Goetz Middle School gets off to a solid start on the hardwood
BY MIKE WHITE Staff Writer
The Goetz Middle School boys basketball team opened its season with a solid performance at the annual Christian Brothers Academy Colt Stampede tournament last week.

Goetz compiled a 3-1 record at the event, which included a 59-47 loss to Cedar Drive Middle School in the championship game. Despite the setback in the finals, coach Steve Bado praised the mettle of his squad.

"It was a great way for us to open the season," Bado said. "It gave us some confidence and momentum. I thought for the most part, we did an excellent job. The semis and finals were tough match-ups, and our guys showed a lot of fight and poise. I think playing in this event is going to help through the course of the season."

In the championship game, Goetz actually cut the lead to six points with less than five minutes remaining. Cedar Drive, however, made a few key buckets down the stretch to hold off Goetz and thwart the upset bid.

"Every time we seem to close in on them, they were able to score and put a little more distance between us," Bado said. "I give them a lot of credit. They played well. We did a good job of limiting their play in the post. Their guards really stepped up and got it done at crunch time."

Lead guard Elliot Bell paced Goetz with 20 points. He also handed out a number of assists. Brandon McDonnell added 13 points, while teammates C.J. Lopez and Ian Leary added eight and six, respectively.

"We scored enough in this game to win it," Bado said. "Defensively we needed to come up with some stops at big points. Bell had a great game for us. He was very consistent throughout the whole tournament."

Goetz got to the finals by knocking off St. Leo's, 48-26, in the semifinals. Goetz used a balanced scoring attack, registering three players in double digits. Mc- Donnell sparked the offense with 14 points, while Bell contributed 12 and Lopez 10.

"Those three guys will be looked to for scoring this year," Bado said. "We want to get the ball in their hands as much as possible. They have experience and need to step up in order for us to have a successful year."

Matt Crehan had four points, while Chas Norman, Ryan Allen and Brandon Hollup each chipped in with two.

Goetz started slowly in

hardwood

this contest and held a slim four-point lead at the break. But a change in defense led to a third-quarter onslaught that saw Goetz put the game out of reach.

"We made some changes defensively," Bado said. "They had trouble making adjustments, and our offense got hot. We put up a bunch of points and built a comfortable lead."

Goetz opened the tournament by posting a 50-17 rout over St Rose of Belmar. That was followed by a 56-15 mauling of St Peter's of Point Pleasant.

"We had a chance to use a lot of players in those two games," Bado said. "I got a good look at some of the guys who were on the bench."

Other team members include Sean Kelly, Anthony Skwiat, Colin MacFarlane, Matt Hogan, Jake Harniski and Eric Sosa.

"We should have a good season," Bado said. "We're looking forward to starting our league games. We have a lot of depth on this team. I think that is going to be one of our strengths."