Hasbrouck Heights boys basketball team will go through some growing pains, at least in the first part of the 2011-12 season.
That was the case on Thursday when the Aviators held a lead for most of the first three-quarters before Saddle Brook would get hot behind the three-point arc and the young Heights team would go cold.
Heights would fall 54-48 as the Falcons outscored them 14-2 in the fourth quarter after the Aviators took a 46-40 lead after three quarters while also leading at one time by 11.
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The 11-12 team only has one senior on the roster in power forward Mike Pasqualone (6-2) who averaged five points and six rebounds a game last season.
“It’s good for the future, but I’m not focusing on that,” said Heights head coach Mike Cebula who believes his team will do better than the 8-17 record of the 2010-11 team. “I thought we played the way we wanted to for three quarters (against Saddle Brook).”
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It will be Pasqualone and four other inside players who will be the difference on the success for this season for the Aviators. “We have to get more from the post players,” said Cebula.
From last season’s team Heights lost its two top players and big men in terms of height and inside play - both senior center Boris Plakalovic (6-feet-6-inches) and senior senior guard Varun Shivkumar (6-2) graduated in June.
Along with Pasqualone, Heights head coach Mike Cebula is looking for contributions in the post area by the likes of junior center Brandon Lomuti (6-feet), who saw some time on the varsity last season, along with junior center Ray Espinosa (6-2) and a pair of sophomores in center Justin Porzl (6-3) and Pat Dowd (6-feet).
Despite dropping the first two out of three games, Cebula believes his team will be far above .500 this season and will need an at-large bid to the state playoffs like last season.
Part of that is the improvement and return of two players from last season in the back court in sophomore point guard Mike Schroback (5-8) and junior guard Joe Crabbe. Schroback averaged six points and six assists a game as freshmen while Crabbe scored seven points.
So far Crabbe has led the team in scoring and had 22 points against Saddle Brook. “He’s much better and lot more aggressive to the basket,” said Cebula about Crabbe. About Schroback, he said, “He’s definitely been shooting the ball better and he’s put some weight on while lifting in the offseason.”
In addition Cebula and the Aviators have a transfer in junior guard Gabe Toledo (5-10). “He’s very good defensively and can hit the open jumper,” said Cebula about Toledo who transferred from Bergen Tech.
The Heights head coach said that he could go 10 or more in the rotation depending on the game that will also include experience from last season in junior shooting guard Allen Ernst (5-7), who averaged six points per game last season along with junior forward Tom Hughes (5-10).
In terms of the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference Meadowlands B division, Wood-Ridge is by far the favorite bringing back most of the players from last season’s division winner and also a team that won the Group 1 North 1 state title.
But the Aviators can be competitive with all the teams within the division.
Girls basketball
The Hasbrouck Heights girls hoops team made two wins in the first three games of the season before the holiday tournament.
The Lady Aviators traveled to Saddle Brook and came home with a 44-33 victory over the Lady Falcons in a NJIC Meadowlands B division battle.
Down by three at halftime, 19-16, Heights played a great second half and took away the win.
Daniella Castellanos led the way for the Lady Aviators again, this time with 16 points as nine Heights players scored in the contest. Carolyn Clites and Nicolle Callen added five points each.
Wrestling
A young, inexperienced Heights wrestling team lost its two matches the last week, falling to Hackensack, 44-26, on Friday at Hackensack and was nipped by Rutherford, 35-33, on the road on Wednesday and dropping to 1-2 on the season.
The Aviators held a lead for part of the match with the Bulldogs but Rutherford pulled off major decisions in the last two bouts.
Against the Bulldogs Alec Claudio (152), Ryan Paladino (170), Mauro Altamura (195), Kevin Torres (285), Marc Mastropietro (113), Matthew Danz (120) and Matthew Innis (126) gained victories. Torres pulled off the lone pin in the NJIC match.
Against Hackensack, Edward Cox (145), Alex Hodulik (170), Altamura (182), Torres (285), Mastropietro (113) and Danz (120) took home victories in the independent match.
Girls swimming
The Hasbrouck Heights girls swim team made 3-0 after nipping Secaucus on Tuesday in an area battle in the pool.
The Lady Aviators came from behind to defeat the Lady Patriots by winning the last two events led by captain Raquel Cannarozzi. Cannarozzi took the 100 breast stroke with a time of 1:28.61. And then led by Cannarozzi and Alexis Diaz collected first in the 400 free relay with a time of 4:20.29. In addition Diaz won the 200 free and Kim Sembrano took home first in the 100 butterfly. The Aviators also grabbed the top spot against Secaucus in the 200 medley relay and the 200 free relay.
Hasbrouck Heights 2011-12 boys basketball schedule
(Games at 7 p.m. unless noted)
Dec. 27 -New Milford, at New Milford Holiday Invitational, 5 p.m.
Dec. 28 - at New Milford Holiday Invitational, TBA
Jan. 5 - St. Mary
Jan. 10 - at Wallington
Jan. 12 - at Wood-Ridge
Jan. 13 - Secaucus
Jan. 17 - at Pascack Hills
Jan. 19 - North Arlington
Jan. 20 - at Queen of Peace
Jan. 24 - Becton
Jan. 26 - at Harrison
Jan. 27 - Glen Rock
Jan. 31 - Lyndhurst
Feb. 2 - Weehawken
Feb. 10 - at Saddle Brook
Feb. 14 - at Hawthorne
Feb. 17 - at St. Mary
Feb. 18 - at Dumont
Feb. 21 - Wallington
Feb. 24 - Wood-Ridge