JERSEY CITY, N.J. - After two consecutive seasons of walking into the Golden Door Charter School with state title hopes and leaving with a resounding defeat, it was finally time for Paterson Catholic to exit Jersey City with its season still intact.
The Cougars used strong performances from junior wingman Fuquan Edwin and sophomore point guard Myles Mack to knock off St. Anthony in a see-saw affair, 60-55, in the Non-Public B North semifinal.
Fuquan Edwin, Paterson Catholic
File Photo By Kevin Yen
Edwin helped the Cougars outscore the Friars by six points in the final frame after entering the fourth quarter trailing by one. The two teams matched one another step for step in the first half, with St. Anthony taking a slim 31-30 lead into halftime.
St. Anthony was powered early on by the play of Devon Collier. Collier had a breakout game, pulling in numerous rebounds and providing a presence on defense by blocking and altering several shots. He also led the Friars in scoring, including a thunderous two-hand slam at the start of the game, moments after Dominic Cheek drew first blood with a slam of his own.
It didn’t take long for Paterson Catholic to strike back, however. Mack was deadly from the 3-point line, scoring 16 of his 21 points in the first half.
“I’m a shooter,” Mack said. “If I’m on, I’m on. If I’m off, I’m still going to keep shooting.”
Paterson Catholic head coach Damon Wright was happy with his team’s ability to win in such an unfriendly environment.
“It feels great. Since Saturday and Sunday, the intensity at practice has been up,” he said. “They wanted to come in here and get a win and that’s what they did.”
Wright said that he told his team at halftime to cut down on sloppy play and hit the boards harder.
“I told them if they could do a better job at boxing out and not letting them have offense rebounds, we’ll walk away with a victory,” Wright said.
With three minutes remaining and the score knotted at 52, Jayon James was fouled driving to the basket. His free throw gave Paterson Catholic a lead it would not relinquish.
According to Wright, James’ contributions to the team transcend the stat sheet.
“Myles was outstanding shooting the ball, but more importantly, Jayon James came out here and led this team,” Wright said. “He was running the offense, running the defense, and I’m very proud of him.”
St. Anthony struggled to handle the Paterson Catholic defensive pressure in the second half. Their guards had difficulty against Paterson Catholic’s long defenders. A late turnover by Friars’ guard Devon McLeod allowed the Cougars to push the lead to 55-52 with less than two minutes to play.
With Paterson Catholic leading 59-52 and less than 40 seconds to play, Cheek hit his second 3-pointer of the quarter. However, he was largely contained by the swarming defense that Wright’s squad presented.
“We just had to make sure Dominic Cheek didn’t go off,” Edwin said. “If he didn’t go off, it was going to be a good game for us.”
A likely meeting with St. Patrick awaits the Cougars on Wednesday night in the Non-Public B North final. The two teams met in December in Myrtle Beach, S.C., at the Beach Ball Classic, with St. Patrick edging Paterson Catholic 67-54.
This time, St. Patrick will feature sensational junior guard Kyrie Irving, a transfer who first became eligible in January. But the Celtics may be without sophomore Michael Gilchrist, a likely all-state selection who is recovering from a foot injury recently sustained in practice.
“It’s going to be a great game,” predicted Mack.
