ORADELL---After suffering one of the worst results in program history on Tuesday night, Bergen Catholic entered into Thursday's home game against Kennedy a potentially fragile team, but instead left as a resilient and winning team.  The Crusaders led the game wire-to-wire and held on late to defeat Kennedy (63-58) at Hoehl Gymansium on Thursday afternoon.

Bergen Catholic started the game off strong, jumping out to an early lead thanks to to the team's two leading scorers in Richie DeLuca and PJ Reed.  DeLuca showed more of his mid-range shooting touch on the night, scoring 8 of his 11 points from 2 point range.  PJ Reed was strong in the paint, and displayed a deft touch off the glass, routinely banking in his game-high 16 points.  Nadi Beciri continues to grow as a player, putting together another solid game down low on the blocks, chipping in 15 points on the game, 9 of which came in the 3rd quarter alone.

It wouldn't be a Crusader basketball game if there wasn't some type of drama late in the ball game, as Kennedy charged back from a 10 point deficit to pull to within 3 points.  After a potential game-tying  3 sailed short of the rim, BC iced the game with a huge 3-point play from Reed.  BC would sink a few foul shots to finish the game, and in doing so, potentially save their season from spiraling out of control.  It takes a special group of guys to bounce back from a humiliating loss, and the Crusaders displayed their toughness and pride at home on Thursday afternoon.

JFK     12     15     18     13     (58)

BC      19     15     21       8      (63)

DL

ORADELL---Bergen Catholic found itself on Friday night wreslting against an arch rival, in front of another packed crowd inside Hoehl Gymansium, on BC senior night and with a league championship on the line, and despite all these pressures never blinked an eye. Troy Schaasfma's 15-0 tech fall decision at 113 pounds guaranteed BC the victory against Don Bosco Prep, and allowed the Crusaders to claim their 19th league title in program history in the process after their (35-26) win at home against the Ironmen.

Despite not being known for their pinfall victories this season, BC took full advantage of their early matches on the night, and managed to wrestle away 6 team points thanks to strong pins.  Seniors Connor Melde (132), Matt Mangini (145), and Lukas Iorio (182) each pinned their opponents, while Johnny Sebastian and Troy Schaafsma added tech falls.  Hunter Kiselick earned a win by decision at 220 pounds, while Tyler Casamenti scored a major decision at 106 pounds.

In a loud and emotional environment, BC once again proved why they are the top program in Bergen County by responding with a deep lineup that just continues to grow healthier and more confident as the year progresses.  At this point, BC looks to have clinched the #2 seed in the North Non-Public A state playoffs, which would mean that the Crusaders would host a semifinal match in Oradell in a couple of weeks.  BC continues to grow stronger as they march into the postseason.

BC (35) DBP (26)

126: Harrison Utter (L: 13-5)

132: Connor Melde (W: pin)

138: Mike Maye (L: 5-3)

145: Matt Mangini (W: pin)

152: Gianni Halluk (L: pin)

160: Johnny Sebastian (W: 23-6)

170: Alex Kruklinski (L: 13-10)

182: Lukas Iorio (W: pin)

195: Christian Jenco (L: 17-8)

220: Hunter Kiselick (W: 11-6)

285: Carmine Goldsack (L: 3-0)

106: Tyler Casamenti (W: 14-4)

113: Troy Schaafsma (W: 15-0)

120: JP Ascolese (L:6-3)

DL

ORADELL---Bergen Catholic turned up the pressure on Paramus Catholic late in the game, and trimmed a 9 point deficit down to 1 point, but the Crusaders could never fully find a way to pull past the Paladins on Wednesday night in Oradell. Paramus Catholic prevailed (60-57), and snapped BC's 3 game winning streak in the process.

Another slow start to the game saw the Crusaders fall behind 8-0 half way through the 1st quarter, but BC would not only rally back to tie the game, but actually took the lead after the opening quarter.  Both teams would be tied at 23-23 at halftime, but then the Paladins began to pull away from the Crusaders thanks to solid foul shooting and their ability to break the BC full court press.  Facing a 9 point deficit at several points in the final quarter, BC once again mounted a spirited rally thanks to the tremendous play of Chucky Wingate as the offensive and defensive catalyst. BC eventually pulled to within 58-57 with less than 20 seconds in the game and were forced to foul to stop the clock.  PC cooly drained their free throws and withstood several three point attempts from the Crusaders late in the game to preserve the big road victory.

