Boys basketball: Plenty of big performances at Henderson Memorial Showcase at Hackensack

HACKENSACK – Johnny Jackson reached 1,000 career points, and the Ridgewood junior guard could be the next boys basketball player in North Jersey to reach 2,000.

Jackson scored 20 of his 33 points in the first half to lead the Maroons to Saturday’s 77-47 victory over Kennedy in Game 3 of the 7-game Mel Henderson Memorial Showcase at Hackensack.

“That’s definitely the goal,” Jackson said. “Two thousand would be pretty cool.”

Ranked No. 6 in the North Jersey Top 25, Ridgewood (10-1) was pretty cool handling No. 13 Kennedy’s pressure defense, and coach Mike Troy said, “I thought that was our most complete game of the year.”

Jackson, who reached 1,000 in Thursday’s win over Hackensack, is part of North Jersey’s most productive 1-2 scoring punch. Senior Evan O’Reilly chipped in 21 points as the Maroons led at halftime, 41-29, and extended the lead to 52-36 entering the fourth.

Kennedy, which could face Ridgewood in next month’s NJSIAA Group 4 sectional, started three sophomores, and 10th grader Jaden Mason scored 16.

Eight of the top 16 teams in the North Jersey Top 25 competed in the 14-team event, and here’s a look at the other six games:

St. Mary’s statement win

St. Mary earned big respect for the small-school NJIC by rallying in the second half to defeat Big North foe Teaneck, 67-61.

Senior L.J. Falconi hit seven 3-pointers, including a trey off a feed from senior Luck Gaccione, to give No. 7 St. Mary (9-0) a 61-54 lead. Senior Victor Torres scored 21 for the Gaels. Junior Jarrell Harmitt scored 22, including a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 63-59, for No. 8 Teaneck (6-4).

“The adjustment we talked about at halftime was slowing down,” St. Mary coach Brian Gaccione said. “Being in the NJIC and playing some teams not as good as Teaneck, you’ve got to find your footing right away. But we’ve got a solid group, and I thought Falconi was huge.”

Ramapo looked like a champ

Ramapo, reigning NJSIAA Group 3 champion, looked every bit like North Jersey’s best public school in a 69-40 win over Paramus Catholic. The Green Raiders' passing created so many quality shots.

Senior Chris Cervino hit six 3-pointers and scored 20 and junior Charlie Wingfield muscled inside for 16 points for No. 3 Ramapo (6-4). Senior Aziz Sutton-Shorter scored nine for rebuilding Paramus Catholic (1-11).

“I’m very happy with the way we played today. This was our best performance offensively,” Ramapo coach Nick Vier said, adding, “We were able to make shots early.”

Ramsey remains unbeaten

Ramsey, disciplined and with five senior starters, continued to perform like North Jersey’s second-best public school, defeating Dwight-Englewood, 58-37.

Senior Ollie Hochstein hit a quartet of 3-pointers and scored 14, and senior center Logan Bahn worked his way inside for 12 for No. 5 Ramsey (9-0). The Rams' zone defenses continue to stifle opponents and junior Dusan Dobric scored 11 to lead a balanced attack for Dwight-Englewood (6-3).

“The seniors, it starts with them,” said coach Mark Christiansen, whose Rams are defending Group 2 sectional champions. “All five of them played valuable minutes last year, and translating it to this year, they’re really playing well together.”

Hackensack snaps losing streak

Hackensack’s 1-2-2 press created turnovers that became transition points and led the way to a chaotic 60-49 victory over Passaic Tech.

Senior Damir Shelley and junior Kevin Addison led a balanced attack with 12 points apiece as No. 13 Hackensack (5-4) snapped a three-game losing streak. Passaic Tech (0-9) played as hard as any of the 14 teams and senior Jovan Tyrell was exceptional in the fourth and scored 20.

“What went right is what’s been going right for us all year: we played defense,” Hackensack coach Aaron Taylor said. “We have to get better on the offensive end. There were spurts when we looked better, but then we also went back into those lulls that we’ve seen throughout the season.”

DePaul pulls away in fourth

DePaul earned the first win of the day by pulling away to a 76-52 victory over Bogota of the NJIC.

Sophomore Darius Young scored 14 of his 23 in the fourth to help No. 16 DePaul (6-4) extend a 50-39 lead. Senior Lawrence Tolbert also scored 23 for the Spartans. Looking to gain experience against bigger, better schools, Bogota (4-6) got 11 points apiece from seniors Michael Olivo and Evan Abreu and sophomore Jaiden Gonzalez.

“Although it was an 11-point halftime lead, I wasn’t comfortable, and we’ve got to be able to play a little bit better defense,” DePaul coach Travis Bligh said. “Darius and Lawrence had a heck of a run in the third and fourth quarters and that helped us pull away.”

Saddle River hurt by slow start

Saddle River Day, also a member of the NJIC, stepped up in class, and a slow start led to a quick double-digit deficit and loss to Rutgers Prep, 67-55.

Junior Shawn Spencer, a Bergen Catholic transfer, scored 27, and junior Preston Neuenhaus added 10 for Saddle River Day (3-4). The Rebels will receive a boost next week when multiple players become eligible.

“We’ve got some guys who are really starting to put it together nicely,” said Rebels coach J.R. Inman, a former Bergen County All-Decade standout at St. Joseph. “I think that we gave them pressure, but they made some outside shots, and they’re just a really good group to go up against.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Boys basketball: Plenty of big performances at Showcase at Hackensack