Teaneck……………In 1976 Paramus Catholic won their first and only Jamboree championship against Englewood H.S. The only problem was they won taking a loss. Englewood actually won the game , but gave it back in order to be eligible for the State championship, so PC was given the chip. This time was different as Paramus Catholic (pictured)won their first Bergen County Jamboree “chip”on the court 59-54 at the Rothman Center in Teaneck! The game was as good as advertised with both teams putting a stamp on the game at certain moments. The 1st half was dictated by Paramus Catholic’ s pressure defense as they forced Bergen Catholic into turnovers and created a little more chaos on the floor than B.C. wanted. Paramus Catholic closed the half with a 30-22 lead, which seemed like it should have been more. Bergen Catholic put their stamp on the game in the 3rd as they completely dominated P.C. on the boards, at one point getting 7 putbacks on one offensive possession. They finally tied the game 37-37  with 51.8 seconds in the 3rd on a Eric Flanagan free throw. Bergen then took their first lead of the game 38-37  on a Mark Richards free throw to end the 3rd. The 4th quarter needed someone from one of the teams to step up, and Junior Manny Hernandez (pictured left)decided to be that guy. Hernandez scored 12 of his 17 points in the quarter, including 3 free throws after getting fouled on a three point shot. The free throws gave Paramus Catholic the lead for good 47-46.Hernandez and Junior Justin Harris then made free throws late to seal it. Paramus Catholic win was a complete team effort as Senior Andre Blackwood finished with 13 points (11 in the 1st half) and 4 steals, Harris had 10 points and 11 rebounds, Senior Brandon Perez scored 8 points, including two big threes in the contest and Senior Jordan Wade had 6 points, 3 steals and was an instrumental part down the stretch defensively. He came up with a huge steal late. Bergen Catholic had nothing to hold their heads down for as they proved what kind of gritty team they are. They outrebounded Paramus Catholic 38-29 as they were led by Junior Mark Richards with 15 points and 9 rebounds and Eric Flanagan with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Senior Doug Rigg (7 pts, 9rebs) and Junior Maurice Grant (5 pts, 8 rebs), Sophomore Charles Wingate( 6pts, 3 stls) and Senior Sean McGuire (7 asts.) all distinguished themselves at times. In the end Paramus Catholic proved they did have what it takes to get it done! And this time on the court.

Teaneck……….. Paramus Catholic H.S. and Bergen Catholic H.S. will go at it Monday February 22nd at the Fairleigh Dickinson University Rothman Center gymnasium at 7:00pm. Paramus Catholic was the 4th seed in the tournament and beat the #1 seed St. Joseph H.S. 69-62 in the semis. Bergen Catholic was seeded #7 and reached the Championship game by beating #6 seed Don Bosco Prep 53-50.

The Deal On The Teams:

Paramus Catholic :

Strength :………….Have two D1 type players in 6’0 Senior guard Andre Blackwood(pictured) and 6’8 Junior center Justin Harris. A team with good depth, can go 10 deep without it affecting the squad, but need Blackwood or Harris in the game to stabilize the lineup as they are the go to players. Good team speed, led by Junior Manny Hernandez and Senior Brandon Perez and best bet would be to push the ball against the slower Bergen Catholic team. Have good defenders in Senior’s Jordan Wade and Eddie Johnson and tough guys in the paint in Senior’s Aiden Collins and Johnberry Badio, which could be the difference in the game if they compete equally on the boards with the Crusaders.

Weakness:……………… Maybe in trouble if game is played slow and gets to be a halfcourt battle. Harris should be able to get his in the paint, but if Bergen doubles down will need someone besides Blackwood to hit shots from the perimeter. Who would that be? Half to be smart in their substitution pattern.

Bergen Catholic :

Strength:……………. A physically strong team that makes you play grimey. If you fall into the trap, you’re done! Runs the flex offense as well as anyone. Led by 6’4 Junior center Mark Richard(pictured), who is slowly expanding his game, he gets his help inside from West Virginia football recruit 6’1 Senior Doug Rigg and 6’3 Junior Zach Sparber off the bench. Strong backcourt play from 5’10 Senior Sean McGuire and Sophomore guard Charles Wingate. Perimeter shooting comes from Junior Eric Flanagan, one of the better three shooters in the area. Junior Maurice Grant may be best athlete on squad.

Weakness:……… Have trouble with quickness and speed. Will need to find another perimeter shooter to go with Flanagan. Besides the guards, the other players sometimes get out of control when putting ball on the floor. Game needs to stay in the 50 point range. Will have trouble if game gets in high 60’s or 70’s

Teaneck………….Junior Manny Hernandez (right)came off the bench to spark Paramus Catholic to a 69-62 victory over St. Joseph H.S. in the semifinals of the Bergen County Jamboree. Hernandez scored 21 points and added 4 assists, but more importantly played a tremendous defensive game accounting for 5 steals against St. Joe’s. Senior Andre Blackwood(top right) scored 19 points and made 11 of 12 free throws. He also grabbed 5 rebounds and dished out 5 assists. 6’8 Junior Justin Harris added 12 points and 8 rebounds and 5’7 guard Brandon Perez(top left) scored 12. They overcame the 24 point effort by Senior Kai Dominguez for St. Joseph and the 14 point, 11 rebound and 4 steal game by 6’3 Senior Tony Efese. Paramus Catholic fell behind by as much as 11 points in the 3rd, but behind the defense of  Hernandez PC tied the game early in the 4th on a three point play by Perez on a steal by Hernandez. Perez then returned the favor by turning a steal into an Hernandez layup to put Paramus Catholic ahead 52-50. St. Joe’s didn’t get it’s first field goal of the quarter until 4:20 remained and P.C. held them off down the stretch. Senior Mike Marchman had 9 points and Senior Alex Aitkens finished with 8 for St. Joseph. Paramus Catholic will play Bergen Catholic in the finals