Goetz boys cap season with a 25-7 mark BY MIKE WHITE Staff Writer The Goetz Intermediate School boys basketball team recently completed another successful season, finishing the year with a gaudy 25-7 overall mark. Coach Steve Bado praised the work of his troops, citing winning his sixth Ocean County Intermediate SchoolAthletic League BlueDivision championship in the last eight years as one of the key highlights. "Overall we had a real solid year," Bado said. "Anytime you finish a season with 25 wins you have to feel good about the effort your team put forth. To win the divisional title was probably the highpoint of the year. We take a lot of pride in knowing that we have one of the best programs in Ocean County." Unfortunately, Goetz ended the 2007-08 campaign with a second-round loss in the annual Run for the Roses Tournament at St. Rose High School in Belmar. Goetz was pitted against a very athletic Neptune squad, which used full-court pressure to roll to a resounding 64-47 victory. C.J. Lopez finished with a team-high 14 points to pace Goetz. Teammate Anthony Skwiat contributed 13 points as Goetz could not find an answer to Neptune's swarming defense. "Itwas a very physical game," Bado said. "They pressed and applied a lot of pressure to our guards. We had some problems taking care of the ball. Theywere extremely aggressive and forced us into a lot of turnovers and rushed shots.We were not as patient as I hoped we would have been in that situation." Goetz got clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch to hold off Tinton Falls, 59- 55, in the opening round. With Goetz clinging to a 55-52 lead, Tinton Falls knotted the score on a 3-point shot. ButGoetz remained composed asMcDonnell drained a pair of free throws to put Goetz ahead, 57-55. Tinton Falls was forced to foul following a missed shot, and Leary sealed the win by connecting on both ends of a one-and-one for the final margin of victory. "In close games, free-throwshooting is always key," Bado said. "We came up big in a key spot down the end of the game. Both guys kept their poise and were able to shove aside the nerves and make the foul shots." Indeed, free throws were the determining factor in thismatch-up.Goetzmade 18 of 24 attempts from the charity stripe. "Tinton Falls is a scrappy team," Bado said. "They never went away. They stayed with us right to the end. I told the kids prior to the game, this was no easy first-round match-up. I thought for the most part we were focused and we anticipated a close game." McDonnell finished with a team-high 16 points, while Leary added 14. Elliot Bell chipped in with 13 points and numerous assists.