New Look Chiefs Fall to Butler in Opener

Over the last eight years the Hopatcong boys basketball team played its games with a Tobin on the floor. A new era in Chiefs basketball began on Friday and not surprisingly, it’s going to take a little while for Hopatcong to get used to a Tobin-less team.

Senior guard James Spadaccini scored 19 points to lift Butler to a 60-51 victory in the non-division opener for both teams, while senior forward Hunter Guard scored 14 to pace the Chiefs. Hopatcong threatened several times and came with within three points before a 9-0 run in the third quarter gave the Bulldogs a comfortable lead going into the final period.

Hopatcong was bedeviled by turnovers, 22 in all, many of those mistakes turned into fast-paced transition baskets for Butler which has become a more intense defensive team. Because the Bulldogs have some size in their front court, guards like Spadaccini and Nick Costa could put pressure on opposing guards. Butler made it difficult for Hopatcong to run its offense and it created mistakes for the Chiefs.

“We thought we would see pressure,’’ Hopatcong coach Jim Tobin said. “Our guards didn’t do a good job tonight. We turned the ball over. We had a hard time getting to our sets. We also had a lot of mental breakdowns on the defensive side of the ball.’’

For the first time in a long time Hopatcong couldn’t rely on Jim Tobin’s nephews to take charge on the court.

Mike Tobin has already graduated from East Stroudsburg University, which was where he attended after his four-year varsity career for the Chiefs concluded. Matt Tobin took over as a freshman after Mike left and outdid his brother by becoming the leading scorer in Sussex County basketball history last year. Now, he plays about 20 minutes a game for the ESU Warriors in his freshman year of collegiate basketball. They were both instrumental in the Chiefs success as well as some lean years, too.

Hopatcong knew going in that there would be no one person to rely on for instant scoring. It will take some time for the Chiefs to develop a rapport and play like a team without a Tobin. The plan is to be more half-court oriented on offense and be more focused on the defensive end.

“I told them that everyone has to take a look at themselves and work on their game and become more of a team,’’ Jim Tobin said. “We need to find some chemistry. Even if we won the first three games in a row, chemistry is still going to be an issue because of what were trying to become. We’re trying to become a team that’s different from the last eight years with the Tobin’s. We’re not a team that is going to be able to get up and down the floor with teams. We have to get things the way we want to be and put the ball where we want to put it.’’

Butler played up-tempo and physical on the defensive side, forcing turnovers into points. However, the Chiefs only trailed 32-28 at the half and it wasn’t until a three-minute stretch in the third quarter where Butler went on a 9-0 run to take a 47-37 lead into the final period that Hopatcong realized it was in some trouble.

“We just kind of unraveled,’’ Tobin said. “We lacked a little bit of leadership out there and some other things.’’

The Chiefs tried some full-court pressure late, but the Bulldogs broke it with long passes to Spadaccini for easy layups. Hopatcong couldn’t rally against the fired up Bulldogs. They know they have some work cut out for them but there’s still time – there’s a whole season ahead of them.

“Hopefully, we will look back on this game and take something from it that will help us as we go forward,’’ Jim Tobin said. “A lot of these guys are in a position where they have to step up and be on the ball and I think its going to take a little time.’’