Meister's 20 Lead Madison Boys Basketball to Holiday Tournament Win

SUMMIT – The perfect start turned out to be just barely good enough for the Madison High School boys basketball team Monday night.

Madison raced out to a 23-point third-quarter lead, and withstood a furious rally to top Montclair Kimberley Academy, 63-55, in the opening round of the Oratory Prep Holiday Classic.

Jake Meister scored 20 points to lead the Dodgers, who will play host Oratory for the tournament title at 7 on Wednesday night. Madison won its third straight game to open the 2009-10 season despite not making a single shot from the field in the fourth quarter.

The Dodgers took the initiative with a spectacular first-quarter shooting display – 11-for-13 from the field, led by Meister's 4-for-4 and 11 points.

"As Jake goes this year, so will we," said Madison head coach Bill Librera. "He's our shooter, and he was our leading scorer last year."

Madison couldn't miss, and a solid defensive effort held MKA to just one field goal over the final 6:01 of the quarter in a fast-paced game. The Dodgers ended the period on a 21-3 run, capped off by Matt Gilbert driving the length of the court through traffic, leading to a layup.

"I told the kids before the game, I described them as a 'sleeping giant,' " Librera said. "I thought we awoke at the start tonight."

But with the Dodgers leading 29-7 at the start of the second quarter, MKA drew Madison into a rock fight. The Cougars' 2-2-1 full-court press forced the Dodgers into numerous turnovers and rushed shots.

The tactical move by MKA coach Tony Jones took Madison out of its rhythm – the Dodgers made just 10 total shots after the first quarter. It also turned the game into a physical, foul-plagued battle.

"We always seem to find ourselves in these types of games," Librera said."And we have a tough bunch of players."

MKA closed to within 32-19 late in the second quarter after a layup by Matt Lane. But the Dodgers responded with a 14-4 run, spanning halftime, which seemed to put the game out of reach.

Madison reached its largest lead, 46-23, midway through the third quarter on a pair of Aaron Fant free throws. The junior point guard was the only other Dodger to finish with double-figure points, with 15.

"We think the world of Aaron," Librera said. "We put him in difficult positions and he responds, and the kids respond to him."

From that point on, MKA's press suffocated and frustrated Madison, forcing a dangerous number of turnovers and preventing the Dodgers from executing their halfcourt sets.

"I give Montclair Kimberley a lot of credit," Librera said. "But some of that was our own lack of composure. Their minds were going a lot faster than their bodies."

It was perhaps that lack of composure that allowed MKA to finally narrow Madison's lead to single-digits in the fourth quarter. Stanton Fields scored on a layup to pull the Cougars within 55-45 with 3:41 to play. Madison forward Robbie Savacool was called for a controversial charge on the Dodgers' next possession, and seconds later, MKA's Kieran Powell knocked down a 3 to cut the lead down to seven.

But while the last half of the fourth quarter must have felt like eternity for the Dodgers, time was running short for their opponents.

John Snow, who led the Cougars in scoring with 23 points, made a pretty up-and-under layup to reduce the Madison lead to 56-51 with 1:28 to play. MKA had two chances to make it a one-possession game thanks to two more steals, but Snow and Kevin Clark both missed 3-pointers.

At that point, Madison could wait out the clock and put the game away from the free-throw line, which they did. Meister, Gilbert, Savacool and Fant made seven of eight free throws in the final 39 seconds to provide the final margin.

"We did just enough to win," Librera said. "I wish we could've closed better, but we'll take the win."

The Dodgers will look to capture their second consecutive Oratory Holiday Classic title Wednesday. Oratory knocked off Whippany Park, 65-44, in the late game Monday. Madison also beat Oratory, 75-51, in the tournament final last season.

"It's a nice opportunity to be called a champion, no matter where or when it is," Librera said.

SCORING SUMMARY

Madison (3-0)   29   8  16  10  -  63

MKA (2-1)            7  13  17  18  -  55

INDIVIDUAL SCORING

MAD- Jake Meister 20, Aaron Fant 15, Matt Gilbert 9, Robbie Savacool 8, Matt McHale 7, Eddie McAndrew 2, Mike Haughey 2

MKA- John Snow 23, Kevin Clark 12, Zach Friedman 5, Stanton Fields 4, Seth Bynum 3, Steve Bezer 3, Kieran Powell 3, Matt Lane 2