GETTIN' READY: The Morris Hills High School boys basketball team huddles up before its 57-43 victory over Dover at Dover on Monday, Feb. 22. For more photos, visit 'MH Hoops Album' under the 'Winter Photo Pages' button on the menu bar at the left.
|
Knights bow out of states with loss to No. Highlands
|
ROCKAWAY - Northern Highlands went on a game-deciding 21-9 fourth-quarter run to defeat Morris Hills, 57-41, in a North 1, Group 3 boys basketball state tournament game played at Northern Highland High School in Allendale on Monday, March 1.
Morris Hills, the No. 10 seed in the 16-team section, held a 13-8 lead after one quarter, but Northern Highlands caught up and nosed ahead by a point at 21-20 by the halftime break.
The winners extended their advantage to four points at 36-32 going into the final eight minutes of play, where Northern Highlands went on its 21-point burst to establish the final 16-point margin of victory.
The loss puts Morris Hills’ season-ending record at 13-12; Northern Highlands improved to 12-8.
Cory Mundt and V-Simpson Turner each scored 10 points to lead Morris Hills in scoring. Antonio Castro added six points - all from the free throw line - and Dan Kasper and Azem Koliq each finished with five points. Matt Hayes had three points and Ranell finished with two to complete the scoring for Morris Hills.
Northern Highlands moves on to the quarterfinals where it will play No. 2 seed Old Tappen, which beat No. 15 seed High Point, 57-32, on Monday evening.
---
Livingston's 4th-quarter move sinks Knights
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills and Livingston kept things close for three quarters before Livingston outscored the Knights by four points in the final period to provide the margin of victory in a 49-45 win over Morris Hills in a high school boys basketball game at Hills on Tuesday, Feb. 23.
Morris Hills (13-11) led by one after the first eight minutes and had a three-point lead at 24-21 at the halftime break. Livingston (11-11) went on a 10-7 run in the third period to send the game into the final quarter tied at 31. The visitors outscored Morris Hills 18-14 in the fourth period to seal their four-point victory.
Antonio Castro led the Knights in scoring with 11 points while Michael Lambusta, Cory Mundt and V-Simpson Turner each added eight points. Ranell Bell and Matt Hayes each finished with three points; and Derrick Washington and Azem Koliq each added two points to complete the Morris Hills scoring.
Stats: Hayes and Turner each had a team-high five rebounds ... Hayes finished with four assists ... Washington blocked two shots ... and Mundt and Hayes each had three steals.
---
Mundt's 14 points lead Knight to win over Dover
ROCKAWAY - Corey Mundt scored 14 points to lead Morris Hills to a 57-43 victory over Dover in a high school boys basketball game played at Dover on Monday, Feb. 22.
Mundt connected on two field goals, one 3-point field goal and was 7-for-10 from the free throw line as the Knights improved their season record to 13-10.
Morris Hills jumped out to a 14-9 lead after the first quarter and then extended its advantage to 28-16 with a 14-7 run in the second period. With reserves playing most of the second half, the final two periods were closer with Morris Hills outscoring Dover (4-21) by a 29-27 count.
Antonio Castro and Matt Hayes also scored in double figures for Morris Hills as each finished with 10 points, Hayes hitting on two 3-point field goals.
Dan Kasper added nine points for Morris Hills; V-Simpson Turner and Ranell Bell each had four points; and Azem Koliq, Michael Lambusta and Derrick Washington each finished with two points to complete the scoring totals for the Knights.
---
Turner, Castro, Koliq lead MH past Randolph
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills took an early first-period lead it never lost as the Knights defeated Randolph, 61-47, in a high school boys basketball game played at Morris Hills on Thursday, Feb. 18.
Morris Hills (12-10) held a 20-10 lead after the first period and, although Randolph (10-10) cut the lead to five points at 29-24 at the half, the Knights expanded their lead with a 12-6 third period run and then outscored their visitors 20-17 in the fourth quarter.
V-Simpson Turner led a balanced Morris Hills attack with 13 points while Antonio Castro added 12 and Azem Koliq 10 to put three Knights in double figures.
