When Rutherford hit a go-ahead bucket in the final minute on Thursday, Paterson Charter made sure there were no wasted motion as it inbounded the ball and pushed it up the court.
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12/15 - 7:00 PM Boys Basketball Final Paterson Charter 60 Rutherford 56
Junior Ka’Juan Gee took his spot on the baseline and dished the ball to senior Adrian Mouzone, who sent it back for a second before receiving it again and taking off. After a few quick steps, Mouzone found junior Deangelo Hibbert open on the other end of the floor. That started a series of passes between Mouzone and Hibbert that moved the defense back and forth, and slowly opened space.
On the second pass from Hibbert, Mouzone looked to his right and found Giovanny Figueroa.
The sophomore settled the ball in his right hand briefly before lofting it over the defense and back into the hands of Hibbert, who found himself wide open and did not waste the opportunity. The Manchester Regional transfer caught the ball and immediately put up a 3-point attempt that changed everything.
The shot dropped through the net and Paterson Charter had the lead back for good with 16.7 seconds left.
After a defensive stop, senior Kemar Degroat sank two free throws to ice the 60-56 victory.
Hibbert finished with a game-high 21 points in his Paterson Charter debut and gave the defending Group 1 champion its first win of the 2022-23 season. It was quite a change of scenery for a player who was a bright spot on a Manchester Regional team that finished 1-22 a year ago.
“I just thought about all the shots that I’ve put up since I was a kid. I got space and I was wide open, so I had to let it drop,” said Hibbert, who made the move over to Paterson Charter along with Gee. “I knew that we could do this and we’ve been working hard to get here. Now, it’s starting to pay off and we have a lot more to do. We’re going to be a lot better. This is like a family here. They brought me in and I feel like I’m home.”
Paterson Charter came into this year with a lot of question marks after graduating most of its lineup from last season. That team won the program’s first-ever Group 1 championship, but only the only returning player back this winter who played meaningful minutes for that squad was Mouzone.
He was a leader in the opener against Rutherford and helped bring the rest of the lineup up to speed. Degroat, Figueroa, Rodeny Byrd, Kyle Fulcher and Tyler Martin were all part of the program a year ago, but this was the first test for that group on the varsity level. Figueroa stepped up with 10 points and five assists, while Fulcher added nine points off the bench. Martin also subbed in and had six points and four rebounds.
For Gee and Hibbert, this was the chance to feel what it was like to join a championship culture.
In a way, the juniors are following in the footsteps of Asim Jones and Jashair Rosa - a pair of playmakers who also made the move from Manchester Regional to Paterson Charter as juniors two years ago.
There were hiccups in the first game for these Lions, but this squad flashed potential.
“The team we had last year was so athletic that they were able to make up for their mistakes and cover them up,” said Paterson Charter coach Jerry Wimberly, whose team made it to the Tournament of Champions appearance and finished 31-2 record a year ago. “This year, they have to pay attention to the details, figure out what’s going on, be patient and let the process go. Last year, I was just chilling. Now, I really get to coach.”
Paterson Charter opened with a 14-11 lead in the first quarter and had control of the game for much of the first half as Rutherford struggled with 6-foot-5 senior guard Tarik Bicic in foul trouble. Rutherford rallied at the end of the second quarter though and made it a 26-26 game at halftime.
A 14-3 run to start the second half put Paterson Charter back in the driver’s seat, but Rutherford did not back down. Bicic forced a turnover at mid court and with no one in his way, he raced down the court and slammed the ball through the rim. That dunk energized his team and started a 12-1 run to end the third quarter.
With just eight minutes to go, Rutherford had a 43-41 lead.
Hibbert gave Paterson Charter the advantage back early in the fourth quarter, but Bicic was starting to get into a rhythm and he was hard to handle late in the game. The senior found Danny Carr for a go-ahead 3-pointer and then used his size to back into the paint and score back-to-back buckets.
That run gave Rutherford a five-point lead that quickly evaporated after Paterson Charter countered.
Rutherford was not going to bow down easily on its home court though and after turning the ball over down by three, Bicic stole it back and laid in a shot through contact. He missed the following foul shot, but Rutherford got the rebound and Jon Michael Santiago laid the ball in to put the Bulldogs up a point.
That set up a must-hit shot for Hibbert, who had his first real taste of the spotlight.
The 6-foot-2 junior averaged 14.2 points per game for Manchester Regional last winter and led the team in scoring against Hawthorne in its only win of the season. On Opening Night this year, he showed that he could be the next great success story at Paterson Charter.
“The kid is an athletic talent,” said Wimberly, whose program has become a home for transfers the last few years. “I had to force him to be a scorer though. In practices and scrimmages we had, he wouldn’t shoot the ball. We have him out on the wing for us and he has a great shot. Now, he’s getting his confidence up. He played at Manchester last year, so this is a different type of atmosphere for him and he’s ready for it.”
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Brandon Gould can be reached at bgould@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BrandonGouldHS.