Friday, July 4, 2008

By Brett M. Berliner
NJS.com Student Intern

JERSEY CITY -- The Fourth of July weekend got off to an exciting start as the Hamilton Park Summer League in Jersey City hosted a Thursday evening triple header, the last of which pit two competitive Jersey City schools, St. Mary’s and Dickinson.

The game was very close throughout but St. Mary’s persevered for a tough 42-39 victory.

“Although we were up by two points (21-19) at halftime, Coach [Tom LaLicato] told us to play hard and he encouraged us to make solid plays down the stretch,” said St. Mary's point guard Manny Holmes, a junior-to-be. “Coach also told us to communicate. At that point I knew I had to take leadership and do what was right.”

Holmes’ keen defense and sharp shooting, specifically in the third quarter (3-for-4 FG, two steals, three defensive rebounds) paid off.

St. Mary's held a three point lead, 30-27, as the end of the third quarter approached but with seven seconds left on the clock, Dickinson guard Aaron Searsan had an errant pass picked off by St. Mary’s forward Talmir Sowell. Sowell hit Holmes with a pretty bounce pass which he converted for a gorgeous finger roll before the buzzer sounded off to give St. Mary's a 32-27 advantage.

During the fourth quarter, St. Mary's used defensive pressure and fast breaks to increase its lead. But Dickinson continued to battle and focused more on simply driving to the basket and drawing contact. Big man and upcoming junior Marc Parra’s 14 points (eight in the fourth) helped contribute to the comeback. Suddenly, with a minute remaining, Dickinson was within three points.

Both teams exchanged a couple drives to the basket with no successes. Finally, with ten seconds remaining, Dickinson had one more chance to make a legit play for a three-pointer. Searsan brought up the ball and threw an overhead lob to Parra. But the pass was picked off by St. Mary’s guard Marquise Hallman. Hallman threw a hard chest pass to Holmes, who dribbled the ball furiously towards the sideline as the clock expired. Holmes finished with 16 points and Sowell with five points. Parra and guard Hector Pena (eight points) led the way for Dickinson.

“St. Mary’s played a 1-3-1 zone which we just simply weren’t prepared for,” said Dickinson coach Sean Drennan. “Parra is the main offensive presence for our team and he brings out a lot of energy every night. Although he played well tonight, as a team, we missed a lot of layups and we didn’t box out efficiently. St. Mary’s handled our defensive press very well.”

St. Mary’s not only seemed to master Dickinson’s press but also got a great effort from Holmes, both offensively and as the floor leader. Holmes started his freshman and sophomore years of high school and will be the main man this season as a junior. The young guard has great speed, plays solid defense and shoots the ball very well, which impresses St. Mary’s coach Tom LaLicato.

“Manny is extremely strong with the ball and always provides good leadership to his teammates,” said LaLicato. “Tonight he got the ball when his teammates were in trouble and he balanced our floor nicely. He also knocked down some great shots.”

Dickinson is halfway through the Hamilton Park summer season having played 35 of 62 games. St. Mary’s has six games remaining in the league.

IN OTHER ACTION FROM THURSDAY NIGHT:
High Tech vs. Create Charter- Create Charter, a Jersey City-based school and one of the top teams in this year’s Hamilton Park Summer league, dismantled North Bergen's High Tech, 54-24. Create Charter was led by forwards Joshua Hemingway (19 points) and Raheem Rodgins (11 points). High Tech was led by guard/forward Mensud Hut’s six points. Forward John Greenwald also contributed with 6 points.

High Tech vs. Dickinson- High Tech bounced right back with a 38-25 victory over Dickinson. High Tech was led by guards Mike Fonseca (13 points) and Xavier Carporan (11 points). Dickinson was led by forward Chaguan Scott’s 10 points.

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