Overview of St. Patrick's vs. Trenton Catholic
by Alex Schwartz
Today at a sold out and jam packed Iron Palace at Trenton Catholic (NJ), the Iron Mikes met the St. Patrick's (NJ) Celtics at 2:00pm in a highly anticipated Garden State showdown. TCA is the favorite to win the Non-Public South B title, while St. Pat's is expected to win the Non-Public North B crown, meaning that this game was likely a preview of the state title game that will send the winner to the Tournament of Champions. While St. Pat's is a consensus top two team in New Jersey—along with St. Benedict's (NJ)—TCA is considered a top six team, so this was a huge game. The Celtics were coming off a loss to Life Center Academy (NJ), a squad that lost by 41 to St. Benedict's after beating Kevin Boyle's bunch. Meanwhile, TCA has been on a roll against some weaker competition since losing to defending Non-Public B, TOC, and national champion St. Anthony's (NJ). The Iron Mikes would be without Markese Tucker '10, while the Celtics would be without the services of Kyrie Irving '10, as he is still ineligible due to transfer rules. With three bleachers of TCA fans and one filled with St. Pat's supporters, the atmosphere for the contest was fantastic, drawing many big names to come, including some college coaches. La Salle Head Coach John Giannini, Rider Assistant Coach Todd Shellenberger, Princeton Head Coach Sydney Johnson, and Niagara Assistant Coach Phil Martelli, Jr. were the ones that I saw. In addition to them, people such as Paterson Catholic (NJ) Head Coach Damon Wright, PC superstar freshman Kyle Anderson '12, Rancocas Valley (NJ) Head Coach Jay Flanagan, and more were in attendance.
Kevin Boyle's St. Patrick's Celtics featured Chase Plummer '10, George Mason-signee Paris Bennett '09, Dean Kowalski '09, Michael Gilchrist '11, and
Kevin Boyle, Jr. '10 in the starting lineup, as North Carolina-signee Dexter Strickland '09 was coming off the bench due to a knee injury. Fred Falche sent out Frantz Massenat '10, Khalid Lewis El '11, Dondre Whitmore '10, Daquon Basnight '09, and Laffayette Smith '09 for the tip. The teams seemed to be a bit tentative as it took over two minutes for either team to even score. Also in the first two minutes, the Celtics' Michael Gilchrist, arguably the best sophomore in America, picked up two quick fouls. With the clock showing 5:51, Lafayette Smith made the second of two free throws to open up the afternoon's scoring, and that seemed to ease things a bit, as that led to a number of quick baskets. After Smith's make from the stripe, Chase Plummer had the first deuce for the Celtics, and then TCA scored back-to-back buckets to take a 5-2 lead. With 4:17 to go in the first eight minutes of play, Dexter Strickland entered the game for the first time, and immediately had the spotlight on him, as the biggest name to play in Mercer County so far this season, and probably will be the biggest name to play in the county outside of the Prime Time Shootout all season. St. Pat's went on a 10-2 run after Strickland entered the game, and it seemed as if maybe they would pull away before it even became a game, but it was not to be. TCA scored seven straight points, including a up and under from Dondre Whitmore on Strickland and a buzzer beating three banked in by Whitmore as well. When the buzzer sounded to end the first quarter, TCA was ahead 15-12.
The first points of the second quarter came off a pretty fast break dunk by Dexter Strickland, cutting the TCA lead to just one point. The Iron Mikes then went on an 8-4 run—resulting in a timeout by the Celtics—led by Reggie Coleman '09 who caught fire and had about 10 points through 11 minutes of play. The TCA run would continue after the timeout, stretching to a 16-8 run with 55 seconds to go when Frantz Massenat, the most highly recruited player on the Iron Mikes, nailed a triple. It became a 19-8 run when Dondre Whitmore knocked in a trey with 15 seconds to play in the half, putting Fred Falche's squad ahead 34-24, the first double digit lead of the game for either team. A long two from Dexter Strickland off an inbounds pass with three seconds left made it a 34-26 game in favor of the underdog Trenton Catholic Iron Mikes at the half. The key for TCA had been its ability to keep the Celtics' big men, Paris Bennett and Michael Gilchrist, quiet. TCA was really feeling it in the first 16 minutes, especially from beyond the arc, as even big man Frankie Smalls '11 nailed a trifecta.
