Monday, February 1, 2010

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Tommy May scored a season-high for River Dell, which slowed Wood-Ridge in a 66-49 victory in the opening round of the Jambo.

ORADELL – Despite a team full of experienced athletes who have been through the wars, River Dell is so good defensively that the question heading into the Hawks’ first-round Bergen County Jamboree game was whether they could control the tempo against Wood-Ridge, North Jersey’s highest-scoring team. The Hawks pulled a fast one on the Blue Devils though by picking their spots and getting out in transition. That, mixed with the Hawks’ usual court savvy and stingy defense, was too much for an outstanding performance by Wood-Ridge center Vin O’Beirne to overcome.

Kyle King scored 22 points and Tom May had 21 to boost 13th seeded River Dell into the Jambo’s Round of 16 with a 66-49 victory over 20th seeded Wood-Ridge at Bergen Catholic High School.

“Anyone who has played against Wood-Ridge knows you have to control the tempo against them,” said River Dell head coach Brian Long. “The key to controlling the tempo is being disciplined and not letting their shooters get into a rhythm. I thought we rushed a couple of shots early, but once we settled down, we started to build our lead and control the pace of the game.”

Gary Whritenour’s three-pointer put Wood-Ridge ahead less than two minutes in, but River Dell grabbed the lead soon after and never gave it back. O’Beirne was a beast inside all game and his two free-throws cut River Dell’s lead to two, 14-12, late in the first quarter.

Pat Harris and Wood-Ridge fell to 9-4 on the season.

River Dell responded with two straight baskets and then a perfectly drawn-up play for a buzzer-beating basket. Taking the ball out underneath the Hawks’ own basket, Tom May threw length-of-the-court pass and hit fellow senior Matt Famularo in stride for a layup to give River Dell a 20-12 lead after one quarter.
King and May both scored early in the second quarter as River Dell capped an 11-0 run as the Hawks took a 38-26 halftime into the locker room.

The Blue Devils trailed by double-digits for most of the final three quarters. O’Beirne scored on a baby hook to trim the Hawks’ lead down to nine, 44-35, late in the third quarter. The Blue Devils are well known for scoring in bunches and never being out of a game. But the big runs they are accustomed to never materialized, which is largely attributed to the River Dell defensive effort.

“We had a chance with the ball down nine in the third quarter, just couldn’t hit a shot to get it any closer,” said Wood-Ridge head coach Ed Rendzio. “We went with a couple of different rotations to try and match their physical play. Give River Dell all the credit in this win, though, they never let us get comfortable in what we like to do. They were physical on both ends of the floor and very disciplined.”

King was one point short of a season-high and May matched his season-high point total for River Dell (10-4). It is the eighth time in 13 games this season that both players scored in double-digits in the same game. Eric Zapata added 12 points for the Hawks.

Brian Long and River Dell will play No. 6 Don Bosco Prep in the Jambo's Round of 16.

Just a sophomore, O’Beirne has emerged as one of Bergen County’s top centers. He had game-highs of 25 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocked shots for Wood-Ridge (9-4).

River Dell moves into the Jambo Sweet 16 next week, where they will face fourth-seeded Paramus Catholic. That game will be played on Sunday at Tenafly High School with an 11:45 A.M. start. With four senior starters and seven seniors in all on River Dell’s roster, the Hawks are excited for one last opportunity to make a run in the Jambo.

“We know Paramus Catholic is very good, but we are excited for the challenge,” said May. “It was huge to get out to a big lead today against Wood-Ridge. They can score a lot and score quick. The closer the game got, the more confidence they would have. That is what we want to do next week against (Paramus Catholic). Start strong, build confidence throughout the game, and see what happens.”

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