Jordan Rogers finished with nine points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals for Ridgewood, which topped second-seeded Passaic Tech, 64-56, in the North 1, Group 4 state sectional semifinals.
WAYNE – Basketball coaches always preach to their players throughout the season how every possession of a game matters. The deeper a team goes into their season the more coaches try to get that point across. One possession can swing the momentum of a game, especially in the state tournament when the pressure is at its peak and both teams’ seasons are at stake. Clinging to a one-point lead with the ball in the waning seconds of the first quarter of the North 1, Group 4 semifinals against Passaic County Tech, Ridgewood head coach Mike Troy elected to use a timeout to set up a play. It proved to be the right move as it worked to perfection.
Jordan Rogers laid it in and that served as the springboard for a dominant second quarter. Ridgewood bent several times down the stretch but never broke. Sophomore guard Johnny Jackson scored 11 of his game-high 27 points in the fourth quarter as third-seeded Ridgewood advanced to the North 1, Group 4 section final with a 64-56 road win over No. 2 seed Passaic County Tech on Saturday in Wayne.
The section semifinal matchup between the two teams was a rematch of the season-opener where PCT rallied from eight points down in the fourth quarter to win 57-55. The first quarter was an entertaining one with the teams trading baskets and diving all over the floor for loose balls. Leading 12-11, Troy took the timeout and went over a play this team has gone over countless times in practice. With the ball near the mid-court line the Maroons used a nifty screen the screener play to break the 6’5” Rogers free for an easy layup.
“We were really bad at special teams plays early in the year, but we kept working at them and it has really turned into a strength of ours in the state tournament,” said Troy. “We’re getting like 5-10 points per game just on out-of-bounds plays. In games like this it is crucial to execute these plays to try and break the will of our opponents.”
Karden Rex and Passaic Tech finished the season with a 19-10 record.
That seemed to light a fire under the Ridgewood players, no more so than the dynamic Jackson. Drives to the basket, mid-range pull ups, and even a three-pointer from well behind the arc, Jackson scored in a myriad of ways as Ridgewood extended its lead to 30-20 by halftime.
The Bulldogs were reeling heading into the locker room but got on track quickly. Javan Tyrell scored on three straight possessions to start the third quarter and the Bulldogs sliced a ten-point deficit in half going into the fourth quarter, 42-37.
Evan O’Reilly hit an early three-pointer to provide some breathing room, but the Bulldogs kept coming. Ridgewood had plenty of chances to put the game away late only to squander those opportunities through turnovers and missing free-throws (6-13, 46.2%, from the foul line in the fourth quarter). Ayden Brown’s fourth three-pointer of the game got the lead down to three and it looked like the Maroons might again let a late lead evaporate against the Bulldogs. However, the Maroons showed their poise late by breaking the press which led to a pair of Jackson layups to seal the win and put the Maroons back in the North 1 Group 4 section final.
“When we made mistakes in the past we had a habit of hanging our heads, today we stayed composed and we needed to,” said Rogers. “Late in the fourth quarter we got in a huddle when things got close and just stuck together.”
Rick Son and Ridgewood will visit Eastside in the sectional final on Tuesday night.
O’Reilly finished with 19 points and Rogers stuffed the stat sheet with nine points, 12 rebounds, five blocks, and two steals for Ridgewood (15-12).
Brown pumped in 17 points and Tyrell added 15 for Passaic County Tech, who finished the season with a 19-10 record. It also marked the final game on the bench for head coach Mike Boorman, who is stepping down after 14 seasons at the helm.
After losing 12 seniors from last year’s North 1 Group 4 championship team, the Maroons find themselves back in the section final. It will be a tall order as Ridgewood will hit the road to take on top-seeded Paterson Eastside (26-2) on Tuesday night with a 6:00 P.M tip-off. With the pressure off and a section title on the line, the pesky Maroons will look to pull another upset.
“We still have a lot of young guys on this team, but we’ve grown up a lot from how we were in the beginning of the season,” said Jackson. “To lose opening night against them and come back and get this ‘W. in the states is awesome. Our team has developed a stronger mindset as the season has gone on. We’re happy with this win and we’ll be ready for Tuesday.”
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT CLICK HERE. TO BUY A COLLECTOR'S PRINT OF THIS STORY PLEASE VISIT 4-FeetGrafix.com.
