North Jersey Non-Public B finals: St. Anthony routs Hudson Catholic

Follow @JJournalSports

PISCATAWAY – In a battle between the top two teams in Hudson County, St. Anthony, No. 1 in the NJ.com Top 20, knocked off No. 9 Hudson Catholic 58-45 in the Non-Public, North B championship at the Rutgers Athletic Center. This is the fourth straight year St. Anthony has defeated Hudson Catholic in the sectional championship and the fifth straight year it knocked the Hawks out of the postseason.

The two teams were evenly matched throughout the first quarter as Hudson Catholic entered the second with a narrow 10-9 lead. But superior mid-range shooting ultimately propelled the Friars ahead in an early defensive struggle.

St. Anthony outscored the Hawks 15-3 in the second quarter and 18-9 in the third quarter, when it took a comfortable 42-24 lead.

“They run half-court stuff and they couldn't really get an open shot against us. So then they tried to break us down off the dribble, and they had some moments where they turned the corner on us,” St. Anthony Hall of Fame coach Bob Hurley said. “But by in large, we’re pretty long around the basket to be able to contest shots so I think we took the half-court offense away.”

St. Anthony was hot from all over the court as they shot 55 percent as a team, compared to Hudson Catholic’s 34 percent.

Friars center Taurean Thompson was especially effective. When the Hawks kept him out of the post, he responded by knocking down several jump shots. He finished the game shooting 4-of-5 for 10 points.

St. Anthony small forward and Wichita State-commit Markis McDuffie had a double-double, scoring a game-high 19 points to pair with 11 rebounds.

“I had to show that I was ready to play and I had to have that mindset where my team is down, so I had to bring them back up. I think that’s what I did,” McDuffie said.

Hudson Catholic did not have a player score in double digits, as Nassir Barrino, Marion Williams and Jaheon Quinerly all tallied eight points each.

The Friars will now look for some revenge when they face Roselle Catholic on Saturday in the NJSIAA Non-Public B championship. Roselle Catholic handed St. Anthony its only loss this season and defeated the Friars in the group championship game in each of the past two seasons.