Bergen Catholic basketball books spot in Tournament of Champions final

TOMS RIVER – Bergen Catholic has a chance to win its first boys basketball Tournament of Champions title – and give North Jersey its first champion in the event’s 31-year history.

Senior forward Zach Freemantle scored 18 of his game-high 36 points in the fourth quarter as the Crusaders rallied to defeat Newark East Side, 79-75, in Friday’s semifinals at RWJ Barnabas Arena on the campus of Toms River North.

“This is what I’ve been dreaming of since I started playing basketball here at Bergen,” said Freemantle, who also had a game-high 14 rebounds. “I’ve been wanting to win this, so now we just have to go out and win it on Sunday.”

Second-seeded Bergen Catholic will face top-seeded Ranney, which beat No. 5 Moorestown 62-40 Friday, in Sunday’s 4 p.m. final at Rutgers. The Crusaders lost in January to Ranney, 56-55.

Senior guard Doug Edert scored 12 of his 14 points in the fourth, including a three-pointer to put Bergen Catholic ahead to stay, 59-56 – his 1,000th career point.  Edert also had a game-high seven assists, as the Crusaders pulled away after gaining the lead.

Freshman guard Will Richardson came off the bench and scored 12 for Bergen Catholic, while junior forward Matt Zona added 10 points and six boards.

Senior guard Anas Amos was outstanding and scored 31 points for No. 3 Newark East Side, including 22 in the first half to help build a 37-31 lead at intermission. The Red Raiders led 22-9 late in the first quarter and Bergen Catholic spent the next 20 minutes chasing them.

“I’ve said before – they’re jungle tigers and they don’t quit,” coach Billy Armstong said of his Crusaders. “And they just keep battling and they keep playing.”

“They came out and punched us in the face early and we took a shot,” said Edert, who has 1,004 career points. “But since we’re a good team, we absorbed it, we adapted, and we came back and ended up winning the game.”

What it means

Bergen Catholic (27-3) is the fifth team from North Jersey – Bergen and Passaic counties – to reach the TOC final. Arch rival Don Bosco lost the last two years, losing in 2017 to the Patrick School, 69-55, and last year to Roselle Catholic, 61-54. Bergen Catholic also reached the TOC in 1994, when Armstrong was a senior, and in 2002, but both times lost in the semifinals.

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Key sequence

Bergen Catholic rode a 19-2 run in the fourth to transform a 54-46 deficit into a 65-56 lead. The 6-foot-8 Freemantle was Mr. Inside, scoring seven. Edert was Mr. Outside, scoring 10 consecutive Crusaders’ points for a 61-56 lead.

Edert put Bergen Catholic ahead for good, 59-56, on a 3-pointer from the left wing. That came right after he was “punched” in the stomach, officials called a flagrant foul, and he made both free throws to tie the score at 56 at 5:56 of the fourth.

“He punched me in the stomach, knocked the wind out of me a little bit, but I ate it,” said Edert, who signed with St. Peter’s. “I didn’t retaliate or anything, didn’t say anything, and that was it.”

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By the numbers

Fremantle’s line read 36 points on 16-for-22 shooting from the field. The Xavier signee was able to elevate over Newark East Side, which was smaller but much quicker. He made all four of his free throws, turning a pass into a layup and three-point play in the final minute for a 77-70 lead.

Bergen Catholic shot 91 percent from the foul line (19-for-21). Edert was 8-for-8 from the line, Richardson 3-for-3, and Zona 2-for-2.

They said it

“We came out way too slow,” Freemantle said. “We thought we were going to win regardless, so we let them punch us in the mouth early, so we had to come back, we had to bring the energy, and we had to come back on them.”

“We have the mentality of just winning everything,” Edert said of Sunday’s final. “We’re going to go and give it everything we have and this is it, the last game.”