St. Patrick's opened up the second half with two straight buckets and played lock down defense, holding TCA without any points until the clock read 5:30 and Dondre Whitmore hit his first of three consecutive deuces. A basket from Khalid Lewis El made it an 8-0 TCA run and gave the team a 42-30 lead. It was clear that St. Pat's would fight back though, as the Celtics are just too good to give in. Paris Bennett made three of four free throws to end the quarter, making it a 42-33 advantage for the Iron Mikes entering the fourth quarter. Although the team had scored just eight points in the third period, TCA had extended its lead by a point.
Ahead by nine entering the final eight minutes and having outplayed St. Pat's for most of the first 24 minutes, all the Iron Mikes had to do was hold on. It would not be as easy as it seems. Some free throws and layups put St. Pat's right back in the game, trailing just 44-40. Lafayette Smith scored and was fouled, but could not hit his free throw, though the basket did stop the 7-0 St. Pat's run with just under four minutes to go, making it 46-40. Right after that, the wheels fell off for the Iron Mikes. The Celtics went on an 11-0 run over a period of two minutes and change to take a 51-46 lead, their only lead since it late in the first quarter. The Iron Mikes could not break the Celtics' press and struggled to keep possession. St. Patrick's got a number of steals, as Michael Gilchrist and Paris Bennett took over the game, as both were scoring on layups and hitting free throws. A basket from Daquon Basnight cut the lead to three and showed that TCA was not done yet, but it was too little too late, as that would be the Iron Mikes' last basket of the affair. Paris Bennett answered Basnight's deuce and then he and Gilchrist hit a combined three free throws. To end the game, Michael Gilchrist got a steal, ran the break alone, went up to dunk, but saw the clock and rolled it in off his finger tips. He then held out the school name on his jersey as the Celtics celebrated the come-from-behind win. Kevin Boyle's boys would leave the Iron Palace with an impressive 58-48 victory, outscoring TCA 25-6 in the fourth quarter.
Interestingly, the St. Pat's comeback came with Dexter Strickland sitting on the bench for the whole fourth quarter, as Derrick Gordon did a great job filling in for him. The Iron Mikes scored just 14 points in the second half, as their offense completely stalled. Although St. Patrick's did not hit a trey the whole game, the team really won the contest at the line. Despite TCA increasing its lead every quarter (three after the first, eight at the half, nine after the third), the biggest end of quarter advantage was the Celtics' 10 point lead at the end of the game. "It was just heart, heart really," Michael Gilchrist told me after the game as to how his squad pulled it out in the end. Although the Iron Mikes fought hard from start to finish and the game was much closer than the final 10 point differential, in the end, the depth and talent on the Celtics' roster won out.
