Valley Falls to Demarest In Sectional Quarters;
Beats Bergenfield in First Round
By Skiffo Drake
Demarest - Wayne Valley's remarkable, resurgent season ended with a 63-58 State Sectional quarterfinal loss to Demarest. The Indians dug themselves into a deep hole by losing their first three games of the season. The consecutive defeats prompted speculation that the season would be a lost-cause. The team, however, refused to give up. They bounced back in dramatic fashion. Valley (14-10), in fact, won 11 of its last 13 games.
They qualified for the state tournament, which only weeks ago appeared to be an extreme long shot.
In the end, though, the Indians could never quite extricate itself completely from the hole. The three-game skid ultimately cost them valuable post season seeding position. That, in turn, sent them down a daunting post season road. In the Passaic County Tournament, Valley had to settle for the 10th seed. That set up a first round game with Passaic, the eventual champion.
Valley, meanwhile, was forced to settle for a ninth seed in the Section I, Group III State playoff. That placed them in the same bracket as the Demarest, the highly-touted top-seed. The Indians managed to defeat Bergenfield (No.8) in the first round, before running out of steam against Demarest in the quarters. It was the second year in a row that Valley lost Demarest in the quarterfinals. It was Valley's third trip to the quarterfinals in the last five years.
Against Bergenfield, Billy Moakley and Nick Agelis scored 12 points piece as Wayne triumphed, 45-43. Drazen Res added eight points. The Indians led throughout most of the game, but gave up the lead in the fourth quarter.
Bergenfield trailed 34-27 at the start of the fourth, but pieced together a nine-point run to go up 38-34. Moakley triggered the comeback by swishing a 15-foot base line jumper with 2:43 left.
"We were struggling," Moakley said. "I was playing inside, for the most part. But they gave me an opening, so I popped outside. The 15-footer is a shot I can make. I had to hit it."
From that point on, it was all Indians. The Bears turned the ball over five times in the final two minutes. Moakley accounted for a block, two rebounds and two free throws in the final minute.
"We didn't play very well offensively," Valley coach Joe Leicht said. "We were out of sync. A lot of that had to do with Bergenfield's defense. Billy hit the big shot to get us going. Then he hit those two foul shots to make it a two-possession game."
In the loss to Demarest, the opposite held true. Valley stormed to out of the gates and led by eight at halftime. This time, they faded down the stretch and lost, 63-58. Agelis and Chris Gesualdi had 12 points apiece for the Indians. Charlie Rigoglioso added 11 points. Moakley chipped in 10. Kellen Hayes paced Demarest with 18 points. Jarrett Solimando added 14 points.
Valley will have to say good bye to Moakley, its leading scorer and rebounder. The 6-foot-8 center was a big part of Valley's success over the last two years. The Indians suffered through difficult seasons in 2002 (5 wins) and 2003 (6 wins), but righted the ship in 2004 (17 wins).
They kept up their winning ways in 2005 (14 wins). Even though Valley is losing its go-to big man, they should be able to keep up their winning ways.
Three regulars will be back in uniform next season. Gaurds Nick Agelis and Charlie Rigoglioso, burst onto the scene this season and will be called on to handle back court responsibilities next season. Remo Fiornelli, a bruising power forward, will be called on to handle matters underneath the hoop. State Tournament PreviewBy Skiffo DrakeWayne - High aspirations seem the norm all over town as six-area teams embark on quests for State Tournament glory.
2/23/05, Wayne Valley 54, West Orange 47: Nick Agelis pumped in 20 points to lead Wayne Valley (13-9) to a 54-47 victory over West Orange (12-10). Drazen Res added 14 points.
2/18/05: Wayne Valley 66, Hunterdon Central 49: Nick Agelis scored 19 points to help lift Wayne Valley (12-9) past Hunterdon Central (14-7), 66-49. Bill Moakley added 13 points. Drazen Res and Charlie Rigoglioso chipped in 11 and 10 points respectively.
2/16/05, Wayne Valley 81, Lakeland 56: Billy Moakley erupted for 29 points as Wayne Valley (11-9) toppled Lakeland (6-12), 81-56. Nick Agelis and Remo Fiornelli had 14 and 13 points respectively.
