February
2, 2004
March 21,
RUTHERFORD - Englewood has been one of the more storied programs in Bergen County for decades and a staple in the Bergen County Jamboree. But a as few as four days ago, the Raiders were on the outside looking in, sitting below the .650 winning percentage needed for automatic entry to the tournament and needing a win over undefeated Cliffside Park to impress the committee enough to get an at large bid.
Englewood took care of business to get into the Jambo, then set out to show that it belonged in the field in Saturday's first round matchup against St. Mary's at Felician College.
Dante Mitchell nailed a long three at the buzzer to end the first quarter to give Englewood a nine-point lead. James Anderson and Alvin Mofunanya took over from there as the 15th seeded Raiders never trailed in a 66-54 triumph.
"In the Jambo, all you have to do is get in and anything can happen," said Mitchell, who finished with nine points and seven rebounds. "We try to learn something every game. What we have learned the most is that we are a much tougher team to play when we get a quick lead because we tend to play more loosely. I know when I can hit shots and create, that opens things for my teammates. We really came out to play today and I think it showed."
The 6-7 Mofunanya made his presence felt inside from the very first minute of the game. St. Mary's senior center Jerry Bielecki got open for a fast break lay-up, but the leaping Mofunanya altered the shot and let the Gaels know that they were going to have trouble on the glass.
The Raiders held a six-point lead throughout most of the quarter before Mitchell drilled a 27-footer at the buzzer to push the lead up to nine, 17-8. Englewood continued to dominate the boards, and the lead grew to 12 by halftime.
"We just couldn't hit open shots in the first half and it got us in a hole," said St. Mary's (Ruth.) head coach Matt Stone. "With the tempo that Englewood plays, it's very tough for a team to sustain runs against them. We had to get physical and we tried hard, but you have to box out against Englewood every possession or they'll kill you."
The Gaels, seeded 18th, were not about to roll over and Jeff Jones forced three consecutive turnovers early in the third quarter, the latter two ended in Bielicki lay-ups to trim the lead down to six, 33-27. But that is as close as St. Mary's came with Anderson stepping up to make big shots time and time again.
St. Mary's got within single digits seconds into the fourth quarter on a three-point bomb from Ryan Swetitis, but the Raiders pulled away and will move on to face second seeded Paramus Catholic, which had an opening round bye, next weekend in the Round of 16.
Englewood (8-5) had nice scoring balance with four players totaling at least nine points. Leading the way was Anderson with 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Mofunanya play a huge part in the Raiders 33-15 edge in the rebounding department. He grabbed six boards and blocked five shots to go along with his nine points. Matt Hewitt gave a fine performance off the bench with 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
St. Mary's (Ruth.) fell to 11-5 on the season, but not without a solid overall game from Jones. North Jersey's leading rusher this past fall showed his quickness on the hardwood with game-highs of eight assists and seven steals, also adding 11 points. Team-high scoring and rebounding honors went to Bielecki with 16 points and seven boards. Swetitis added 12 points, including 3 of 3 from behind the three-point line.
"We like to create pressure and get the ball up and down the floor," said Englewood head coach Gerald Akridge. "Our rebounding was excellent in this game. We are at our best when we hold teams to one shot per possession. I tell the kids all the time, if you can rebound, protect the ball, and hit free throws, you'll be in every game. We shoot as well from the line as we'd like, but we controlled the glass and did a pretty good job of protecting the ball and came out with a win over a good team."
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