February
2, 2007
RUTHERFORD – With a 19-point lead over archrival Rutherford at start of the fourth quarter on Thursday night, Queen of Peace center Bilal Dixon was admittedly looking ahead a bit to this weekend’s Jambo showdown with defending Bergen County champion Don Bosco Prep. Three minutes later, Dixon no longer had that luxury.
Rutherford used a 16-0 run to cut the lead all the way down to three points and, with the game and the Golden Griffins’ confidence hanging by a thread, the 6-7 center made sure the Bulldogs did not get any closer.
Rutherford had two trips down the court with a chance to pull within one or tie the game with a three-pointer. However, the Bulldogs had no answer for Dixon in the paint on either end of the floor. He blocked shots on both of the aforementioned Bulldog possessions and hit a baby hook shot from 12 feet out, the last of his career-high 22 points, which spurred Queen of Peace to a 62-51 triumph.
“Bilal (Dixon) came up huge for us and probably had his best game of the season,” said Queen of Peace head coach Bill Schoener. “He got good position inside and we have been doing a better job of recognizing that he needs a lot of touches. This is always a tough game for us. We knew Rutherford was going to be tough, they are well-coached, and they won’t give up no matter what.”
Schoener and Rutherford head coach Brian Gaccione know each other quite well. Not only do they coach teams in the same league, but they also live two houses away from one another. The chess match was on from the opening tap, but it was a turnover-plagued Bulldog team that helped let the Golden Griffins control the pace of the game.
Rutherford held an 8-4 lead early in the first quarter, but the Golden Griffins tied the game by the end of period. Dixon started to hit his stride late in the first quarter and helped his team take over in the second stanza. Despite Gaccione’s efforts to slow the game down, the Bulldogs continued to turn the ball over, which led to easy baskets at the other end. The culmination came in the final seconds as another turnover turned into Dixon’s thunderous one-handed dunk at the halftime buzzer, which gave Queen of Peace a 34-18 lead at the break.
“That was the first time I ever dunked right before a half and it really felt good,” said Dixon, a junior who played his freshman and sophomore seasons at St. Anthony’s in Jersey City. “This is a big rivalry game and to get a dunk like that after how we played in the second quarter really got us pumped up.”
The game appeared out of reach in the third quarter, but it could have been a lot worse. The Bulldogs turned the ball over nine times in the period, which could have led to disaster. Instead, they were only down 19 points when they could have been down by 30.
The Bulldogs struggled to get going throughout the contest, but came out clicking on all cylinders to start the fourth quarter. Jamie Parnofiello, in just his fifth game back after tearing his ACL last year in a mid-season game, was all over the court and helped get his team back in the game. He scored all seven of his points in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter, and Jared Holzherr’s steal and lay-up capped the 16-0 burst to cut the lead to three, 50-47, with 4:45 to play.
“When they cut the lead to three and we called timeout, that was the first time I was really nervous,” added Dixon. “I thought we had the game in hand, but I started thinking that if we kept this up that we were going to lose. Rutherford wasn’t going away, but I had faith that if we settled down that we would pull it out. I knew this was a time where I had to be more of a leader and bring my ‘A’ game for the last few minutes.”
With their fans, the Dawg Pound, going crazy, the Bulldogs had a pair of chances to tie the game. Dixon came up with two big blocked shots, which turned the tide back in the Golden Griffins favor. Dixon then came down on the other end, took two dribbles across the lane and hit a hook shot from just inside the elbow to make it a two-possession game. Dwayne Moffatt put the game on ice with a three-pointer on their ensuing possession.
“Dixon hurt us all night, both offensively and defensively,” said Gaccione. “On top of that, we turned the ball over a lot against a team that lives off of that. It wasn’t even so much turning the ball over itself as it was turning the ball over in open space where they could get on the fast break. You can’t beat a good team like Queen of Peace when you turn the ball over 21 times. That, along with the way Dixon played, adds up to big trouble.”
Dixon hit 11 of his 13 shots from the floor for Queen of Peace (14-4). He also added seven blocks, five rebounds, and four steals. Moffatt added 14 points, while fellow guard Javae Gilchrist quietly had a solid game. The sophomore finished with eight assists, six points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Jared Holzherr led Rutherford (10-7) in scoring with 14 points. Denis Ackermann also reached double-figures with 10 points to go along with five rebounds. Center Jeff Ferruzano chipped in with nine points.
After a late scare, the Golden Griffins can now look ahead to their match-up with Don Bosco on Sunday. It is the first of four games at Tenafly High School, with a 10:00 a.m. start time.
“This was a win where we had to show a lot of character,” added Schoener. “We have to show more patience and not take quick shots when we have a lead, but we’re getting better with each game. To go from where we were at this point last year (4-14) to where we are now is a huge improvement. We have worked hard to get here and Bilal (Dixon) has given us a huge boost, especially lately. I’m just relieved to get out of here with a win.”
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