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Prime Time Shootout (NJ) Opening Night

The RAC (Rutgers University Campus)-You couldn’t ask for more from an evening of high school basketball than we got on opening night of the Prime Time Shootout.  In the first game, St. Anthony’s lived up to their ranking as the nation’s top team by blowing out John Carroll and in the second, Oak Hill Academy backed up their hype by thumping Piscataway.  The game everyone was looking forward to, however, was the matchup between New Jersey rivals St. Benedict’s and St. Patrick’s-- a game that went down to the wire.   

St. Anthony’s, NJ- 71
John Carroll, MD- 33

St. Anthony’s, playing without top 10 junior Dominic Cheek, lived up to their status as the nation’s top ranked high school team (USA Today) as they blew out John Carroll in the night’s opening game. 

The Friars jumped out to a 19-0 lead to start the contest and extended their lead to 34 by halftime at 50-16. 

6’3 senior Mike Rosario, playing on his future home court, didn’t score until five minutes into the first quarter, but finished the first half with 24 points (single handedly outscoring John Carroll, 24-16).

The second half was much of the same as Rosario came out and scored a quick eight points to help St. Anthony’s  build upon their lead.  By the end of the third quarter he checked out of the game for the final time (with 32 points, four rebounds and two steals) and the Friars had an insurmountable lead at 63-23. 

The final score was St. Anthony’s 71, John Carroll 33.

John Carroll’s star player, 6’7 junior Isaiah Philmore, was held to just six points and five rebounds.

Oak Hill Academy, VA- 81
Piscataway, NJ- 39

Behind spectacular play from Arizona-bound point guard Brandon Jennings, the nation’s top-ranked senior, Oak Hill scored 34 first quarter points to assume control of the game and never looked back as they went on to beat Piscataway, 81 to 39.

Jennings scored 35 points from 12-23 shooting and dished out four assists to go along with three steals and three turnovers for the game.  His teammate with the same last name, Danny Jennings, a 6’8 senior, chipped in with 13 points and six rebounds and was a perfect 6-6 from the field with four dunks. 

6’6 senior John Griggs and 6’3 junior Aaron Hush combined for 19 points for Piscataway. 

St. Patrick’s junior point guard, Dexter Strickland (a UNC recruit), didn’t play in the first quarter but his team still managed a 14-13 lead at the end of the period behind hot shooting from 6’6 junior Paris Bennett.

When Strickland finally did check into the game he wasted no time making his presence felt by knocking down a handful of shots, but St. Benedict’s frontline of 6’9 senior Samardo Samuels (a Louisville recruit) and 6’8 junior Greg Echenique were beginning to heat up as well and they helped their team to a two point lead (28-26) at the break.

St. Benedict’s continued to dominate the paint in the second half and by early in the fourth quarter they had extended their lead to 10 points at 48-38. 

But St. Patrick’s would not give up.  Just as quickly as the St. Benedict‘s lead reached double-digits, it was back down to seven when Strickland hit a three. 

Most of the crowd began to exit the building when St. Benedict’s took an eight point lead at 64-56 with under a minute remaining but Strickland once again brought his team back by scoring six straight points to make it a one-possession game with 30 seconds left.

That would be as close as St. Patrick’s would get, though, as St. Benedict’s hit their free throws down the stretch and Strickland couldn’t free himself to get the ball on his team’s final possessions.

The final score was St. Benedict’s 68, St. Patrick’s 62.

Samardo Samuels led the winners with 30 points (10-15fg) and seven rebounds while Echenique chipped in with 12 points and 10 boards.