Linden boys basketball falls in TOC semifinals

TOMS RIVER - The Linden High School boys basketball team knew it was going to have to get past a tough team with a sizable height advantage in order to fulfill its goals this season, but unfortunately for the Tigers, they met that team one game early.

The second-seeded Tigers (26-5) fell to third-seeded Don Bosco Prep 65-58 in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions semifinals on Sunday night at the Pine Belt Arena in Toms River. Linden's loss last year to St. Anthony in the TOC final has been a driving force for the Tigers this season as they set their sights on returning to the title game and winning their first tournament crown in program history, but Marcellus Earlington and the Ironmen (30-1) cut their journey short.

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"I worked since I was a little kid for these four years and giving this up is one of the hardest things I'm ever going to have to do in my life," Linden's Joey Krempa said. "I love everybody, the high school, the coaches, everyone who supported us. I couldn't have asked for a better team experience in these four years, winning three state championships, four sectional titles, a county, conference, it means the world and it's something that not a lot of people get to experience and it was really special."

Don Bosco Prep became just the third team in New Jersey to defeat Linden this season as it punched its ticket to its first Tournament of Champions final in program history. The Ironmen managed to do that with a height advantage and dominating offensive rebounds. Don Bosco pulled down 29 offensive rebounds compared to just eight for Linden, and outrebounded the Tigers 55-23, which led to 21 second-chance points.

"We knew that going into the game, they were bigger than us in every single position, from point guard to center, and it was going to be a battle of wills, were they going to put their size on us or were we going to put our speed and the stuff that we do playing Linden basketball on them," Linden coach Phil Colicchio said. "I thought in the first half we did a really bad job offensively, obviously they killed us on the offensive glass, they were getting second and third points. We were trying, we were trying to rebound the ball, we were trying to push them, not only were they taller than us, they were physically taller than us at every position and we're trying to box out and they're just getting rid of us and they're getting rebounds."

The Ironmen also won the free throw battle, sinking 31-of-49 shots, including 22-of-33 in the fourth quarter alone. Linden hit on 17-of-27 free throws.

Earlington finished with a double-double for Don Bosco with 23 points and 14 rebounds, while Ronald Harper also chipped in a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

Linden's Tavon Jones kept Linden in the game, finishing with 22 points and five rebounds. Krempa and Marcellus Livingston each recorded 10 points.

The Tigers held an 8-6 lead after the first quarter, and led 17-11 with 4:10 left in the second quarter, but Don Bosco closed out half on a 7-3 run, and also held Linden scoreless in the final 1:22 to tie the game 20-20 at halftime.

The game stayed close in the third quarter as the Tigers took a 25-24 lead on a free throw by Mikey Watkins with 5:15 left, but Earlington hit a 3 to put the Ironmen ahead 27-25 with 4:42 left. Krempa answered with a 3-pointer to put Linden back in front 28-27 with 3:30 remaining, but that would be the last lead the Tigers would hold in the game.

Don Bosco Prep then went on a 10-0 run that spanned almost three minutes to take a 37-28 lead with 44.7 seconds left. Jones connected on a three-point play for Linden to cut the lead to 37-31, and Watkins hit a 3 at the buzzer to pull Linden to within three, 37-34, after three quarters.

"Give them credit, they were bigger than us and they used it to their advantage," Jones said. "I think this is all started when we played Montverde, I think a lot of teams watched tape of that game and saw that we were undersized, St. Pat's used it to their advantage last time we played them and now Don Bosco did, so give them credit."

The Ironmen stayed hot to start the fourth, opening on a 7-0 run to get ahead 44-34 with 5:59 left. A 3 from Krempa cut it to 44-37 with 5:10 to go, but the Tigers would send Don Bosco to the line 33 times in the fourth quarter as they tried to climb back into the game.

Jones connected on another three-point play with 1:55 left to cut the Ironmen's lead to 51-44, but Don Bosco then went to the line six times and sank four shots to maintain a 10-point lead with 1:13 left.

In the final 57.4, Don Bosco went to the line 14 times and scored 10 points, while Linden sank six of seven shots and received two 3s from Livingston for the 65-58 final.

"We didn't lose, we just ran out of time today. We showed what Linden basketball was all about, we're not going to quit, they were up 12, 14, most teams would have folded and lost by 20, 24, we're going to keep fighting until there's no time left," Colicchio said. "We started to foul and hopefully they miss them, and it didn't work tonight but we cut it down to five, the crowd was on the edge of their seats and that's what we do, we're like that little engine that could, we're going to keep on going, we're going to keep on trying and that's all I can ask from these kids."

This season Linden won its fifth-straight North 2 Group IV title, its sixth Group IV title and second in a row as well as finished as Union County Conference Watchung Division co-champions and Union County Tournament finalists.

"I knew the end was coming, whether we won today, or won on Monday, the end was near and I wanted these kids to really think about it. There's not a dry eye in that locker room right now, when you put so much energy, effort, time and care into something and you just fall a little bit short," Colicchio said. "Quite frankly I don't know if we're supposed to do what we do, I think we shock everybody all the time. Every year they say this is the year you're going to get Linden, and we come out of nowhere and we're pretty tough to beat. We were conference champs this year, we were Group IV state champs, in probably the best conference in the country and we won our conference, those kids in there did it, not me."

Staff Writer Lauren Knego: lknego@gannettnj.com; on Twitter: @laurenknego