Wednesday, February 4, 2015

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Leondre Washington had 24 points for a young Teaneck team that beat Tenafly, 75-52, in a tune-up for another run another Jambo title.

TEANECK – With just one returning starter, one lone link to four straight Bergen County Jamboree titles that Teaneck has won in the last four years and with a seven losses so far this year, it would be easy to count out the Highwaymen before they even play their first Jambo game this season. That is until you watch them play in person.

The losses can be explained by an uncompromising schedule against some of the states best teams and the reason that the Highwaymen can not be counted out is their backcourt, the key to tournament success at any level of basketball. That lone returning starter is Leondre Washington and his new running mate is freshman Ja'Quaye James and together they are a lightning quick combo that will be a handful on the big court at Ramapo College should the fifth-seeded Highwaymen make it past Ramsey, the No. 12 seed, in this weekend's Round of 16.

And they are certainly looking forward to the chance to show that while different, Teaneck is still a contender.

“I am the only returning varsity player not just the only returning starter, so it is up to me to lead this young group of guys. We are going to go in there and make some noise,” said Washington, himself just a sophomore. “Even though we might be the dark horse this year instead of maybe the favorite, the favorite does not always win the county tournament. We are the dark horse and I am loving it.”

On this shot with 1:41 left in the third quarter, Tenafly senior Amit Yona went over the 1,000-point mark.

The Highwaymen went down to Atlantic City this past weekend for a tournament and returned with a strengthened bond, one that was on display in Tuesday night's 75-52 win over Tenafly, which is also still alive in the Jamboree and had an eventful night itself.

The Tigers fell behind early, 9-2 and 13-5, in the first quarter, but rallied to tie the game midway through the second. It was Nakia Griffin's layup and Jake Spadaccini's 3-pointer that made up the final five points as Tenafly tied the game at 24 with 3:30 left in the first half. The bad news was that Griffin, who signed his National Letter of Intent to play football about 16 hours later, landed wrong after his basket and left the game with a left leg injury. He did not return to the game, but walked out of the gym with help and his availability, at least in the short term, is still undecided.

With Griffin, an imposing presence in the middle, out of the game, Teaneck quickly found the space it needed to pull away. Junior Ge'Ani Bannerman answered Spadaccini's game-tying 3 with a drive and dish to Kevin Gibbs, who put Teaneck back in front for good and the Highwaymen went on to score on five straight possessions while holding Tenafly scoreless. Washington completed an old fashion 3-point play, James made a 3 on a pull-up from the wing, Nick Whitaker scored off the offensive glass and Washington nailed a 3 from the wing to cap the quick 13-0 run that pretty much put the game away.

Teaneck's Ja'Quaye James is one of Bergen County's top freshmen.

“For us it has been a growing process. I am playing better now, [Leon]dre is shooting the ball well because I am getting him more good shots and he is creating on his own. We are young, but I think we are gelling now,” said Griffin. “The biggest adjustment for me was just getting used to the speed of the high school game. In eighth grade I was the one who controlled the game's speed, but when I got to high school I felt like, at first, I was always trying to catch up. [Leon]dre has helped me a lot because he went through the exact same thing.”

Teaneck went up by 20 for the first time at 48-28 on a Kevin Gibbs free throw midway through the third quarter and it was up 54-31 after a Washington 3-pointer with 2:40 left to play in the third. The next basket was significant for Tenafly, however, as it came from Amit Yona on one of his familiar flip-ins in transition and it gave the senior 1,001 points for his career.

“It was a tough night for us as a team, but I am happy for Amit. He put in a lot of work over the last four years to get there and it was nice to see him reach the milestone,” said Tenafly head coach Jeff Koehler. “I am proud of him. He as worked hard.”

But that was the last highlight as Teaneck extended its lead to 60-36 heading into the fourth quarter and the benches cleared soon after. Spadaccini (16 points) and Yona (11 points) each finished in double digits for Tenafly, while Teaneck was led by Washington, who scored 24, and James, who had 11, all in the first half.

Jake Spadaccini scored a team-high 16 points for Tenafly.

James' emergence has left Washington move off the ball for stretches and become a dangerous two-guard who does not have to create everything off the dribble. When James is taking care of the ball and making shots and guys like Zachary Olukanni, Nick Whitaker and Gibbs are rebounding the basketball, Teaneck is certainly capable of making a run at a fifth straight county title.

“This year it has been Leondre and by committee and when the committee comes to play we are fine. But when the committee struggles, of course we struggle because people can just lock in on Leondre and make it difficult for him. We were not rebounding the ball in the beginning of the year, but we are doing a much better job there. I've put some younger guys in to help with that,” said Teaneck head coach Jerome Smart. “I think we can win, but we have to continue to rebound and the supporting cast doesn't have to do a whole lot, but enough to keep the other teams honest. If they can rebound, set good screens, get loose balls and do just enough on offense, make layups and knock down 10 or 12-foot jumpshots, then we will give ourselves a chance and we will see what happens.”

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