3/1/07: North A Non Public State Playoffs, Quarterfinals: Delbarton 64, DePaul 57 (Wayne): Five days after winning the Passaic County Championship, DePaul suffered a shocking elimination loss to Delbarton (No. 6, 23-5). It was third meeting of the season between the Northern Hills Conference-Suburban Division teams. DePaul won the first two contests - 72-69 on Dec. 19 in Wayne and 60-56 on Jan. 25 in Morris Township. Delbarton won despite the absence of its leading scorer, 6-6 junior forward Pat Sullivan, who was sidelined with back spasms.
Justin Crosgile had 15 points and Greg Gillispie scored 14 for DePaul. Chaz Cervino added 12 points. Kamar Simmons and Marcus Crosgile chipped in with 8 points apiece.
Passaic County Championship: DePaul 61, Wayne Valley 48
By Skiffo Drake, 2/25/07
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The two Wayne basketball powers were meeting for only the eighth time in their 50-plus year histories. And, as if that wasn’t enough, a tiny thing called the Passaic County Championship was at stake.
Once the game started, it appeared that the teams would give fans one gem of a game. A spirited first quarter was marked by blocked shots, hard rebounds and brilliant shooting.
Unfortunately, the excitement would not last much longer. DePaul (No.2, 21-4) made 14-of-21 shots in the second and third quarters to take a 46-26. Wayne Valley (No. 5, 18-8) valiantly fought back and several junctures looked to be back in the game.
Valley outscored DePaul in the fourth quarter, 22-15. But in the end, they just could extricate themselves from the hole that they were buried in.
DePaul won, 61-48. It was the school’s second such championship. The last title came in 2003. This was Wayne Valley’s first appearance in the final game.
For most of the game, Wayne Valley struggled getting of shots. Charlie Rigoglioso, who averages 18.2 points per game, had just six points through the first three quarters.
“Coach (Bart Fazio) told us that Rigoglioso was a great player,” said Justin Crosgile, DePaul’s leading scorer. “We knew we had to play him tight. We started out that way and never let up.”
No one for Valley was able to pick up the slack. Chris Pantale and Arber Zuberi, both 6-foot-5, had been dominant in Valley’s first three county wins over Hawthorne, Clifton and Passaic Tech. Against DePaul, they combined for just 10 points.
“DePaul's defense was tougher than our offense," Wayne Valley coach Joe Leicht said. "We could never get comfortable. Everyone had a tough time getting open, inside and out."
Added Rigoglioso, “They played good defense. But honestly, I just wasn’t hitting my shots.”
DePaul, on the other hand, was scorching. Justin Crosgile concluded with a game-high 24 points and six rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks. Greg Gillespie added 14 points, six assists and four fouls. Amad Smallwood and Chaz Cervino contributed 8 and 7 points respectively.
“This is the greatest feeling,” Gillespie said. “I love my teammates. We worked hard for this.”
Rigoglioso finally got untracked in the fourth quarter by scoring 17 points. He concluded with 22 points overall. Jimmy Monahan added 11 points. Chris Pantale had 8 points.
Making things even more difficult for the Indians was that they had to watch the Spartans celebrate in the Valley gym. The county’s Final Four games are annually hosted by Wayne Valley. DePaul, by virtue of its better seed, was labeled the “home” team. Valley wore the “away” blue uniforms and was listed as “visitors” on the scoreboard. After the game, DePaul fans chanted “this is our house!”
“We had to play a good team on their home court,” Fazio said. “It was a great win.”
Passaic County Championship: Wayne Valley vs. DePaul
By Skiffo Drake, 2/17/07
Wayne Valley and DePaul will clash in the Passaic County Tournament Championship next Saturday. It will only be the seventh-ever varsity meeting between the two Wayne basketball powers. They played twice in the early 1980's at the Meadowlands. They played three times in the late 80's and early 90's in the All Wayne Christmas Tournament (which is no longer played). They last met up in the first round of the 2002 County Tournament.
Valley (No. 5, 16-6) advanced by besting Passaic Tech (No. 8) in the semi-finals, 59-52. Jimmy Monahan led with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Arber Zuberi and Charlie Rigoglioso added 10 and 8 points respectively. Maynard Freeman tallied 10 points for PCT.
DePaul (No. 2, 19-3) advanced by beating Paterson Catholic (No. 3), 72-68. Justin Crosgile had 32 points and 8 rebounds. Greg Gillespie had 14 points and 7 rebounds. Dave Ulak had 8 rebounds and 7 points. Kamar Simmons had 8 points.
