PASSAIC COUNTY TOURNAMENT SEMIFINALS!

 

The Passaic County Tournament Semifinals take place Saturday at Kennedy H.S. and pits #2 seed Paterson Eastside vs #3 seed Paterson Kennedy and #4 seed Wayne Valley vs  #1 seed Wayne Hills!

Paterson Eastside  vs  Paterson Kennedy — This rivalry has been one way over the last few years as Paterson Eastside has won the last 13 games these teams have played against each other! The last being Thursday as Eastside pulled off a 54-42 victory! For Kennedy to have a chance they must get a monster game from their 2,000 career point scorer Alphonso Gee! Kennedy will also have to negate the penetration of Junior Nhaz Smith who may be the County Player of the Year! No one has been able to do it so far this season as Smith can score on an assortment of floaters and knock down the occasional “triple”! Senior Terra Gatling(right) has been a tremendous player on the boards and on the defensive end for Eastside and if Sophomore Lamar Johnson and Junior Al-Jumu Johnson shoot the way they did in their last game against Kennedy it will be the 14th straight win for the Ghosts! Kennedy will have to make things happen on the defensive end and that means a collective effort from their team, particularly their plethora of guards! That means Senior’s Jordan Rodriguez(bottom right) and Tymere McMillan, Junior Yhonny Ramirez and Sophomore’s Jamir Lattimore and Jaylen Colon must be committed on that end of the floor! Senior Brian Patterson and Junior Joe Shoulars have to compete on the boards to give Kennedy a chance!

 

Wayne Hills  vs  Wayne Valley —This one will be an event for the city of Wayne! Although it will be played at Kennedy a live crowd is expected as the usual football rivals will take it to the court this time! Wayne Hills is playing with a purpose and are led by Senior’s Dorian Hodge and Joey Kenny(right)! Hodge is the cornerstone of Hills offense as he has got it done from the perimeter and with penetration to the bucket! Sophomore Joey Belli has gotten better and better with his play and Junior Justin Hodge is a strong athlete who has improved at both ends of the floor! Sophomore Jason Modak gives Hills another strong inside presence and if they play the way they have it could be another Wayne Hills win as they have already won two this season, including a 53-35 win this Tuesday! Wayne Valley is led by Senior Nick Goodwin, Senior Nick Giuliano and Senior Alex Kokos! Goodwin is relentless and tough in the paint, while Giuliano(bottom right) might be their best skilled player! Kokos is a heady guard who’s defense and outside shooting will be key! Senior John Zarka and Junior Elijah Beard will have to make their presence felt!