A Rematch 32 Years In The Making

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By Rich Chrampanis

On the day the bracket was revealed for the Shore Conference boys basketball tournament, there was a healthy debate between CBA and Mater Dei Prep as to who should be the top seed. One more quality out of conference win against Notre Dame on the final day of the regular season gave coach Ben Gamble’s team the edge for the top spot and now Shore Conference fans are going to get to see the matchup that everyone was hoping would happen.

The Seraphs went from a 10-15 season just one year ago to one of the state’s top programs. The extreme makeover is due in large part to Ben Gamble, the first year Seraphs head coach who came to Middletown after the closing of Cardinal McCarrick. Not only did he bring his pedigree as a long time assistant to high school coaching legend Bob Hurley, he brought the nucleus of the Cardinal McCarrick team that needed to find a new school. Current Mater Dei point guard Nyquan McCombs hit a buzzer beater to give Cardinal McCarrick a 62-61 win over CBA on January 2nd, 2015. What makes the Seraphs so tough is their depth and complete unselfishness displayed by the entire roster. Mater Dei does not rely on one player to handle the scoring load, it’s common to have as many as five players in double digits. A team that is currently on a 20-game win streak doesn’t get caught up in the hoopla of a dream season.
“We’re just never too happy,” Mater Dei guard Elijah Mitchell said. “We just want to win. To get us to the finals, we all came together and played defense and we’ve all come together.”
Motivation is not going to be a problem for the Colts. CBA makes its third straight trip to the final and a rare two game losing streak in the title game. The Colts were stunned by #11 seed Rumson-Fair Haven and went on a cold spell that still haunts any alumni or supporter of CBA who witnessed the rout at the hands of the #11 seed Bulldogs.

Elijah Mitchell (5) scored 16 points in the Seraphs semifinal win against Toms River North. Photo: Rich Chrampanis
Elijah Mitchell (5) scored 16 points in the Seraphs semifinal win against Toms River North. Photo: Rich Chrampanis

Pat Andree showed why he’s one of the best players in New Jersey in the semifinal win against Manasquan. Tied at 26 at the half, Andree came out and scored the first seven points of the third quarter. The Warriors played great defense on the 6’8” forward during the binge, and it didn’t matter. With his height and ability to knock three pointers from almost anywhere inside 30 feet, Mater Dei Prep will have its toughest task in trying to slow down a team’s top player. For Andree, who became CBA’s all-time leading scorer, the third and final chance to win a Shore Conference title is something that he has talked about all season long while getting the spotlight of breaking records.

Pat Andree (41) scored the first seven points in the 3rd quarter of the Colts 53-41 win over Manasquan on Tuesday in Toms River. Andree scored 24 points to help CBA reach the final for the third consecutive season. Photo: Rich Chrampanis
Pat Andree (41) scored the first seven points in the 3rd quarter of the Colts 53-41 win over Manasquan on Tuesday in Toms River. Andree scored 24 points to help CBA reach the final for the third consecutive season. Photo: Rich Chrampanis

“We’re obviously not happy losing our first two,” Andree said talking about playing again in the finals. “We’re coming out and we’re the underdogs this time. We can’t wait to come out and prove that CBA’s the team to beat this year.”
“We’ve played in so many big games over the years, but especially this year we drew up our out of conference schedule and to be honest with you I was thinking 6 or 7 losses probably at this time of year with the schedule we were going to play,” Billet said. “At 21-3, our boys have answered every round, every bell.”

CBA coach Geoff Billet gives a thumbs up to the Colt Crazies following the Colts semifinal win in the Shore Conference Tournament. Photo: Rich Chrampanis
CBA coach Geoff Billet gives a thumbs up to the Colt Crazies following the Colts semifinal win in the Shore Conference Tournament. Photo: Rich Chrampanis

Andree and fellow senior Jack Maguire have been the two top dogs in the scorebook for CBA, but it will take another senior to step up for the Colts to pull off the win. During its tournament run Sam Houston and Nick Mugavero have filled that role nicely. On the Mater Dei side, Elijah Barnes has been one of the best big men in the Shore and Nyquan McCombs might be the most underrated player in the entire Shore Conference. His outstanding defensive play doesn’t grab the headlines game in and game out, but McCombs is more than capable of piling up points. Predicting a scoring leader for CBA is quite easy (see Pat Andree), when it comes to Mater Dei Prep the best formula might be to put six names in a hat and guess, a testament to this team’s ability to wear down opponents by playing a true form of team basketball.
Back in 1984, CBA won the Shore Conference title with a 58-51 win over the Seraphs. With both teams known for tenacious defensive play, the 2016 edition of this rematch should be a low scoring affair with every possession having greater value thanks to defense taking the priority over offense. Monmouth University should be sold out when these two teams take to the floor on Saturday night in West Long Branch as we’ll get a definitive answer of who the top team is in Monmouth and Ocean County.

Shore Conference Boys Final Preview

Mater Dei Prep (23-1) vs. (2) CBA (21-3)

Saturday, 7:00 pm at Monmouth University

HOW THEY GOT THERE

MATER DEI PREP

First Round: Bye

Second Round: defeated (16) Marlboro 60-42

Quarterfinals: defeated (8) Ranney 47-39

Semifinals: defeated (4) Toms River North 62-50

CBA

First Round: Bye

Second Round: defeated (15) Middletown North 73-40

Quarterfinals: defeated (7) Lakewood 63-52

Semifinals: defeated (3) Manasquan 53-41