Dante Drakeford opened the game with a spark. But it was Naeem Carter who provided the final fireworks, as Englewood’s top scorer had to watch the spectacular display of brilliant basketball from the bench.
David Monfunanya, one of the top scoring threats in North Jersey, was said to have had a severe ankle sprain by coach Gerald Akridge. Nevertheless, his teammates did fine without him as the Raiders sure-handedly put away Manchester 80-59 in the North 1, Group 2 quarterfinals.
"Playing without David, we had to get adjusted, but the kids picked up the slack," said Akridge. "Naeem Carter stepped up and Adam Marrakchi was an unsung hero tonight. He didn’t turn the ball over and kept their guards out of the paint."
The Raiders controlled the game from the start with an 11-0 run and never looked back.
"We kept a high tempo going and converted on a lot of our fast breaks, while playing good tight defense on Joe Cetrullo and their big man Isiah Zuber," said Marrakchi. "We saw the ball well."
Dante Drakeford had the tough task of guarding Zuber throughout the game. The Raider kept his counterpart in check, beating the Falcon both on offensive and defensive sides of the basketball.
"Dante opened up real well with his jump shot and taking it to the hole," said Akridge. "He looked comfortable out there and he was key to our good start.
Drakeford was the catalyst to the speedy start.
"Yesterday we had a hard shooting practice, but it looked like my teammates and I got it down," said Drakeford. "The first three minutes everyone was hitting their shots to fuel the 11-0 run."
The gym erupted as the score was in favor of the home team 20-7 after the first quarter.
Every time Manchester looked to creep back into the game, Englewood pulled away. In the second quarter the Falcons cut the deficit to 10 and it was 12 at the half. Also at one point in the third the score read 41-33, but Josh Jones came alive and hit key points to keep his Raiders ahead for good.
"Every time I step out onto the court I think of my father as an inspiration to me and my game," said Jones. "The offense was great tonight we were just on and coach Akridge did a great job preparing us."
Corey West also helped in the win by coming off the bench to hit big shots and play sharp defense, which is his calling card.
""My mindset is to bring energy and good defense," said West. "Recently we’ve had a rough stretch, losing some key games, but tonight’s win it just felt like getting something off our chests."
In the third quarter, even Deguan Simmons, Monfunanya’s replacement, not only grabbed rebounds, but also drained a jumper. The big lead throughout the game made his role easier and took pressure off his shoulders.
"I wasn’t nervous out there - I’ve started before," said Simmons. "We played well and attacked the boards better than they did."
With Englewood leading 51-35 as the two teams headed into the final quarter, Carter was inspired. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and led all scorers with 27.
"I just feel the crowd and it gets me hyped," said Carter. ""We played wonderfully tonight. I didn’t know what to expect, just that we were going to play our hearts out because at this time [of the year] it’s win or go home."
Manchester did stake a comeback, hitting four three-pointers, but it wasn’t enough. The Falcons’ interior defense looked fatigued by the final quarter and the Raiders heavily exploited this weakness for the victory.
It was a dominant team effort and with the top seed Newton bounced by Mahwah, Englewood looks to do some damage.
There is possibly more good news for the Raiders. Akridge hinted that Monfunanya should be in the lineup against the Thunderbirds.
"If we play every game from here on out like we did tonight, everyone better look out," said Jones.
