March 12, 2010
Whyatt delivers for Prep in fourth
Stephon Whyatt hit a pair of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to lift St. Peter's Prep.
Click Here for photos from St. Peter's Prep vs Seton Hall Prep.
By Jason Bernstein
Editorial Director
PISCATAWAY – For three-and-a-half quarters Seton Hall Prep had seemed to find the answer to stopping St. Peter’s Prep’s powerful offense. Head coach Bob Farrell’s defense had succeeded in frustrating shooter Myles Davis and kept the ball away from 6-foot-8 Ronald Roberts.
One player Farrell and the Pirates were not able to account for was Stephon Whyatt.
Taking advantage of the lack of defensive attention sent his way, Whyatt delivered a pair of crushing 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to lead the Marauders to their first sectional title since 1984 after defeating Seton Hall 64-54 in the NJSIAA Non-Public, North A final last night at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
“I just wanted us to win and that was the only thing on my mind – my team, my brothers,” Whyatt said. “I just had to take the shot. I knew I had to make it.”
“I’ve seen him on tape in a couple of games and that was not what we saw,” Farrell said. “He might be a great 3-point shooter, but I didn’t see it (on those tapes). In the game plan I didn’t have him being shaded away from the basket that far, but they were pure.”
Trailing 50-49 midway through the fourth, Roberts found Whyatt all alone in the right corner. Rather than pass up the open shot or try to drive it towards the hoop, the junior guard buried the trey to give third-seeded St. Peter’s (25-3) a lead they would never relinquish.
“I was kind of surprised,” said Whyatt about how open he was. “I was like, ‘If you’re going to leave me this open, I’m going to take it.’”
After Seton Hall (26-3) missed the front end of a one-and-one at the foul line, Whyatt would strike again. Fellow reserve Chase Fluellen found Whyatt in that same corner as he knocked down his second 3-pointer in just 66 seconds to make it 55-50 in favor of the Marauders.
“In the fourth quarter what really changed it for us what that we stopped screening for Myles and let him stay out top by himself and just put everybody else on the baseline and they would have to make a decision,” head coach Mike Kelly said. “Whether they were going to come out to double Myles and leave shooters open and they did. Stephon banged two threes. They gambled, they continued to gamble and fortunately for us we hit threes.”
Whyatt, who was primarily a spectator for the first three quarters, also had the unenviable task of trying to guard Seton Hall Prep’s Sterling Gibbs. The well-rested Whyatt helped limit the electrifying Gibbs to just four fourth-quarter points after he had scored 18 over the first three periods.
Kevin Walker and Davis combined to convert on 7-of-8 foul shots in the final 1:11 to seal the victory as St. Peter’s extracted a measure of revenge from a 90-70 defeat to the Pirates in the semifinals a year ago.
“My kids are tired of hearing about Seton Hall Prep last year,” Kelly said. “I think I reminded them of that game every single day that we were together from that point to this point.”
Up until Whyatt’s 3-pointers, the Marauders’ high-powered offense struggled to get on track against a Seton Hall team which unveiled a zone defense for the first time all season.
Led by that defense and the duo of Gibbs (22 points) and John Caprio (12 points, 14 rebounds), the Pirates went on a 13-0 run early in the second to take a 20-11 lead they would hold on to for the better part of the game.
Trailing by as many as seven points in the second half, St. Peter’s clawed all the way back on a Fluellen free throw to tie at 49-all. The junior swingman followed it up with a jumper at the top of the key to give the Marauders its first lead since the second quarter.
Fluellen had nine points and four rebounds off the bench for St. Peter’s. Roberts led the way with 16 points and six rebounds, highlighted by a jaw-dropping one-handed dunk over a Pirate defender while drawing the foul early in the game. JJ Hladik hit a trio of 3-pointers to finish with 14 points and Walker added 12 points and five assists.
With the victory, the Marauders will face Non-Public, South A champions Camden Catholic for a berth in the Tournament of Champions tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the Ritacco Center in Toms River.
Senior JJ Hladik hit a trio of 3-pointers for the Marauders in a 14-point effort.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Peter's Prep Marauders (25-3) | 11 |
14 |
15 |
24 |
64 |
| Seton Hall Prep Pirates (26-3) | 10 |
17 |
17 |
10 |
54 |
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| Seton Hall Prep: Caprio 14 rebounds; Gibbs 5 rebounds; Fernandez 4 rebounds; Weisz 4 rebounds. St. Peter's Prep: Davis 6 rebounds, 4 assists; Roberts 6 rebounds; Walker 5 assists, 4 rebounds; Fluellen 4 rebounds. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||