December 24, 2009
UC offense comes alive in second half
Robert Ramos scored eight of his 11 points in the second half for Union City.
Click Here for photos from Union City at Hoboken.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
HOBOKEN – For the first half, the Union City boys basketball team looked every bit like an offense that was hamstrung by the loss top scorer Jonathan Agurto.
The Soaring Eagles’ offense experienced a dramatic turnaround in the second half as the trio of Eury Almonte, Ramon Martinez and Robert Ramos combined for 27 second-half points to lift Union City towards their first win of the season, a 53-48 victory last night at Hoboken.
“Around the third quarter was when our whole team just started rolling and playing with energy and intensity,” Almonte said.
“We stopped turning the ball over in the second half,” Martinez added. “Everybody stepped up, everybody gave a big individual effort.”
Notorious for being one the most lethal shooting teams in Hudson County, the Soaring Eagles were firing blanks from the perimeter. After failing to hit a single 3-pointer in the opening half, Union City responded with treys from Jonathan Lora and Ramos as part of an 8-0 run in the first minute of the third quarter.
The outburst gave the Soaring Eagles their first lead of the entire contest and jump-started an 18 point quarter behind the outside shooting of Ramos and Almonte.
“Our 2-3 (zone defense) gave them trouble, but they figured it out in the second half,” Hoboken coach Buddy Matthews said. “(Almonte) got hot at the right time and they set up (Martinez) under the basket for a couple of baskets.”
In the fourth, it was Martinez’s turn to step up for the Soaring Eagles. After a relatively quiet offensive performance in the first three periods, the 6-foot-4 Martinez had seven points, four rebounds and a block in the final quarter.
“I expect that,” Union City coach Drew Morano said about Martinez. “He had 19 points, 16 rebounds against High Tech. We expect a little more than he gave in the first half, but in crunch time he came through.”
Martinez, the lone healthy Union City player with varsity experience, finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds as he continues to become a legitimate offensive threat in the paint.
“I think (my offense has) grown a lot,” Martinez said. “My coaches have confidence in me and I have confidence in myself.”
“He’s grown a lot,” Morano added. “I’m proud of him.”
Even with Martinez, Almonte and Ramos in a groove, the Red Wings (0-2) matched Union City’s blistering pace. Standout forward Eddie Canary scored eight straight Hoboken points to tie the game at 46-all with less than three minutes left in the game.
Canary’s streak, would come in vain as Almonte, who according to Morano is “form-wise he’s one of the best looking shooters I’ve ever coached,” broke the tie with a 3-pointer to give Union City a lead they would never relinquish.
Ramos would deliver the final dagger when he snuck behind the Hoboken defense for an uncontested layup off a Raul Cruz inbounds pass to make it 53-48 with just 30 seconds left in the game.
Eight of Ramos’ 11 points and nine of Martinez’s 12 points came in the second half for Union City. Almonte, who admitted he’s still adjusting to the speed and intensity of the game here after moving from Pennsylvania, had 10 of his game-high 15 points in the final two quarters.
“He’s just not used to this intensity,” Morano said. “He’s an intelligent kid with a lot of ability and I think this could be his coming out game.”
Luis Santiago led the Red Wings with 13 points, along with six rebounds. Canary added 10 points, all coming in the second half, and seven rebounds.
Slow starts are nothing new for a Hoboken team that was 0-5 in 2007/08 and 1-8 to start the 08/09 season. While his squad is young and lacking in experience, Matthews is optimistic that the progress will result in wins down the road.
“This is a very young team so I think as the season goes along we’ll be more comfortable,” Matthews said. “We’re still trying to find our way. I’m happy with our effort, but we have to work on executing better.”
Hoboken's Eddie Canary (right) scored 10 points in the second half.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Union City Soaring Eagles (1-2) | 9 |
12 |
18 |
14 |
53 |
| Hoboken Red Wings (0-2) | 14 |
9 |
17 |
8 |
48 |
| Union City | Hoboken | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Hoboken: Canary 7 rebounds; Santiago 6 rebounds; Martinez 5 assists; Rosario 4 steals. Union City: Martinez 11 rebounds; Cruz 6 rebounds, 5 assists; Almonte 6 rebounds; Lara 5 rebounds; Ramos 4 steals. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||