Don Bosco Prep senior All-American Dylan Harper scored a game-high 24 points as the Ironmen repeated as Jambo champs with a 57-33 win over Ramapo.
HACKENSACK – Dylan Harper has garnered all the attention that a high school player could ever ask for and rightfully so. All-American? Check. Every major college basketball program in America wanting him to play for them next year? Check. His home state of New Jersey rejoicing when he decided to stay home and play for Rutgers? Check. Kids and adults alike waiting patiently after games just to get an autograph or a glimpse of him up close? Yep, that too.
But at the heart of it all, Harper is still a player that just wants to be a leader and do whatever it takes to help his team win. Playing in his last-ever Bergen County Jamboree game against Ramapo, Harper did what he normally does when the stakes are the highest. He controlled every aspect of the game and led his team to victory.
Harper was sensational from start to finish, scoring a game-high 24 points along with setting the tone for a lockdown defensive effort as top-seeded Don Bosco Prep defended its Jambo title with a wire-to-wire 57-33 win over No. 3 seed Ramapo on Sunday afternoon in front of a packed house at the Rothman Center on the campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University in Hackensack.
“We talk all the time about communicating on defense and when these guys buy into it we see how good we can be,” said Don Bosco Prep head coach Kevin Diverio. “With all the screens and staggered screens, they run in their offense, we made a decision that we’re going to switch everything. It forced us to communicate, and I thought we did an excellent job with that today.”
Peyton Seals scored a team-high 11 points for Ramapo, which will turn its attention to defending its Group 3 state title.
There was a buzz amongst the crowd during the pre-game warmup. Was this the year that a public school would finally take down a parochial power for the first time since Teaneck won the last of four straight titles back in 2014? Don Bosco made it clear from the opening tap that this was still its title to lose. Harper and Isaiah Brown each scored a pair of baskets in a 10-0 run to open the game, holding Ramapo scoreless for nearly five minutes in the process.
A bucket inside by Charlie Wingfield got the Green Raiders on the scoreboard and a 3-pointer from Wyatt Eglinton Manner cut the Ironmen lead to 12-7 early in the second quarter. Bosco answered right back with scores on three straight possessions. A drive and a pull-up jumper by Harper was followed by a 3 from the wing by Brady Loughlin as Bosco’s jumped up to 11 by halftime, 23-12.
“Ramapo runs really good stuff, we had to stay locked in on defense,” said Loughlin. “We wanted to make more of an effort in the second half to pass up a good shot for a great shot. We know we can score, but working together on defense was what really helped us get comfortable.”
A 3-pointer from Chris Cervino and a basket by Peyton Seals kept the Green Raiders in the game temporarily, but it was never able to fully grab momentum as 7-foot-1 Keiner Asprilla dominated the defensive paint area and Harper kept the Ironmen under control on the offensive end. They steadily increased their lead and led by as many as 27 before removing their starters and waiting for the final buzzer to celebrate another Jambo title.
Brady Loughlin finished with 8 points for Don Bosco Prep, which will try to add sectional and state ttiles to its Jambo crown.
“It’s very important for us to play poised and set a tone early, force them to play from behind,” said Harper. “We are working hard in the gym every day. I believe in these guys and they believe in me. When we stick to the gameplan and work together this is how we expect to play.”
Harper had three rebounds, three assists, and three steals to go with his game-high 24 points for Don Bosco Prep (24-3). Jordan Ghee finished with nine points with Brown and Loughlin each chipping in with eight points.
Seals was the lone scorer in double-figures for Ramapo (19-8) with 11 points. Eglinton Manner and Wingfield each added six points.
While Ramapo will look to repeat as Group 3 state champs, the Ironmen also turn their attention towards the state tournament. While they have had a target on their back all season long, finally they will be the ones looking for redemption. After being upset in the Non-Public A North semifinals by rival Bergen Catholic last year, Harper and the Ironmen are determined to add the only things missing on their resume: sectional and state champions. With the goal of repeating as Jambo champions now complete, they are ready to turn the page towards the challenges that lie ahead.
“We have to keep doing what we’ve been doing lately,” added Harper. “We accomplished one goal and now we have another one ahead of us in the states. Play hard, communicate like we did today, and stay focused on the goal. We’ve been waiting for this all year and the time is finally here for us to step up and play our best.”
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