Congratulations!! You are the Champions!!

The LSU boys won one trophy when they finished in first place with a 10-2 record.  Last night they completed the job and won a second trophy when they beat Marquette 37-20 at the Bragg School in Chester to win the playoff championship trophy.

LSU coasted to victory last night after taking a 13-4 lead at the end of the first quarter.  The lead was extended to 23-8 at halftime and 31-12 after three quarters.  In the fourth quarter, we were able to experiment by starting the fourth quarter with a five man team of all fifth graders, who held their own against the Marquette starters.

The sixth graders finished the game by running out the clock for the most part over the last four minutes of the game.  Will Howes, Walter Rivas and Jesse Milesnick played their final minutes in the fifth and sixth grade division.  Will put the icing on the cake by hitting  a free throw with 1.8 seconds left.

Walter Rivas led all scorers with fifteen points.  Seven of the nine LSU players who played scored points.  The victory was a fitting end to an exciting season.  Congratulations to the LSU players and thank you to the LSU families for your support of the team.

The Hottest Team versus The Best Record

Tonight's matchup between LSU and Marquette features the league's hottest team (Marquette) against the team with the best record (LSU). It also features a contrast in styles between a star-driven offense (Marquette) and a team oriented approach (LSU).

Marquette, 9-4, enters the game with a six game winning streak. They have an average margin of victory of 4.4 points and have scored a total of 426 points in 13 games. Most of those points have been scored by one player. Indeed, Marquette's star player scored 56 of the 67 points that Marquette scored against LSU in the two head-to-head matchups.

LSU, 11-2, enters the game with a four game streak, but that is not our longest winning streak. Between the only two losses of the year, we won seven straight games. Our average margin of victory is 8.7 points and we have scored a total of 479 points in 13 games. LSU boasts two players who average scoring in double figures, and a third who has broken into double figures three times this year. Our current winning streak is the product of full participation by all ten players in both the offense and the defense. Everyone on the team is capable of scoring at any time. Everyone on the team has the confidence to take andmake a good shot.

Game time is 6:30 PM at the Bragg School. Please arrive by 6:10 for pre-game warmups.

Marquette Wins Semi-Final Game in OT

Marquette beat Texas 38-35 in overtime to earn the right to play top-ranked LSU i,n the finals.  LSU beat Marquette handily - by eleven points - in the first matchup.  Marquette got its revenge in the re-match by beating LSU by four points in an ugly contest marred by too many referee whistles.  Marquette, 9-4, relies on one scorer, who scores three-quarters of the team's points.  LSU, 11-2, relies on all ten players.  Indeed, nine of the ten players scored in LSU's impressive semi-finals triumph over Notre Dame.

Nine LSU players score 40 St. Patty's Day Points!

Dateline Chester.  Black River Middle School.  Chester League 5th and 6th Grade Boys Semi-Finals.  Final Score:  LSU 40, Notre Dame 31.  So much for the luck of the Fighting Irish!

Luck wasn't enough when nine LSU players scored points.  With Will Howes defended by four players at most times, the other players stepped up.  Jake Wagner netted a season-high six points to supplement several steals and rebounds for his best game to date.

It wasn't easy in the beginning as Notre Dame came out prepared.  Their offense hit on all cylinders, and their quadruple team of Will Howes put gave them a 9-4 early lead.  Then came the "Posse Plus" who reeled off six straight points to give LSU a 10-9 advantage at the end of the first stanza.

After a tight second period, the score was tied at fifteen.  Then Notre Dame flew right into the heart of the Bermuda Triangle.  The Bermuda Triangle defense stopped the Notre Dame attack, and propelled LSU to a 14-5 third quarter advantage, and a daunting nine point lead.

The passing and team play continued through the fourth quarter.  Notre Dame just couldn't breath through.  "They played like champions tonight," said Borough Council Candidate Kathy Howes, who was in attendance, "they played like a team."

Star Notre Dame Center Andrew Martin led all scorers with nineteen points.  LSU point forward Walter Rivas led the Bayou Bengals with eleven.

Murphy LaFerle to Bring Luck of the Irish - and defense - on St. Patty's Day

It may not have dawned on LSU fans yet, but we are playing Notre Dame - "The Fighting Irish" - on St. Patrick's Day this Tuesday.  That might seem to indicate that the Luck of the Irish would be against LSU.  But it only seems that way.

LSU has a better connection to the real-life Fighting Irish than anyone on the Notre Dame Boys Basketball Team.  And that lucky charm is none other than Murphy LaFerle.  Murphy's mom comes from a big Notre Dame family.  Indeed, Murphy's grandfather was the voice of Notre Dame football for many years.  With a strong Notre Dame Fighting Irish pedigree, the name Murphy was no accident.

But Murphy does more than just bring the luck of the Irish to LSU.  Much more.

Murphy has emerged as a one of the strongest defenders on the team, if not the entire league.  He has developed a knack of stealing the ball from the other team's offense.  Somehow he knows how to anticipate a pass and to intercept it.  Murphy uses his strength and speed to pull down rebounds and get into the right place at the right time.  

Murphy is one of the Fabulous Fifth Graders and one of LSU's unsung heroes.  Odds are that Murphy will make a play on St. Patrick's Day that will put LSU over the top against Notre Dame.

LSU to Face Notre Dame in Semi-Finals

Notre Dame vanquished Villanova 27-24 today in Chester to set up a rematch with LSU this Tuesday in Chester.  Notre Dame now sports a 7-6 record.  LSU is 10-2.  

The cross-town rivals have played three regular season games and one pre-season scrimmage.   The scrimmage ended in a tie.  Notre Dame won the season opener by two points.  LSU has won the last two matchups by five- and nine-point margins.

The winner will advance to the finals against the winner of the Tuesday semi-final game between Texas and Marquette.

Town Team Final Update

Several of the LSU players played on the Peapack-Gladstone Town Team in the Recreation Intertown Basketball League ("RIB"). The RIB is run by the Somerville Recreation Department. During the eight game season, the Peapack-Gladstone team played teams from Somerville, Readington, Bound Brook, Manville, Bedminster and Bernardsville.

Despite the fact that all seven of those towns are much larger than Peapack-Gladstone, the P-G team compiled a winning record, winning five and losing three. We beat Bound Brook, Manville, Readington, Bedminster and Somerville. We lost to Bernardsville and twice to Middlesex.

Participation in the RIB league gave the boys a chance to play against some better competition. For most of them it was their first step into the world of "travel" basketball. Congratulations to all of them on their success.