BOX SCORE
Team 1 2 H 3 4 F
St. Patrick's 12 14 26 7 25 58
Trenton Catholic 15 19 34 8 6 48
St. Patrick's
Michael Gilchrist- 22 points, 4/4 FT (all in 4th quarter)
Paris Bennett- 18 points, 10/13 FT (7/9 in 4th quarter)
Dexter Strickland- 8 points
Derrick Gordon- 4 points
Chase Plummer- 4 points
Dean Kowalski- 2 points
Trenton Catholic
Dondre Whitmore- 14 points, two 3Ps
Reggie Coleman- 12 points, two 3Ps
Frantz Massenat- 8 points (all in 1st half), one 3P
Frankie Smalls- 5 points, one 3P
Daquon Basnight- 4 points
Lafayette Smith- 3 points
Khalid Lewis El- 2 points
Note- photo is of Michael Gilchrist and is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/
Today at a sold out and jam packed Iron Palace at Trenton Catholic (NJ), the Iron Mikes met the St. Patrick's (NJ) Celtics at 2:00pm in a highly anticipated Garden State showdown. TCA is the favorite to win the Non-Public South B title, while St. Pat's is expected to win the Non-Public North B crown, meaning that this game was likely a preview of the state title game that will send the winner to the Tournament of Champions. While St. Pat's is a consensus top two team in New Jersey—along with St. Benedict's (NJ)—TCA is considered a top six team, so this was a huge game. The Celtics were coming off a loss to Life Center Academy (NJ), a squad that lost by 41 to St. Benedict's after beating Kevin Boyle's bunch. Meanwhile, TCA has been on a roll against some weaker competition since losing to defending Non-Public B, TOC, and national champion St. Anthony's (NJ). The Iron Mikes would be without Markese Tucker '10, while the Celtics would be without the services of Kyrie Irving '10, as he is still ineligible due to transfer rules. With three bleachers of TCA fans and one filled with St. Pat's supporters, the atmosphere for the contest was fantastic, drawing many big names to come, including some college coaches. La Salle Head Coach John Giannini, Rider Assistant Coach Todd Shellenberger, Princeton Head Coach Sydney Johnson, and Niagara Assistant Coach Phil Martelli, Jr. were the ones that I saw. In addition to them, people such as Paterson Catholic (NJ) Head Coach Damon Wright, PC superstar freshman Kyle Anderson '12, Rancocas Valley (NJ) Head Coach Jay Flanagan, and more were in attendance.
Kevin Boyle's St. Patrick's Celtics featured Chase Plummer '10, George Mason-signee Paris Bennett '09, Dean Kowalski '09, Michael Gilchrist '11, and
Kevin Boyle, Jr. '10 in the starting lineup, as North Carolina-signee Dexter Strickland '09 was coming off the bench due to a knee injury. Fred Falche sent out Frantz Massenat '10, Khalid Lewis El '11, Dondre Whitmore '10, Daquon Basnight '09, and Laffayette Smith '09 for the tip. The teams seemed to be a bit tentative as it took over two minutes for either team to even score. Also in the first two minutes, the Celtics' Michael Gilchrist, arguably the best sophomore in America, picked up two quick fouls. With the clock showing 5:51, Lafayette Smith made the second of two free throws to open up the afternoon's scoring, and that seemed to ease things a bit, as that led to a number of quick baskets. After Smith's make from the stripe, Chase Plummer had the first deuce for the Celtics, and then TCA scored back-to-back buckets to take a 5-2 lead. With 4:17 to go in the first eight minutes of play, Dexter Strickland entered the game for the first time, and immediately had the spotlight on him, as the biggest name to play in Mercer County so far this season, and probably will be the biggest name to play in the county outside of the Prime Time Shootout all season. St. Pat's went on a 10-2 run after Strickland entered the game, and it seemed as if maybe they would pull away before it even became a game, but it was not to be. TCA scored seven straight points, including a up and under from Dondre Whitmore on Strickland and a buzzer beating three banked in by Whitmore as well. When the buzzer sounded to end the first quarter, TCA was ahead 15-12.The first points of the second quarter came off a pretty fast break dunk by Dexter Strickland, cutting the TCA lead to just one point. The Iron Mikes then went on an 8-4 run—resulting in a timeout by the Celtics—led by Reggie Coleman '09 who caught fire and had about 10 points through 11 minutes of play. The TCA run would continue after the timeout, stretching to a 16-8 run with 55 seconds to go when Frantz Massenat, the most highly recruited player on the Iron Mikes, nailed a triple. It became a 19-8 run when Dondre Whitmore knocked in a trey with 15 seconds to play in the half, putting Fred Falche's squad ahead 34-24, the first double digit lead of the game for either team. A long two from Dexter Strickland off an inbounds pass with three seconds left made it a 34-26 game in favor of the underdog Trenton Catholic Iron Mikes at the half. The key for TCA had been its ability to keep the Celtics' big men, Paris Bennett and Michael Gilchrist, quiet. TCA was really feeling it in the first 16 minutes, especially from beyond the arc, as even big man Frankie Smalls '11 nailed a trifecta.
