Saturday, February 9, 2008

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

UNION CITY – Anger, frustration, disappointment. These were are feelings the Bayonne basketball team felt after blowing a 17-point halftime lead and losing on their home court to Emerson (UC) earlier this season. Those feelings were only magnified on Tuesday when they suffered an upset loss at the hands of Dickinson.

The Bees had the perfect occasion to take out some of those frustrations on Friday night when they traveled to Union City to take on Emerson.

They did just that with smothering defense in the first half and efficient offense in the second. All five Bayonne starters scored at least nine points, led by Sean Caldwell’s 18 and the Bees breezed to a 69-49 victory to remain atop the tightly-packed HCIAA-Coviello Division standings.

“We stressed poise and control coming into the game and it worked out the way we planned,” said Bayonne head coach Mickel Taylor. “In this league, you have to be ready to play every single game. We got taught that lesson the hard way a few times. But I think it served as an eye-opener to us and we came out much more focused tonight.”

Abdul Ais hit a pair of three-pointers in the first quarter as Emerson started strong. But the Bees used their size and their athleticism to their advantage in the second quarter to take control of the contest. Greg Moore and Jimmy Smith each scored seven points in the period as Bayonne grabbed a 29-22 halftime lead.

Emerson’s Jairo Cruz scored the first basket of the third quarter to trim the lead to five, but the Bulldogs never got any closer. The Bees spread the floor and found either Caldwell or Edgar Pacheco inside for lay-ups. They each scored six points in the period with Bayonne getting its lead up to double-digits and keeping it there for the remainder of the game.

Bayonne (12-6, 9-4 HCIAA-Coviello) hit 17 of their 30 second-half shots. Moore finished with 15 points and Pacheco had 10, all of them coming in the second half. Smith and Tarique Holmes each chipped in with nine.

Ais had 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists for Emerson (12-8, 6-7 HCIAA-Coviello), which has now dropped four straight games. Cruz added 12 points, five rebounds, and three steals. To show how close the league standings are, Emerson, who was looking at a No. 1 or 2 seed in the county tournament two weeks ago, is now in a dogfight just to get one of the eight berths.

“Ever since beating Union Hill, we haven’t played well and we’ve lost four straight,” said Emerson head coach Drew Marano. “To be honest, we’re in trouble. We know how we are capable of playing and we have some experience. We just need to take care of business on the defensive end and show some patience offensively. The bottom line is that we don’t have any margin for error now, we have to wake up and start playing up to our potential.”

Bayonne looks to be back on its game with last night’s impressive win. But the Bees know there is work left to be done over the next week before the HCIAA-Coviello tournament begins.

“It’s good to get back on track, but it’s just one win,” said Bayonne’s Sean Caldwell. “When people come into our house and beat us like Emerson did, we take it personal. Thinking about that and then the loss to Dickinson, it really woke us up and made us realize the opportunity that we have that we’re letting slip away.”

“In the end, I hope it’s the best thing that happened to us. We learned a lesson and it makes us work that much harder to make sure it doesn’t happen again. I know we’re the best team in the league and I know my teammates feel that way. But you can talk all you want because it doesn’t matter if you don’t prove it on the court. Now we’re back on a mission; one that we had since the beginning of the season, to be county champs.”

TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS GAME STORY, PLEASE VISIT 4FeetGrafix.com.