SP-F Basketball Team to Face Westfield on Tuesday in Tournament Championship Game

While winning games is a great feeling for the Scotch Plains-Fanwood boys' basketball team at the moment – especially considering its schedule becomes much tougher next month – the Raiders will probably feel an even greater high after they have turned in a more consistent and solid effort for an entire 32 minutes.

What better opportunity to do that than against arch rival Westfield?

On Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. at Rahway High School, it will be the Raiders vs. the Blue Devils in the championship game of the annual John "Butch" Kowal Tournament.

Scotch Plains could have kicked itself for missing many easy layups, or for giving up an 11-point third-quarter lead or for missing eight-of-16 free throw attempts – including five in a row - in the fourth quarter.

However, sparked by a 14-0 run that began at the end of the first quarter and continued deep into the second and lifted by the passing of junior guard Tim Bonacum to the driving ability of fellow junior guard Chuck Oliver, Scotch Plains was able to overcome Holmdel 45-41 in Sunday night's first Kowal Tournament contest at Rahway.

 Westfield, sparked by a 20-point performance by leading scorer Pat Sabatino, held off host Rahway 53-49 in Sunday's nightcap.

That sets up Tuesday night at Rahway this way: in the third place game it will be Holmdel (1-3) vs. Rahway (0-3) at 6 p.m., followed by Scotch Plains (3-1) vs. Westfield (2-1) at 7:30 p.m. for the championship.

Scotch Plains has now won three straight since opening with a 65-33 setback at Union County Conference-Watchung Division rival Plainfield – which is one of the best teams in the state – on Dec. 18.

Westfield has won two straight since falling at Union 42-38 in opening UCC-Watchung Division play Dec. 18.

Scotch Plains will also battle Westfield twice in conference play, with the possibility of the heated foes also facing off in the Union County Tournament.

It was a pass by Bonacum to Oliver on a fastbreak that stopped Holmdel's 11-0 run in the third quarter, with Oliver finishing.

Oliver paced Scotch Plains with 16 points, while Bonacum was next with 10, including two of his team's three 3-pointers.

After Holmdel tied the game quickly at 31-31 for the contest's fifth and final deadlock, Scotch Plains senior forward Doran Nelson – who finished with seven points - gave his team the lead for good with two free throws to put the Raiders up 33-31 at the end of the third quarter.

After getting outscored 17-8 in the third, Scotch Plains outscored Holmdel 12-10 in the fourth and never trailed in the period.

Bonacum, who paced the Raiders with a 12-point performance in their 65-36 triumph at Kearny Wednesday, has scored 42 points in his team's first four games.

More importantly Sunday night, he was able to find the open man for many key Scotch Plains baskets.

"We just really had to control the pace," Bonacum said. "We wanted to push the ball up every time."

 After the only basket by junior center Matt Manns gave Scotch Plains its second 11-point lead at 27-16 early in the third quarter, the Raiders fell out of sync a bit.

Holmdel switched from a man to zone defense before it was able to get back into the game and then got into a rhythm offensively where the Hornets were scoring inside and then getting fouled and making their free throws this time after missing most in the first half.

"They went zone, which we thought they were going to do more of, so we were ready for that," SP-F coach Dan Doherty said. "Then they went a little run-and-jump and they gave us problems with the run-and-jump. They were trapping us and our kids didn't know how to react to that, so we were floating our passes and they got into the passing lanes and did a good job."

Holmdel missed seven-of-eight free throw attempts in the first half, but got back into the game in the third quarter by making seven-of-eight.

Not wanting to let this game get away, Scotch Plains had to become more aggressive on offense and defense in stopping Holmdel's momentum.

"When we started to push the ball up more and stay under control, we got to the foul line a couple of times, got some open layups and that got us back into the game," Bonacum said.

The closest the score became in the fourth quarter was 35-33 after Holmdel senior guard Mike Perillo made one of two free throws to pull his team to within two.

Bonacum then made a layup and assisted on the game's next basket, which was scored by Oliver. That field goal gave the Raiders a 39-33 lead with about three and a half minutes to go.

Scotch Plains was never seriously threatened thereafter.

"We knew they were going to make a run because they're a good team," Bonacum said. "We had to weather the storm, which we did, and we got the opportunity to take the lead back."

"I think we got a little content," Doherty added. "They came out and pressured us and we crumbled a little against it, but we called a timeout and then came back and we played solid defense the last six minutes of the game, contesting every shot. They really didn't score much except from the foul line late."

After Holmdel took its second lead at 9-7 on a layup by reserve sophomore forward Matt Nasra, who finished with 12 points, a layup by Oliver tied the game for the third time at 9-9 at the conclusion of the first quarter.

That basket by Oliver turned out to be the first points of a 14-0 run by Scotch Plains, which included a 12-0 surge to start the second period.

Oliver had a steal and layup for the first hoop of the second quarter. Then junior guard Patrick Dougher nailed a 3 and followed that basket with a lefty layup.

Bonacum then made his second 3 – this one from the left side off an assist from Nelson – before Nelson finished the run with a layup that gave Scotch Plains a 21-9 cushion with three minutes to go in the half.

Holmdel did not score in the second quarter until there was 2:56 left. Scotch Plains held the Hornets to just two baskets in the period and outscored them in the stanza 16-5.

"Tim drove a couple of times and hit some 3's," Doherty said. "Patrick Dougher did a fabulous job at point guard and got us going and Matt Manns and Doran Nelson did a good job rebounding."

Manns paced Scotch Plains with 11 boards, while Nelson had nine and Oliver eight.

Mike Kelly scored nine of his team-high 13 points in the second half for the Hornets. He made his team's only 3-point field goal, which came in the first half.

NOTES: In the first half, Scotch Plains made 11-of-27 field goal attempts and was 0-for-2 at the free throw line. Holmdel shot 6-for-18 from the floor and made only 1-of-7 from the charity stripe.

Holmdel missed its first five shots of the second quarter and made only 2-of-7 in the period.

Dougher had two rebounds and two blocks in the first half, while Manns had five boards and Oliver and Nelson four each. 

BUTCH KOWAL TOURNAMENT GAME AT RAHWAY

SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD (3-1)      9     16     8     12 - 45

HOLMDEL (1-3)                                       9       5    17    10 - 41 

SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD (45): Doran Nelson 2-0-3-7, Ian Johnstone 1-0-2-4, Chuck Oliver 7-0-2-16, Patrick Dougher 1-1-1-6, Tim Bonacum 1-2-2-10, Matt Manns 1-0-0-2, Alfredo Pawid 0-0-0-0, Denzel Clark 0-0-0-0. Totals: 13-3-10-45.

HOLMDEL (41): Mike Kelly 3-1-4-13, Matt Nasra 4-0-4-12, Kyle Nodes 1-0-1-3, Mike Perillo 2-0-1-5, Chris Marciano 2-0-0-4, Zach Gaynor 2-0-0-4. Totals: 14-1-10-41.

JOHN "BUTCH" KOWAL BOYS' BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

AT RAHWAY HIGH SCHOOL

Sunday, Dec. 27

Scotch Plains-Fanwood 45, Holmdel 41

Westfield 53, Rahway 49

Tuesday, Dec. 29

For third place: Holmdel (1-3) vs. Rahway (0-3), 6 p.m.

For first place: Scotch Plains-Fanwood (3-1) vs. Westfield (2-1), 7:30 p.m.