Northern Burlington rallies past Hopewell in second half
HOPEWELL TWP. » Adjustments are precious in the NJSIAA state tournament, where elimination games are often decided by the smallest of margins in clutch moments.
The Northern Burlington boys basketball team and 10th-year coach Gene Darling embraced that reality with the season on the line Wednesday, rallying past Hopewell Valley to win in the Central Jersey Group III quarterfinals, 58-52.
The sixth-seeded Greyhounds trailed by seven at halftime and then nine shortly thereafter. A 22-7 run between the third and fourth quarters highlighted a seismic second-half turnaround.
“We weren’t nervous,” said senior Josh Jackson, who had a game-high 23 points. “We knew that it just came down to making shots. They didn’t really outplay us that much in the first half. We just weren’t capitalizing on our easy shots. Once we did that, we knew that we had the game.”
Most notably, Northern Burlington went to a matchup zone that largely nullified third-seeded Hopewell’s interior game. The Bulldogs struggled to move the ball fluidly and scored only six points in the third quarter.
“Obviously (Rob) Wiley was killing us a little bit on the inside, so we had to go to something that would put a little more pressure on him, change up the momentum of the game, make other guys take shots,” Darling said. “I think that was the key. It wasn’t like we got a ton of turnovers off of it, it was just that they went cold a little bit.”
That fueled better pace at the other end of the court for the athletic Greyhounds, who attempted 14 of their 16 free throws in the second half. They missed only one freebie on the night. Jackson converted 8-of-8.
Khalif Lewis netted 16 points including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 4:44 remaining after the teams were deadlocked at 41 for nearly two minutes.
“We just talked minor adjustments: setting better screens against their defense, getting guys that we want taking shots getting the ball off, and then obviously with their missed shots we got out into transition a little bit,” Darling said. “When they were scoring in the first half, we couldn’t get out into transition.”
Hopewell’s historic season ends with a school-record 21 wins. The Bulldogs were one of the most improved teams in the state this season by winning 16 more games than last year with the same core of players.
Wiley and crafty point guard Alex Calhoun-Mummert combined for 35 points, but Hopewell didn’t have its usual balance offensively as only four players scored.
“Once we figured (their zone) out, got more composed, we were still able to make shots, but it definitely threw off our rhythm a little bit,” coach Matt Stein said. “In the second half we talked about especially for Jackson getting into the paint, dribble penetration ... but they kept getting down the middle, and so that definitely put us into a hole.”
Jackson, who is averaging 18.5 points per game, also helped keep Northern Burlington afloat early by sinking three of the team’s five first-half 3-pointers.
Once the tide shifted out of the locker room, a starting lineup of five seniors played poised down the stretch. Sam Irvin corralled a timely offensive rebound. Erza Jones dove to the floor for a loose ball. Lewis buried two free throws to seal the outcome with five seconds left.
And after Hopewell pulled within 46-48 on a trey from Cole Hare with 1:25 left, Anthony Thomas answered 15 seconds later with a clutch bank shot.
“I think that has a lot to do with it,” Jackson said of the team’s experience. “We’ve been together since freshman year. All of us know each other off the court. That just brings another added camaraderie on the court. This was to be expected, so I can’t really say that I’m surprised.”
Confident underdog Northern Burlington will meet Mercer County champion Nottingham, a 78-61 winner over Ocean Twp., in the semifinals.
“Anything can happen,” Darling said. “I know they’re the team to beat in the bracket. They’re very tough, but it’s sports. That’s why you play the game ... just like the Eagles (winning the Super Bowl), right? You still go play.”
Thomas 3-2-8, Jackson 6-8-23, Lewis 6-216, Repack 2-0-5, Jones 1-3-6.
18-15-58.
Totals —
Wiley 7-3-17, De Los Santos 4-2-10, Calhoun-Mummert 7-2-18, Hare 3-0-7.
21-7-52.
Totals — NBC (20-8) Hopewell (21-6) 3-point goals — 9 12 16 20 14 6 19 — 14 — 58 52
Jackson 3, Lewis 2, Repack, Jones (NB), Calhoun-Mummert 2, Hare (H).