Matt Hayes added seven points; Dan Kasper and Derrick Washington each finished with six points; Cory Mundt added five points; and Michael Lambusta completed the Morris Hills attack with a pair of free throws.
Notes: Castro finished with a team-high six rebounds while Turner added five ... Kasper had three assists while Hayes and Mundt each had two ... Castro, Kasper and Washington each blocked a shot ... Castro had a team-high two steals.
---
Knights lose to Pope John on shot with 0:04 to play
ROCKAWAY - The Morris Hills boys basketball team couldn’t hold an 11-point lead after one period of play and went on to lose a 50-49 decision to Pope John on Kai Ahmad’s layup with four seconds to play in a game played at Morris Hills on Wednesday, Feb. 17.
Morris Hills (11-10) jumped out to a 15-4 lead after the first period of play and still led by eight points at 25-17 at the half. Pope John (9-10) outscored the Knights 21-12 in the third period to take a 38-37 lead into the final eight minutes of play.
Both teams scored 12 points in the fourth quarter, but it was Ahmad’s layup that decided the game in Pope John’s favor.
Simpson V-Turner led the Morris Hills attack with 11 points and Antonio Castro was the only other Knight in double-figures with 10 points.
Derrick Washington finished with eight points; Matt Hayes had six points; Dan Kasper and Cory Mundt each had five points; Evan Staikos scored three points; and Michael Lambusta added a free throw to complete the Morris Hills scoring.
Washington finished with a team-high five rebounds ... Castro had five assists ... Castro, Kaspar and Washington each had a blocked shot ... and Castro, Hayes, Staikos and Washington each finished with a steal.
---
Turner's career-high 24 point lead MH, 62-42
ROCKAWAY - V-Simpson Turner scored a career-high 24 points and Morris Hills played steady ball throughout the game in defeating Vernon, 62-42, in a high school boys basketball game played on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at Morris Hills.
The Knights (11-9) took an 18-12 lead at the end of the first period and increased their advantage at the end of each quarter as Vernon never threatened.
Turner had seven field goals, two 3-points field goals and four free throws for his 24 points. He also finished the game with seven rebounds.
Dan Kasper finished with 12 points for the Knights while Derrick Washington scored seven; Antonio Castro and Matt Hayes each finished with six points with Hayes hitting on two treys for his total; Ranell Bell added four points; and Cory Mundt completed the Knights' attack with three points.
Washington led the team in rebounds with eight while Hayes added five and Kasper four; Hayes and Mundt each had a team-high five assists; and Washington had a pair of blocked shots.
---
MCT No. 1 seed Mendham defeats Knights
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills ran into No. 1 ... and came out No. 2.
The Knights played the top-seeded team in the Morris County Boys Basketball Tournament at Mendham on Thursday, Feb. 4, and suffered a 69-51 defeat that was almost over before it started.
Mendham (14-2) bolted out to a 22-5 lead after the first eight minutes of play and Morris Hills (10-8) could not recover.
The rest of the game was just about even as Mendham outscored Morris Hills, 47-46 over the final three periods.
V-Simpson Turner scored a team-high 12 points and Ranell Bell added 10 points for Hills.
Matt Hayes added seven; Antonio Castro finished with six; Azem Koliq scored five points; Cory Mundt added three points; Dan Kasper added two points; and Michael Lambusta and Evan Staikos each had a free throw.
---
Delbarton early lead too much for MH to overcome
ROCKAWAY - Delbarton School led by seven after one quarter and 11 at the half and went on to record a 46-35 victory over Morris Hills in a high school boys basketball game played at Delbarton's Morris Township campus on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
Morris Hills (10-7) was led by V-Simpson Turner’s 10 points and a nine-point performace - all on 3-point field goals - by Matt Hayes.
Antonio Castro finished with six points; Cory Mundt added five; Derrick Washington scored three points; and Michael Lambusta had two points to complete the scoring for Morris Hills.
Delbarton improved to 12-4 with the victory.
---
Morris Hills beats Mount Olive, 55-47, in MCT prelim
For details of this game, please click on the "MCT Boys Hoops" button that is on the menu bar at the left.
