BRICK, NJ- In an added game to the schedule for preparation for the state tournament, the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders took to the court down the Jersey Shore, taking on the Brick Township High School Green Dragons. In a game which featured two major deficits being overcome, the Crusaders strung together a streak of timely baskets and defensive stops in a physical battle to come through for the 56-50 win Wednesday night in Brick.
After falling behind by a score of 11-0, the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders boys varsity basketball team found themselves in a bind of sorts, needing a quick and hot turnaround to have a chance at winning the game. The Crusaders called a timeout to settle everything down and begin a comeback trail.
Johnson struggled to look for shots and Brick Township immediately went right to work on offense. Senior Kyle Sullivan drained back-to-back three pointers to make the score 6-0 Brick Township. Junior Shane Williams connected on a basket and junior Jaden Jackson drained a three-pointer, making the score 11-0 before a timeout was called by Johnson.
“We did fall behind early and Coach [Kennedy] took a timeout,” Johnson senior George Visconti said. “We had to turn things around and then we got into our groove and then we fought back.”
The offensive run that followed the timeout appeared to reflect what Johnson has been able to do whenever faced with a deficit. Visconti got his team on the board and was fouled. He would complete the three-point play to cut the deficit down to 11-3. Following another three-pointer, the Crusaders would make their early move to get back in the game.
While they needed to get the offense going, their defense was going to have to come up huge if they wanted a chance on both ends to get back in the game.
“Playing defense, five guys as one [was important],” Johnson junior Brandon Hund said. “In the first quarter, we needed a bounceback from that and play as a defensive team.”
Junior Brandon Hund scored a basket, Visconti drained a three-point shot and senior Jeff Drajin brought Johnson within 14-10, trailing 16-10 after the first quarter, with the Crusaders determined to carry the momentum into the next quarter. Hund ignited the offense with a huge three-point shot with five minutes remaining in the second quarter, bringing the Brick Township lead down to 17-15.
Drajin continued the Crusaders’ hot offensive streak with a three-point play to give Johnson their first lead of the night, at 18-17 with 4:34 left in the second quarter. Hund and Visconti combined for seven of Johnson’s last nine points of the quarter, taking a 27-21 lead into halftime.
In total, Johnson outscored Brick Township 27-10 after being shut out for the first few minutes of the game.
The Crusaders’ slim lead stayed at six points throughout the duration of the third quarter, but the shots kept going in at the key times to maintain the lead. Hund and Visconti connected for the key shots needed to maintain the lead.
Johnson had responses for every Brick Township shot, which would prove to be crucial with the final two and a half minutes of the quarter. Johnson built a nine-point lead after junior Brenden Kelly drained a three-point shot and was fouled.
Brick Township stormed back on a 9-0 scoring run to make the game a close one. Jackson scored seven of those nine points, including a three-point shot and Williams scored a basket to send the game into the fourth quarter in a 36-36 tie. Despite the lead now gone, Johnson knew it was time to play hard in the fourth quarter and make the plays necessary to lead them to a win.
After the Green Dragons took a 38-36 lead, the Crusaders got into the fighting mode and would fight back. Hund tied the game at 38-38. Visconti drained a long three-point shot to give Johnson a 41-40 lead with 6:03 left in the fourth quarter. Right out of a Johnson timeout, Visconti scored again to give his team a 43-40 lead.
Williams tied the game at 43-43 with 4:37 in the fourth quarter. This was where Johnson would string together a group of timely baskets to wrap control around the game.
“We had to take the best run and once we took the best run, we’re going to be smooth-sailing from there,” Johnson senior Joe DiProfio said. “Also, [we had] to stay calm and collected and we were able to bounce back, take their run and the win the game all together.”
The Crusaders would embark on the stretch that ultimately allowed them to come through with the victory.
Johnson went on a 6-0 scoring run to give them a decent lead. After a minute and a half of no scoring, Visconti gave Johnson a 45-43 lead with 1:55 left in the fourth quarter. Kelly followed after a huge defensive stop by the Crusaders with another basket and they called a timeout with 1:53 left in the fourth quarter.
“The fourth quarter was all sharing the ball,” Hund said of his team’s momentum in the fourth quarter.
A notable sight, Brick Township was playing in a physical manner and gave Johnson a good push on the rebounding, defending and every step of the way to the basket. The Crusaders knew they were going to have to withstand it to be able to finish out the game.
“When you play a good team, you got to expect things are going to happen,” Johnson head coach Dave Kennedy said. “You’ll adjust to the style of play, it’s that time of year. It was a great test for us and I’m sure it was a good test for [Brick Township]. I’m happy with how it turned out.”
Brick Township would not go away quietly and following a turnover, a huge three-pointer cut the lead down to 49-46 with 55 seconds left. Hund drove coast-to-coast and finished with a huge shot that gave Johnson a 51-46 lead with 44 seconds left. After a missed Brick Township shot, Hund was fouled right away and drained two free throws, increasing the lead to 53-46 with 18 seconds left.
DiProfio and Hund connected for a combined three free throws as Johnson closed the door and secured a win in their first game in over a week.
Visconti finished with 22 points, while Hund finished with 21 points, a bounceback performance and season-high for the junior. He spoke of the team’s fourth quarter, as Brick Township continued to make runs to get back in the game.
“The fourth quarter really helped us because we were getting good looks,” Hund said. “We were getting to the hole better, so we were getting foul shots to score more points.”
The Johnson Crusaders (15-7) are back in action when they head back out on the road and play at Pequannock HS on Friday, February 23 at 7:00 p.m.
The Brick Township Dragons (14-8) are back in action when they travel and play at West Windsor-Plainsboro HS North in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 3 First Round on Monday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m.
