Sam Winitch and Livingston picked up a 20th win on the season and reached the North 1, Group 4 semifinals for the first time in school history with a 45-39 win over Fair Lawn.
LIVINGSTON – Playing hard when the stakes are at their highest is what every coach wants to see from his team. With each team’s season at stake in the North 1 Group 4 quarterfinals, both Livingston’s Joe Gill and Kyle Sabella of Fair Lawn got just that in a physical battle with players diving all over the floor all game for loose balls. While putting forth maximum effort is one key component to advancing in the state tournament, another one of equal importance is execution. With it being a one-possession game midway through the fourth quarter, it was Livingston that remained poised down the stretch and scored a program-defining win as a result.
Third-seeded Livingston bent several times in the second half but never broke. Fair Lawn, the No. 6 seed, cut the lead to two, but never was able to pull ahead as the Lancers advanced to the North 1. Group 4 semifinals for the first time in school history with a 45-39 win on Monday night at Livingston High School.
“I tell them all the time this basketball is a game of runs, especially in the state tournament,” said Gill. “The key is staying consistent and staying calm when games are close. Our goal every game is to keep the opposing team under 40 and we accomplished that tonight. This team is making history and we’re happy to keep this season going.”
Both teams came in with a detailed defensive game plan and executed it throughout the first half. Livingston was determined to surround Fair Lawn’s leading scorer, Austin Peluso, with a 2-3 zone that played more like a 2-1-2 matchup zone with all eyes focused on Peluso. So much so that he did not attempt a single shot until there were just 23 seconds left in the half.
Fair Lawn held a two-point lead after one quarter. Zach Smith’s three-pointer opened a 7-0 spurt to start the second quarter to give the Lancers the lead. Senior guard Matthew Haug single-handedly took it back in less than a minute. He hit a three-pointer, then deflected a pass and laid out for the loose ball to get a steal. On the ensuing possession, he knocked down another three from the wing to put Fair Lawn back in front, 14-13, forcing Gill to call a timeout.
Kwes Idun helped Fair Lawn to close within two points with just under four minutes to go.
It appeared like the Cutters had momentum pendulum swinging in its direction. However, those would be their only points of the quarter; it also was their last lead of the game.
Sage Kornreich hit a turnaround jumper in the final seconds to give Livingston a 20-14 halftime lead. The Lancers stretched out their lead to start with the third quarter with a Langer three-pointer and Daniel Gbadamosi’s driving layup giving them their largest lead of the game, 27-16.
The Cutters were not about to give up and scratched their way back into the game by forcing turnovers, crashing the boards, and getting to the foul line. Kwesi Idun’s conventional three-point play was followed by a shot from beyond the three-point arc by Jonathan Zarour. They went 9-10 from the from the foul line in the second half, including four straight from Jaden Douglas to slice the double-digit lead down to two, 35-33, with just over four minutes to play.
It was at this point where a couple of things reared their head. One was the poise of Livingston’s senior-laden lineup. Every time they needed a bucket or a defensive stop to regain control, the Lancers got it. Sam Winitch battled through foul trouble all night and scored a turnaround one-handed hook to make it a two-possession game.
The other factor in the final outcome was Fair Lawn’s inability to knock down open looks from behind the three-point line.
“Sometimes it just comes down to making or missing shots, and we missed a lot of wide-open looks,” said Sabella. “Worse than that was that a lot of those misses were airballs, so we didn’t have a chance at an offensive rebound. Against a good team like Livingston, you’re going to have a tough time winning when you can’t make open shots.”
Ben Lander finished with a game-high 17 points for Livingston, which will play East Orange Campus in the North 1, Group 4 semifinals on Thursday.
“It’s not complicated, we were right there and just couldn’t grab the lead in the fourth quarter,” added Sabella. “We held them under fifty points, we won the rebounding battle, we just didn’t hit enough shots. We were right there multiple times against a good team tonight. Just didn’t hit enough shots to get over the hump.”
The Cutters airballed three attempts in the final three minutes, allowing Livingston to gain possession and forcing the Cutters to foul. Langer and Kornreich each went 3-4 from the foul line down the stretch as the Lancers ended Fair Lawn’s season and extended their own with a landmark win for the program.
Langer was the lone Lancer in double-figures and finished with a game-high 17 points for Livingston (20-7). Haug and Zarour each hit a trio of three-pointers to end with 11 and 9 points, respectively, for Fair Lawn (16-12).
Livingston advances to the North 1, Group 4 semifinals for the first time in school history. They will travel to face second-seeded East Orange Campus, a 53-37 winner over Montclair in its quarterfinal game.
Both teams will come in on a hot streak. East Orange Campus has won seven in a row, while the Lancers have won 10 out of their last 11. On a tear and with nothing to lose, the Lancers are going into the game with the mindset of winning, not just being happy to get there.
“We’ve been in so many close games this season, so we feel like we’re built for these moments,” said Langer. “We packed the paint tonight and tried to make them beat us from the outside, that strategy worked out. This team has a great group of seniors who love to compete. We’re coming into the section semifinals on a hot streak, and we have the confidence that we can beat anybody if we play our game and put four good quarters together.”
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