February
6, 2005
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ALLENDALE - Fair Lawn knew it was going to be in an up-tempo game with Paramus Catholic, but the Cutters had no idea that it would be become such a one-sided track meet. With each possession, the game got farther out of control.
Nine turnovers and six missed shots in their first 12 possessions doomed Fair Lawn, as the Paladins raced out to a 23-0 lead in the first six minutes and all but coasted home from there in a 67-49 victory.
The win puts Paramus Catholic through to the quarterfinals, where they will await the winner of Sunday's Bergen Catholic-Cresskill game. The Paladins improved to 12-3 on the season, while Fair Lawn dropped to 9-6.
Unlike last week, when the Cutters piled up 98 points and owned a distinct inside advantage over Wood Ridge, they had no answer for Lawrence Williams in the paint. The Paladin forward scored 8 of the first 11 points and had 10 in the run.
The PC pressure defense stifled Fair Lawn, and their inside play on the boards resulted in three putbacks.
"We just did things we don't do," a bewildered Fair Lawn head coach Jim Graff said. "Did we get intimidated? I don't think we were intimidated, but I just don't know what happened. Maybe we tried to do too much."
Matt Paterno finally put Fair Lawn on the scoreboard with 2:06 left in the period, and the first quarter ended with PC holding a 25-6 lead.
"I was wondering how long it would last," Williams said of the opening run.
"We came in here expecting a knockdown-drag out game," PC head coach Tony Campbell said, "and we were fortunate to go up like that. We made some shots and got some turnovers and it just snowballed. We came out with a lot of energy and the press worked."
With Terrell McKenzie dropping in 10 second quarter points, PC built its lead to 35-9 at one point. Campbell then took his team out of the pressing defense and into a zone. While it may have seemed like a benevolent gesture, it was to benefit his own team.
"I felt we had to protect out guys from fouls," Campbell explained. "We were starting to accumulate too many fouls, and I wanted to preserve them a little bit. That way, we could go back into it if we needed to." The change of pace slowed both teams down, as Paramus Catholic went into the locker room with a 43-15 halftime lead.
"It took us out of our game a little," McKenzie admitted. "We just had to work through it."
The third quarter saw Fair Lawn shoot 10 of 18 from the floor, with Jermaine Cushnie (9 points) and Vinnie Graff (8, including 2 threes) leading a charge that put a moderate dent into the huge deficit. The Paladins still held a 57-38 lead, but the Cutters were still playing hard.
"We came back in the second half and busted our butts," Graff said, "but we've never played like that to start a game."
"We got a little complacent," Campbell said of the second half. "Guys take a few more gambles, take the shot that maybe could have been better, then all of a sudden it gets closer."
While PC was never truly threatened, Fair Lawn did get within 14 at 63-49 with 3:37 to go, but they would not score the rest of the way.
McKenzie finished with 22 points and 5 steals and Williams added 20 points for Paramus Catholic. Luis Guzman had 13 points and 6 assists as the Paladins hit 27 of 61 shots from the floor and 8 of 17 at the line.
"We needed to get a feel for the county games," McKenzie, playing in his first Jamboree, added. Cushnie scored 15 points and grabbed 9 boards for the Cutters, who got 14 points from Graff. FL was 20 of 49 shooting and 6 of 14 on foul shots.
Paterno, who had a career high of 26 points in last week's win, left the game with 3:54 to go in the third quarter after opening a gash just under the left eyebrow in a collision of bodies under the basket. He went to the hospital, where it was expected that he would need 10-12 stitches to close the wound. His status for the upcoming week is day-to-day.
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME OR TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY, CHECK OUT THE NJS.com SCHOOL STORE!
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