Newark Academy Sinks Big Win Over Millburn

Newark Academy's boys basketball team snapped Millburn's winning streak on Thursday with a close 50-47 win away.

The Minutemen had great free throw shooting and a very balanced offensive attack.  But what also led to victory was that the Millers had foul trouble.  A late rally from Millburn fell just short and Newark Academy handed the Millers their second loss of the season.

"I think teams know who our two top scorers are so they go after them, but we knew about that in the preseason," said Millburn head coach Rodger Blind. "I thought today, if we just made a couple of shots...I think we could've gotten the win. Sometimes the shots don't fall for you. That's the way the game goes."

With 6:52 left to play, Millburn co-captain Joe Kizel swiped the ball from Newark Academy and drove to the basket for a layup, bringing the Millers within one point at 36-35. But Millburn was unable to take the lead. The Millers made just one of its next five shots and turned the ball over twice while Newark Academy knocked down six free throws in between.

The difference in the game came down to Newark Academy's ability to make the most of its opportunities and Millburn's inability to do so.

Millburn picked up its seventh team foul in the first half with 5:01 to play in the second quarter and with 6:36 in the fourth, virtually putting the Minutemen at the line all game. Newark Academy remarkably converted on 20-of-20 free throws and sank 12 in the fourth quarter. They also knocked down six three pointers as a team, compared to two for the Millers.

"My hat goes off to them to do that," Blind said. "We fouled too much, don't get me wrong...I think the other thing that hurt us was early foul trouble for Alex and Max."

Normally the team that turns over the ball the least is the one that wins in a three-point game. But Millburn converted Newark Academy's 20 turnovers into just 10 points and just two in the opening half off of 12 turnovers.

The other key stat in the game was field goal percentage. Millburn's shots weren't falling, especially in the third quarter. Newark Academy sprinted out of the break with a 8-0 run to build an 11 point lead. Millburn never was able to recover. The Millers missed their first nine shots of the second half and overall made just 16-of-46 from the floor for a 34.7 percent mark. Meanwhile, Newark Academy was more efficient, knocking down 12-of-28 for 42.8 percent.

Newark Academy, which improved to 13-4, had four players score 10 points in the win, including Elvon Robinson, Griffin Glatt, Jordan Jett and Brian McHugh.