On Jan. 12, the Lincoln girls’ basketball team suffered a devastating 67-40 loss to Bayonne.
It was the Lions’ chance to see if they could match up against the defending Hudson County champions and they fell hard, a game that definitely displayed Bayonne’s supremacy over everyone else.
“They beat us bad,” Lincoln girls’ head coach Tommy Best said. “We didn’t play well at all. When you get to Bayonne, there’s a disadvantage trying to play them in their gym.”
For some, it might have been a sign that Lincoln wasn’t ready to tangle with the titans of girls’ basketball in the county, even if Lincoln had managed to reach the Hudson County finale in two of the last three years. That loss in January might have been a warning signal.
However, Best didn’t let that lopsided setback get to him or his team.
“I told them that night that Bayonne wasn’t 30 points better than us,” Best said. “Our goal was to play them again and try to change what happened the first time. All the girls wanted to play Bayonne again. That loss in January might have helped us.”
Best knew that if his team played up to its capability throughout the rest of the regular season and into the Hudson County Tournament, they might get the opportunity to gain the long-awaited revenge on the Bees.
“We just had to take care of business,” Best said. “We certainly weren’t afraid of Bayonne.”
Last Saturday night, the Lions faced Bayonne once again, this time for the Hudson County Tournament title.
And this time, the result was much different.
With junior forward Breana Bey leading the way with 17 points and 11 rebounds, the Lions used a balanced scoring attack to shock top-seeded Bayonne, 59-51, and capture the Hudson County title for the first time since 1981.
While Bey, perhaps the best all-around player in the county, was once again brilliant, her teammates stepped up in a huge way under the grand stage at St. Peter’s College’s Yanitelli Center.
Kiante Johnson added 13 points, while Shekinah Suber had 12 and Chaniyah Swan had 11.
Point guard Timiah Calamito had six points, but dished off for seven assists. It was a total team effort, one that was necessary to upset the heavily-favored Bees.
“I knew we couldn’t turn the ball over and that would give us a chance to play defense,” said Best, who was a former All-County player at Lincoln during his high school days and later was a standout at St. Peter’s College. “Our guards settled in after the first quarter and really controlled the game. We were able to play with their guards.”
Bayonne’s heralded backcourt of Lisa Rovatsos and Tara Flynn posed troubles for all opponents all season. While Rovatsos had 24 points in the title game, the Lions limited Flynn to just six points.
“A lot of people said our guards weren’t as good, but they were up for the challenge,” Best said. “They wanted to play against the Bayonne guards because they felt they didn’t get much respect. They stepped up.”
Best, who once was thought to be the next in line to be the boys’ basketball coach, was asked 13 years ago to serve as Barbara Keith’s assistant with the girls. When Keith retired, Best was elevated to the top spot.
“I really didn’t want to coach the girls,” Best said. “I wasn’t planning on it. But Barbara Keith asked me to help her out and when she retired, she left it for me.”
Best was under fire last year for the academic problems that his team went through. Some people within the Board of Education wanted to have Best removed, because he isn’t a teacher. But he was able to retain his position and now he’s a county championship coach, bringing his alma mater its first girls’ county title in over 30 years.
“It’s funny how things turn out,” Best said. “These girls never gave up. They never believed that they couldn’t do it. Their character says a lot. They tried their best, gave it their all. They looked at it as a big challenge.”
And the Lions came out as the best, led by a coach with a very appropriate last name….
Alexander “Lenny” Richardson of St. Peter’s Prep, this week’s Reporter Athlete of the Week, was not the only local wrestler to earn Region 4 gold last weekend.
Richardson was one of four Marauder grapplers to earn a Region title, joining Mike Russo (106 pounds), Tony Pafumi (170) and Armond Cox (220). In addition, Francisco Colom (152) finished second and teammates Ryan Burkert (120), Connor Burkert (126), James Kellner (160) and Ryan Medina (heavyweight) all finished third, earning berths to this weekend’s state tournament in Atlantic City.
The nine wrestlers headed to Boardwalk Hall represent the largest contingent in Prep wrestling history…
Three North Bergen wrestlers are also headed to Atlantic City after winning Region 4 championships, namely Luis Gonzalez (113), Anthony Giraldo (120) and Eric McMullen (195). All three Bruins have excellent chances to win a medal at the state tourney this weekend…
For those wondering, if both St. Anthony and Hudson Catholic win their respective first two games in the NJSIAA Non-Public B state tournament as expected, then the showdown for the state sectional title between the two Jersey City schools will take place on Thursday, March 8, at 8 p.m. at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway.
That’s the game that everyone is looking forward to seeing and it should happen, barring a major catastrophe… — Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached via e-mail at OGSMAR@aol.com