Boys basketball wins at Izod Center; cheerleaders perform flawlessly
The Star Ledger, January 05, 2010 8:10 p.m. By Everett Merrill
There will be games when Gill St. Bernard's talented underclassmen commit unforced errors, make bad passes and take poor shots. Fortunately this group is deep enough to overcome those miscues as evidenced yesterday at the Izod Center in East Rutherford.
Gill St. Bernard's (6-0) didn't exhibit the crispness it has displayed early on this winter, committing 19 turnovers, but the Somerset County team came away with a 60-49 decision over Delaware Valley.
The game was played yesterday at the Meadowlands before the NBA matchup between the Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks.
This was Gill St. Bernard's second game since joining the Skyland Conference's Raritan Division after playing in the Patriot Conference during the last several seasons. Coach Dave Pasquale's team is 2-0 in the division with a 57-38 victory over Bernards on opening night.
Pasquale starts three sophomores, a freshman and a senior. The blend has worked as Gill St. Bernard's captured the Len Sepanak Tournament at Ridge with signature victories over Immaculata (69-61) and Irvington (63-57) and non-conference triumphs against Delbarton (64-51) and Union (50-39).
However, this group doesn't like to be reminded of their age.
"They get mad at me when I bring up their age," said Pasquale. "They're right. It's our five against their five."
Yesterday the backcourt of freshman Jaren Sina and sophomore Alex Mitola combined for 29 points, while sophomore power forward Dominic Hoffman recorded 13 points and 16 rebounds.Mitola has matured from a downtown 3-point player last season to a guy who can distribute and isn't afraid to take his 5-9 frame through the lane.
Mitola, who led his team with 16 points, was 4-of-4 from the line. Sina contributed 13 points. He drilled both of his three-pointers to put Gill St. Bernard's ahead by a 33-21 count midway through the third quarter.
Mitola scored five points and Hoffman added four points when Gill St. Bernard's went on a 13-4 surge to pull ahead by a 23-13 score with two minutes left in the second quarter. Delaware Valley didn't score from the field until three seconds were left in the quarter.
"We've been defending well all year," said Pasquale. "We got some stops to stem the tide today. But this was not indicative of how we've played. I think the atmosphere was part of that."
Delaware Valley opened strong, trailing by a 10-9 score after the first period when Andrew Lechner scored five of his team-high 10 points. The team from Hunterdon County finished on a high-note, going on a 10-4 spurt to end the game.
Gill St. Bernard's (6-0) didn't exhibit the crispness it has displayed early on this winter, committing 19 turnovers, but the Somerset County team came away with a 60-49 decision over Delaware Valley.
The game was played yesterday at the Meadowlands before the NBA matchup between the Nets and the Milwaukee Bucks.
This was Gill St. Bernard's second game since joining the Skyland Conference's Raritan Division after playing in the Patriot Conference during the last several seasons. Coach Dave Pasquale's team is 2-0 in the division with a 57-38 victory over Bernards on opening night.
Pasquale starts three sophomores, a freshman and a senior. The blend has worked as Gill St. Bernard's captured the Len Sepanak Tournament at Ridge with signature victories over Immaculata (69-61) and Irvington (63-57) and non-conference triumphs against Delbarton (64-51) and Union (50-39).
However, this group doesn't like to be reminded of their age.
"They get mad at me when I bring up their age," said Pasquale. "They're right. It's our five against their five."
Yesterday the backcourt of freshman Jaren Sina and sophomore Alex Mitola combined for 29 points, while sophomore power forward Dominic Hoffman recorded 13 points and 16 rebounds.Mitola has matured from a downtown 3-point player last season to a guy who can distribute and isn't afraid to take his 5-9 frame through the lane.
Mitola, who led his team with 16 points, was 4-of-4 from the line. Sina contributed 13 points. He drilled both of his three-pointers to put Gill St. Bernard's ahead by a 33-21 count midway through the third quarter.
Mitola scored five points and Hoffman added four points when Gill St. Bernard's went on a 13-4 surge to pull ahead by a 23-13 score with two minutes left in the second quarter. Delaware Valley didn't score from the field until three seconds were left in the quarter.
"We've been defending well all year," said Pasquale. "We got some stops to stem the tide today. But this was not indicative of how we've played. I think the atmosphere was part of that."
Delaware Valley opened strong, trailing by a 10-9 score after the first period when Andrew Lechner scored five of his team-high 10 points. The team from Hunterdon County finished on a high-note, going on a 10-4 spurt to end the game.