2/11/05: Wayne Valley 58, Orange 46: Wayne Valley improved to 10-9 with a 58-46 win over Orange (7-9). Bill Moakley led the way with 20 points. Chris Gesualdi added ten points. Remo Fiornelli and Charlie Rigolioso contributed nine points apiece.
Valley Falls to Passaic in County Tournament
2/5/05: Wayne Valley (9-8) bowed out of the Passaic County Tournament with a 69-52 loss to Passaic (8-6). Valley coach Joe Leicht remained upbeat about Wayne's chances in the Section I, Group III playoffs. The Valley entered the week needing to win two of three games in order to quality. Before losing to Passaic, they earned a bid by beating Newark Westside and West Milford.
"I'm very proud of what we accomplished this week," Leicht said. "We did what we had to do to get into the states. We still have something to play for. I'm also proud of the way we played against Passaic. We played very well. We would have beaten almost any other high school team today. Unfortunately, Passaic was at the top of their game. They're a very good team and they were near-perfect today."
Indeed, the Indians vs. Indians (Passaic vs. Wayne Valley) was closer than the score indicated. The game was tied at the end of the first period, 16-16. Passaic led 56-51 after three quarters. Passaic’s full-court pressure defense and uptempo offense was eventually too much for Valley.
"It was a game until late in the fourth period," Leicht said. "They maintained the lead, so we started to foul them. They hit all their foul shots. That's the mark of a great team."
DuShawn Singleton led Passaic with 18 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks. Eddie Crockett scored 13 points and registered five steals.
Center Billy Moakley led Wayne with 22 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks. Charlie Rigoglioso chipped in 15points. Nick Agelis had eight points.
“We played outstanding pressure man defense,” Passaic coach Ken Slappy said. “With their center, we didn’t want to get into a half-court game. With our quickness, we wanted to make it a 94-foot game.”
Wayne Valley Beats West Milford to Clinch Playoff Berth
By Skiffo Drake, 2/3/05
Wayne Valley's 0-3 start still rankles the team's coach, Joe Leicht. Despite his teams recent winning ways, the slow outset is still on the his mind. The Indians entered the week at 7-8. New Jersey teams need to be at least .500 on Saturday in order to earn a State Tournament bid. That meant they had to win two of its next three games.
Those three games were against Newark-Westside, West Milford and Passaic. They lost to Newark Westside and West Milford earlier in the season. Passaic is routinely considered a state power. In short, Valley had its work cut out for it.
"Right now, we're playing our best basketball," the coach said. "Is it too little too late, though. We'll find out. We dug our selves into a hole early in the season. Now, we have to dig our way out. Newark Westside, West Milford and Passaic are three very good teams. It's not going to be easy."
With a shot at the State Tournament in the balance, Valley didn't crack. They didn't even need three games. They beat Newark and West Milford to clinch a bid. Saturday's Passaic County Tournament game with Passaic will now have no bearing on a State bid. It will, however, be used for seeding-purposes.
Against Newark, Nick Agelis and Billy Moakley led the way with 20 points apiece. Remo Fiornelli and Charlie Rigoglioso scored nine and seven points respectively. Byron Byrd led Newark with eight points. Valley (8-7) rallied from a seven-point fourth period deficit and beat West Milford (11-4), 59-55. The Highlanders led 51-44 after three periods.
They were clinging to a 55-54 lead with 51 seconds left. Agelis sank three free throws to put the Indians ahead, 57-55. Charlie Rigoglioso dropped in two more foul shots with 0.5 seconds left to cement the win.
Moakley led the Valley with 18 points and 20 rebounds. Agelis scored 18 points. Andy Bielsten added seven points. Justin Green scored 17 for West Milford.
1/30/05, Wayne Valley 58, Hillsborough 53: Wayne Valley's (7-8) drive to a State Tournament berth received a boost when the Indians defeated Hillsborough (6-9) on Saturday, 58-52. In order to qualify, high school teams need to be .500 or better by the February 5 cut off date. Bill Moakley tallied 23 points for the winners. Nick Agelis added 15 points. Andy Bielsten scored 11 points.
1/28/05, Passaic Tech 65, Wayne Valley 54: Hashim Bailey dropped in 24 points to propel Passaic Tech (10-4) to a 65-54 victory over Wayne Valley (6-8). Jeff Herbert had 16 points for the Bulldogs. Nick Agelis led the Indians with 16 points. Billy Moakley added 14 points.
