Thursday, January 3, 2008

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Demetrius Boards scored 18 points and had 9 rebounds and 4 blocks as Marist won its HCIAA-Coviello Division opener, 66-48, at Emerson (UC) on Wednesday night.

UNION CITY -- Ask five different coaches or others associated with boys basketball in the HCIAA-Coviello Division who the preseason season favorite is to win the league title and it is likely that each will provide a different answer. Bayonne? Lincoln? North Bergen? It is hard to say, just ask Marist head coach Vernon Freeland.

“In my opinion, there is no clear cut favorite,” said Freeland. “You mention Bayonne and they may be the top team, but Lincoln won the championship last year and they are keeping teams to about 40 points or so. Union Hill coach [Carlos Cueto] does a fantastic job with them and I can go on and on. The great thing about our league, it’s going to be a battle every night.”

Marist has to be included in that list, especially after its 66-48 win on the road at Emerson (Union City) on Wednesday night in the HCIAA-Coviello Division opener for both teams.

“That was real important for us and we’ve been gearing up for it,” said Freeland, whose team was coming off a one-point loss to North Bergen in Holiday Tournament play in a game that had no bearing on the league record. “It was a last second loss in a game that we thought we should have won, but we knew if we carried the intensity over from that game against this tough Emerson team tonight that we would have a good chance.”

Jairo Cruz scored 14 of his game-high 20 points in the first half to keep Emerson (UC) close.

Marist improved its chances in the second half when it turned up the defensive pressure against Emerson, especially on the Bulldogs’ talented off-guard Jairo Cruz. Cruz had 14 points in the first half to keep Emerson within 29-25 at the break, but scored just six points after halftime as Marist stretched its lead to 48-38 after the third quarter and 53-38 when Demetrius Boards and Terill Moore-Sims combined to score the first five points of the final quarter.

Freeland used a variety of players to guard Cruz, who is at his best when slashing to the basket, and it was Dorian Best who drew the assignment of staying in front of Cruz to start the second half.

“He is a strong player going to his right side so coach [Freeland] told me to just play him to his left, make him do things he doesn’t really like to do,” said Best. “We knew that it was going to be our defense that was going to do it for us and we know that every game that we play in our league is going to be hard. We are just glad to get out of here with a win and move on to the next game.”

Another of Marist’s strengths is its ability and willingness to share the ball. The Royal Knights pass up good shots for better ones and give every player on the floor touches in half court sets, although there were not too many of those against Emerson because of forced turnovers that led to many transition baskets.

Dorian Best scored 10 points and played lock down defense in the second half as Marist improved to 4-1 on the season.

Boards, the 6-6 senior center who is a shot changer on the defensive end, led Marist with 18 points and added nine rebounds and four blocks.

“I knew trying to keep me out of the paint was going to be a big part of what they were going to try to do against us, but I couldn’t let that happen. I had to establish myself under there,” said Boards, who is getting plenty of looks from Division 2 colleges. “What I have learned in being here for three years is that any team can beat anybody on a given night and that you have to play hard. You can’t just go out there and expect to win, you have to go out there and earn it and I think we did that tonight.”

Cruz carried Emerson through the first half and his pull-up jumper with 6:25 to go in the second quarter gave the Bulldogs their last lead at 22-20. Cruz also forged the game’s last tie at 25-all when he scored off an inbounds play with 4:08 to go in the first half, but Tyrell Johnson stuck back a missed shot to give Marist the lead for good at and he also set up Best on the fastbreak for the layup that gave the Knights their four-point halftime lead.

Marist's Tyrell Johnson had 10 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists to go along with his 6 points.

It was still a close game when Sony Diaz scored inside to keep Emerson with 39-35 midway through the third quarter, but a 15-3 run that closed the third quarter and started the fourth gave Marist the spurt it needed to pull away.

Cruz finished with a game-high 20 points for Emerson, but finding other scoring options proved difficult. No other Bulldog reached double digits as Diaz finished with eight points and Jeremy Delgado and Matt Portillo each added six points.

Marist (4-1), on the other hand, had no trouble getting everyone involved and even finding exclamation points for its impressive win. The last of Boards’ 18 points came on a fastbreak dunk with 3:22 to play in the game and Johnson (6 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists) got one too to provide the Royal Knights with their final two points. Eddie Williams had 11 points, and Jawan Carson (7 steals, 3 assists) and Best (5 assists) each had 10 points as Marist had eight players make at least one field goal.

“It’s a good win, but it is only one win and we can’t get too excited about it,” said Freeland, whose prediction for a wide open league race was bolstered when North Bergen lost to Snyder on Wednesday night. “It was a good way to start the league season, but we have a long way to go before anything here is decided.”

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