Loss to Steinert ends Jaguars’ stellar season
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Jackson’s Kenny Sims (above) gets pumped after the Jags take a commanding lead over Sayreville in their CJ Group IV quarterfinal game. Tony Boone (l) drives past Sayreville’s Sean Reaes.

Winning on the road during the playoffs is tough. Winning on the road minus your starting point guard is nearly impossible.

Despite the overwhelming adversity, the Jackson High School boys basketball team showed its mettle last Friday night and battled for most of the game before succumbing to a sharp-shooting Steinert team 64-51 in a NJSIAA Group IV semifinal game.

The Jags starting point guard Ryan Mogila did not play after violating team rules, Jackson coach Mike Antenucci said.

Even without Mogila, who orchestrated the Jackson offense for the entire season, the Jags hung around until late in the fourth quarter. Jackson trailed by just four points with approximately five minutes remaining.

"Even though we lost this game I’m extremely proud of the kids and their performance," Antenucci said. "This was the best game we played all year as a team. We went into the contest in a tough spot. But the kids didn’t letdown. They picked each other up and pushed on. It’s unfortunate the way the season had to end."

Kyle Allardice filled in for Mogila and did an outstanding job. He displayed a fine touch from the perimeter, draining four three-pointers to finish with a total of 12 points. Allardice made three treys in the first quarter to spark Jackson to a 19-16 cushion after eight minutes.

"This was not an easy spot for him to be in," Antenucci said. "But he rose to the challenge and played a great game for us."

Senior center Kenny Simms finished with a team-high 15 points. Teammate Tony Boone chipped in with 13.

"Those two guys have been steady for us all year," Antenucci said.

Jackson’s offense went cold in the second quarter, as the Jags mustered just five points in the frame. Steinert took a 28-24 lead into halftime.

"All of a sudden our shooting touch went cold," Antenucci said. "We got a few good looks, but the ball wasn’t going down. At the other end of the court it seemed that every shot Steinert threw up fell in."

The Spartans got a big effort from Eugene Moore, who scored a game-high 25 points. Teammate Eric Elliot contributed 19 as Steinert improved to 20-3 overall.

"Moore really hurt us," Antenucci said. "He was on fire the entire night and we couldn’t shut him down."

With the loss, Jackson closed its season at 19-6, including winning the A South title for the second consecutive season.

As it has for most of the season, Jackson struggled from the free-throw line. The Jags connected on just six of 15 attempts from the charity stripe. Steinert, meanwhile, drained 15 of 17 attempts to advance to the Group IV championship game.

"We’ve talked about the importance of free-throw shooting all season," Antenucci said. "It is an area where we were inconsistent for most of the year. At times we were very solid from the line. At other times we failed to knock down the shots we needed. When you advance into the state tournament, you need to take advantage of every opportunity. We didn’t do that."

Not advancing to the championship game is disappointing, however Antenucci would rather focus on the big picture.

"Overall it was a great season," he said. "Sure we would have liked to be playing for the title, what team wouldn’t? I’m proud of the way this team responded this season. We’ve come a long way in two years in trying to establish Jackson’s basketball program. We’re not just measuring success in wins and losses. The attitude of the players is getting to the level where we need it to be in order to be successful in the long run.

"We accomplished a lot of things here that haven’t been done in a while. We have the most wins in back-to-back seasons and there are a number of kids who have gone on to play college ball. We’re moving in the right direction. We still have a ways to go," Antenucci said.