Perfect 4th Quarter Saves Madison Boys Basketball's Perfect Start

LIVINGSTON – Last year, the Madison High School boys basketball team qualified for the NJSIAA state tournament on the last possible day, needing a dramatic victory over rival Delbarton to clinch a .500 record.

This year, the Dodgers clinched a playoff berth on the earliest possible date, but they did it in similarly exciting fashion. Madison scored the game's final 18 points and shut out Livingston in the fourth quarter to escape, 45-40, in non-conference action Saturday at Livingston High School.

"I kept telling the kids, we're not interested in the scoreboard," said Madison head coach Bill Librera. "We just need to play well and the score will take care of itself. And today it did."

Livingston led by as many as 13, after Corey Eisen knocked down a 3 with five seconds remaining in the third quarter. His shot came at the end of a quarter in which almost everything had gone wrong for the Dodgers (9-0).

Madison's leading scorer this season, Jake Meister, sat on the bench in foul trouble. Livingston's Eisen and Dan Abrahams sank their share of shots. Madison turned the ball over and missed layups. After trailing 23-21 late in the second quarter, the Lancers (4-4) outscored Madison 19-4 and appeared well on their way to an upset victory.

But it was not to be. Eisen's 3 would be Livingston's final points of the day.

Mike Haughey and Rob Savacool, who tied for the game-high in points with 12, both came up with a pair of big fourth-quarter shots and Madison tightened up on defense. At the very moment Madison needed the perfect quarter to remain unbeaten, the Dodgers got it.

"Our defense bought us some time," Librera said. "We were getting defensive stops, and when you can do that and stop a team in winning time, that's a good position to be in."

Haughey kicked off the comeback when he hit an off-balance 15-footer as time expired in the third quarter. His old-fashioned 3-point play 21 seconds into the fourth quarter cut Livingston's lead to 40-32.

According to forward Matt McHale, that was the moment the Dodgers felt they could come back and win.

"When Mike got the and-one, we knew we could get back in it," McHale said. "And we really picked up the intensity on the defensive end."

Meister, playing with four fouls, made his second field goal two minutes later, dribbling through a double-team and converting a runner from seven feet away.

After the teams traded turnovers, Savacool (4-for-4 from the field, 3-for-3 from the free-throw line) made it a one-possession game with a 3-pointer in the corner.

With Livingston's offense completely out of rhythm, they had no way to match Madison's run.

"We got tight offensively," said Livingston coach Dave Cohen. "We turned the ball over, we missed shots. But we're a young team, and you have to make young mistakes in order to learn."

Haughey banked in a seven-foot jumper with 3:28 to play, reducing Livingston's lead to 40-39. The Lancers had a golden opportunity to break Madison's momentum with 2:50 left, but Matt Fung's layup bounced out, and Matt McHale came up with the ball after a scramble.

Savacool gave Madison its first lead since the 1:18 mark of the second quarter, 41-40, on the Dodgers' next possession, driving to the hoop and making a short hook shot with 2:30 remaining.

"Everyone was dead quiet," Savacool said. "After I shot it it was like the ball was in slow motion. And then when it went in, you hear everyone screaming. It was sick."

Madison's defense held firm over the final 150 seconds, forcing a turnover and a missed 3-pointer. McHale gave the Dodgers a bit of breathing room with a layup, and then a pair of Savacool free throws with 25 seconds left sealed Madison's improbable comeback.

"We felt like maybe they were getting a bit tired late," Savacool said. "They were getting up on us on defense in the first half, in the third quarter. But towards the end of the game we started getting open a little easier."

With the win, Madison clinched at least a .500 record on the state tournament cutoff date, Feb. 6. But Librera said that this was just the first step he expected his team to take.

"Last year we were one-and-done in the playoffs," Librera said. "This year we think we should be able to play into March."

Madison appeared to take control of the game in the second quarter, rebounding from an 18-14 deficit to score the next seven points. But Livingston ended the half on a 7-2 run, keyed by five points from Sam Abam, the Lancers' leading scorer on the day (11 points).

In the third quarter, the Lancers appeared ready to deliver a knockout blow, reaching a double-digit lead, 33-23, after an Abrahams layup with 3:38 left. Madison committed a good number of their 14 turnovers during the first half of the third quarter, and they managed just one shot from the field in that time.

Savacool made a putback to pull Madison with 34-27 with 1:49 left, but Eisen hit a pair of 3-pointers against the Dodgers' trapping zone defense.

"We finally found a defense that worked in the fourth quarter," Librera said. "In the fourth quarter, we were searching for something to give us a lift, but we found out what we already knew: we're a tough, resilient team that loves to play."

UP NEXT

Madison will look to equal its best start in recent memory - the 10-0 season-opening run by the 2005-06 Dodgers - when it hosts Newark Arts Wednesday at 4 p.m. The Jaguars are currently 0-9, having lost four straight games against fellow Super Essex Conference opponents by double-digits.

SCORING SUMMARY
Madison       14  9    6  16  -  45
Livingston   18  7  15    0  -  40

INDIVIDUAL SCORING
MAD- Mike Haughey 12, Rob Savacool 12, Matt McHale 11, Aaron Fant 4, Jake Meister 4,
LIV- Sam Abam 11, Fung 7, White 7, Abrahams 6, Eisen 6, Cabildo 3

NOTABLES
Rebounds: McHale 8, Meister 7
Steals: McHale 4
Assists: McHale 4, Fant 4