Rockets give Jeff a scare
before falling in playoff semi
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ROCKAWAY TWP. - No. 4 seed Rockaway Township gave top-seed and once-beaten Jefferson a good scare as their Lakeland Youth Basketball League 8th-grade division semifinal playoff game neared completition, but Jefferson was able to hold on for a 46-39 victory on the strenghth of its free-throw shooting in the final two minutes of the game.
Jefferson (18-1) led the Rockets (11-8) all the way - by three points at the end of one quarter, by seven at the half, and by eight going into the fourth period - in the game played at Randolph Middle School on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.
With three minutes to play and Jefferson ahead by 12 points, Rockaway Township started to move.
Ryan Bornemann and Matt Toohey hit back-to-back 3-point field goals to cut the lead in half and Billy Morin hit a layup with two minutes to play to pull the Rockets to within four points at 39-35.
Jefferson then went 7-of-10 from the free throw line while holding Rockaway Township to four points in the final two minutes of the game to secure the victory.
Toohey finished with 17 points - nine in the fourth quarter - to lead the Rockets. Bornemann finished with seven points; Cassidy had six points; Morin finished with three points; and Jayson O'Shea, Andrew Lishawa and Michael Murphy each had two points to complete the Rocket scoring.
O'Shea finished with a team-high 10 rebounds; Toohey had eight; Cassidy seven; and Bornemann finished with four.
"This game was a close game all the way and our kids did a good job coming back at them in the fourth period," said Rockaway Township head coach Brian Toohey, who completed his 14th season of coaching basketball in the Rockaway Township program. "Jefferson is an extremely talented and well-coached team.
"I've coached the majority of these players in the Rockaway Township system since they were in second grade. Morris Hills and Morris Knolls will be getting some very good players for their high school programs next season."
Jefferson will face No. 2 seed Randolph Blue for the 8th-grade playoff championship on Sunday, March 13, at Morris Hills High School in Rockaway at 3 p.m. in the final game of four Lakeland League championship games set for that day.
Denville faces Sparta in the 5th-grade championship game at 9 a.m.; the 11 a.m. 6th-grade title game will feature the winners of the Randolph-Randolph Blue and Chester-Long Valley semifinal games; and the 7th-grade title game between Randolph Blue and Roxbury Gold is scheduled for 1 p.m.
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O'Shea's 19 points lead Rockets into semifinals
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Jayson O'Shea scored a season-high 19 points and pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds to lead the Rockaway Township 8th-grade boys basketball travel team to a 62-40 victory over Roxbury in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League quarterfinal round game played at Copeland Middle School here on Thursday, March 3, 2011.
The No. 4 seed Rockets took a 10-6 lead after the first quarter and took a commanding 30-17 lead into the second half after outscoring Roxbury 20-11 in the second quarter. Rockaway Township then went on to outscore Roxbury 32-23 in the second half to nail down its 22-point margin of victory.
"Jayson is the most improved player on the team," said Rockets' head coach Brian Toohey after the game. "And this was his best game of the season on both sides of the floor.
"This was another balanced scoring attack for us ... we handled Roxbury's pressure defenses well and finished with a season-low nine turnover."
Rockaway Township made 8-of-10 free throws in the final period - with Matt Toohey a perfect 5-for-5 from the line - to put a stop to any Roxbury hopes of a comeback.
Toohey finished with 10 points; Billy Morin had eight points; Ryan Bornemann and Drew Daniel each scored seven points; Michael Murphy had five; and Kevin Cassidy scored four points; and Austin Staikos finished with two points to round out the scoring for Rockaway Township.
Cassidy had six rebounds and Toohey and Morin each finished with five for the Rockets
Rockaway Township (11-7) will face top-seed Jefferson (17-1) in a semifinal-round game on Wednesday, March 9, at 7:45 p.m. at Randolph Middle School.
The winner moves on to the championship game on Sunday, March 13, at Morris Hills High School at 3 p.m.