---
Hills turns up the 'D' to defeat Morris Knolls
DENVILLE - This was it ... this was the one ... the one and only ... as in “there ain’t no more.”
And what a shame, too.
The Morris Hills and Morris Knolls boys basketball teams went at each other as you would expect in a battle between friends, ex-teammates, ex-neighbors and intense rivals when Hills beat Knolls, 34-31, in a high school basketball defensive struggle at Morris Knolls on Thursday, Jan. 28.
It was the first time in four years the two teams had met in basketball on the varsity level.
Mike Boylan of Morris Knolls scored 10 points and was the only player in the game to get into double figures as both teams were held to almost 15 points less than their usual average for a game.
Antonio Castro, Matt Hayes and V-Simpson Turner led Morris Hills in scoring as each finished with seven points. Azem Koliq had five points; and Dan Kasper and Derrick Washington each had four points to complete the Knights scoring for the game.
Cory Mundt did not score a point for Morris Hills but it was his defense on Tyler Daniel that played big in the Knights’ game plan. Daniel, averaging close to 14 points a game, was held to eight points by Mundt.
Conor Nolan also finished with eight points for Knolls while Esaun Mobley and Bruce Mayo each scored two points and Niko Kotoulas added a free throw to wrap up the scoring for the Eagles.
The game stayed close and went back and forth with Knolls taking an 8-7 lead after the first quarter of play and Hills moving out on top 20-16 after outscoring the Eagles 13-8 in the second period.
Knolls turned it on in the third period and went on an 11-3 run to take a 27-23 lead into the final period of play.
But it was Hills turn again to go back on top as the Knights held the Eagles to four points while scoring 11 to earn their three point victory.
And bragging rights, of course.
There two ways this neighborhood scrap could head into Round Two, however remote they may sound at this point.
On way would be if each team made its way through its bracket to the championship game of the Morris County Basketball Tournament that starts Saturday, Jan. 30, with its preliminary round.
The only other rematch possibility is in the NJSIAA state tournament. Knolls would have to win its Group 4 title and Hills would have to win its Group 3 title in order for the two teams to meet again.
For now, 12th-seeded Morris Knolls takes its 7-7 record into Saturday’s 4 p.m. MCT prelim against No. 21-seed Montville at Knolls and No. 14 seed Morris Hills plays host to No. 19 Mount Olive in a 1 p.m. game at Morris Hills.
Two games that just could be the beginning of a long and tough - maybe even close to impossible - road to a rematch.
---
Turner's 17 points lead Knight to win over Mount Olive
ROCKAWAY - Leading from start to finish, the Morris Hills High School boys basketball team defeated Mount Olive, 52-44, in a game played at Morris Hills on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
The two teams meet again Saturday, Jan. 30, in a Morris County Boys Basketball Tournament preliminary game when No. 19 seed Mount Olive travels to No. 14 seed Morris Hills for a game that is schedled for 1 p.m.
Morris Hills (8-6) led 13-8 after one quarter and moved out to a 21-14 lead at the half before taking a 39-26 lead into the final eight minutes of play when Mount Olive (3-12) outscored the Knights 18-13 to create the final margin.
V-Simpson Turner led the Knights in scoring with 17 points. Ranell Bell scored 13 points - including two 3-point field goals - and Antonio Castro also finished in double figures with 10 points.
Derrick Washington finished with six points and Matt Hayes, Dan Kasper and Azem Koliq each had two to complete the scoring for Morris Hills.
Castro and Kasper each had a team-high five rebounds for the Knights; Michael Lambusta finished with four assists and Cory Mundt had three; Bell, Turner and Washington each blocked two shots; and Washington had two steals
.---
Unbeaten Madison's 2nd-quarter burst too much for Knights
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills stayed with unbeaten (12-0) Madison for three of the four quarters but it was the remaining quarter - a 18-8 run by Madison in the second period - that cost the Knights in a 56-45 loss to the Dodgers in a high school boys basketball game played at Madison on Saturday, Jan. 23.
