EAST RUTHERFORD – Led by a great performance from senior forward Jerome Frink, who had 26 points and 13 rebounds, St. Anthony defeated Plainfield, 66-62, Tuesday night, to capture the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions title at the IZOD Center.
The victory capped a perfect 32-0 season for the Friars and completed their second straight undefeated record, the first time in the storied history of the program that they enjoyed back-to-back unbeaten seasons. The Friars have now won a remarkable 65 straight games over the last two years.
It also marked the 12th time in the 24-year history of the T of C that St. Anthony won the title. St. Anthony won the very first T of C in 1989, won three straight from 1995 through 1997, won consecutive titles in 2001 and 2002 and now have won back-to-back titles last year and this year.
Besides Frink’s solid efforts, the Friars also received a clutch 18 points from Tariq Carey off the bench and 14 points, six rebounds, four assists, four steals and five blocked shots from All-American Kyle Anderson.
St. Anthony took the lead early in the third quarter, led by six straight points from Frink, giving the Friars a 35-31 lead. Carey then completed a three-point play to push the lead to 38-31.
The Friars increased the lead to 16 at 57-41, before Plainfield mounted a solid comeback, but the Friars held off the rally. They defeated Plainfield in last year’s T of C finals as well. For more stories about the Friars’ T of C championship, check Jim Hague’s Scoreboard column in this weekend’s editions of the Hudson Reporter newspapers.
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