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Rockaway Township opens playoffs with 55-35 victory
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township 8th-grade boys travel basketball team opened play in the Lakeland Youth Basketball League's post-season playoffs with a 55-35 victory in a game played at Copeland Middle School on Thursday, Feb. 24, 2011.
A 21-1 second quarter was the difference in the game as Rockaway Township took a 20-point lead at the halftime break and the two teams went on to play on even terms in the second half.
Matt Toohey and Ryan Bornemann led Rockaway Township in scoring with Toohey scoring 14 points and adding five rebounds and Bornemann finishing with 13 points.
Billy Morin scored eight points and added seven rebounds; Kevin Cassidy had five points and seven rebounds; Jayson O'Shea scored four points and had seven rebounds; Michael Murphy finished with three points; and Derek Todaro, Drew Daniel, Austin Staikos and Andrew Lishawa each scored two points.
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Rockets win finale, enter playoffs as No. 4 seed
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township 8th-grade boys basketball travel team survived a fourth-quarter rally by Morristown to escape with a 63-59 victory in game played at Copeland Middle School here on Thursday, Feb. 17, 2011, to close out the Lakeland Youth Basketball League's regular season.
The Rockets finished the season with an overall 11-8 record and were 9-7 in the league, drawing the No. 4 seed for the upcoming playoffs. Rockaway Township opens the playoffs with a game against No. 13-seed Vernon on Thursday, Feb. 24, at Copeland at 7:45 p.m.
The Rockets moved out to a 37-21 halftime lead that Morristown cut to 48-37 going into the final quarter. Morristown cut the lead to four - the closest it would get - but the Rockets' Billy Morin and Matt Toohey each scored in the final minute of the game to secure the victory.
Morin finished with a game-high 17 points while Drew Daniel and Ryan Bornemann each scored 11. Toohey had nine points; Kevin Cassidy finished with eight; and Jayson O'Shea had seven to complete the Rockets' scoring.
Morin led the team in rebounding with 10; Toohey added eight; Cassidy finished with six; and O'Shea had five.
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Jefferson 27-point 4th quarter sinks Rockets
ROCKAWAY TWP. - A furious 27-point fourth quarter by Jefferson sent the Rockaway Township 8th-grade boys basketball travel team down to a 71-45 defeat in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Jefferson on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2001.
Trailing by only four points (44-40) going into the final period, the Rockets were outscored 27-5 by Jefferson, which took advantage of several Rockaway Township turnovers early on in the quarter.
Jayson O'Shea led Rockaway Township (8-7) with10 points; Billy Morin added eight points; Drew Daniel, Matt Toohey and Ryan Bornemann each scored five points; Kevin Cassidy chipped in with four points; and Derek Todaro and Andrew Lishawa each hit a free throw to complete the scoring for the Rockets.
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Balanced attack, defense key 51-39 win over Hackettstown
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Playing steady ball from start to finish, the Rockaway Township 8th-grade boys basketball travel team defeated Hackettstown, 51-39, in a game played at Hackettstown on Friday, Feb. 11, 2011.
The Rockets (8-6) led by one after one quarter, by four at the half and took a 39-33 lead into the final quarter where they outscored Hackettstown, 12-6, to seal the verdict.
Matt Toohey finished with a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds; Kevin Cassidy had 11 points; Bill Morin had nine points; Drew Daniel and Ryan Bornemann each had seven points; and Austin Staikos and Andrew Lishawa each had two points for the Rockets.
Morin had seven rebounds and Cassidy finished with six as the Rockets controlled the boards.
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Randolph holds on for 64-61 win over Rockets
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township 8th-grade boys basketball travel team cut a six-point halftime lead to one going into the final quarter, but Randolph held on for a 64-61 victory in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Randolph on Tuesday, Feb. 8.
The Rockets (7-6) were sparked by the play of Kevin Cassidy, who finished the game with a double-double on 15 points and 18 rebounds.
"Kevin had an outstanding game and he helped us stay close throughout the game," said Rockets head coach Brian Toohey after the game. "We had a few turnovers late in the game that were very costly, however."