Richie DeLuca and Chucky Wingate each led the way for the Crusaders with 11 points each while Nadi Beciri chipped in 10 points as well.  BC will now wait to find out their fate on Thursday night on where they will be seeded in the Bergen Jamboree.

PC     13     10     17     20     (60)

BC     14       9     12     22     (57)

DL

ORADELL---Bergen Catholic made a statement loud and clear to the rest of the county: you all are still playing cacth up to the Crusaders.  BC defeated #2 Emerson/Park Ridge 39-19 on Friday night in Oradell, and in the process handed EPR its first loss of the season.  The Crusaders once again dominated in the upper weights, and Christian Jenco's 1-0 win at 195 lbs sealed the match for the Crusaders with 2 matches still remaining on the night.  The BC depth was just too much for EPR to handle on the night, and the Crusaders were able to pick up major bonus points throughout the dual.

BC (39) EPR (19)

106: Tyler Casamenti (W: pin)

113: Matt Rose (W: 5-3)

120: JP Ascolese (W: pin)

126: Troy Schaafsma (L: 5-1)

132: Harrison Utter (L: 9-1)

138: Michael Moore (L: pin)

145: Connor Melde (W: 6-2)

152: Matt Mangini (L: 5-2)

160: Johnny Sebastian (W: pin)

170: Alex Kruklinski (W: 9-5)

182: Lukas Iorio (W: 6-2)

195: Christian Jenco (W: 1-0)

220: Hunter Kiselick (L:4-3)

285: Carmine Goldsack (W: DQ)

ORADELL---Bergen Catholic trailed Paramus for a majority of the night at Hoehl Gymnasium, but in the second-to-last match of the night at 285 pounds, BC junior Carmine Goldsack made a triumphant return to the Crusader lineup and pinned his opponent, giving BC a lead it would never relinquish on the way to an exciting (32-30) victory on Wednesday night over Paramus.

BC (9-5) received two pins from stars Connor Melde and Johnny Sebastian earlier in the night, but Paramus had done a fine job of avoiding big loses leading up to the crucial match at 285.  With Paramus favored at 106 pounds, it was imperative that the Crusaders pick up a lot of points preceding the final match, and Goldsack started fast putting his opponent on his back, but could not find a way to get the pinfall after the first period.  In the second period, Goldsack once again was patient in waiting for his shot, and when he did, the Crusader made sure to put his opponent in a cradle and then put all his weight on him to get the pin.  The BC gym erupted in applause, as the Crusader faithful knew that Tyler Casamenti just needed to avoid a pin or a tech fall in order to win the match for his team.  The BC sophomore from Paramus would lose 6-2, but the night belonged to the #1 team in North Jersey with a dramatic (32-30) victory.

BC (32) Paramus (30)

113: Troy Schaafsma (L: 8-4)

120: JP Ascolese (W: 4-1)

126: Mike Moore (L: 15-0)

132: Harrison Utter (L: 15-4)

138: Connor Melde (W: pin)

145: Aidan Burgoyne (L: pin)

152: David Brennan (L: injury default)

160: Johnny Sebastian (W: pin)

170: Alex Kruklinski (L: 5-4)

182: Lukas Iorio (W: 14-0)

195: Christian Jenco (W: 8-6)

220: Hunter Kiselick (W: 14-5)

285: Carmine Godsack (W: pin)

106: Tyler Casamenti (L: 6-2)

DL

ORADELL---Rich DeLuca could not get into his normal shooting rhythm all game long, as he connected only on 2 three point attempts against DePaul.  He had been open, his shots looked pure, but they never found the bottom of the net...until his final shot which counted the most.  With his team desperate for a win, and less than 3 seconds left in the game, DeLuca picked up a loose ball, took a shot well behind the 3 point line at the buzzer, and insanity soon followed.  DeLuca's buzzer beater gave the Crusaders an amazing 56-54 victory over previously undefeated DePaul Catholic, and in the process snapped BC's 4 game losing streak.

For yet another game, BC comfortably led throughout the contest, enjoying double digit leads in the second half, only to see turnovers and missed foul shots bring their opponent back into the game.  What once was an 11 point led faded away into a 4th quarter deficit, and left the Crusaders scrambling for a solution.  With a 2 point lead late in the game, DePaul nailed a clutch 3 pointer with only 10 seconds left to take a 54-53 lead, and left Crusader fans dreading the worse.  BC had been down this road too many times before in this young season, and the Scarlet & Gold rarely have found a way to win.