1/26/05, Wayne Valley 55, Passaic Valley 39: Wayne Valley (6-7) avenged an opening day loss by thumping Passaic Valley (5-6), 55-39. Nick Agelis led the Indians with 19 points and four steals. Billy Moakley had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Andy Bielsten chipped in eight points. Jon Coral led the Hornets with 13 points. Joey Castro added 10.
1/21/05, West Orange 66, Wayne Valley 56: Ryan McPherson scored 26 points to lead West Orange (5-6) past Wayne Valley (5-7), 66-56. Nick Agelis led the Indians with 14 points. Andy Bielsten added 13 points.
1/19/05, Wayne Valley 58, Caldwell 45: Billy Moakley scored 18 points to lead Wayne Valley (5-6) past Caldwell (7-3), 58-45. The 6-foot-8 center also ripped down eight rebounds and blocked three shots. Charlie Rigoglioso and Drazen Res scored 12 and 10 points respectively. Chris Gesualdi and Nick Agelis had seven and six points respectively.
1/14/05, Wayne Valley 63, Lakeland 45: Billy Moakley poured in a career-high 28 points as Wayne Valley (4-6) cruised past Lakeland (3-7), 63-45. Nick Agelis and Charlie Rigoglioso scored 12 and 10 points respectively. The Lancers got 14 points from Frank Golz and nine from Steve Grattagliano. Joe Caporoso and James Haberstrah scored seven apiece.
Wayne Valley 40, Clifton 37
By Skiffo Drake, 1/9/05
Coming into the boys high school basketball season, sophomore Charlie Rigoglioso was hoping to earn a spot on the Wayne Valley varsity. Unfortunately, when the final rosters were announced, he was listed on the junior varsity. There is no shame in that at a big school like Wayne Valley where sophomore rarely play. Varsity stardom, evidently, had to be put on hold.
After several stellar JV showings, the sophomore was given a shot to play with the varsity. It’s safe to say that Rigoglioso’s junior varsity days are now behind him. In his varsity debut, the sophomore tossed in 20 points in a 44-43 loss to Millburn (6-1). Two days later, Rigoglioso was at it again. This time, he tallied 17 points as Wayne Valley (3-5) beat Clifton (3-5), 40-37.
“I was ready when coach called my number,” the sophomore said. “I was hoping that I’d get a chance this year. I was happy to be out there.”
Joe Leicht, Valley’s coach, turned to the sophomore after six games of what he termed “inconsistent” outside shooting from the varsity.
“I’ve always been loyal to the seniors,” the coach said. “They put in the time and deserve to play. It was becoming obvious, though, that we needed a spark on the perimeter. Charlie had been playing very well with the junior varsity so we decided to give him a shot. He won’t see another minute with the of JV from now on.”
Against Clifton, Rigoglioso was near-unstoppable. He buried four three-point field goals en-route to his 17-point performance.
“I saw his name in the box score from the other day (Millburn),” Clifton coach John Santulli said. “That was the first time I ever saw his name. I had no idea who he was. After seeing him, it’s obvious he knows how to play the game.”
With Rigoglioso on the bench, Clifton raced out to a 9-0 lead. The sophomore came into the game and quickly canned two three-pointers. Valley crept back in and eventually took the lead. In the second half, Santulli went to a box-and-one defense. Randy Cabral, Clifton’s best defender, was sent to guard to Rigoglioso. That approach, opened up things for the rest of the Valley cast. Billy Moakley, Wayne’s 6-foot-8 center, finished with 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
“This was Billy’s best game this year,” Leicht said. “He’s been having a good year, but he has truggled at times because our perimeter game was inconsistent. When we weren’t shooting, teams were just collapsing on Billy. Clifton had to come out and play Charlie. That opened things up underneath.”
Forward Remo Fiornelli added eight points for the Indians. Clifton’s attack was relatively balanced. Edin Carovac led the way with eight points. Jimmy Villafane and David Smith had seven points apiece. Cabral added six points.
“This was an important game for us,” Leicht said. “If we want to go to the states, we have to be at least .500. Our conference is very tough this year. We also have a few difficult independent games. Clifton’s a strong, Group IV school. We had to win it.”
