Mahon Powers Ridge Upset of Roselle Catholic

The boys basketball team, led by Dillion Mahon's 16 points, upended Roselle Catholic 48-43 Friday night in the Len Sepanak Holiday Tournament championship game at home.

IN SHORT

Ridge took the lead at 3-2 and never looked back against Roselle Catholic, ranked No. 8 in the state by The Star-Ledger. The 6-foot-7 Jameel Warney led Roselle Catholic's comeback, scoring 18 points, 12 of which were in the third quarter when the Red Devils' lead shrunk to 43-40 heading into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter was a defensive masterpiece by both teams with only one basket scored from the floor, a 3-pointer by Roselle Catholic's Steve Bush, the team's only points of the period, with 15 seconds to go.  Ridge scored five points in the period, all free throws, to take the game 48-43.

DEVIL OF THE GAME

Dillion Mahon—Mahon scored 16 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead the Ridge scorers.  Dillion pulled down two key defensive rebounds in the waning minutes of the game, stopping Roselle Catholic. Mahon was named the tournament's MVP.

KEY DEVIL PERFORMANCES

Matt Gerrity—Gerrity scored seven points on the night, but his real impact was working on Jameel Warney; Dylan Kerwin—Kerwin scored 13 points in the game, including two free throws in the fourth quarter; Jack Kerwin—Had 12 points in the game and went 2-for-3 in the fourth period from the free-throw line.

COACH'S TAKE

"That practice after (losing to) Bridgewater, we looked a lot more comfortable.  We just looked so comfortable running the offense against Bishop Arh, against Bridgewater and Watchung Hills we looked so slow. Our feet looked slow because we were overthinking. So we've settled in nicely, you get a couple of wins, you build on that. This was a big win over a N.J.-ranked team.  This was the first game where we shot the ball well for the entire game."—Ridge head coach Brian Feath

THEY SAID IT

"Our defense on Jameel (Warney) was one of the keys in the game. Coach emphasises 'D' all the time, to work hard and to practice, and it pays off in the end."—Dillon Mahon

Up Next—Immaculata at Ridge on Tuesday, 7 p.m.