The Valley-DePaul game will be played at Wayne Valley, the predetermined neutral court. DePaul, by virture of its higher seed, will be the home team and will wear white jerseys.
The coaches, Joe Leicht of Valley and Bart Fazio of DePaul are looking forward to the matchup.
"The tournament seeds are announced at the County coaches meeting," Leicht said. "When Coach Fazio saw that we were in different brackets, he looked at me and said 'see you in the finals.' I told him, 'that would really be something.' It's great for the town. It's great for the players. We're looking forward to it. It will be a little strange wearing the blue uniforms at home. I just hope I don't yell out 'let's go white.' "
Added Fazio, "They'll be wearing blue on their home court. Maybe it will throw them off. I doubt it, though. Wayne Valley is an outstanding team. I go back a long way with Coach Leicht. Now we get to go against each other in a huge game. Wayne Valley vs. DePaul in the championship is going to be very special for a lot of people. I'm sure that the place is going to be packed."
Passaic County Semifinal Preview: DePaul vs. Paterson Catholic Rematch
By Skiffo Drake, 2/9/07
The DePaul-Paterson Catholic semifinal game will be a rematch of the 2003 Passaic County Championship game, which was won by DePaul.
That game is remembered as one of the most memorable games in County history. DePaul’s John Kelly, now a senior at Iona, hit the game winner over Darryl Watkins with 1.4 seconds. After a timeout, Paterson Catholic’s Jimmy Riggins threw a long inbound pass down court. The ball appeared to be headed out of bounds, when Kimmani Barrett jumped for the ball and batted it back into play. Watkins, now a senior at Syracuse, grabbed it and drained a three pointer to give Paterson Catholic what appeared to be the win. The referees, however, ruled off the shot.
The official ruling was that only four Paterson Catholic players had checked into the game. Barrett, it was ruled, did not check into the game and instead remained on the bench. Riggins threw the ball toward the bench in what looked like a wild pass destined for the bleachers. Barrett stepped off the bench, into play and batted the ball toward Watkins. The referees conferred briefly, before waiving off the shot.
Paterson Catholic vehemently refuted the ruling and filed a protest, which they ultimately lost. Team officials insisted that Barrett had checked in and was on the court the entire time. They went on to claim that Barrett was merely standing in front of the bench and had escaped DePaul’s notice.
“The right call was made,” DePaul coach Bart Fazio said at the time. “Barrett definitely started the play out of bounds. Watkins made a great shot. Unfortunately for them, it did not count.
None of the players from that game remain. Paterson Catholic’s head coach, Tommie Patterson, moved on to take over the Eastside program. But for fans and alumni of both schools, the memories remain fresh.
2/16/ 07: DePaul 86, Pequannock 53: Justin Crosgile exploded for 31 points as DePaul (19-3) romped. Marcus Crosgile and Greg Gillespie added 13 and 12 points respectively. Jay Bionde led Pequannock with 19 points.
2/11/07: Passaic County Quarterfinals: DePaul 54, Lakeland 45: Greg Gillespie and Justin Crosgile tallied 13 points apiece to lead DePaul (No. 2, 17-3). Marcus Crosgile added 10 points. Shakim Phillips had seven points. Dan Kusnic and Mike Gibbons paced Lakeland (No. 7, 12-9) with 11 points apiece. Ryan Schounnot contributed 10 points.
DePaul will meet up with Paterson Catholic is the semi-finals. That will be a rematch of the 2003 Passaic County Championship game, which was won by DePaul. If DePaul wins, they will play either Wayne Valley or Passaic Tech in an All-Wayne final.
2/9/07: Newark Academy 76, DePaul 68: DePaul (16-3) suffered just its 3rd loss of the season. Justin Crosgile had 20 points. Greg Gillespie and Mike Hennion contributed 13 points apiece.
2/7/07: DePaul 73, Lakeland 48 (Wayne): Justin Crosgile had 21 points for DePaul (16-2). Greg Gillespie added 14. Mike Hennion added 11. Mike Gibbons threw down 17 for Lakeland.
2/4/07, Passaic County Tournament, First Round: DePaul 73, Wayne Hills 66 (at DePaul): Justin Crosgile scored 20 points as DePaul (No. 2, 15-2) defeated Wayne Hills (No. 15, 4-12). DePaul trailed at the end of the first period, but managed to score a come back win. Crosgile added six rebounds and four steals. Shakim Phillips, a freshman forward, had 18 points and five rebounds. Sophomore Steve Lequerica scored 20 points for Wayne Hills.