Ryan Bornemann also scored 15 points for the Rockets; Matt Toohey finished with 12; Billy Morin added 11; Jayson O'Shea scored six points; and Drew Daniel finished with two points.
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Mt. Olive fast start overcomes Rockets, 64-50
ROCKAWAY - A Mount Olive 35-point first half was too much for the Rockaway Township 8th-grade boys basketball travel team to overcome and the Rockets went on to lose a 65-50 decision in a Lakeland Youth Basketball game played at Mount Olive on Friday, Feb. 4, 2011.
Mount Olive had an 18-9 lead after one quarter of play and expanded it to 35-19 at the halftime break. The Rockets outscored the host team 31-29 in the second half, but the Mount Olive advantage was too much to overcome.
Ryan Bornemann had 20 points and Matt Toohey added 16 for the Rockets (7-5). Michael Murphy added four points; Billy Morin and Austin Staikos each had three points; and Drew Daniel and Jayson O'Shea each finished with two points.
The Rockets finished 17-for-61 from the field and 12-for-27 from the free-throw line in what head coach Brian Toohey described as a "... very cold shooting night for us."
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Rockets lose 2nd straight to opponent's late rally
ROCKAWAY TWP. - For the second straight game, Rockaway Township's 8th-grade boys travel basketball team lost a game when its opponent went on a game-ending rally.
On Saturday, Jan. 29, 2011, Denville's 8th-grade team closed with 12 unanswered points to turn a 28-18 deficit to a 30-28 victory in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Morris Vo-Tech here.
Two days earlier, Jefferson scored the last nine points of the game for a 54-46 victory.
Saturday's game saw Rockaway Township take a 23-18 lead into the final quarter of play, where the Rockets opened with five unanswered points to increase its lead to 10 points at 28-18 before Denville went on its winning 12-point blitz.
The loss put Rockaway Township's record at 9-4 overall and 7-3 in the Lakeland league for the season. The Rockets' 10-for-42 shooting from the field and their 32 turnovers also contributed to the defeat.
Matt Toohey scored 13 points and had a team-high 11 rebounds to lead the Rockets. Ryan Bornemann added five points, Billy Morin scored four points and had eight rebounds; Kevin Cassidy scored three points; Jayson O'Shea finished with two points; and Drew Daniel had a free throw to complete Rockaway Township's scoring.
Matt Stark had 10 points and Artie Kortoci added seven points for Denville, which is now 3-8 in league play.
The Rockets play Jefferson on Tuesday, Feb. 1, in a 7:45 p.m. game at Jefferson Middle School in Jefferson Township. On Wednesday, Feb. 2, Rockaway Township travels to Randolph Middle School for a 7:45 p.m. game against Randolph.
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Rockets lose when Jefferson scores last nine points
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Trailing Jefferson by 12 points early in the final quarter, the Rockaway Township 8th-grade boys travel basketball team scored 13 unanswered points to take a one-point lead with 2:30 to go only to see Jefferson come back and score the last nine points of the game to beat the Rockets, 54-46.
The game - a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Copeland Middle School on Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011 - started out close with both teams scoring 12 first-quarter points. Jefferson took an 11-point lead at the half and had a 10-point lead after three quarters.
With Jefferson leading 45-33 early in the final quarter, the Rockets scored the next 13 points to take a one-point lead at 46-45 with 2:30 to play in the game.
The rest of the contest was all Jefferson as it closed out the game by scoring its last nine points to walk off with an eight-point victory.
Billy Morin scored 10 points for the Rockets. Jayson O'Shea, Austin Staikos and Matt Toohey each added seven points; Ryan Bornemann finished with five points; Michael Murphy had four points; and Drew Daniel, Kevin Cassidy and Andrew Lishawa each had two.
O'Shea finished with a team-high 10 rebounds; Toohey had eight; Morin had five; and Bornemann finished with three.
