Wednesday,
February 24, 2016
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Here is what the game-winner looked like as Marion Williams flipped in the buzzer-beater that gave Hudson Catholic a 55-53 win over Snyder in the Hudson County semifinals on Tuesday night. |
JERSEY CITY – It is rare that Hudson Catholic looks across the court at an opponent and sees a mirror image of itself. Going into Tuesday night's Hudson County Tournament the Hawks did not think they would find that in their semifinal opponent, Snyder, and with good reason. In the two regular-season meeting between the teams, Hudson Catholic never trailed in either game en route to 28 and 18-point victories.
Right from the opening tap, though, this game felt different and it certainly was with the Hawks getting tested more than anyone on either team or those in attendance could have possibly imagined.
Snyder was beating Hudson Catholic at its own game of sheer will and determination. Unfortunately, the Tigers missed a ton of layups that led to their ultimate demise.
Marion Williams used a eurostep on a drive to the basket that dropped through just before the final buzzer sounded as top-seeded and three-time defending Hudson County champion Hudson Catholic survived a major scare at the hands of fourth-seeded Snyder with a 55-53 win at the Yanitelli Center on the campus of St. Peter's University in Jersey City.
“A win is a win and we'll take it but give Snyder credit. They played harder than any team we've seen this season,” said Williams. “We played very lackadaisical. They were beating us at our own game and that's something we're not used to. Our preparation was terrible all day and that's on us. It showed with how we came out and we never really got going until the end.”
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Ronald Washington led Snyder with 20 points and 12 rebounds. |
Snyder forward Ronald Washington dominated the boards early and converted a putback and a pair of free throws as Snyder jumped out to an 8-4 lead. Baskets by Williams and Luther Muhammad gave the Hawks the lead, but it did not last for long.
Snyder's Rylen Moorman made one hustle play after another and put the ball in the hoop as well. He scored 10 points in the final three minutes of the second quarter that helped the Tigers take a surprising 31-26 halftime lead. Although the Tigers were ahead, the fact that it was only five points was disconcerting to Snyder head coach Shelton Gibbs.
“I can't tell you how many layups (14) we missed in the first half. We should have been up double-digits,” said Gibbs. “When you miss a layup, it's just like a turnover. If we made half of those layups, it's a totally different game. I thought for the most part we played really well, but we either missed a layup or turned the ball over at crucial times and it eventually caught up to us.”
Hudson Catholic woke up to start the third quarter and looked like it had seized control of the game. Danny Rodriguez had spent all but 2:29 of the first half on the bench with two fouls. He scored five straight points to start the third quarter and Muhammad's 3-pointer from the wing capped a 12-0 spurt that gave the Hawks a seven-point lead.
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Luther Muhammad had 18 points for Hudson Catholic, which will play St. Peter's Prep in the county final. |
The Tigers, unfazed, continued to knife their way through the Hawks' defense on drives to the paint. Freshman Daeshawn Emanuel gave Snyder a burst of energy off the bench in the third quarter. His lone basket on an athletic tap back tied the game at 40.
Hudson Catholic grabbed the lead going into the fourth quarter on a drive by Will Brown. That lead would be the Hawks' last until the final margin of victory.
Tyheem Burno, Jahvon Quinerly and Williams all picked up their fourth fouls in the first three minutes of the fourth quarter. Snyder went back to work inside led by the 6-foot-5 Washington. He picked up a loose ball and scored on a layup followed by a fade-away jumper from just inside the elbow for a 50-45 lead. The Tigers had a chance to extend it when the layup bug-a-boo came back to bite them again. A layup was missed and the putback attempt was blocked by Rodriguez. That led to a layup on the other end by Williams, which cut the lead to 50-47 with 2:52 to play and set the Hawks' comeback in motion.
Muhammad tied the game on a drive only for Washington to answer back seconds later to put Snyder ahead by two. After a miss, the Tigers had possession and a chance to run clock but could not execute. Williams picked off a pass near mid-court and went in alone for a layup to tie the game at 53.
Brown then made a steal in the lane on the ensuing possession to set up Williams' heroics. After dribbling the clock all the way down, the play called by head coach Nick Marinello was designed to get the ball to Muhammad in the corner. When the Tigers took that away, it was up to the lone HC senior to make something happen. Williams got the ball on the wing with five seconds to play and made a move between two defenders for the basket. After using a eurostep to create space, he flipped up a shot that kissed the rim, then the backboard and finally dropped through with the final buzzer sounding as Hudson Catholic survived and advanced.
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Rylen Moorman had 12 points and 5 boards for Snyder, which fell to 15-8. |
“We definitely weren't happy with the way we played, but we got out of here with a win and that's all that matters right now,” added Williams. “That play wasn't actually designed for me, it was designed for Luther on the baseline. Tyheem drove and kicked it to me. I knew there wasn't a lot of time left so I just laid it up. I was looking at it forever hoping it would drop and it did.”
Williams finished with 17 points, four rebounds, and four assists for Hudson Catholic (20-3). Muhammad led the Hawks with 18 points. Brown played well off the bench with 10 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.
Washington led all players with 20 points and 12 rebounds for Snyder (15-8). Moorman finished with 12 points and five rebounds. Point guard Kenyan Goodson added 11 points, four rebounds, and three steals. The Tigers’ undoing was missed layups, 21 of them. They will try to rebound against Columbia before heading into the North 2, Group 3 state tournament against Cranford in a first round matchup.
Hudson Catholic will look to defend its Hudson County Tournament crown as it will get reacquainted with old rival St. Peter's Prep in the title game. That game will also be at the Yanitelli Center with an 8 p.m. start. While the Hawks are happy to be back in the HCT championship game, they know their intensity must pick up significantly if they are to win a fourth straight title.
“We have to be a lot better on Saturday or we'll be watching Prep celebrate,” added Williams.
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