PISCATAWAY — After tearing through the GMC Gold Division last year, Timothy Christian was elevated to the Blue Division for the first time in program history.
One would expect there to be an adjustment period, with some growing pains along the way.
The Tigers picked up their first Blue Division win on Monday with a 66-44 win over Carteret in a game that wasn’t as easy as the score might indicate.
Timothy Christian (1-1) jumped out to a 23-point lead in the first half, but had to fight for every second of a spirited second half as Carteret (0-2) hung on. Despite the final lead, there was no garbage in this game.
“We’re in uncharted waters,” Tigers coach Dennis McNulty said. “It’s a challenge, we prepare the kids for it, they have a vision for the program.”
If you walked into the gym in the fourth quarter and didn’t look at the scoreboard, you might have thought the game was tied, such was the intensity.
The first half was a completely different story.
“This is Tigers basketball, this is what we envision,” McNulty said. “They really played together in the first half. This is our fourth year and we’ve had some good teams, but this is the most athletic and that’s what we saw in the first half. Athleticism gained in passing lanes, ran out in transition. I think this is the best we can play.”
The Tigers led 23-9 after the opening stanza, thanks to a terrific all-around performance by sophomore Jalen Fleming, who had seven points, two rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist in the quarter. He scored 15 points while his classmate Miles Dickerson scored a game-high 22 points.
“They’re great kids, great athletes,” McNulty of the dynamic sophomore duo. “Just incredible kids, capable of learning and, most importantly, they believe in what we’re trying to do. You’ve got to love being able to build around parts like that.”
Timothy Christian extended its lead to 24 points several times, but Carteret played with a new sense of urgency at halftime. The Ramblers never got closer than 57-42 midway through the final period, but never trailed.
“It was definitely inspiring, something we can use and build on that, learn from it,” Carteret coach Herman White said.
Senior KG Opara mirrored Carteret’s lively energy in the second half, grabbing 13 rebounds and five of the Ramblers’ eight blocked shots. Rejected teams do not block eight shots.
“Give credit to Carteret,” McNulty added. “They came back like thugs and gave us a good counter attack in the second half. It glows to be tougher to sled in Blue.”
Leaderboards: Rating: (C) Diaz 20; (TC) Dickerson 22; Selections: (C) Support 13; (TC) Johnson 6; Helps: (C) Diaz 3; (TC) Fleming, Dickerson 2.
J. F. Kennedy 82, Wardlaw-Hartridge 23: Just five days into the basketball season, Kennedy has already surpassed last year’s win total. The Mustangs, who tasted victory just once last season as a member of the White Division, recorded their second win in as many Blue Division trips to Edison. Wardlaw-Hartridge (0-2) were severely short-handed due to illness and injury and started the game with just five fit players. Shosti appeared in the first quarter but saw limited action. The Rams took the lead in Game 1 on a 3-pointer by Harrison Kirkpatrick, but Kennedy responded with 12 straight points, six by Apoorva Amin, to seize control of the contest.
Leaderboards: Rating: (K) Bulak, Louis 22; (WH) Kirkpatrick 16. Selections: (K) Diaz 10; (WH) Bell 7. Helps: (K) Amin, Borcheteria 2; (WH) Kirkpatrick 1.