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13-point early burst leads to 54-29 victory
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township 8th grade boys travel basketball team gave up the first six points of the game before clawing back to score 13 unanswered points to take a lead it never lost on its way to a 54-29 victory over Morristown in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Copeland Middle School here on Thursday, Jan. 20.
The Rockets - now 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the league - outscored Morristown 10-5 in the second period to take a 23-11 halftime lead and then out-pointed Assumption 16-5 in the third period and 15-13 in the fourth period to win going away.
Matt Toohey scored a game-high 17 points for the Rockets with Ryan Bornemann adding 10 points, Billy Morin scoring eight, Drew Daniel and Austin Staikos each adding seven points, and Kevin Cassidy finishing with five points to complete the Rockaway Township attack.
Rockaway Township faces Jefferson in its next game, a 7:45 contest on Thursday, Jan. 27, at Copeland. The Rockets' Jan. 8 snowed-out game against Randolph has been rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 5, at Copeland at 12:30 p.m.
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Rockets end game with 13-5 run to beat Denville
ROCKAWAY TWP. - Rockaway Township, trailing by four points going into the final quarter, closed with a 13-5 run to rally for a 40-36 victory over Denville in an 8th grade boys travel basketball game played at Copeland on Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011.
The Rockets spread their offense in the deciding fourth period as Billy Morin scored five points, Kevin Cassidy and Austin Staikos each had three points, and Jayson O'Shea scored two.
Staikos came off the bench to deliver the winning shot, a 3-point field goal that gave the Rockets the lead for good.
Cassidy led the Rockets with 10 points and Morin had nine. Shea and Staikos each finished with six points; Drew Daniel had four points; Ryan Bornemann scored three points; and Matt Toohey had two points to round out the scoring for the Rockets.
For Denville (2-6), Artie Kortoci led the way with a game-high 16 points and Matt Stark added 12.
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Rockets hang on to defeat Sparta, 5-0
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township Rockets eighth grade boys travel basketball team survived a cold-shooting third quarter and held on to defeat Sparta, 50-46, in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League (LYBL) game played at Copeland Middle School here on Tuesday, Jan. 4, 2011.
Rockaway Township (7-2 overall; 5-1 in the league) took a 35-24 lead into the third quarter but went 1-for-21 from the floor as Sparta (4-2, 2-2) closed to within a point at 37-36 of the Rockets with a 12-2 run of is own.
The Rockets - with Ryan Bornemann going 3-for-4 from 3-point range - outscored Sparta 13-10 in the final period to escape with their four-point victory.
Matt Toohey led a balanced Rocket scoring attack with 12 points. Billy Morin added 10 points; Bornemann finished with nine; Michael Murphy added eight points; Drew Daniel and Kevin Cassidy each had four points; and Derek Todaro finished with three.
Cassidy finished with a team-high 10 rebounds; Morin added 9; and Matt Toohey had six as the Rockets controlled the boards throughout the game.
Next up for the Rockets is a key LYBL league game on Saturday, Jan. 8, at Copeland at 11:15 a.m. against unbeaten (5-0) Randolph-Blue, the team that handed the Rockets their lone loss of the season, a 64-60 overtime decision at Randolph on Dec. 21, 2010.
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Rockets go 2-1 in tourney, take 6-2 mark into 2011
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township Rockets eighth-grade boys travel basketball team will take a 6-2 overall and 4-1 Lakeland Youth Basketball League record into 2011 after winning two of the three games it played in the Wayne PAL Holiday Basketball Tournament on Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 28-29.
The Rockets split their two games on Wednesday, edging the host Wayne PAL team, 51-50, on a Drew Daniel free throw in the first game and losing a 60-53 decision to Allendale in the second game.
Against the Wayne PAL, the Rockets battled back from an early 13-2 deficit by going on an 11-3 run to cut the lead to 16-13 after the first period, a run that included three straight 3-point field goals by Matt Toohey.
Rockaway Township led 26-22 at the half but Wayne came back strong in the third period and took a 40-39 lead into the final quarter of play.