Madison took a slim 12-11 lead into the second period when it outscored Morris Hills, 18-8, to take a 30-19 advantage into the halftime break.
The teams played even the rest of the way as each team scored nine points in the third period and each team had a 17-point surge in the final eight minutes of play.
Morris Hills (7-6) was led by Matt Hayes, who had 12 points that included two 3-point field goals. Antonio Castro finished with eight points and Cory Mundt had seven for the Knights.
V-Simpson Turner added six points to the Morris Hills total; Michael Lambusta scored five points; Derrick Washington finished with four points; and Ranell Bell, Dan Kasper and Azem Koliq each contributed a free throw to complete the scoring for the Knights.
---
Knights turn back Parsippany Hills, 56-42
ROCKAWAY - Nine different players scored for Morris Hills as the Knights defeated Parsippany Hills, 56-42, in a high school boys basketball game played at Parsippany on Friday, Jan. 22.
Morris Hills (7-5) took an 11-5 lead after one period of play and then went on an 18-point burst in the second quarter to expand its lead to 18 at 29-11 at the halftime break. Par Hills (1-11) outscored Morris Hills, 31-27, in the second half but the Knights had built up too big a lead.
Matt Hayes, Michael Lambusta and V-Simpson Turner each scored 10 points to lead a balanced Morris Hills attack. Lambusta hit a pair of 3-point field goals and Hayes had one.
Dan Kaspar followed with seven points and Antonio Castro chipped in with six. Cory Mundt and Derrick Washington each had four points and Ranell Bell and Azem Koliq each had two points for Morris Hills.
Castro had a team-high eight rebounds while Turner and Washington each finished with seven. Bell and Mundt each had two assists while Washington had two steals and blocked two shots.
---
Winning streak ends at three games in loss to WMC
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills High School's three-game winning streak by the boys basketball team came to an end on Tuesday, Jan. 19, when the Knights lost to West Morris Central, 52-46, in a game played at Morris Hills.
West Morris (6-5) held a 14-6 lead after one period of play but Morris Hills (6-5) came back nicely with a 14-4 second-quarter run to take a 20-18 lead into the halftime break.
West Morris regained the lead with a 13-7 advantage in the third period and then was able to hold off Morris Hills in a high-scoring fourth period that saw the visitors outscore the Knights, 21-19.
V. Turner and Ranell Bell led the Morris Hills scoring with Turner scoring a team-high 11 points and Bell adding 10 points.
Cory Mundt finished with eight points, a total that included two three-point field goals; Azem Koliq added seven points; Matt Hayes finished with six points; and Michael Lambusta and Derrick Washington each scored two points to complete the scoring totals for Morris Hills.
Antonio Castro finished with a team-high five rebounds while Turner had four. Lambusta, Mundt and Turner each ahd two assists; and Washington blocked three shots and came up with two steals for the Knights.
---
Late run seals Knights' 45-31 vicory over Wallkill Valley
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills broke open a close game with a 15-3 fourth-quarter run to beat Wallkill Valley, 45-31, in a high school boys basketball game played at Morris Hills on Saturday, Jan. 16.
The win was the third in a row for Morris Hills (6-4), which trailed by three points after the first period of play.
The Knights outscored Wallkill (5-6) by five points in the second period to take a 17-15 lead at the half and, after both teams scored 13 points in the third period of play, the Knights, went on their game-sealing tear.
V. Turner led the fourth-quarter outburst as he scored seven of the 10 points he scored in the game to shared team scoring honors with Matt Hayes.
Antonio Castro scored eight points; Derrick Washington finished with six; Michael Lambusta had five points; Azem Koliq had four; and Dan Kasper finished with two points to complete the scoring for Morris Hills.
Castro had a game-high eight rebounds while Turner and Washington each finished with six. The Knights blocked five shots, three by Lambusta and two by Koliq. Cory Mundt had two assists.
---
ROCKAWAY - Michael Lambusta led a balanced Morris Hills attack that saw nine different players score at least two points as the Knights defeated High Point, 47-34, in a high school boys basketball game played at High Point on Thursday, Jan. 14.