After calling a timeout following DePaul's basket, BC nearly threw the inbounds pass away before PJ Reed was able to gain control.  Reed then attempted to cross mid court, but lost control of the ball, and it looked like DePaul would ice the game off another Crusader turnover.  But at the last second DeLuca picked up the ball and began to dribble towards the rim with less than 5 seconds on the clock.  With a host of defenders darting out at him, DeLuca fired his shot, never fully setting his feet from straight away, and hoped...

As the ball sailed through the net before time expired and the neon lights of the backboard lit up like the Las Vegas strip, DeLuca had taken the 800 pound gorilla off of his back and the ones placed square on his team's shoulders. Finally fate had smiled down on the Crusaders, and the young team's nervousness and frustrations turned into jubilation in the form of a dog pile at center court.  

This game, this shot, this moment will be remembered for a long time in BC basketball history.

DP      6     18      16     14    (54)

BC     12    21      11     12    (56)

DL

ORADELL---When it rains it pours, and right now the Bergen Catholic Crusaders must feel like they're in the middle of a hurricane.  BC lead for seemingly the entire game against a talented Hackensack team, but could not find a way late in the game to put the visiting Comets away. After rallying to force overtime, Hackensack outscored BC 8-3 in OT to earn the hard fought road victory in Oradell, and extended BC's losing streak to 4 games.

The Crusaders were led by the scoring efforts of PJ Reed, who scored a season high 22 points in the loss.  John Tsimis added 12 points, while Rich DeLuca chipped in 11 points.  Turnovers and missed foul shots again proved to doom BC's chances at a win, as the the Crusaders shot 1/5 at the free throw line in overtime and threw away a lot of passes due to Hackensack's swarming defense. BC will not have any time to lick their wounds, as they prepare to host undefeated DePaul Catholic on Thursday night at Hoehl Gymnasium.

HACK      17    10    16    17     8       (68)

BC           20    11    15    14     3       (63)

DL

Bergen Catholic is in the midst of a 3 game losing streak, and returns home for a brief 2-game homestand that will have a big impact on the rest of the season for the Crusaders.  Tonight BC hosts a Hackensack (5-3) team that has dropped their last 2 games of the season, before hosting undefeated DePaul Catholic (8-0) on Thursday night in Hoehl Gymnasium.  

Coach Billy Armstrong's young team has faced a difficult schedule early on in their 2011-2012 campaign, and will look to re-awaken their offense at home.  BC has averaged 55 points in their past 3 loses, and have been plagued by turnovers.  Leading scorer Rich DeLuca is a 3-point specialist, who has connected on 24 three pointers already this season, and is averaging just under 13 points a game.  BC will look to other players to help shoulder the load against a Comet team that has lost twice to Teaneck, and recently lost by 3 points at Don Bosco Prep.

Fans can listen live to the game at 7 pm, and can visit the brand new Athletics page at  www.bergencatholic.org to download the free game notes, roster, schedule, & stats for the BC hoops season.

DL

ORADELL---Bergen Catholic picked up its first win of the season, and at the same time were able to work in several young Crusaders into the varsity lineup for the first time in their careers.  Paramus Catholic won the first match of the night, but the Crusaders won the last 13 matches, and a majority by pin fall.

BC will hit the road on Friday night traveling to Old Tappan before embarking on an important quad this weekend at Southern Regional as the Crusaders will take on some of the top programs in the state in High Point, Brick Memorial, and the host, Southern Regional.

BC (73) Paramus Catholic (3)

132: Michael Moore lost (3-2)

138: Corey Dobel (pin)

145: David Brennan (pin)

152: Roberto Morgenstern won (17-3)

160: Johnny Sebastian (pin)

170: Alex Kruklinski (pin)

182: Lukas Iorio (won by forfeit)

195: Christian Jenco (pin)

220: Hunter Kiselick (9-5)

285: Carmine Goldsack (pin)

106: Tyler Casamenti (pin)

113: Matt Rose (won by forfeit)

126: JP Ascolese (won by forfeit)

DL

As 2011 is quickly coming to a close, I would just like to sincerely thank all of my visitors and loyal listeners for a tremendous year for the BC Radio Network.  I had over 22,000 listeners for the BC football season this fall, and last winter and spring I had over 8,000 listeners for the wrestling, basketball, and baseball seasons.  This support means everything to me, and I will continue to work tirelessly to present professional broadcasts worthy of the Bergen Catholic teams I am allowed to cover on a daily basis.

Thanks again everyone, and here's to an even better 2012!  Happy New Year to each of you.

Sincerely,

Dan Long