YELLEN LED IN PTS; MALCOLM RB, AST, BLK, STEALS

Three sophomores, a freshman and a junior produced the majority of the stats for the AL Johnson High School boys basketball team this season. Despite such a young squad and with only one senior getting significant time on the court, the Crusaders poured it on in the second half of the season to finish with a 13-9 record.

For the most part, the Crusaders swapped wins with losses for the first 10 games beginning with a 73-63 setback to the Brearley Bears. Next came a 54-50 win over the Dayton Bulldogs, followed by a 42-38 loss to the New Providence Pioneers. The Crusaders beat Manville, 50-38, and got above .500 with a 44-42 shaving of Metuchen in the opening round of the ALJ Holiday Tournament in late December only to fall to JP Stevens, 53-49, in the second round.

Back came a 62-52 victory over the Roselle Park Panthers but the Crusader boys fell to Bernards, 64-46. Next came a 58-30 thrashing of Wardlaw-Hartridge but their record evened out at 5-5 after losing, 64-38, to a very talented Cranford Cougar squad.

That loss, however, seemed to open their eyes as the Crusaders cruised with a five-game winning streak, beginning with a 59-34 thumping of Koinonia. A tight 44-42 squeaker of the Bridgewater-Raritan Panthers was next then a second win over Dayton, 56-33, followed. The Crusaders got even with New Providence, 70-64, then emphatically beat Roselle Park a second time, 52-29.

After dropping a 55-39 decision to the Governor Livingston Highlanders, the Crusaders shaved the Summit Hilltoppers in overtime, 37-34, in the first round of the Union County Tournament but were outgunned by Westfield, 59-34, in the second round. A 48-28 loss to Point Pleasant Boro was followed with a third-time beating of Brearley, 52-37, then a get-even 5551 win over Governor Livingston. The Crusaders’ season came to an end with a 61-39 setback to Bordentown in the first round of the Central Jersey, Group 2 Tournament.

Sophomore Dean Yellen, Jr. was the go-to guy when it came to scoring. Yellen pumped in 364 points, including a team-leading 41 3-pointers and going 77-for-11 from the charity line. Yellen also finished with 44 rebounds, 26 assists, 18 steals and four blocks. Sophomore Ryan Malcolm led the team with 148 rebounds, 43 assists, 21 steals and 17 blocked shots, to go with 148 points (45-for-62 free throws). Sophomore Luke LaPorta finished with 152 points (2nd on team) and added 79 rebounds, 25 assists, 15 steals and three blocks.

Freshman Brandon Raparelli made his contribution also with 98 points (17 3-pointers, 17-for-24 free throws), 29 rebounds, 24 assists and 19 steals. Junior Jake Brower scored 81 points (6 3-pointers) and added 24 rebounds, 19 assists, a block and 13 steals. Senior Carlos Pina finished with 73 points, 48 rebounds, 13 assists and nine steals. Junior Finn Downey finished with 48 points, 41 rebounds, 10 steals and four assists.

With partial time on the court, sophomore Devin Patterson put up 46 points and added eight rebounds and eight assists. Senior Dillon Cahill finished with 15 points, six rebounds and two steals. Sophomore Adrian Varona had 13 points, four rebounds and an assist. Freshman Kyle Thompson contributed six points, nine rebounds and three assists.

InawinoverNewProvidence,Yellen bucketed 24 points, including trip 3pointers, and Malcolm pulled 10 boards anddishedoutnineassists.Yellenscored 20 points, including two 3-pointers, in a win over Brearley and Pina scored 10 points. In the victory over Governor Livingston,Yellen pumped in 18 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Malcolm posted a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds) and added five assists. The UCT win over Summit had Yellen netting 16 points with a pair of 3pointers and Malcolm grabbing eight rebounds.

All five of the top scorers will return next year plus a number of players who gained adequate experience on the court.