Lambusta finished with 12 points - eight of them coming from the free throw line - as Morris Hills (5-4) expanded a three-point halftime lead (20-17) to seven going into the final period where the Knights sealed the victory by scoring 18 points in the final eight minutes of play.
Antonio Castro scored seven points for the Knights while Ranell Bell and Cory Mundt each had six, Mundt’s points coming on two three-point field goals.
Azem Koliq finished with five points; V. Turner had four; Dan Kaspar scored three points and Matt Hayes and Derrick Washington each finished with two points.
High Point fell to 2-8 with the loss.
---
Knights back at even after beating Montville, 52-34
ROCKAWAY - The Morris Hills High School boys basketball team got back to the .500 level at 4-4 with a 52-34 victory over Montville in a game played at Morris Hills on Tuesday, Jan. 12.
Morris Hills held a 7-5 lead after one period of play and then used a 13-7 second-period run to take an eight-point halftime lead at 20-12. An 18-point third-period outburst sent the Knights into the fourth period with a 38-21 advantage that Morris Hills held for the final eight minutes to seal the victory.
V. Turner had 15 points and Antonio Castro added 10 and Azem Koliq finished with nine points to lead the Knights in scoring.
Dan Kasper finished with six points; Cory Mundt had five, including a three-point field goal; Derrick Washington had four points; and Matt Hayes had three, connecting on a three-point field goal, to round out the game's scoring for the Knights.
Castro had a team-high eight rebounds while Turner and Washington each had six as the Knights controlled the boards. Castro, Kasper and Mundt each had two assists and Castro, Koliq and Washington each finished with two steals.
Ellis Casler had a game-high 22 points for Montville (4-5).
---
Knights bow to unbeaten (7-0) Boonton, 72-65
ROCKAWAY - Unbeaten Boonton (7-0) opened the game with a 26-point first period and, although Morris Hills outscored the Bombers the rest of the way, that first-quarter nine-point deficit proved too much to overcome as Boonton held off Morris Hills, 72-65, in a high school boys basketball game at Boonton on Saturday, Jan. 9.
Boonton led 26-17 after one quarter and 38-30 at the half before Morris Hills (3-4) made its comeback attempt by outscoring Boonton 16-11 in the third period to pull to within three points of the lead at 49-46.
Boonton came up with another big quarter in the fourth period, however, and outscored the Knights 23-19 to seal the victory.
Morris Hills had four players in double figures with Dan Kaspar leading the way with 14 points. Antonio Castro finished with 12 points; Azem Koliq had 11 points and V. Turner had 10 points.
Cory Mundt had eight points - including two three-point field goals; Derrick Washington and Michael Lambusta each had three points; and Ranell Bell and Matt Hayes each finished with two points to complete the Morris Hills scoring.
---
Sparta late run defeats Knights, 49-42
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills took a one-point lead into the final quarter but couldn't overcome a 19-point outburst by Sparta and fell to the home team, 49-42, in a boys high school basketball game played at Sparta on Tuesday, Jan. 5.
Sparta (4-2) held a slim 11-9 lead after one period of play, but Morris Hills (3-3) battled back to take a 21-17 lead at the half. A 13-10 third period run by Sparta cut the lead to one point going into the final period where Sparta made its winning run.
Clutch free-throw shooting by Sparta in the final period kept Morris Hills at bay as Sparta's high-scorer Ryan Quinn finished with 18 points, included a 4-for-4 performance from the line in the final period. Anthony Ciccone was 3-for-3 in free throw shooting in the final eight minutes of play.
Azem Koliq scored 14 points to lead Morris Hills while Antonio Castro finished with 11.
Matt Hayes scored eight point for the Knights; Dan Kasper hit two three-point field goals to finish with six points; Cory Mundt had a field goal and Derrick Washington had a free throw to round out the scoring for Morris Hills.
Sparta won both of the sub-varsity games, beating Hills, 56-42, in the JV game and winning the freshman game, 31-28.
---
Koliq's late field goal gives Knight Jamoree win
ROCKAWAY - A field goal by Azem Koliq with 1:30 left accounted for the final points of the game as the Morris Hills High School boys basketball team rallied for a 42-41 victory over Belvidere at the Tri-County Basketball Jamboree at Hackettstown High School on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010.
