Monday, March 15, 2010

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Myles Davis finished with 29 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals for St. Peter’s Prep, which fell to Camden Catholic, 68-63, in Sunday's Non-Public A state final.

TOMS RIVER – The strength of St. Peter’s Prep this season has been its ability to score in bunches and rattle an opponent with one big run to break open the game. That has been its goal in every game this season, in most of which it has succeeded. However, the deeper in the state tournament a team goes, the harder it is to knock an opponent off its axis.

Such was the case on Sunday night in the Non-Public A State final when Prep, led by Myles Davis, threw everything it had at Camden Catholic. Although the Marauders were able to pull even with offensive spurts several times in the game, the Fighting Irish always had an answer and his name is Anthony D’Orazio.

The Lehigh-bound senior went off for game-highs of 31 points, eight rebounds, and six assists as Camden Catholic held off a furious second-half rally and advanced to the Tournament of Champions by handing Prep a 68-63 defeat in front of 1,700 at the Ritacco Center in Toms River.

“We felt like if we pulled ahead we would have pulled away, but it never happened,” said St. Peter’s Prep senior guard J.J. Hladik. “Hats off to them, we just couldn’t get those key stops. Myles shot us back into the game and gave us hope. But we didn’t hit enough big shots or get enough stops to get over the hump down the stretch.”

Although the teams had to wait an extra 26 hours to play after Saturday night’s scheduled tipoff was rescheduled due to a power outage, there was no shortage of offensive firepower right from the outset. Camden Catholic got two baskets each from D’Orazio and Sherrod Cadogan in an 11-0 spurt to grab a double-digit lead. Prep got a late three from Davis to trim the lead down to 33-24 at the half.

Lehigh-bound senior Anthony D’Orazio finished with 31 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists as Camden Catholic advanced to the Tournament of Champions.

The Fighting Irish still held a nine-point lead with just over a minute left in the third until a jumper by Chase Fluellen and a three-pointer from Davis gave the Marauders a lift heading into the fourth quarter down just four, 48-44.

Davis hit a three-pointer and then scored on a drive to the basket to tie the game on consecutive possessions. The Marauders pulled into a tie one more time, but were never able to take the lead. D’Orazio was a matchup problem all night long and consistently found holes in the Marauder defense. He hit two free-throws and then scored on a putback of his own miss for a 62-58 lead with 3:20 to play.

“I knew if I had an opening, I had to be aggressive and take some tough shots as long as they were within the offense,” said D’Orazio. “We had to keep our composure because St. Peter’s Prep plays with so much intensity. Every possession mattered and we got contributions from everyone in the fourth quarter.”

Davis kept the hot hand in the second half with a three-pointer and then a nifty spin move for a layup to cut the lead down to 64-63 with 2:41 to play. But those points would be the last points the Marauders scored as Davis had the misfortune of slipping on consecutive possessions inside the final minute.

Overall, the Marauders had four possessions to either tie the game or take the lead, but only got off a pair of long three-point attempts from Kevin Walker. Walker missed a three with over a minute to play and then after a turnover, Tim Crawford hit one of two free-throws to make it 65-63. On the ensuing inbounds play, Davis slipped and was tied up with the possession arrow going to the Irish.

Matt McElhatton hit one of two free-throws to make it 66-63 with 15 seconds to play as Prep came up the court for one last shot to send the game to overtime.

The play was designed for Davis, who slipped trying to get around a screen. He was only able to tap a pass to Walker, whose deep three-pointer was short. Camden Catholic center Gerry Wixted came down with the rebound and hit both free-throws with 1.6 seconds left for the final margin.

“We knew we were in trouble if the game went to overtime,” added D’Orazio. “To beat a team as good as they are, a team that has played against and beaten some of the best teams in the country, really gives us the confidence that we can go even further than just winning a state championship.”

J.J. Hladik and St. Peter's Prep finished the best season in school history with a 25-4 record.

D’Orazio had a magnificent all-around game for Camden Catholic (28-1), but he also had some help. The 6-7 Wixted knocked down a pair of three-pointers in scoring 15 of his 19 points in the second half. Cadogan added 10 points and seven boards.

Davis finished with 29 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals for St. Peter’s Prep (25-4). Ronald Roberts finished with 14 points, including three dunks. Davis scored 20 of the Marauders’ final 22 points.

Although there is no shame to losing a great team that played well on the biggest stage, it is still as tough to take as any loss St. Peter’s Prep has had in recent years.

“Camden Catholic showed their poise down the stretch and they did what we were supposed to do,” said St. Peter’s Prep head coach Mike Kelly. “They have a lot of experience and they have been to this rodeo three times, so they knew what to expect coming into this game.

“Every experience becomes a learning experience and it is something that can definitely help us for next year. But the reality is that next year is so far away and for the seniors, we wanted them to go out as state champs. Tonight we left it all out on the court, it just wasn’t meant to be.”

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