Boys basketball: North Jersey highlights from Day 4 of the state tournament
GLEN ROCK – Mason Mangione and Glen Rock had to hold on for dear life to survive, because Jefferson simply refused to go away.
Mangione and the Panthers made their last six free throws and fought off Jefferson, 64-61, Monday night in a North 1, Group 2 boys basketball quarterfinal.
Sophomore Rob Lopez, senior Jack Hattersley and Mangione, a junior, each made two foul shots, with Mangione’s coming with 20.3 seconds left to give second-seeded Glen Rock (20-8) a pivotal 64-58 lead.
“Making free throws at the end of games is critical,” said Glen Rock coach Jason Mittelman, whose team shot 75 percent from the line (12-for-16). “We try to get the ball in our best players’ hands.”
Lopez scored 17, Mangione 16, Hattersley 15 and senior Matt Kaplan 11 for Glen Rock, which secured its first 20-win season in a decade. The Panthers played stellar man-to-man defense, shared the ball on offense, and their only flaws were a couple of bad turnovers and hurrying a handful of shots in the second half.
“We did what we had to do to win,” Mittelman said. “They a very tough team, they’re very well-coached. We’re very young as far as varsity experience. We only return one varsity starter in Mason Mangione, and I think it showed a little tonight.”
Jefferson trailed in the fourth by as much as 52-37, but this No. 7 seed battled to the final seconds. With visiting fans out-cheering the home crowd, Jefferson came as close as 64-61 on a 3-pointer by senior Luke Dela Cruz with four seconds left. But the Falcons had no timeouts left to stop the clock.
“We were in a close game, all game,” said Mangione, whose Panthers host No. 3 Vernon in Wednesday's semifinals. “We had a few runs, and then they just went on runs right back. We had a few bad turnovers, but at the end we just grinded it out and got the win, and that’s all that matters.”
Elsewhere in North 1, Group 2
Pascack Hills’ fab February
Senior David Weidmuller led a balanced attack with 15 points and No. 5 Pascack Hills pulled away in the fourth for a 49-38 victory at No. 4 Dumont. Senior Nick Lukmann added 13 points and senior Austin Ellman 12 for Pascack Hills (16-9). Senior Fred Herbst scored 22 for Dumont (16-9).
Pascack Hills plays Wednesday's semifinal at top-seeded Ramsey and lost two regular-season battles to its Big North Patriot Division rival.
Ramsey rides 'D'
Defending champion and top-seeded Ramsey rode a strong defensive effort to a 50-26 win over No. 9 Mahwah. Senior Logan Bahn scored a game-high 14 to lead the Rams (20-7) to their second win in three tries against their Big North Patriot Division rival.
Seniors Ollie Hochstein and Mike Bernius added nine points apiece for Ramsey. Senior Charlie Siriti and freshman Mikey Branagh scored six apiece for Mahwah (15-13).
North 1, Group 4
Ridgewood's O'Reilly breaks 1,000
Junior Johnny Jackson scored 24 and senior Evan O’Reilly 22, including his 1,000th career point, as top-seeded Ridgewood defeated No. 9 Montclair, 68-48. O’Reilly reached 1,000 on a 3-pointer in the first quarter and now has 1,019 for the Maroons (19-8).
Ridgewood hosts No. 4 Memorial of West New York in Wednesday's semifinals. Memorial advanced with a 67-49 win over No. 5 Kennedy.
Passaic tops Clifton again
In a battle of double-digit seeds and Passaic County rivals, junior Aasod Adams scored 18 and senior Marlon Torres 17 and No. 10 Passaic (15-12) defeated No. 15 Clifton (12-16) for the third time this season, 59-54.
Passaic plays Wednesday's semifinal at No. 3 East Orange, which advanced with a 63-49 win over No. 6 Hackensack.
North Non-Public A
Don Bosco reaches Sweet 16
Senior Dylan Harper added to is school-record career points total with a team-high 16 in top-seeded Don Bosco’s 65-36 win over Big North United Division rival and No. 8 St. Joseph. Harper has 1,556 career points.
Junior Brady Loughlin scored 12 and senior Isaiah Brown 10 as the Ironmen (26-3) extended their winning streak to 16 games. Junior Jahmir scored 17 for St. Joseph (16-10). Don Bosco hosts No. 5 Hudson Catholic in Thursday's semifinals.
Bergen Catholic stays alive
Bergen Catholic, the No. 6 seed, knocked off No. 3 St. Benedict’s, 58-51. Bergen Catholic will play Thursday’s semifinal at defending champion and No. 2 St. Peter’s Prep, which advanced with a 77-34 win over No. 7 Dwight-Englewood. The Crusaders lost to St. Peter's in last year’s sectional final, 56-55.
North Non-Public B
St. Mary win streak hits 6
Junior B.J. Cunningham and senior Victor Torres led a balanced attack with 13 points apiece and No. 3 St. Mary defeated No. 6 Timothy Christian, 57-50.
Senior Sammy Tornebene added 11 points and senior LJ Falconi nine as the Gaels (22-6) extended their winning streak to six games.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Boys basketball: North Jersey highlights for Day 4 of state tournament
