January
6, 2007
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| Bayonne point guard Rashad Callaway helped engineer a 19-point turnoaround in the second half as the Bees improved to 6-0 on the season. | |
UNION CITY – Behind by double digits at halftime on the road against a league opponent, the Bayonne boys basketball team had some work to do if it was to turn its five game winning streak to start the season into six. Facing Emerson (UC) for the second time this season on Friday night, the Bees’ unblemished record was in serious jeopardy, and before they could even think about winning, they first had to get in a position to make a closing run.
John Daniels was solid on both ends of the floor and Jerrell Johnson hit a huge three-pointer with just over a minute to play as Bayonne rallied from 13 points down in the second half to keep its unbeaten record intact with a 64-58 comeback victory.
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| Emerson's Bryan Cruz finished with 10 rebounds, nine points, seven assists, and two blocks. |
“I thought the defense we played in the second half got us back in the game,” said Bayonne head coach Jack Hladik. “We came out flat in the first half and Emerson really took it to us. I just told the kids at halftime that if we don’t come out strong in the second half and chip away at this lead that it will be too late to make a run.”
Right from the opening tip, Johnson heated up from the perimeter. He hit his first three shots and scored the Bees’ first eight points to help his team grab the lead. But it was short-lived and it looked for the remainder of the first half as if the Bulldogs would ‘Cruz’ to victory.
One of North Jersey’s most electrifying players, Bryan Cruz, was all over the floor and consistently found his cousin, Jairo, for easy baskets. Bryan, a senior, made several jaw-dropping plays late in the first half as Emerson pulled away for a 13-point lead at the break, 34-21.
“We felt confident up by double-digits at the half, but we also knew it would be tough to put them away,” said Emerson head coach Drew Marano. “Bayonne is one of the better teams in the HCIAA and they just keep coming at you no matter what the score is. Even though we have some experienced players on this team, we still have to mature because we are making the same mistakes that we’ve made in the past. Every mistake we made in the second half came back to haunt us in the end.”
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| John Daniels going in for the layup that gave Bayonne the lead for good at 56-55. |
The Bees came out more inspired on the defensive end to start the third quarter. They were able to disrupt a Bulldogs offense that seemed to do whatever it wanted just minutes earlier. They forced several turnovers that turned into baskets at the opposite end of the floor, cutting the lead down to eight heading into the fourth quarter, 48-40.
“We wanted to cut the lead to seven going into the fourth quarter, but we were satisfied with being down by eight because we were still in the game,” said Daniels. “We just had to keep the defense going and feed off of that to get back in it.”
After three sub-par quarters, point guard Rashad Callaway and forward Nico Sampson made their collective presence felt down the stretch. They scored consecutive baskets to make it a one-possession game. Daniels then ripped the ball away from Jairo Cruz on a drive to the hoop and went the distance for a lay-up to give Bayonne its first lead since the midway point of the first quarter, 56-55.
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| Emerson's Jairo Cruz scored a game-high 24 points. |
After a turnover and a missed shot by Emerson, Johnson put the dagger in the Bulldogs and Sampson gave it a twist. Johnson calmly stroked a three-pointer to make it a two-possession game with 1:18 to go and Sampson followed on the ensuing possession with a conventional three-point play to make a seven-point lead and put the game away.
“I knew the shot was going in when I took it, it felt good leaving my hand,” said Johnson. “When we make shots, we start playing better defense. We feel like if we’re on our game that we’re going to win. Rashad (Callaway) and Nico (Sampson) get a lot of attention from other team’s defenses, which helps me because I know I’m going to get some good looks. For me, I just had to keep playing with confidence and I was prepared to make that shot.”
The biggest Achilles’ heel for Emerson all night long was their three-point shooting. Although Jairo Cruz hit a late three-pointer, it was the only one any Bulldog hit in the entire game as they finished 1 of 18 from beyond the arc.
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| Nico Sampson finished with 12 points for Bayonne. |
Johnson hit seven of his 10 shots from the field, including 4 of 7 from three-point range, to lead Bayonne (6-0) with 19 points. Daniels also shot well, going from 7 for 11 from the floor for 16 points. Sampson and Callaway also hit double-digits with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Center Edgar Pacheco had game-highs with 14 rebounds and four blocks.
Jairo Cruz scored a game-high 24 points for Emerson (4-3). Bryan Cruz did most of his damage in the first half and finished with 10 rebounds, nine points, seven assists, and two blocks. Sony Diaz added 12 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Abdul Ais did a solid job in his varsity start at the point with six points and five assists. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, they do not have time to rest as they face the Hudson School this afternoon.
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| Ken
DeJesus and Emerson fell to 5-3 on the season with the loss. |
Bayonne is the HCIAA’s lone unbeaten team and is inching its way through a pack of solid teams towards being the favorite to grab the league title. While the pressure of being the hunted instead of the hunter consumes some teams, the Bees seem to thrive on it.
“It feels good to be the team everyone is gunning for, we love that,” added Daniels. “Our league is so tough that if you’re going to win it, you have to go through everyone no matter what. We know we still have a long way to go, but we are right where we want to be so far. With this team, we feel that if we are in a position to win at the end of the game that we will find a way to pull it out.”
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