Boys Basketball: Linden captures fifth consecutive N2G4 title
LINDEN – Much can be said about winning five straight titles in any sport at any level, but the Linden High School boys basketball team doesn’t like getting caught up in the talk of such streaks.
After defeating Newark East Side 62-59 in overtime in last year’s sectional final, the top-seeded once again topped the second-seeded Raiders, holding on for a 59-51 victory on Tuesday evening to capture their fifth straight North 2 Group IV title.
“People always talk about defending champs, but we’re not defending anything, if you’re defending something, that means someone can take it from you, and nobody can take our other four away from us,” Linden coach Phillip Colicchio said. “It’s a separate team with our own goals going after our own win.”
READ: Linden boys basketball advances to Union County Tournament final
The Tigers (25-4) held the lead for much of the second half, but the Raiders didn’t make it easy on Linden. Senior Elijah Olaniyi scored six points down the stretch to set the Raiders up, and freshman Mikah Johnson Jr. scored on a putback to cut the Raider deficit to 51-50 with 1:05 left to play.
On the ensuing possession junior Mikey Watkins drove hard to the basket and finished at the rim to extend the Linden lead to 53-50. Seniors Joey Krempa and Khalief Crawford then hit clutch free throws down the stretch to ice the game.
“We had kids who had been in that situation taking foul shots, and not only taking them but making them,” Colicchio said. “We want the ball in their hands in that situation. When Joey got fouled, I almost sat down and knew the game was over. He doesn’t miss in those situations.”
The Tigers controlled the game in the first half but struggled to pull away as they led by only four points at halftime. In the third quarter, the Tigers went on a 12-2 run to extend their lead to 38-29 as senior Marcellus Livingston tallied seven points in the quarter and Crawford added six.
Leading scorer Tavon Jones (17.7 points per game) also tallied six points in the third, but the secondary weapons shined the brightest in the second half.
“I have to trust my coaches and teammates,” Jones said. “They also make plays just as much as I do. They’re just as talented as me, so I have to have confidence they’ll find me or vice versa.”
The fifth consecutive sectional title is a great accomplishment for the program, but the Tigers are hungry for more. Falling to St. Anthony in the Tournament of Champions final last season, the Tigers seek another title with a chip on their shoulder.
“This wasn’t our number one goal, our goal was to get back to the TOC and try to win it all this year,” Colicchio said. “I don’t think we’ve gotten enough credit from certain people. I have no idea why. Maybe it’s because we don’t have any All-Americans and we don’t look pretty, but we’ll keep trying to prove ourselves. We’ll be like that little engine.”
Staff Writer Daniel LoGiudice can be reached at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @danny_logiudice.