February
2, 2004
March 21,
RUTHERFORD - Saturday's first-round Bergen County Jamboree encounter between No. 13 Bogota and 20th-seeded Rutherford could have been a showcase between two of the county's top players in the Bucs' Ben Hilliard and Jon Guzman of Rutherford.
But it was a pair of role players that shined during the fall on the football field that held the fort down through regulation and into overtime while the two stars struggled mightily in getting clean looks at the basket.
Terrence Holley of Bogota and Rutherford's Brian Murphy, both All-North Jersey selections on the gridiron, came up with clutch plays throughout the game. Murphy clamped down on Hilliard and held the explosive 24 points-per-game scorer to five points before he fouling him out with 7:10 to play in regulation and the Bulldogs holding a 5-point lead. Holley rallied the troops and hit a bucket with under two minutes to play to force overtime.
Guzman hit only 2 of his 12 shots from the floor, but the last one he took might as well have been the biggest of his career. His three-pointer from the corner with 49 seconds remaining in the overtime snapped a 44-44 tie and gave Rutherford the lead for good en route to a thrilling 51-46 verdict over the Bucs.
"I just wanted to get (Hilliard) as frustrated as possible and make him work for his points," said Murphy, who is being recruited by a slew of 1-AA schools as a wide receiver. "I really worked hard to deny him the ball and make him work hard just to get it. We knew Bogota is a tough team and they were going to hit some shots. We just had to stay composed and get the job done."
With Murphy shadowing Hilliard from the opening tip and the Rutherford defense paying very close attention to the standout senior, Lorenzo Ivey wasted little time in taking advantage of the open space. He drilled his first two three-point shots and Holley added a short jumper to put the Bucs up 8-2.
Bogota retained the six-point advantage into the second quarter before the Bulldogs got a spark from a pair of its seven seniors. Chris Schule was a force on the boards and Greg Vogel calmed the erratic Rutherford offense. Schule hit on a putback and Vogel canned a jumper to pull the Bulldogs within two, 25-23, at halftime.
"I just tried to get the ball working around so we could get a good shot," said Vogel. "With the exception of (Jon) Guzman, it's our first Jambo experience for the seniors. We're not losing and we talked about doing everything in our will not to lose. When we play together, we're a tough team on both ends of the floor."
Vogel continued to have the hot hand and distributed the ball well throughout the second half. Murphy was the recipient twice on passes from Vogel for buckets and the emotional senior drew a pair of fouls on Hilliard to give him four and Bogota a three-point deficit heading into the final period.
The lead grew to five and it looked like the lights were about to get turned out on Bogota as Murphy drew a charge on Hilliard to foul him out of the game 50 seconds into the fourth period. The most telling statistic of Murphy's defensive effort was that Hilliard, Bergen County's second leading scorer, attempted only five shots from the floor. He finished with five points and four rebounds.
Murphy's play not only fired up his team, but also Rutherford's faithful fans. Affectionately known as the Dawg Pound, they are one of North Jersey's most boisterous fan bases and have become somewhat of a 6th man. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they would not score again in regulation and left the door open for a potential collapse.
Lorenzo Ivey banked in a three-pointer over the outstretched hands of Murphy to cut the lead to two. Holley tied the game when he was fouled while scoring on a chippie with less than two minutes to play.
However, he missed the free throw and set the tone for the frantic final moments of regulation. Normally reliable from the foul line, Guzman and Murphy both missed front ends of a one-and-one in the final minute and Ivey front-rimmed a potential game-winning three and the two teams headed to overtime.
Schule flexed his muscle down low from the first possession of the overtime session. He scored on a short jumper and a putback to stake the Bulldogs to a quick four-point lead.
"The one thing we had going tonight that we haven't had all year is balanced scoring," said Rutherford head coach Brian Gaccione. "Schule and Vogel were huge for us all game long. Bogota really didn't give Kuchar or Guzman any open looks and those two stepped up and made some really big shots. If you're going to go far in the Jambo, you need to have balanced scoring and that was a big key for us."
Rutherford led throughout the overtime until Ivey's fourth three-pointer of the game knotted the score at 44.
The Bulldogs answered on the next possession when they swung the ball around the perimeter until Guzman finally got enough room to pull the trigger on a three-pointer. He hit nothing but net on his shot from the corner to put Rutherford back up by three, this time for good. The All-county senior made two free throws with 4.5 seconds left to ice the game and cap the scoring.
Vogel, a 5-10 senior, was the sparkplug for Rutherford (9-5). He finished with a season-high 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Murphy scored eight points and added two steals. Schule and Guzman each recorded 11 points and eight rebounds.
Bogota (12-4) was led by Ivey with a game-high 20 points in a losing effort. Holley finished with 10 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Frank Alegria chipped in with six points.
"This was a war, just a great basketball game between two great teams," said Bogota head coach Jay Mahoney. "That kid (Murphy) is a hell of a defender and he single-handedly disrupted us offensively. Our kids battled hard as did they and we both had chances to win. We have nothing to hang our heads about and we'll bounce back."
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