"They shocked us," admitted DePaul coach Bart Fazio. "I never thought that it would be that close. They're not a four-win team. I told Jimmy (Catalano) that afterwards. They're talented. They're just young. That's the only problem. They have a bright future. Lequerica is an outstanding player."
Kamar Simmons added 9 points for DePaul. Chaz Cervino added 8 points. Marcus Crosgile chipped in with 7 points. Fonti and Lala had 10 points for the Patriots. Ogden had 8 points.
2/2/07: DePaul 73, Montville 50 (Montville): Justin Crosgile finished with 21 points, eight assists and five steals for DePaul (14-2). Marcus Crosgile added 12 points. Kamar Simmons had 9.
1/31/07: DePaul 79, Butler 45 (Wayne): Justin Crosgile, a sophomore guard, scored a game-high 21 points for DePaul (13-2). Kamar Simmons threw in 16 points. Justin Jeff Haselman led Butler with 18 points.
1/26/07: DePaul 60, Delbarton 56 (at Delbarton): Justin Crosgile poured in 16 points as DePaul (12-2) beat Delbarton (11-4) for the second time this season. Greg Gillespie and Marcus Crosgile had 12 and 11 points respectively.
1/19/07: DePaul 66, Madison 55 (Wayne): Justin Crosgile finished with 17 points and Greg Gillispie scored 10 for DePaul (10-2). Chaz Cervino contributed 9 points.
1/18/07: DePaul 58, Pequannock 43 (Pequannock): Justin Crosgile's 15-point effort paced DePaul (9-2). Greg Gillespie added 10 points for DePaul. Jay Bionde had 16 points for Pequannock (7-4).
1/15/07: Eastside 45, DePaul 40 (Paterson Kennedy HS): Justin Crosgile hit for 21 points, including six three pointers, but DePaul (8-2) still lost. DePaul could not overcome its 7-of-31 field-goal shooting (23 percent). Antoine Alexander had 11 points and Bryant Lewis had 10 for Eastside (6-1). Antonio Brimley claimed a game-high 12 rebounds for the Ghosts..
1/12/07: DePaul 71, Caldwell 49 (Wayne): Justin Crosgile had 22 points and Greg Gillispie added 12 to pace DePaul (8-1). Dave Ulak had 11 points and eight rebounds for DePaul. Derek Lawshe had 15 points to pace Caldwell.
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1/7/07: DePaul 64, Lakeland 62 (Wanaque): Justin Crosgile stole the ball under Lakeland's basket with four seconds left and went in for the game-winning layup for DePaul (7-1). . DePaul held a 62-53 advantage with 1:33 remaining, but Lakeland scored the next nine points coming on a 3-point basket by Brian McKinless and two 3-point shots by Mike Gibbons. Greg Gillespie finished 17 points for the Spartans. Gibbons had 18 for Lakeland (5-2).
1/5/06: DePaul 84, Montville 56 (Montville): Justin Crosgile had 21 points, six assists and four steals and Shakim Phillips threw in 14 points as DePaul (6-1) won.
12/28/06: Hackensack Christmas Tournament Consolation: DePaul 66, Passaic 63: Freshman forward Shakim Phillips dropped in 18 points and Justin Crosgile had 17 for DePaul (5-1). Greg Gillespie had 11 points.
12/28/06: Hackensack Christmas Tournament: North Bergen 74, DePaul 62: Sophomore guard Justin Crosgile paced DePaul with 28 points, eight boards, six assists and five steals.
12/24/06: DePaul 62, Mendham 49 (Caldwell): Justin Crosgile had 27 points, 10 rebounds and five steals as DePaul (4-0) stymied previously unbeaten Mendham in the Holiday Classic at Caldwell College. Marcus Crosgile chipped in with 12 points for DePaul.
"I thought that Justin played a tremendous game," said coach Bart Fazio. "He's super. He shoots, he gets you the big basket, the big steal, the big rebound. Whatever you need, he gets for you."
12/22/06: DePaul 82, Butler 52 (Butler): Justin Crosgile and Kamar Simmons had 17 and 15 points respectively for DePaul (3-0). Joe Lakawicz led Butler (0-4) with 18 points.
