TOP-SEEDED GREEN KNIGHTS DODGE EARLY EXIT By Dennis Wilson With the game deadlocked at 25-25 entering the fourth quarter, the primary question was would top-seeded St. Joseph Regional/Montvale avoid an early exit from the pre-quarterfinal round of the Bergen Jamboree. The Green Knights answered the challenge of 16th-seeded Cresskill and pulled out of 42-33 triumph to advance into the quarterfinals where they will clash with ninth-seeded Elmwood Park. Tony Efese hit the hoop with a game-high 19 points including back-to-back field goals 10 seconds apart at crunch team that sealed the Cougars’ fate. Second-seeded Teaneck burst out to a 9-0 lead in the opening quarter and cruised to a 69-36 rout of Lodi. The defending champions pulled their starters after three quarters with the score 58-29 and in the end, 10 Highwaymen etched their names into the scoring column. Jonathan Blue and Brenden Davis each pumped 14 points through the iron. Northern Valley/Old Tappan, the No. 3 seed, improved to 15-1 in posting a 48-45 victory over a stubborn Dwight-Englewood squad that had built an 11-6 lead entering the second quarter. Thomas Messina was top gun for Old Tappan, popping 17 points into the basket while Zachary Hodges led the Bulldogs’ attack, netting 19 points that included five field goals launched from outside the three-point perimeter. Paramus Catholic, seeded No. 4, bridged the second and thirds quarters with a 29-10 run and romped to a 63-36 win over River Dell. Andre Blackwood powered the Paladins offense, ripping the cords with a game-high 21 points. The Golden Hawks were led by Tom May who scored 10 points. Indian Hills eliminated fifth-seeded Tenafly 63-46 as senior Ryan Van Grouw tallied eight of his game-high 20 points in the second quarter. His classmate Andrew Ballester, a guard, netted 10 of his 15 points in the first half as the Braves surged to a 31-11 lead by the intermission. Mike Tobey posted a double-double to spur sixth-seeded Don Bosco Prep to a 79-58 triumph over Garfield. Tobey, who finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, netted a dozen points in the first quarter to fuel the Ironmen’s 47-24 advantage a the intermission. Vaghn Gray chipped in with 16 points while Gary Nova hit the hooped with 15 points and passed over six assists. Kamil Rutkowski fueled the Boilermakers’ offense, netting a game-high 29 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Bergen Catholic, the No. 7 seed, romped to a 72-39 victory over Cliffsied Park and will meet Teanack in the quarterfinals. The Crusaders surged to a 32-14 lead by the halftime break as junior forward Mark Richards tickled the twine with a dozen of his 21 points in the first half. Elmwood Park, the ninth seed eliminated No. 8 Mahwah as Ryan Belisle recorded a double-double, scoring 15 points and hauling down a dozen rebounds while his teammate Ryan Velez also netted 15 points. Keith Zury topped the Thunderbirds, tossing 15 points into the bucket and dishing off six assists while Jim Deer scored 10 points and Dan DeLoof grabbed 10 rebounds. Though Ridgewood is only 7-11 at this point and failed to land a berth in the Jamboree field, the Maroons’ 6-5 forward/center Jim Albano has been outstanding. In a 63-44 triumph over Wayne Hills, he riddled the cords with 37 points and then pumped 44 through the iron as the Maroons toppled Bloomfield 69-58.
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