing numerous unforced turnovers. Glen Rock grabbed an early lead and led by as many as eight points, 13-5, on a three-pointer by Brett Lederer. Cresskill’s Tommy Hasenstab had just three field goals in the game, but all came during a crucial stretch. He scored six points in a 15-0 run that gave Cresskill a 20-18 halftime lead.

Lederer’s long-range shooting continued to keep the Panthers afloat in the second half, with his fourth triple of the game pulling Glen Rock back within one going into the fourth quarter.

Cresskill got an early basket from its leading scorer, Reuben Torenberg, and it set the tone for the rest of the game. With the Glen Rock defense designed to slow down Torenborg and Hasenstab, it left the paint open for Van Cleft; which is likely what the Panthers were hoping for; not knowing that Van Cleft was about to play the best quarter of his varsity career.

The 6-4 Van Cleft was aggressive going to the basket and used the open space to his advantage. He put the ball in the basket and did it in a variety of ways. Using a pump-fake effectively, scoring on a reverse layup, off an offensive rebound, Van Cleft quickly morphed from a role player into an unstoppable force in the paint. He scored twice to put Cresskill up seven as he single-handedly outscored the Panthers in the fourth quarter, 12-7.

“Their defense was trying to get the ball out of Reuben and Tommy’s hands, which opened things up for me inside,” said Van Cleft. “I knew I was capable of having a big game. This was a big game, and I finally stepped up and hit a few layups. I just want to do what it takes to help us win, whether it is playing defense or rebounding or today, scoring inside.”

Tommy Hasenstab and Cresskill will get a shot at top seeded St. Joseph in the Round of 16.

Torenberg finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists to lead Cresskill (12-2). Van Cleft added his career-high 13 points and five rebounds. Elya Golubitsky and Hasenstab added eight and seven points, respectively. Lederer was the lone bright spot for Glen Rock (10-5). He was 8 of 13 from the floor and led all players with 23 points.

It does not get any easier for Cresskill as they get top-seeded St. Joseph’s (Montvale) in next week’s Round of 16. It will be played on Sunday at Tenafly High School with a 3:15 start time. Despite the daunting task, the Cougars will come in with plenty of experience and nothing to lose.

“Everyone wants their shot at the best teams and now we have ours,” said Torenberg. “Although we are both different teams than we were in December, we scrimmaged them and we have at least an idea of what to expect. Our key is to start a lot better against St. Joe’s than we did today because every possession counts. Everyone loves the Cinderella story. If we can hang around early and get the crowd on our side, who knows what can happen.”

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