12/20/06: DePaul 72, Delbarton 69 (Wayne): Justin Crosgile had 29 points, 12 rebounds and seven steals for DePaul (2-0). Rob Delaney, who scored 24 for Delbarton, misfired on a 30-foot shot as time expired. Greg Gillespie and Dave Ulak had 12 and 11 points respectively for the winners.
DePaul 63, Passaic Valley 56, OT
By Skiffo Drake
Little Falls - Passaic Valley’s Dan Alcala hit a three point shot with two seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. DePaul won it by steadily hitting its overtime foul shots.
“We were horrible from the line throughout regulation,” DePaul coach Bart Fazio said. “Fortunately, we got hot at the right time.”
Greg Gillespie went five-of-six from the line to help the Spartans win.
PV led throughout most of the game, but gave up the lead late. Justin Crosgile gave DePaul the lead with a steal and a lay up with 25 seconds remaining. Gillespie hit foul shots to give the Spartans to three point cushion. That set the stage for Alcala’s heroics.
“We showed a lot of character coming back after Alcala hit the big three,” Fazio said. “They had the momentum. The place was packed. It was a tremendous high school atmosphere. We were able to keep our composure and get the job done.”
Marcus Crosgile, Justin’s brother, led DePaul with 11 points and 18 rebounds.
“The sky is the limit for Marcus,” Fazio said. “He had a good season last year. We’re expecting him to have a break out year.”
Justin led the team in scoring with 22 points. Gillespie finished with 13 points. Dave Ulak had nine points and eight rebounds.
Joe Castro led PV with 16 points. Tyler Nash hit two three pointers in the first quarter, but couldn’t get much going after that. Jon Coral finished with 11 points. Shane Lebeidz and Alcala had 10 and 8 respectively.
“PV has some very good guards,” Fazio said. “We did a good job Nash after the first quarter. That was the key. PV’s got some very good big men too. John Coral and Damian D’Iorio exceptional players. We’re pretty small, with the exception of Dave (Ulak). Dave really played well against them. That was another key.”
Preview
By Skiffo Drake, 12/15/06
Creating most of the preseason buzz at DePaul is Justin Crosgile, the team’s sophomore point guard. As a freshman, Crosgile averaged 18 points per game. That is, by far, an all time freshmen high at DePaul.
Crosgile’s stellar performance drew comparisons to Max Schaffer, the school’s all-time leading scorer and the point guard on the 2003 team county championship team. In some ways, Crosgile is ahead of Schaffer, who didn’t start as a freshman.
“Let’s not start comparing him to Max yet,” says Bart Fazio, DePaul’s longtime coach. “Justin had a great year for us. Freshmen rarely come in play, never mind average 18 points a game. He’s still got a ways to go before we start comaring him to Max. What I will say is that he has a chance to develop into a very special player.”
Fazio will feature Crosgile in a three-guard offense. In an unusual circumstance, Crosgile will team with his predecessor at point guard. Chaz Cervino manned the point guard position as sophomore two years ago. He took his junior year off to focus exclusively on football. After signing scholarship papers to play football at New Hampshire, Cervino has decided to recommence his high school basketball career by returning to the team.
Joining Crosgile and Cervino in the backcourt will be senior Greg Gillespie. Fazio calls the 6-foot-2 Gillespie his “most versatile player.”
“Greg’s a big guard,” Fazio said. “But he can play all five positions. He can handle the ball and slash to the basket. He can also go down low and rebound. For the most part, he’ll be outside with Justin and Chaz. When we’re playing against bigger teams, he’ll probably line up as a forward.”
Junior Marcus Crosgile, Justin’s older brother, will line up at forward. At 6-foot-3, Marcus is comparable to Gillespie in that he can also play inside or outside. The 6-foot-6 Dave Ulak will line up at center. The senior is a tough rebounder and good a shooter from the paint.
Mike Herron, Kamar Simmons and Rick Hagerty will see time off the bench for DePaul.
The lineup has stimulated so much confidence that Fazio decided to “upgrade” the schedule. Its non-conference schedule will include a December date with Paterson-Eastside at Kennedy High School in the Martin Luther King Classic. DePaul will also play in the Hackensack Christmas Tournament with three Group IV powers – Hackensack, Teaneck and Orange.
“We’re optimistic that we can compete with those kind of teams,” Fazio said. “December is going to be a killer. If we can get through it with a winning record, we’ll be in pretty good shape. We’ll know what kind of team we have early on.”
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