February
4, 2007
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| Ramapo senior Jon Curran waited his turn, spending two years on the JV before this season and his breakout game, a 32-point effort that led the Green Raiders past Englewood and into the quarterfinals of the Jamboree. | |
ALLENDALE -- Pete Carrill would be proud of the game plan that Ramapo displayed in the Round of 16 opener to Saturday’s Jamboree quadruple header at Northern Highlands. The long time Princeton basketball coach saw his patented offense run to near perfection.
The Raiders played the patient style of offense and Englewood allowed them to control the tempo, and the end result was a 64-54 win that sends Ramapo to its eighth straight win and a date in the quarterfinals next Sunday at Ramapo College against the St. Joseph-Westwood winner.
Time and again, Ramapo would set up in the four corners and move the ball between the top of the key and the halfcourt line, back and forth, until the opening showed itself. Time and again, Englewood allowed it to happen by putting only marginal pressure on the ball.
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| David Mofuanaya added 14 points and five blocked shots for Englewood, which had its eight game winning streak stopped. |
That meant that almost every break to the basket came through open space in the paint and led to layup after layup opportunity. The biggest beneficiary was Jon Curran, who scored a career-high 32 points and was a step quicker on the cut all game long.
“We’ve worked on it since I was a sophomore,” Curran said, “and we’re all good dribblers and can shoot the ball well.”
Englewood, which came in with an eight-game winning streak of its own, was able to compensate enough through the first two-plus quarters to forge a 36-34 lead on a three-point field goal by James Williams with 6:01 left in the third period.
From there, Ramapo turned it on. Curran and Dan Berardo would drive the lane and dish off to a cutting Chris Fletcher along the baseline, and he scored four of the next five Raider baskets in an 13-2 run over the next four minutes that sent them out to a 47-38 lead.
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| Andrew Durfee had eight points, including a three-point field goal to start the fourth period, and three steals Ramapo. |
“I’m so proud of the kids,” Ramapo head coach Joe Del Buono said. “This team is starting to build its own legacy. We’re in position to win a (league) championship, we’re a quarterfinalist in the Jamboree, and we’re in a good mold right now.”
Armed with a 49-42 lead entering the fourth quarter, Ramapo (13-4) worked its way through the first four minutes of the fourth quarter, remaining on top by 56-50.
Englewood (11-6) could not get into any kind of offense rhythm as the Maroon Raiders seemed frustrated. They committed 23 turnovers compared to just 9 for the Raiders. Ramapo then iced the game by scoring the next five points with Curran’s two free throws with 39 seconds left making it 61-50 and allowing the Ramapo celebration to begin.
“They’re a very good team and we showed them a lot of respect,” Curran related. “I was hoping we could keep our offense moving all game.”
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| Sharrod Gandy led Englewood with 17 points and also pulled down 11 rebounds. |
Curran shot 11 of 17 from the field, and 3 of 5 on three-pointers and 7 of 8 at the free throw line along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. He dropped in nine points in the first quarter and 10 in the third period.
“He’s a typical Ramapo story,” Del Buono said of Curran. “He’s waited his turn, and now it’s his turn to perform. He toiled on the junior varsity for two years, working on every phase of his game. Senior year, senior leadership.”
Ramapo also got a yeoman’s effort from Andrew Durfee, who was in the starting lineup for leading scorer Taylor Van Orden, who was out with an ankle sprain. Durfee had eight points, including a three-point field goal to start the fourth period, and three steals.
Fletcher finished with 10 points and Berardo had five assists for the Raiders, who shot 24 of 58 from the floor (5 of 8 from behind the arc) and 11 of 17 at the free throw line. The Raiders used 11 players throughout the game, rotating them in.
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| The result of a bet gone bad, Joe DelBuono coached Ramapo to its ninth straight win in full tuxedo. |
“Because we were 0-2, it masked what we thought we could be and turned us into what we have to be to (compete),” Del Buono explained. “These guys have bought into the philosophy, and we extend the court. It allows me to play a lot more players.”
Englewood shot 24 of 52 from the floor and just 1 of 7 from the foul line, missing their last six. Sharrod Gandy had 17 points and 11 rebounds and David Mofuanaya added 14 points and five blocked shots for the Maroon Raiders.
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME OR TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com.
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