Bucs getting ready for state tournament game

The Belleville Bucs will admit they had loftier expectations for this season. But as the season winds down, the Belleville boy’s basketball team has been able to check off two of three goals from its to-do list.

Earlier this season, the Bucs competed in the Essex County Tournament. Now, they are preparing for a state tournament game.

“I’m excited. I’m very happy,” said head coach Ted Sochaski, looking ahead to a first-round game against Newark East Side. “I told the kids that this was one of our goals at the beginning of the year. It’s going to be a great experience, especially for the kids coming back next year.”

Traditionally teams needed to win at least half of their games by a specific cutoff date to qualify for the NJSIAA postseason. However, a rule change implemented last season now allows the NJSIAA to expand each sectional bracket to either eight or 16 teams. If the number of teams with a winning record is less than that, other teams can be added to round out the field.

So the Bucs (7-15) find themselves in the playoffs for the first time in Sochaski’s four seasons as their head coach. They are the 15th seed in a field of 16 teams and will face second-seeded East Side in Newark at 4 p.m. on March 1. East Side (16-6) is currently ranked fourth in Essex County.

Sochaski looks at the experience as a chance to play on a bigger stage against a top-notch opponent. He hopes the experience will pay off in the future. He had similar intentions earlier this season when he took his Bucs to the county tournament for the first time in his tenure. Belleville, seeded 25th, played well in the opening minutes of the preliminary round game, but was eventually overpowered by eighth-seeded Orange, 70-33.

The Bucs are coming off Friday’s 67-53 victory over Christ the King. Tommy Rosario had a big performance for the Bucs, leading the way with 23 points and 18 rebounds. Luigi Zanoria finished with 17 points, including 10 in the first quarter as the Bucs jumped out to a 20-3 advantage. Kamal Miller added nine points.

On Thursday night, the Bucs fell to the West Essex Knights, 53-49. Playing without two of their regular starters – Keith Everett is out with an injury and Julian Rodriguez was out with an illness – the Bucs jumped out to a 21-15 lead after the first quarter and nearly spoiled West Essex’s senior night.

West Essex outscored visiting Belleville, 14-4, in the second quarter – holding the Bucs to four free throws in the stanza – and took a 29-25 advantage into the locker room at halftime. But the Bucs battled back, using a three-pointer by Miller and a pair of free throws by Rosario to knot the score at 38-38 at the end of the third quarter.

West Essex (7-12) opened a six-point lead with about three minutes left to play, but the Bucs again rallied and trailed by only one point after Rosario’s bucket with 24 seconds left. However, the Knights hit three of four free throws in the final 20 seconds to seal the win.

After the game, Sochaski praised his team for playing with such passion despite playing with a shortened roster.

Miller and Rosario led the Bucs with 16 points apiece. Rosario also had nine rebounds. Daryl Scales had seven points and 11 rebounds.