St. Patrick's opened up the second half with two straight buckets and played lock down defense, holding TCA without any points until the clock read 5:30 and Dondre Whitmore hit his first of three consecutive deuces. A basket from Khalid Lewis El made it an 8-0 TCA run and gave the team a 42-30 lead. It was clear that St. Pat's would fight back though, as the Celtics are just too good to give in. Paris Bennett made three of four free throws to end the quarter, making it a 42-33 advantage for the Iron Mikes entering the fourth quarter. Although the team had scored just eight points in the third period, TCA had extended its lead by a point.
Ahead by nine entering the final eight minutes and having outplayed St. Pat's for most of the first 24 minutes, all the Iron Mikes had to do was hold on. It would not be as easy as it seems. Some free throws and layups put St. Pat's right back in the game, trailing just 44-40. Lafayette Smith scored and was fouled, but could not hit his free throw, though the basket did stop the 7-0 St. Pat's run with just under four minutes to go, making it 46-40. Right after that, the wheels fell off for the Iron Mikes. The Celtics went on an 11-0 run over a period of two minutes and change to take a 51-46 lead, their only lead since it late in the first quarter. The Iron Mikes could not break the Celtics' press and struggled to keep possession. St. Patrick's got a number of steals, as Michael Gilchrist and Paris Bennett took over the game, as both were scoring on layups and hitting free throws. A basket from Daquon Basnight cut the lead to three and showed that TCA was not done yet, but it was too little too late, as that would be the Iron Mikes' last basket of the affair. Paris Bennett answered Basnight's deuce and then he and Gilchrist hit a combined three free throws. To end the game, Michael Gilchrist got a steal, ran the break alone, went up to dunk, but saw the clock and rolled it in off his finger tips. He then held out the school name on his jersey as the Celtics celebrated the come-from-behind win. Kevin Boyle's boys would leave the Iron Palace with an impressive 58-48 victory, outscoring TCA 25-6 in the fourth quarter.
Interestingly, the St. Pat's comeback came with Dexter Strickland sitting on the bench for the whole fourth quarter, as Derrick Gordon did a great job filling in for him. The Iron Mikes scored just 14 points in the second half, as their offense completely stalled. Although St. Patrick's did not hit a trey the whole game, the team really won the contest at the line. Despite TCA increasing its lead every quarter (three after the first, eight at the half, nine after the third), the biggest end of quarter advantage was the Celtics' 10 point lead at the end of the game. "It was just heart, heart really," Michael Gilchrist told me after the game as to how his squad pulled it out in the end. Although the Iron Mikes fought hard from start to finish and the game was much closer than the final 10 point differential, in the end, the depth and talent on the Celtics' roster won out.
BOX SCORE
Team 1 2 H 3 4 F
St. Patrick's 12 14 26 7 25 58
Trenton Catholic 15 19 34 8 6 48
St. Patrick's
Michael Gilchrist- 22 points, 4/4 FT (all in 4th quarter)
Paris Bennett- 18 points, 10/13 FT (7/9 in 4th quarter)
Dexter Strickland- 8 points
Derrick Gordon- 4 points
Chase Plummer- 4 points
Dean Kowalski- 2 points
Trenton Catholic
Dondre Whitmore- 14 points, two 3Ps
Reggie Coleman- 12 points, two 3Ps
Frantz Massenat- 8 points (all in 1st half), one 3P
Frankie Smalls- 5 points, one 3P
Daquon Basnight- 4 points
Lafayette Smith- 3 points
Khalid Lewis El- 2 points
Note- photo is of Michael Gilchrist and is from http://scouthoops.scout.com/
Comments