Defense, LaFalce lead Pats over Colts again
Freehold Township is in A North driver's seat
BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer

SCOTT PILLING staff CBA's Brian Riscott and Freehold Township's Marcus Roberson battle for a rebound during the Patriots' win in Lincroft last Thursday.

Throughout its march to the top in the Shore Conference A North Division, Freehold Township has insisted that beating Christian Brothers Academy, while certainly sweet, isn't the be-all and end-all.

The goal that coach Brian Golub and his players have set is to become what the Colts are: a program that has earned its respect by playing at a high level over a period of years and winning consistently.

That is what Freehold Township wants to do, and the Patriots took a big step toward that Thursday afternoon in Lincroft when they took CBA's best shot and turned the Colts back, 60-54. It gave them their first-ever sweep of the regular season series, and put them on track to win the A North title outright.

The last three years, Freehold Township's A North title had the "public school" caveat, and this winter, the goal was to be the outright champion. That meant displacing CBA at the top.

A 70-43 Freehold Township romp back in December put the Pats on their way toward that goal, but they still would have to take care of the Colts in Lincroft, where they had never won before.

Patriot coach Brian Golub has said that what he admires most about CBA is the way the Colts and coach Ed Wicelinski approach each game the same way. He noted that no matter who the Colts were playing or where, they went about their business, playing their game, and far more often than not, it meant leaving the gym with a win.

To go into another team's gymnasium and win requires a commitment to defense, because as anyone who has shot a basketball knows, some days the shots drop and other days they don't.

It was high-intensity defense that Freehold Township took to Lincroft Thursday, and it was the difference in allowing the Pats to overcome foul trouble and some cold shooting.

Point guard Ed Fischer helped set the tone when he came up with steals on CBA's first two possessions that led to three quick points. Alan Frost followed the lead with a steal, leading to a Marcus Roberson bucket and a 5-0 Patriot lead. Baskets by T.J. LaFalce helped the Pats jump out to a 9-2 lead that quieted the standing-room-only gym, save for the Pats' boisterous cheering section.

Fischer pointed out that a defensive change this year has made the team tougher to score on.

"Last year we trapped a lot and we gave up easy baskets," he said. "This year we wanted to play half-court defense and play it strong.

"No matter if it's man-to-man, zone, full-court press or traps, we were going to play aggressive and get into our man's face," he added. "We know that if we can lock the other team down, we can win."

The Colts felt that lockdown in the first quarter, managing a mere six points, but trailing only 12-6 as the Patriots had trouble putting the ball in the basket on its end.

With LaFalce taking over and scoring at will (he scored 18 of the Pats' final 20 points in the first half), the lead grew to 21-11.

But the Colts, playing for pride, closed the second quarter on a 13-4 run that pulled them within one, 25-24. Defense and a three-pointer by Justin Schwartz fueled the run.

CBA seemed poised to take its first lead of the game when the second half tipped off, but it was the Pats who scored first, a three-point play by Frost, and quickly the lead was extended to four.

Roberson and Fischer each scored four points as the lead grew to 36-28.

CBA had another run in it, and a three-point shot by Mike Kuhn pulled the Colts to within two, 38-36, with seconds left in the quarter. Roberson, going strong to the basket, banked one in at the buzzer and the Pats took a four-point lead into the fourth quarter.

John Planer pulled the Colts back to within two at the start of the fourth quarter, but Rodger Wilmot answered with a three-pointer, followed by a three-pointer by LaFalce. The lead was back to eight, 46-38.

With 5:43 left, LaFalce picked up his fourth foul. The player the Colts had no answer for was now on the bench.

The Patriots wouldn't be 12-0 if they were carried by one player. If anything, they've proved time and again how deep they are, and that anyone on the floor is capable of hurting you.

"They trust in one another," noted Golub. "They know that when there's a problem, one of our seniors will step up."

It was Fischer, who had foul problems of his own in the first half, who helped close it out, sparking a 6-0 spurt. He blocked a shot and then sank two free throws and found Roberson under the basket for two. With that, it was 53-43.

The Colts, whose lineup has been tweaked since that opening game loss at Freehold Township, would not go away. A steal that resulted in a Will Grie hoop made it 55-51 with 47 ticks remaining.

LaFalce and Fischer each made a free throw that pushed the lead up to six, 57-51, and LaFalce put the game away for good with two free throws with 15 seconds left that made it 59-52.

For the first time in school history, the Patriots walked out of the CBA gym as victors, and became the first Freehold District team to sweep the season series (the last public school team to do it was Neptune when Taquan Dean was putting up three-pointers for the Scarlet Fliers).

"It's big," Fischer said of Thursday's win and the prospect of winning the A North title outright. "Every year CBA can win it. We want to win the A North title - period."

LaFalce was a headache again for the Colt defenders, leading everyone with 26 points. Roberson, who played strong in the paint, had 13. Fischer dished out six assists to go along with his eight points. Brian Brikowski gave the team a presence in the paint along with Roberson, while Wilmot and Frost continued to make plays on both ends of the floor.

For the second time in three games, the Patriots had to make plays late in close games to win. It has shown their "composure and character," Golub pointed out.

Kuhn led the Colts with 15 and Schwartz had 11.

The Colts dropped to 9-5 overall, and with three losses in the division, will see their reign at the top come to an end.

While the Colts have been the measuring stick in the division since they entered it, this year it's Freehold Township, and the Colts can point to the fact that they have closed the gap considerably.

They prevented the athletic Patriots from getting on one of their fabled 10- or 15-point runs that psychologically put teams away.

Despite the sweep, Golub had an inkling the teams could meet up later this season in the Shore Conference Tournament.

"CBA is going to keep getting better because of the system they run," he said.

That may be so, but it will be Freehold Township that everyone will be taking aim at, and they will have earned it.