Goetz boys finish second at Run for the Roses tourney

JACKSON — Goetz Middle School boys’ basketball coach Steve Bado was concerned a two-week layoff would leave his squad rusty as it prepared for the Run for the Roses tournament at St. Rose High School in Belmar.

Yet Goetz looked impressive in beating Colts Neck in the opening round. Goetz looked even sharper in posting a 46-33 victory over Freehold Township in the semifinals.

That set up a match with Middletown in the championship game. Last year, Middletown knocked off Goetz in the semifinals. Goetz players and coaches looked forward to possibly avenging the disappointing loss that ended the 2001 campaign.

However, for the second year in a row, Middletown proved too tough for Goetz as clutch free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter resulted in a 58-43 victory.

"I think that we played our best game of the tournament a game too early," Bado said. "Still, we had a good run through the tournament. The kids played hard. Middletown made some clutch shots in the final eight minutes of the game to nail it down."

The last time Goetz advanced to the finals of the Run for the Roses was in 1987, Bado said. Goetz suffered a setback against Lakewood in the championship game.

"It’s been a long time since the school has been to the final of this tournament," Bado said. "So for this team to accomplish that is a pretty big deal. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the end result we would have liked."

Joe Bruno paced Goetz with a team-high 13 points. Teammate lead guard Mark Schiavone added 12 points, while 6-foot-4 center James Shinn contributed 10.

"The guys were very excited about getting a chance to play Middletown in the final," Bado said. "We got the matchup we were looking for. It just so happens we probably left our best performance on the court against Freehold in the semis."

Goetz, which earned the No. 1 seed in the event, trailed by only one point at halftime. Middletown opened a five-point lead early in the fourth quarter. Goetz pulled to within three points with a couple of minutes left, Bado said. But Middletown converted on numerous free throws in the closing minutes as Goetz was forced to foul in an attempt to gain possession of the ball.

"They didn’t miss in the last couple minutes," Bado said. "Many times a close game comes down to free throws and they made all of theirs in the closing minutes. You have to give them credit."

Shinn, Schiavone and Bruno were selected to the all-tournament team. Bado praised the efforts of his three eighth-graders.

"They all played very well in this tournament," Bado said. "With all the teams that were entered in this event, we get three of our players on the team. I think that says a lot about the quality of players on this team."

In the win over Freehold Township in the semifinals, Goetz played near-flawless basketball. Shinn led the offensive attack with 15 points. Schiavone and Bruno chipped in with 12 and 10 points, respectively.

Bado, however, was more impressed with his squad’s defensive effort.

"We shut them down right from the start of the game," Bado said. "We didn’t do much scoring in the first half, but we didn’t allow them to score a bunch of points either. I told the kids to be patient and just keep playing hard. It would only be a matter of time before we started scoring points."

Bado said this group of players will no doubt be heard from at the high school level.

"There is a lot of talent and potential here," Bado said. "If they continue to play together and work hard, you may be hearing a lot about them in the future."