Senior Josiah Basket scored a game-high 27 points as West Milford tuned up for the state tournament with a a 59-43 win on the road at Governor Livinston on Friday night.
BERKELEY HEIGHTS – West Milford has made its mark throughout the regular season by pushing the tempo and forcing teams into high-scoring affairs, but in the state tournament, where the competition stiffens with each passing game, teams often have to win in all types of ways in order to make a deep run.
Head coach John Finke wanted to test his group against a seasoned opponent just before the state tournament began on Fridday and found that in Governor Livingston, which had five senior starters in the lineup. Behind the play of Josiah Basket and a staunch defensive effort, Finke’s squad aced the test.
Basket netted a game-high 27 points as West Milford embarked on a 14-2 second-quarter run and never looked back in a 59-43 win at Governor Livingston High School in Berkeley Heights.
“I thought we played well in all aspects of the game,” said Finke. “We made really good decisions, we rebounded well, we blocked shots and we had great shot selection. It wasn’t a normal game where we score in the 70’s or 80’s but this was the type of game we’ll have to play in the state tournament in order to be successful.”
The two teams, who have never played one another prior to this meeting, went back and forth early. Ryan Davey’s hot shooting early, including a pair of threes, gave Governor Livingston a 15-14 lead after one quarter.
Ryan Davey was the only player to reach double-figures for Governor Livingston (14-8) with 12 points.
West Milford went to a 1-3-1 full-court trapping defense that paid dividends in the game’s crucial run. Four turnovers all turned into points, six of those coming from Basket as West Milford grabbed a 33-25 halftime lead.
“We really practiced working for a better shot and concentrating on team defense,” said Basket. “We knew from the film that we were playing a tough team. This game wasn’t a league or county game, but we came here ready and got right to business.”
Governor Livingston cut its deficit 42-35 on a floater from Josh Colden late in the third quarter. Basket answered with a pull-up jumper to kickstart an 8-0 run spanning the third and fourth quarters to help West Milford pull away for a quality road win.
Basket was 12 of 20 from the floor with a trio of three-pointers to lead all players with 27 points for West Milford (18-7). Kevin DeRaffele added a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, but the unsung hero might have been Brandon Licursi. He finished with eight points, eight rebounds, and a career-high six blocked shots. Remarkably, West Milford earned the win despite not attempting a single free-throw.
Davey was the only player to reach double-figures for Governor Livingston (14-8) with 12 points. The senior-laden squad is the No. 4 seed in Central Jersey, Group 2 and will take on 13th-seeded Monmouth Regional on Monday night.
West Milford will also turn its attention to the state tournament. As the No. 6 seed they will host No. 11 seed West Essex. A win there will likely earn a showdown with one of the top public schools in the state, No. 3 seed Ramapo. Having won five of its last six games with the lone loss coming by a point to Fair Lawn, Basket and Co. are feeling as confident as they have all season.
“This is a perfect time for us to be playing our best basketball,” added Basket, who scored the 1,000th point of his career earlier this year. “It’s win or go home. Hopefully we can take down West Essex and get a shot at Ramapo but it’s always one game at a time with us. We’re on a win streak and we’re feeling good heading into states.”
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT PLEASE CLICK HERE. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY PLEASE VISIT 4-FeetGrafix.com.