1/7/05, Millburn 44, Wayne Valley 43: Sophomore Charlie Rigoglioso poured in 20 points, but Wayne Valley (2-5) could not get past Millburn (6-1). Brandon Boffard led Millburn with 11 points as Valley lost, 44-43.
1/5/05, West Milford 53, Wayne Valley 44: Nick Agelis tallied 13 points, but Wayne Valley (2-4) still dropped a 53-44 decision to West Milford (6-1). Andy Bielsten and Billy Moakley chipped in 10 and eight point respectively. Marc Asmus led the Highlanders with 14 points.
Valley Wins Northern Highlands Title
By Skiffo Drake
Allendale – The Wayne Valley boy’s basketball team is trying to put a different spin on the old baseball axiom of ‘hitting is contagious.’ They want to show the adage can apply basketball as well. Joe Leicht, Valley’s head basketball coach, doubles as the Indian Hills softball coach. He has used that saying many times on the softball field. He never expected to use it on the basketball court.
All that changed this year when Wayne Valley started the 2004-05 season with three-straight losses. Because Valley is considered an excellent outside shooting team, Leicht starts four perimeter players. But in losses to Passaic Valley, Passaic Tech and Newark Westside, the outside shooting was anemic.
In the fourth game of the season, Valley took on Fair Lawn (1-2) in the first round of the Northern Highlands Tournament. In the first half, things appeared to hit rock-bottom. The first half ended with the Indians down, 22-8. The points came on one outside shot, two put-backs and two free throws. The sharp shooting Indians were ice cold. No one seemed to no the why. Leicht struggled for words at halftime.
“I didn’t know what to say,” he recalled. “I couldn’t go out onto the floor and shoot for them. I kept putting different (player) combinations into the game, but nothing was working. I just told them what I always tell my softball team: ‘hitting is contagious.’
“There are a lot of similarities to hitting a baseball or a softball and shooting a basketball. Both come down to concentration, confidence and rhythm. A lot of times, teams break out of a slump with one big hit or one big shot.”
That’s exactly what happened. On Valley’s first possession of the second half, Andy Bielsten banked in a three-point shot from the top of the arc.
“Obviously, Andy didn’t mean to bank it in,” Leicht said. “For whatever reason, that shot relieved the pressure. One of our best shooters banked in a three. You couldn’t help but smile. After that, we caught fire.”
The Indians indeed went on a 31-8 tear and rallied to beat Fair Lawn, 43-38. Wayne scored the first 14 points of the half to tie the game at 22-22. Bielsten scored the first seven points and Billy Moakley followed with the next seven. Valley then blew the game open with a 17-8 run. Drazen Res scored all eight of his points during that spurt. Moakley, a 6-foot-8 center, led the way with 16 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots. Bielsten finished with 10 points. Brian Artinger led the Cutters with 10 points.
“Since we weren’t shooting, Fair Lawn was just collapsing on Billy,” Leicht said. “After we hit a few shots, they had to come out and defend the perimeter. That opened up things for Billy underneath.”
Two days later, Valley won the Northern Highlands championship by defeating host Northern Highlands, 68-63. With Moakley hampered by early foul-trouble, good outside shooting was even more necessary. The Indians (2-3) answered the challenge. Nick Agelis led the way with 24 points. The junior hit four outside jumpers and 16 foul shots. Mark Tufano scored 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting. Remo Fiornelli and Andy Bielsten chipped in nine and eight points respectively. Moakley added six. Steve Balch led Northern Highlands with 18 points.
Northern Highlands pulled within 63-61 when Kwame Collins hit a three-pointer with 26 seconds left. Agelis sealed the game with two free throws at the 11 second mark.
“Hopefully, winning this tournament will be a springboard for us,” Leicht said. “Our goal is win titles. You rarely get the chance to play for one, though. Before the game, I told the guys to take advantage of this opportunity.”
Pasting Northern Highlands (2-2) was particularly big. The Highlanders were coming off of a win over Demarest, the defending Section I, Group III champions. “Whenever you beat Highlands, at Highlands you’ve done something,” Leicht said. “That Demarest team has four-returning starters. I told the team that they beat a team that beat Demarest. Enough said.”