The Rockets moved out to a 50-45 lead with three minutes to play when Wayne went on a 5-0 run, the last three coming on a 3-point field goal with 27 seconds left in the game.
Rockaway Township took a timeout with 17 seconds left and got the ball to Daniel, who drew a two-shot foul on a drive to the basket. Daniel sank one of two free throws and Wayne's long shot at the buzzer was short and the Rockets had their one-point victory.
Toohey finished with 20 points; Bill Morin had 10; Kevin Cassidy and Ryan Bornemann each had nine; Jayson O'Shea finished with two points; and Daniel had one point - the winning point.
Morin finished with a team-high nine rebounds; Toohey had eight; and Cassidy and O'Shea each had five.
In the second game Wednesday, the Rockets led by one after one quarter but fell behind by three points at the half after scoring only four points in the second quarter. Allendale outscored the Rockets 39-35 in the second-half to seal its seven-point victory.
Morin finished with 13 points; Daniel had 11; Toohey scored 10 points; Cassidy finished with seven points; and O'Shea and Bornemann each had six to round out the township's scoring.
Morin had a team-high 13 rebounds for the Rockets while Cassidy finished with seven.
The Rockets opened tournament play with a 64-26 win over St. Joseph of Oakland on Tuesday, taking a 20-5 lead after the first quarter and steadily increasing their advantage throughout the game.
Toohey led the Rockets with 18 points; Morin added 12; Daniel finished with 11; Derek Todaro, Andrew Lishawa and Bornemann each scored five points; O'Shea added four points; and Michael Murphy and Cassidy each scored two points to complete the scoring for the Rockets.
Austin Staikos finished with 10 rebounds to lead the Rockets; Morin had seven and Daniel added six.
The Rockets return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 4, with a Lakeland League game against Sparta at the Copeland Middle School here in the township. Game time is 7:45 p.m.
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Rockets lose first game in Lakeland League
ROCKAWAY TWP. - The Rockaway Township Rockets eighth-grade travel boys basketball team lost its first Lakeland Youth Basketball League game on Tuesday, Dec. 12 -- but it took overtime to do it.
In a battle of 4-0 teams, Randolph Blue outscored the Rockets 8-4 in overtime to escape with a 64-60 victory in a game played at the Randolph Middle School in Randolph Township.
Randolph broke a tie at 54 with 12 seconds left in regulation but the Rockets Matt Toohey hit a 12-foot jumper from the right side with 0:02 left on the clock to send the game into overtime where Randolph went on its 8-4 run to close out the game.
Billy Morin led the Rockets with 17 points; Kevin Cassidy and Drew Daniel each added nine points; Jayson O'Shea and Ryan Bornemann each finished with eight points; and Michael Murphy scored two points to complete the scoring for the Rockets.
Morin had a team-high eight rebounds for the Rockets; Cassidy finished with seven.
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Rocket rally in 4th quarter beats Montville, 44-37
ROCKAWAY TWP.. - The unbeaten Rockaway Township eighth grade boys travel team rallied for a 44-37 victory over Montville in a Lakeland Youth Basketball League game played at Copeland Middle School on Saturday, Dec. 18.
Trailing 19-18 at the half, Rockaway Township (4-0) outscored Montville 13-11 in the third period to take a 31-30 lead into the final quarter. The Rockets tightened up their defensive play in the fourth period to hold Montville to seven points to establish their seven-point margin of victory.
Matt Toohey scored 13 points to lead all scorers while Kevin Cassidy also hit double figures with 10 points. Billy Morin added five points; Drew Daniel and Jayson O'Shea each scored four points; Austin Stailos and Ryan Bornemann each added three points; and Andrew Lishawa scored two points to complete the Rocket scoring for the game.
Cassidy and Morin helped the Rockets win the battle of the boards as Cassidy finished with a game-high 11 rebounds and Morin added eight.
The Rockets will meet defending league champ Randolph-Blue in a battle for first place on Tuesday, Dec. 21, at the Randolph Middle School at 7:45 p.m.
