February
25, 2005
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| Devin McCourty scored a season-high 19 points to pace St. Joseph to a 56-36 win over Paramus Catholic in the Jambo final on Thursday night. | |
HACKENSACK -- Senior leadership can never be discounted, especially when it comes from players who are proven winners. The lineup for the St. Joseph basketball team includes three starters who won three football championships each along with a player many consider Bergen County's best basketball player. These four seniors are the impetus of the Green Knights' success.
Throughout the season, the offense for the Green Knights has run through Gerald Inman. The center averages around 50 percent of his team's points per game, while the others take turns pitching in. On Thursday night in the championship game of the Jamboree, it was Devin McCourty's time. On a night where his team was as cold as the snow coming down outside in the first quarter, he lit a fire under his teammates with a season-high 19 points.
Along with the usual solid defense, it was enough to send St. Joseph to a 56-36 win over Paramus Catholic, giving the Green Knights their third Jamboree championship and first since the back-to-back titles in 1981-82.
Having played and lost in the finals last season, St. Joseph (23-1) was able to cultivate that experience into this year's effort.
"It meant a lot to the guys," SJR head coach Mike Doherty remarked. "We learned that there are no championships given, you have to go out there and earn them. We were going to have to go out and earn it."
"You have to give everybody on their team credit, because collectively, they got it done," PC head coach Tony Campbell said. "We needed to get stops, shoot well and not turn it over, and we didn't accomplish any of that. That's a credit to them as much as it is on us."
"I think it has some bearing," Campbell said of the championship game experience for the Knights, "and also, they had seniors out there who had that edge on us in experience."
That slow start was in part caused by the defense of the McCourty twins, Devin and Jason. They put pressure on the ball in the half court offense, and Jason had three first quarter steals (5 overall) that helped the Green Knights overcome some early shooting woes.
"It's something we rally around," Doherty said of his team's defensive prowess. "In the beginning of the season, we knew we were a good defensive unit, but as the season went on more and more attention was being paid to the low scores, and we latched on to that."
Neither team scored until Devin McCourty's basket with 4:44 left in the first quarter, and after PC tied it on a Lawrence Williams bucket, the Knights scored the final 8 points of the opening period to go up 10-2. Three of the baskets in the run came off steals.
"We created things off the defense and that got us going," Doherty commented. "What a great game the McCourtys played. I don't think there could be a stronger statement by Devin and Jason. For them to come out and score 29 points, it shows what winners they are."
"It was our job to get the team going early," Devin McCourty said of the Green Knight guards. "We had to help J.R. out. We feel defense is a given, but we had to come out and score."
"We had a slow start, and when you get a slow start against a team like this with a very good defense, it's tough to catch up," Campbell lamented.
The Paladins (17-5) cut the deficit to 12-8 after a Luis Guzman putback in the second quarter, but Inman answered with a three-point field goal and Devin McCourty hit a jumper. McCourty then dropped back-to-back threes as the Knights went off at the half with a 25-12 lead.
"It felt good," Inman said of his teammates' offensive contributions, "I didn't have to shoot as much, so I could relax and just move the ball around to other guys."
Paramus Catholic was still in range at 37-27 entering the final quarter, but with the score 39-28, Inman hit back-to-back three-point plays to start an 11-0 run that completed their run to the title as the tournament's top seed.
The Paladins hit on 13 of 44 shots from the floor, including 1 of 9 in the first quarter and 2 of 14 in the fourth. They were 10 of 13 at the free throw line, with Williams the only one in double figures with 14 points.
Inman had 18 points and Jason McCourty 10 points and a game-high 5 rebounds to go along with 3 assists and 5 steals. St. Joseph was 20 of 42 shooting after a 5 of 15 first quarter and added 12 of 16 free throws.
"It confirms for this group of seniors that they are the greatest group to come through St. Joe's. People measure things, including coaches and players, by titles," Doherty said, putting them ahead of the 1980-81 team that was 26-2 and one that he played on. "Last year, we were involved in a lot of championship settings, and we came up short."
"We felt we were embarrassed last year," Devin McCourty said, referring to a 53-33 finals loss to Don Bosco. "We wanted to come out this year and show that it was ours. They say defense wins championships, and we just came out and played great defense."
"We had four main goals, to win the (Indian Hills) Christmas tournament, the league, the county and the state," Inman related. "We got the first two and tonight we added another step."
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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