March
8, 2005
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| Chuck Kaliades scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half to help Ridgewood end a 35-year state sectional title drought. | |
WAYNE - There are stars and there are leaders. Many times they are not one in the same. Ridgewood's Chuck Kaliades is a prime example. Watch him on the basketball court, and what you see is a hard-working player who leads by example. He brings the passion and venom to the floor, and he is willing to throw himself into any part of the game, no matter what he is called on to do.
On Monday night, the Maroons turned to him both physically and emotionally, and he not only delivered the fire and brimstone, but took the team on his back in the first half, giving it the lead and the impetus to end a 35-year championship drought.
The Maroons
built up a double-digit lead that grew to as many as 17 points, then got great
free throw shooting in the final minutes to take a 69-58 win over North Bergen
and their first North 1, Group 4 sectional title since 1970, only the second
in school history.
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| North Bergen finished its season one victory shy of 20 wins. |
Ridgewood (16-9) will now take on Bridgewater-Raritan, a winner over Linden, in the Group 4 state semifinals on Wednesday at a site to be determined.
In game where offensive charging fouls were whistled time and again and both teams spent considerable time at the free throw line, it was Ridgewood's early ability to get some easy baskets off the press break and its defense that led to a 17-9 lead after one period.
"We were hoping we could use the trap that was so effective (against Montclair) against a team that has great ballhandling and is very athletic," Ridgewood head coach Jim Stroker assessed. "We were able to do that at the start."
With
game tied at 4, Jason Greenstone converted a layup off the press break, then
Todd Green created a steal and turned it into a layup, giving the Maroons
a lead they would never relinquish. Meanwhile, Kaliades was creating off the
motion offense, scoring 11 of his 14 points in the first half. More so, he
was inspiring his teammates through his work ethic as well as exhorting them
vocally.
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| Haryl Smith and Ridgewood advance to the Group 4 state semifinal against Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday. |
"Chuck is the ultimate warrior, the ultimate high school athlete," Stroker praised. "To lead the football team to two state championships and now lead the basketball team to one, it's a pretty unique thing. There aren't many players at the high school level who have done more."
The Maroons watched Clay Rhoten, Greenstone and Harryl Smith sit most of the second quarter with foul trouble, but Kaliades and Kyle DeFeo picked up the slack, scoring six points apiece. Ridgewood also benefitted for a 9 for 34 shooting half by North Bergen (19-7).
They also got a spurt in the final seconds of the half from Green. The Bruins had closed to within 31-28 on six straight points from Gary Felices before Green was fouled with 12.3 seconds on the clock. He dropped in both free throws, then hit a layup with one second to go off a fast break to make it 35-28.
"In a
giant game, to perform at a high level, it's so hard for high school kid,
" said Stroker, who was coaching his first sectional final in his 17-year
tenure with the Maroons, "and we came out and played with no fear."
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| North Bergen got to within eight at 60-52 on two free throws with 1:27 to play in the game. |
The Maroons got the first six points of the third quarter with Rhoten sandwiching a Kaliades bucket with baskets off offensive rebounds of his own missed shots. That helped the Maroons to a 53-38 leads entering the final quarter.
Randy DeFeo had a three-point field goal to get the lead to 15, and got the first bucket of the fourth quarter. He also nailed a corner jumper after the Bruins got within 10 with 3:27 left in the game.
"He's so poised, fearless," Stroker said of the sophomore. "And his brother (Kyle) and (Todd) Green, they came up big, too."
"I knew I could definitely make those shots," DeFeo confided, "and I was confident in taking them."
North Bergen did not help its cause from the foul line where the Bruins were just 6 of 14 from the foul line in the final period. They gotten to within eight at 60-52 on two free throws by Andy Fernandez with 1:27 to go. Considering the way the game had gone (30 fouls called on NB, 28 on Ridgewood), there was plenty of time and possessions left.
Paul
Nelson then stepped up. On for Rhoten, who fouled out with 2:39 left, he hit
five of six free throws and grabbed 4 rebounds down the stretch, and Green
and Randy DeFeo each were 2 for 2 from the line.
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| Despite foul trouble, Ridgewood center Clay Rhoten finished with 9 points and 12 rebounds. |
North Bergen ended up shooting just 30 percent from the floor (21 of 70) and was 14 of 27 at the foul line. Felices topped the Bruins with 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Evan Rodriguez had 12 points. Xavier Silva added 7 boards and 3 steals.
The Maroons got 11 points from Randy DeFeo and shot 21 of 47 from the floor and 26 of 39 at the line. Rhoten had 9 points and 12 rebounds and Kaliades had 10 rebounds. Nine different players scored for Ridgewood in the game.
"There have been a lot of peaks and valleys this year," Stroker related, "and I'm so happy for these kids. It's been a tough year, but you measure a team by what they do at the end, not necessarily the whole."
"We're on a good run right now, and we just have to keep winning games," Kaliades said. "It's unbelievable. I give a lot of credit to the coaches for preparing us for the states. They've gotten us ready every game."
FOR MORE PHOTOS OF THIS GAME OR TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY, CHECK OUT THE NJS.com SCHOOL STORE!
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