Varsity Boys Fall To Rival St. Mary's

Hoboken High School battled against league rival St. Mary's High School of Jersey City, but was never able to overcome a dismal first quarter. The Varsity boys' team sits at 8-8 after the 71-58 loss. They will have to win one of their next two games, home on verse Hudson Catholic and North Bergen on Thursday and Friday nights, in order to qualify for the state tournament. Thursday is their best shot, as the North Bergen squad dominated the teams' first meeting this season.

St. Mary's built a 25-9 lead in the first quarter. Junior Isaiah Miles, a Hoboken resident, led the Ramblers with 10 points.

"This is a very small gym, and the size is very intimidating," Coach Buddy Matthews said. "Only one of our guys played here last year, and that explains our slow start. But it doesn't explain the more than thirty turnovers in the rest of the game."

But the visiting Redwings came alive in the second quarter, slowing the pace enough to rally to within seven as the halftime buzzer sounded. Luis Santiago hit for two with less than thirty seconds to go, narrowing the St. Mary's lead to eight. With just three seconds left, senior Eddie Canary flew through the air, with an impressive dunk attempt. He missed, but was fouled on his way to the rim. He hit one of two free throws, leaving the halftime score at 35-28.

"I like the fight we had to get within seven," Matthews said, "but we didn't play well enough in the third and fourth. We were very tentative with the ball and didn't play with enough energy."

Hoboken narrowed the lead further as the second half started, but St. Mary's Miguel Aviles halted the rally, knocking down a three with his toes on the line. In the final minutes of the third quarter, Rambler point guard Francua Garcia forced steals throughout the day, but seemed to steal the ball on every possession late in the third. Miles hit a high, arcing three to build a 51-39 lead. After a bevy of turnovers and fouls in the fourth, the Ramblers came out on top, 71-58.

Three St. Mary's players scored in double digits, including Miles, with 21. The high scorer in the game was Hoboken senior Eddie Canary, with 26. Coming into the game, Canary was averaging 19.6 points per game, over the first 15 games.

"This was a typical Hoboken-St. Mary's game," said Tom Lalicato, St. Mary's coach .

"Once Hoboken came out man-to-man in the second quarter, it changed the game," Lalicato said. "They applied good pressure, and we had to respond. We didn't in the second, but in the third and fourth we did."

St. Mary's improves to 10-8.