By Rich Chrampanis
CBA won the Albert E. Martin Buc Classic at Red Bank Regional Dec. 30 with a 55-49 over- time win against Ranney in the championship game.
LITTLE SILVER – Basketball coaches will often look at a season in three phases. The close of the holidays represents the first phase with division play going through January to set the stage for conference tournaments and the state playoffs. If the first phase is any indication, the Two River area is in for an exciting season as long as teams can avoid shutdowns due to the latest variant of COVID-19.
Christian Brothers Academy and Ranney closed out 2021 with a fantastic championship game in Red Bank Regional’s Albert E. Martin Buc Classic. The second-seeded Colts scored a 55-49 overtime win over the top seed Panthers in a game that had the feel of a mid-March high stakes showdown. Ranney had question marks heading into the season following the transfers of Elijah Perkins to nationally ranked Camden and Ryan Zan to Rutgers Prep but Tahj Holden’s team showed that it has the mettle to be a Shore Conference contender as well as a team that can make a run in the state playoffs.
The Panthers had a 30-24 halftime lead on the strength of guard Isaac Hester and the ultra-athletic Charles Anyiche. CBA got a strong first half from senior Pat Lautato and rallied to take a 39-36 lead at the end of three thanks to junior guard Will Bradley who followed his 26-point effort in the semifinal win against Rumson-Fair Haven with a critical role in the finals. The fourth quarter saw an edge-of-your-seat, back- and-forth exchange of leads. Ranney’s TJ Braswell-Brown sparked a 7-0 run early in the fourth to give the Panthers a 43-39 lead. But there would be three more lead changes as the clock started to wind down. Ranney held a 47-46 lead going into the final 30 seconds. CBA missed a 3-pointer and grabbed the rebound but Hester was able to come up with a steal and take it the length of the floor. Hester’s layup attempt was off the mark and Brown soared to the rim looking to slam it down but couldn’t score the dunk. Bradley grabbed the rebound off the miss and went the length of the floor to draw a foul with 3.4 seconds left. After sinking the first free throw, Bradley missed the go-ahead shot resulting in overtime in Little Silver with the game tied at 47.
Brandon Klatsky put Ranney in front early in the overtime period but that would be the final points of the game for the No. 1 seed. Bradley was able to quickly shake off the disappointment of his free throw miss in the final seconds and put CBA ahead for good with a 3-pointer. The Colts added some free throws and James Durney delivered the dagger with a hoop and foul off a drive in the paint. CBA’s composure in overtime resulted in eight straight points that delivered the championship. “I just had to keep on going,” Bradley said. “Once I missed the shot it’s over and I had to move on to overtime. I knew I was going to get another big shot and I had to hit it and that was really it. I knew when it came to me that I was going to hit it and I did.” Bradley led the Colts with 18; Lautato had 17, earning tournament MVP honors. “We knew we were going to get Rumson in the second round and get Ranney in the third round and we were ready for that,” Lautato said. “We knew what they were going to come out with. We were just waiting for that championship game and we knew we had to execute.”
CBA and Ranney have a rematch scheduled for Jan. 8 in Lincroft. Hopefully both teams can extend the rivalry into the Shore Conference Tournament; they have already proven they have the talent to produce a third chapter in this budding rivalry.
The article originally appeared in the January 1-6 2022, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