Morris Hills (3-2) won two of the three games it played in the three-day, six-team round-robin tournament as the Knights opened with a 60-51 loss to Hanover Park on Monday, Dec. 28, before beating Lenape Valley, 70-54, on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
Belvidere (1-4) took a four-point lead at 15-11 after the first period of play and carried that lead into the second half after the teams played played an even (14-14) second quarter.
Morris Hills cut the lead to a single point at 35-34 going into the final period and the teams opened the final period by trading baskets with Belvidere holding a 41-40 lead when Koliq connected with his game-winner.
Koliq finished with a team-high 10 points for the Knights with Cory Mundt right behind with nine points.
Antonio Castro and V. Turner each finished with five points; Evan Staikos and Derrick Washington each had four; Matt Hayes had three points, hitting on his ninth three-point field goal in the three-game competition; and Ranell Bell completed the Knights scoring with two points.
Notes: Castro led the Knights with eight rebounds while Washington finished with seven ... Koliq had a team-high three assists ... Bell finished with three steals while Hayes, Koliq and Turner each had two ... Washington blocked two shots ... the Knights showed good scoring balance throughout the three-game competition as Koliq finished with 33 points, Hayes had 30, Castro scored 23 and Mundt had 27. ...
---
Hayes' five first-period 3s boost Knights
ROCKAWAY - Matt Hayes was 5-for-6 in three-point field goals in the first quarter as Morris Hills High School defeated Lenape Valley, 70-54, in the Tri-County Jamboree held at Lenape Valley High School on Wednesday, Dec. 30.
Now, that's some stat -- 5-for-6 in the FIRST quarter.
Not a bad week's work for any high school basketball player and here Hayes accomplished the feat in only one quarter -- eight minutes of play!
Hayes, who finished with 17 points, has scored 27 points in two games in the Jamboree and 24 of those points have come on three-point field goals. Hayes hit from long distance three times in the Knights' 60-51 loss to Hanover Park in the first game of the Jamboree.
Wednesday's victory means Morris Hills will take a 2-2 record into the third game of the three-day, six-team round-robin tourney. The Knights face Belvidere at noon when the competition shifts back to Hackettstown High School on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2010.
Hayes' 15 first-quarter points sent Morris Hills out to a 30-7 lead and, although Lenape Valley (2-2) cut the Knights' advantage from 23 points to 17 at the half, Morris Hills was never threatened. The teams played close to even in the second half, with Lenape Valley holding a slight 30-29 edge over the last 16 minutes of play.
In other Jamboree games Wednesday, Hanover Park beat Hackettstown, 47-36, and Belvidere beat Parsippany, 64-46.
Although Hayes caught everybody's attention with his long-range accuracy in the first quarter, Azem Koliq finshed as the Knights' high scorer with 18 points - seven field goals, one three-pointer, and one free throw.
Cory Mundt and Antonio Csatro each scored 14 points for the Knights while Derrick Washington added four points and Michael Lambusta finished with three points - a three-point field goal that gave the Knights eight for the contest.
---
Knights lose to Hanover Park in Jamboree opener
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills High School's boys basketball team took an early lead but couldn't hold it as the Knights lost a 60-51 decision to unbeaten (3-0) Hanover Park on the first day of the Tri-County Basketball Jamoree held at Hackettstown High School on Monday, Dec. 29.
In other games Monday, Hackettstown beat Belvidere, 68-46, and Parsippany beat Lenape Valley, 67-59.
The three-day, six-team, round-robin tournament shifts to Lenape Valley High School on Wednesday, Dec. 30, when Morris Hills will face Lenape Valley at 6 p.m.; Hackettstown and Hanover Park square off at 4 p.m.; and Belvidere faces Parsippany at 2 p.m. In Monday's game, Morris Hills (1-2) held a 16-13 lead after one period of play but Hanover Park pulled ahead at the half, 31-26, and led the rest of the way.
