Boys Basketball Team Makes it a Dozen

The Madison High School boys basketball team defeated the Morris Hills Scarlet Knights on Saturday night, 56-45, in a game that looked close until the end of the second quarter.

Madison, a Group II school, has now defeated two teams in larger groups: Group IV Livingston, whom the Dodgers defeated last Saturday, and Group III Morris Hills. With the win, the Dodgers remain perfect this season and improve to 12-0.

"We knew it would be a good game because they are a Group III school," said Aaron Fant, one of Madison's leading scorers in Saturday night's game.

The Dodgers were plagued by fouls early in the game, giving up five points to free throws in the first three minutes of the game, while only scoring two on a Jake Meister lay-up in the same time, giving Morris Hills an early lead.

But the Scarlet Knights would not hold their lead for long, and the Dodgers fought back from a 7-2 deficit with back-to-back three pointers from Robbie Savacool and Mike Haughey. At the end of the first quarter, Madison held the lead 12-11.

Halfway through the second quarter, Morris Hills had regained and held the lead, but Meister hit a shot to tie it up. The teams had looked even up until this point, but the Dodgers quickly turned the game around.

"We knew we couldn't let them get any more offensive rebounds," Meister said.

Fant began to gain control, pulling down a few rebounds, stealing the ball for a breakaway, drawing a couple of fouls, and scoring 11 total points by halftime, the most for either team by this point.

After Fant hit his last lay-up of the half with time running out, the teams went into their locker rooms with the Dodgers leading 30-19. Madison had outscored Morris Hills 18-8 in the second quarter.

"We stepped up our game in the second quarter and played like we knew we could," Savacool said.  

Sophomore Matt Gilbert hit a three pointer for Madison to start the third quarter to bring the Dodgers up 33-19. Gilbert, a starter, sustained an injury later in the quarter and sat out the rest of the game.

Both teams scored nine points in the third quarter, with Gilbert, Meister, and Mike Lambusta of Morris Hills all sinking three-pointers. Going into the fourth, the Dodgers only had to hold onto their 11 point lead to win. The score was 39-28 at the end of the third.

Savacool showed hustle in the fourth quarter, at one point saving the ball from going out of bounds and throwing it far down-court, in one quick motion, to a running Fant, who was fouled on the breakaway lay-up.

"Robbie, that was the best play I've ever seen you make," said Madison head coach Bill Librera as Fant lined up for his free throws.

Fant made seven free throws total in the game, the same as his teammate Meister. Both also scored eight points from the field, tying with 15 points total in the game, the most for either team. Meister also led the team in rebounds, with six.

The Dodgers' next game will be against Mountain Lakes (2-8) at Mountain Lakes High School at 7 p.m.