Cutters' State Playoff Hopes Dashed By Slow Start

LIVINGSTON – With his Fair Lawn team playing in the state playoffs for the first time in six years, head coach Rich Micallef knew the Cutters were likely to encounter some early jitters.

But Micallef and the Cutters could not have expected the start they encountered.

Fair Lawn was stung for 14-straight points to start the game, creating a hole too large to overcome as the Cutters fell 58-47 to Livingston Tuesday night in the first round of the NJSIAA North 1, Group 4 playoffs.

“We kind of knew that we’d have nerves,” Micallef said. “I said 'Don’t worry if it goes 8-0 one way or 8-0 the other way, it doesn’t really matter. It’s how you come back and settle in.' But they just kept jumping on us.”

No. 2 seed Livingston (21-3) opened the scoring with a put-back from Alex Kalmus. The 15th-seeded Cutters (9-18) then found themselves on the wrong end of a shooting barrage from the Lancers’ Marc Schofel. The Livingston senior fired four straight 3-pointers in a span of less than two minutes. The last of these threes, a strike from Schofel on the wing, made it 14-0 with 4:28 left in the first quarter.

“We knew he was their 3-point shooter,” Micallef said. “We just didn’t match with him right away. We made mental mistakes and I think it was nerves. We tried to adjust and I think we did, but it was already 14-2 by then.”

The Cutters cut the deficit to eight after a basket from Christopher Moseley to make it 30-22 early in the third, but Livingston responded with a 12-2 run that featured Schofel's sixth 3-pointer. The hot-shot senior finished with a game-high 22 points.

Fair Lawn got the deficit within nine in the fourth quarter on an old-fashioned three-point play from Ensuncho with 1:36 left, but never got close enough to seriously challenge Livingston, which ultimately won by 11.

Tuesday night's game marked a disappointing end for . The dynamic guard, who entered the game averaging 18.7 points per game, was limited to just eight as the Livingston zone defense made getting the ball to Ortiz a challenging proposition.

“They denied Josh on the first pass,” Micallef said. “They did a hell of a job of smothering him.

“He’s been terrific for us all year and I don’t want him to think about this game as the one he goes out with. It’s all he’s done all season for us that makes him special.”

Junior Dan Licamara hit a trio of 3-pointers to finish with a team-high 14 points for the Cutters. Moseley, a sophomore, scored 12 points (all in the second half) and had six blocks. Ensuncho, a junior, added five points, nine rebounds and six assists.

“The experience of playing in the state tournament, something they haven’t been to in six years, is invaluable to the younger guys,” Micallef said. “We’re going to come back and we’re going to be better. I want to make it back here again.

“I’m real proud of the boys. I really am," he continued. "They laid it out on the line. Tonight was just not our night.”

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Fair Lawn (9-18)         7  13  8  19     47

Livingston (21-3)        19 11 14 14     58

Fair Lawn: Carlos Rodriguez 0-2-0-6; Josh Ortiz 2-1-1-8; Winston Ensuncho 1-0-3-5; Jeff Welsh 0-0-0-0; Adam Hebel 0-0-0-0; Christopher Moseley 6-0-0-12; Dan Licamara 1-3-3-14; Pete Danko 0-0-0-0; Edis Mahalbasic 1-0-0-2; Alec Maschel 0-0-0-0. Total: 11-6-7-47.

Livingston: Dan Chasin 1-0-0-2; Marc Schofel 0-6-4-22; Sam Abam 3-0-5-11; Alex Haberman 1-0-0-2; Alex Kalmus 3-0-1-7; Joey Fischer 2-0-1-5; Justin Tepper 0-0-0-0; Robby Lefkowitz 2-1-0-7; Zach Pican 1-0-0-2. Total: 13-7-11-58.

Fair Lawn: Ensuncho 9 rebounds, 5 assists; Ortiz 7 rebounds; Hebel 6 rebounds; Moseley 6 blocks, 5 rebounds; Welsh 4 rebounds. Livingston: Kalmus 14 rebounds; Fischer 7 rebounds; Schofel 6 rebounds; Abam 5 assists; Lefkowitz 4 assists.