Matt Hayes led the Knights with 10 points, hitting on three three-point field goals. Ranell Bell finished with eight points; Dan Kasper and V. Turner each had six; Azem Koliq had five points; Antonio Castro and Cory Mundt each scored four points; Michael Lambusta and Evan Staikos each finished with three; and Derrick Washington had three points to complete the scoring for Morris Hills.
Washington finished with a game-high nine rebounds; Koliq had a team-high three assists; and Koliq and Mundt led the team in steals, each with two.
---
Knights bow to Roxbury in OT, 77-66
ROCKAWAY - The Morris Hills boys basketball players saw all they wanted to see of Roxbury's Phil Desmond during their game at Morris Hills on Tuesday, Dec. 22.
It was Desmond's field goal with 10 seconds left in regulation that tied the score at 61 and sent the game into overtime.
It was Desmond scoring eight of his team's 16 points in the extra session that sent Roxbury (2-0) to a 77-66 victory over Morris Hills (1-1) in the second game of the young season for both teams.
The game's high scorer? Desmond ... with 27.
The game was close throughout with Morris Hills breaking a 13-13 tie after the first period with a 17-13 run in the second quarter for a 29-25 lead at the break.
Roxbury cut the lead to one at 41-40 going into the fourth period where both teams put on the offensive pressure with Roxbury outscoring the Knights 21-20 on Desmond's late bucket that took the game into OT where Roxbury took over the game.
Senior Dan Kasper led a Morris Hills balanced scoring attack by scoring 16 points, a total that included two three-point field goals. Senior Azem Koliq also had two three-pointers in his 13-point total and juniors Antonio Castro and V. Turner each scored 12 points.
Sophomore Ranell Bell finished with six points; junior Derrick Washington had three; and senior Cory Mundt and sophomore Michael Lambusta each had a field goal to round out the Morris Hills scoring.
The Knights are now off until after Christmas when they will participate in the six-team Tri-County Holiday Tournament at Hackettstown and Lenape Valley High Schools ... the Knights face Hanover Park in an 11 a.m. game at Hackettstown on Monday, Dec. 28 ... then face Lenape Valley at Lenape Valley High School on Wednesday, Dec. 30, at 6 p.m.; and Belvidere at Hackettstown High School on Saturday, Jan. 2, at noon. ...
---
Knights open season with 80-49 win over Newton
ROCKAWAY - Morris Hills opened its 2009-2010 boys basketball season on a very successful note by defeating Newton, 80-49, in a high school game played at Morris Hills on Monday, Dec. 21.
Junior Antonio Castro scored 16 points and had a team-high 10 rebounds as 10 different Knights found the scoring column.
Senior Azem Koliq and sophomore Ranell Bell also scored in double figures as Koliq finished with 15 points and Bell had 12, including two of the three three-point shots the Knights made during the game.
Junior V. Turner and sophomore Michael Lambusta came close to hitting double figures as Turner finished with nine points and Lambusta had eight, including a three-pointer.
Senior Dan Kasper and junior Derrick Washington each finished with six points; senior Matt Hayes had four; and senior Cory Mundt and sophomore Evan Staikos each finished with two points to round out the Knights scoring.
The Knights took a 19-13 lead after one period of play and then broke loose for 24 second-quarter points while holding Newton (0-2) to five to take a commanding 43-18 lead at the half.
Morris Hills outscored Newton 19-10 in the third period to take a 34-point lead into the final quarter where the Braves outscored Hills, 21-18.
The game had originally been scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 19, but was postponed to Monday because of the weekend snowstorm.
NOTES: Hayes had a team-leading seven assists while Lambusta had four ... Washington had three blocked shots ... Castro finished with six steals while Hayes had three.
|
|
Cory Mundt brings the ball up court during the Knights' 52-44 regular-season victory over Mount OLive on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
|
Morris Hills
Boys Hoops
-
The Players
Matt Hayes
Dan Kasper
Cory Mundt
Derek Washington
Azem Koliq
V-Simpson Turner
Antonio Castro
Ranell Bell
Mike Lambusta
Evan Staikos
Daniel Escobar
Curtis Anderson
-
The Coach
Joe Ansaldi
|
|
