CARTERET, NJ- The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders boys varsity basketball team gave it their all, but in the final minutes of the fourth quarter and overtime, they were overpowered by the third-seeded Carteret High School Ramblers and the sixth-seeded Crusaders saw their season come to an end in a 70-55 overtime loss.
Johnson and Carteret found themselves in a physical, back-and-forth battle in the game’s opening eight minutes. Carteret jumped out to a 6-1 lead before Johnson battled back to eventually take a 12-10 lead with 3:48 left in the first quarter. The Crusaders received points from all their starters, including a late basket to take a 16-15 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Johnson and Carteret were both locked into a close game, with the teams tied at 21-21 with 6:10 left in the quarter. There was a two-minute span with no points scored from either team.
Trailing 27-22 with 3:12 left in the second quarter, senior George Visconti scored two technical shots and junior Brenden Kelly tied the game at 27-27.
Visconti gave his team a 30-29 lead with 1:53 left in the quarter. Kelly finished a drive with a huge layup with five seconds left in the quarter, sending Johnson into halftime with a 32-31 lead over Carteret.
As the third quarter started, Johnson increased their lead to 34-31, before Carteret immediately responded with four straight points to take a 35-34 lead with 6:25 left in the quarter. The teams continued trading baskets for the final minutes of the quarter, before Visconti responded with two straight three-pointers to give Johnson a 45-41 lead after three quarters of play.
With the Crusaders leading 53-47 with 5:18 left in the fourth quarter, the game became more physical, with the shots falling in a scattered manner, but it would be the start of the rally for Carteret. A dunk from freshman Malik Austin, a basket from junior Jahlil Nix and two free throws from junior Zamar Blake tied the game with 18 seconds left.
Johnson couldn’t get a shot off in the final seconds and the game went to overtime. The Ramblers scored the first five points of the extra session, before Johnson junior Brandon Hund cut the lead to 58-55 with two free throws, but that would be as close as Johnson got.
The Ramblers closed out the game on a 12-0 run to seal the deal on the Crusaders and advance in the state tournament.
“It hurts. We didn’t finish the right way,” Johnson head coach Dave Kennedy said. “You’ve got to play 32 minutes and we left a crack open and they stepped through it. That’s competition.”
Full Coverage of Johnson Crusaders NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 2 Quarterfinals at Carteret HS Here