Tech Beats Wayne Valley
12/21/04: Hashim Bailey scored 18 points to lead Passaic Tech (2-0) past Wayne Valley (0-2), 47-37. Brian Gilbert added 10 points. Nyah Ricketts had seven. Bill Moakley scored 17 points for Valley.
Passaic Valley Upsets Wayne Valley
Little Falls – Rob Carcich couldn’t help it. He had to join in the celebration. Carcich, Passaic Valley’s new boy’s basketball coach, had just presided over the team’s 51-45 opening day win over Wayne Valley. The final buzzer set off a wild Hornet celebration.
The team, which included five returning regulars, embraced in bear-hugs at mid court. Ordinarily, a regular season victory does not set off such merriment. In this situation, though, the importance of such a victory was not lost on the Hornets.
A year ago, PV limped to a 3-20 record. They were beaten twice by their biggest rival, Wayne Valley. The Indians, meanwhile, stormed to a 17-8 record last season. They reached the Passaic County and State Sectional quarterfinals.
“Everyone saw the celebration,” Carcich said. “They’re not used to it (winning) here. At the end of the day, we’re only 1-0. Still, this was a very big win. We’re trying to build a program. After what they went thought last year, it was important to get off to a strong start. And we beat a very good Wayne Valley team. This gets us off on the right foot. It was very exciting.”
PV might not currently be used winning. That could change over the next few years. Joey Castro, a sophomore, led them past Wayne Valley. The 10th-grader lit the Indians up for 26 points. The guard hit nine outside shots, including four three-point shots.
“This was a big game for him,” Carcich said. “It was the opener. He was going against a mostly more experienced team. They’re our rival. We needed to get off to a good start. And he comes out and scores 26 points.”
Chuck Richmond added 12 points for the Hornets. Matt Coral and Brian Wetham had seven and six points respectively. For Wayne Valley, the game represented a disappointment.
The Indians, who won just five games in 2002 and 2003, rebounded in 2004. Even though they lost five regulars to graduation, they remained confident that they would keep up their winning ways in 2005. Two starters from last season, Billy Moakley and Chris Gesualdi, returned.
Early on, it appeared the Indians picked up where they left off. With just four minutes remaining in the half, Wayne led 24-12. The Hornets slowly whittled the lead and took over mid-way through the fourth period. Wayne Valley remained within striking distance until the end, but could not pull it out. They missed four foul shots and two open threes in the final minute. The Indians were led by Gesualdi, who scored 14 points. Moakley added 11 points. Mark Tufano and Remo Fioranelli had eight and six points respectively.
“Wayne Valley came to play,” Carcich said. “They’re very well coached and they’re very talented. Beating them is going to go a long way. People are going to notice this score.”
Preview
By Doug Scancarella
Joe Leicht could hardly believe his eyes on the first day of practice last year. He had heard all-about Brad Dragone and Isias Tactuk, the teams leading returnees. Beyond them, things appeared to be a bit thin. Then, Billy Moakley walked in.
During warm ups, the gangly, 6-foot-6 junior, shot the ball with a quick, easy motion. He delivered each shot with a feather touch seldom seen in such a largeplayer.
"Where did he come from," Leicht wondered. According to most, Valley's team would be all Dragone and Tacktuk. Moakley, at that time, was not even an after thought. Leicht immediately realized that the junior had a chance to earn a starting spot.
Moakley did a little more than that. He earned a starting spot, finished first on the team in rebounding (10 per game) and finished second behind Dragone in scoring (13 per game).
This year, as a strapping 6-foot-8 senior, Moakley is regarded as one of the top centers in Northern New Jersey. He will now be called on to lead a mostly inexperienced team.
Besides Moakely, the Indians boast just two returning regulars. Chris Gesualdi will start again at forward. Andy Bielsten, the first forward off the bench last season, also returns.
“Outside shooting will be one of the keys,” Leicht said. “Chris and Andy can both shoot. When they’re on, teams won’t be able to collapse down on Billy. When Billy draws attention, he’ll have the option of bouncing it back out to one of them.”
Valley’s guard positions and backup spots have not yet been determined. “Our freshmen and our junior varsity teams were strong last year,” Leicht said. “We have a lot of guys coming up. We’re just trying to see who fits where.”
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