City of Basketball Love

Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld)
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Every year, the Cherry Hill East Invitational brings the top teams in South Jersey to East’s Dibart Gym, and 2015 edition certainly did not disappoint. The first half of the two day, 12-game event brought out no less than eight of the 15 best teams in South Jersey; tomorrow’s slate will feature national powers St. Anthony and Trenton Catholic. Below is coverage of Saturday’s two premier games.

(Update (2/15/14): Transportation concerns due to inclement weather conditions have caused the cancellation of St. Anthony’s matchup with St. Augustine and Trenton Catholic’s matchup with Holy Spirit.)
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East prevails in battle for Cherry Hill supremacy
Any coach will tell you that attention to detail is a key factor towards winning a basketball game.

Unfortunately for Cherry Hill West, a lapse in that department at a critical juncture may have cost them a win against crosstown rival Cherry Hill East.

Coming out of a timeout late in the third quarter, the Lions trotted six players out onto the court. The ensuing technical foul capped off a third quarter in which West was held to just four points and sparked a Cherry Hill East run that carried the Cougars to a 40-38 win in the standout game of the 12th Annual Cherry Hill East Invitational.

In front of dueling raucous student sections and a standing room only crowd, East (17-3) battled back from an early deficit to claim the victory.

“East-West, especially in the Invitational, the whole community is out here. It’s a big game, it’s a very big game,” said head coach Dave Allen. “I thought we were gonna rise to it. Jake Silpe andJosh Brown are our leaders and they always rise to the occasion. We got down early but they responded and rebounded from that.”

Cherry Hill West (11-8) had a chance to win the game, inbounding from underneath East’s basket with three seconds left. However, Elijah Beyslipped catching a pass thrown at his feet and failed to get off a potential game-winner from deep.

Silpe, a Penn signee, and Brown, a fellow senior, were quiet for most of the game, but 6-foot-8 junior center Timmy Perry, whose father is the former Temple star of the same name, dominated the Lions to the tune of 16 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.

While this didn’t exactly come as a surprise, seeing as Perry is a consistent contributor, the Cougars received key unexpected contributions from guards Olin McClendon and Pierce Elliott.

After West had cut its deficit to just 27-24 in the fourth quarter, McClendon and Pierce hit back-to-back three-pointers, representing the only points of the game for both of them, giving the Cougars a nine-point lead that was ultimately insurmountable.

But ultimately, it was Silpe that stepped up to seal the game in the waning minutes. He scored 10 of his 12 points in the final 8:13 of game time and sank three of four free throws in the final minute to ice the win.

“First half was just trying to get the team involved, get everyone going,” he said. “In the second half I was open, found some open shots and open opportunities. I tried to get the ball in my hands when we were shooting free throws and came out with the win.”

Bey scored 12 points to lead the Lions, while Turkish forward Can Oztamur, one of the top scorers in South Jersey, finished with a quiet 11.

With just ten seconds remaining and his team trailing by five, Bey nailed a triple from the left baseline and drew a foul; the ensuing free throw cut the East lead to just 39-38.

When Silpe stepped to the line and missed his first free throw, chants of “Silpe sucks!” emerged from the opposing student section. Silpe ultimately got the last laugh, however, sinking the second foul shot to account for the final score.

“I heard it after the first one, but I don’t let it get to my head,” he said. “I don’t let it distract me. I just focused and made the free throw.”

Paulsboro edges Camden in overtime thriller
Over the last few years, Paulsboro has established itself as a basketball powerhouse in South Jersey, and the Cherry Hill East Invitational has consistently been its proving ground. With this year’s event came a matchup with Camden High, one of the most storied programs in the area, and the Red Raiders proved themselves yet again, downing the Panthers in overtime, 68-65.

Playing in Group I, made up of the smallest New Jersey public schools, Paulsboro has routinely used this event as a chance to knock off traditional powers; three years ago, they moved to 23-0 with a win over top ranked Paul VI, last year was a thirty-point victory over Group IV’s Shawnee, and now a win over perennial powerhouse Camden.

“For us, these games mean so much more because we don’t get that Olympic Conference schedule to prove ourselves constantly,” said head coach Sean Collins. “My dad (former Rowan head coach Jack Collins) would always say he doesn’t care what’s happening, until someone beats Camden you’re not the best team in South Jersey.”

The Red Raiders, led by 23 points and 11 rebounds from senior wing Theo Holloway, certainly staked their claim for that spot today. They now sit at 20-1 on the year, and are in the midst of a 16 game winning streak since losing to Timber Creek in December.

Holloway, along with fellow senior DeShaun Burgess, who would finish with 16 points, set the tone early for Paulsboro, getting their team out to a 33-19 halftime lead.

The Panthers (16-5), however, stormed out of the locker room with a 19-0 run, matching their first half scoring output less than five minutes into the second session. The run was spearheaded by junior forward Jamal Holloway, the favorite to take home South Jersey Player of the Year honors, and junior wing Brad Hawkins; Holloway, who averages a double-double, would finish with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Hawkins added 20 points and 10 rebounds of his own.

Paulsboro refused to back down after Camden’s spurt, fighting back to remain in the game before ultimately pulling away in overtime.

“We tried to talk to our kids about being tough and knowing that they were gonna come out and really give us an effort,” Collins said. “These kids have won so many games that you’ve just got to keep faith in them and know they’re gonna be tough and keep grinding out.”

Ultimately, Theo Holloway would send the game to overtime, as Camden’s Rasool Hinson missed a buzzer-beating trey after Holloway’s tip-in tied the game at 60.

Holloway carried that momentum into the extra period, scoring the Red Raiders’ first two buckets and assisting on the third, giving Paulsboro the lead for good; Hawkins ultimately missed a three-point attempt from the right wing that would’ve forced double overtime.

While Camden’s shortcomings at the foul line (25/42, 59.5 percent) certainly helped, there is no question that Paulsboro was the better team at Cherry Hill East on Saturday. The Red Raiders certainly look prepared to take home the Group I sectional championship, a title that Holloway, Burgess, and fellow senior Saleem Little took home as underclassmen in both 2012 and 2013.

“We don’t get our respect like everyone else just ‘cause we’re a Group I team,” Holloway sad. “Everybody thinks when they come in they’re just gonna run over top of us, but we play just like the big teams.

“I think we can play with anybody. I’ve definitely got that confidence in my team, just ‘cause we show it every time.”

It can’t help who plays in its conference or in its group, but games like this one allow Paulsboro to prove what should be a known fact at this point: the Red Raiders are a legitimate powerhouse in South Jersey, and they’re here to stay.