Daily Record from Morristown, New Jersey • Page 24

C2 Dailv Rflrnrrl Mnrria County. N.J.. Friday. January 10. 1992 LOCAL SPORTS pairta finds am offeiise to go with defense By Joe Hofmann Daily Record we came up with an interception or something, we didn't know what to do with it.

Our foul shooting was deplorable and we didn't work the ball well. It wasn't just one kid for us. It was a team loss. "But I give them credit," said Fincken. "They deserve to win." "We wanted to go through the first part of the season without stubbing our toe and I think we've done that," said Tobin.

"We also know we could lose our next two games (to Wallkill Valley and Lenape Valley). So we have a way to go." run after the Chiefs' brief bid to get back in it. Sparta's Brian Hann spearheaded the run with 13 of his game-high 15 points, many of them coming on knifing drives to the hoop. "Our offense is getting better," said Tobin. "We attacked their 1-3-1 defense nicely." "We did nothing right and they did everything well," said Hopatcong coach Rich Fincken.

"We had too many turnovers and had a poor selection of shots. And every time "We had no secrets or gimmicks," said Tobin. "We were going to play our style, which is good defense. Our offense was a concern, but our defense always seems to be there." After the first quarter ended with a 5-5 tie, Sparta opened the game up with a 20-5 second quarter. Sophomore Kris Prebola (14 points) led the outburst with seven points, all from the outside.

Other stars during the quarter-long spurt were Brian Thomas, who scored a three-pointer and a jumper, and Brian Shurmann, who scored layups off nice feeds from Kevin Thomas and Tim Connors. With Sparta up by 25-15 to start the second half, the Chiefs made a short run on a Kevin Spagone follow and a three-pointer by Steve Cooper to cut the gap to five. But the Spartans played near-flawless basketball over the next 10 minutes, going on a 30-10 run to put the game away. Kevin Thomas made a resounding block on Hopat-cong's Scott Ordway to ignite the the hoop with authority to repel a Chiefs threat early in the third to win going away, 60-45. Sparta built up a 55-30 lead midway In the fourth quarter before Tobin cleared his bench.

The Sparta starters deserved a chance to sit back and soak in the final few minutes: The win gave them sole possession of first place in the Sussex County Interscholas-tic Leape with a 5-0 record. Ho-patcong fell to second place with a 4-1 record in the league. SPARTA TWP. The scrappy, in-your-face defense at Sparta was a given. But where would the points come from? That was coach Dennis chief concern early in the -year.

It wasn't a problem against Ho-patcong last night The Spartans took advantage of some hot outside shooting in the second quarter and later went to Whippany Park coach feeling right at home 7- A 4 mmm Boys basketball Notebook By Mark Kitchin Daily Record For most varsity boys basketball coaches, teaching the first year at a school is a brand new experience. But for Whippany Park coach Bob King, it doesn't seem very different at all. Of course, that's appropriate for BOB KARP Dally Record Morris Knolls goalie Scott Williams goes sprawling to prevent a Pingry goal. a Wildcat alumnus. I "I graduated here in 1971," King said.

"I've never really left." i King is taking over this season i from Tom O'Brien, the same coach he played under when he was an athlete at Whippany Park. For the last five years, King was an assistant basketball coach at Morris 'j Knolls High School, but he has been involved with the Whippany Park baseball program for the last decade. "I went to high school here and I have a familiarity with the program," King said. "That's why I Pingry Continued trom C1 for us." Last night, the Big Blue got a strong goaltending performance from junior Jack Diemar, who turned aside 15 shots, including many in the final minutes when the Golden Eagles were pressing for the tying goal. Pingry also was aided by a generous amount of power-play time, as Knolls was whistled for a pair of five-minute major penalties during the contest in addition to several other fouls.

The result was the four power-play goals, which made the difference in the game. "We capitalized on their mistakes and made them pay for taking penalties," LaFontaine said. "I thought we outplayed them for The teams traded goals early in the third period before Knolls was whistled for a double minor that left the Eagles shorthanded again. Hughes scored on a rebound to make it 4-3 and just over three minutes later, Alford scored what would prove to be the game-winner when he put in the rebound of his own shot to increase the lead to 5-3. Knolls enjoyed a two-man advantage in the final minutes and pulled goalie Scott Williams to make it 6-on-3 before Zuckerman scored to narrow the deficit to 5-4.

But Diemar stood tall in the final 1:55, making several key saves to preserve the victory. "We're looking forward to competing in the Mennen Cup playoffs but right now we're concentrating on the State Prep Tournament," LaFontaine said. "We play Princeton Day on Jan. 23 and that's a tournament we'd like to do well in." most of the game. It's an important win for us too because we could meet them again down the road in the Mennen Cup playoffs." Pingry was led offensively by defenseman Rob Tulloch, who scored a pair of power-play goals, both on big slap shots from high in the slot Corby Thomas, who played an outstanding game, also scored for the Big Blue along with Duncan Hughes and Stuart Alford.

Alford had the final goal of the game and the only even-strength tally for Pingry. Lee Dean gave Knolls an early 1- 0 lead when he scored a short-handed goal in the first period, but Thomas and Tulloch answered with power-play goals to make it 2- 1 at the first intermission. The Golden Eagles got the only goal of the second period as Andy Underwood tipped in a Russ Zuck-erman shot to knot the game, 2-2. Boys Basketball Top 10 1. MORRIS CATHOLIC (5-2): The Crusaders won the Hills-Knolls tournament and seem to be the most well-rounded team in the county.

The Crusaders have a solid 6-8 center in Rob Gibbons surrounded by a good supporting cast of Jim Dichiara, Andy Baribeau, Eugene Buczynski, Jim DiChiara and freshman point guard Greg Bartoli. The Crusaders have struggled with a recent loss to Orange and a tough win over Caldwell. 2. MORRIS HILLS (6-1): The Hills are alive, and with the exception of a tough loss to Morris Catholic in the Hills-Knolls tournament the Scarlet Knights have been peerless. Eric Howe is an intimidator inside and Brian Gjelsvik is also a steady point guard.

Morris Hills recently defeated Parsippany. 3. HOPATCONG (5-1): The Chiefs are on their best roll in some time. Scott Ordway lights it up from the outside. Hopatcong has good scoring depth and could go seven or eight deep on the bench.

The Chiefs' only loss came at the hands of Morris Hills in the Hills-Knolls tournament. 4. MENDHAM (5-1): A close defeat by Morris Hills is the only thing keeping the Minutemen from an undefeated record. Mendham can only get better as its underclassmen gain more confidence. Kevin Nardi and Tim Ash are a few of its standouts.

5. BAYLEY-ELLARO (5-0): The last unbeaten team in the area, the Bishops have been getting it done. Bayley-Ellard's strength is in its backcourt with the work of Tyson Ambrose and Mike Conte. The Bishops recently defeated Whippany Park. 6.

DELBARTON (4-2): After a slow start, the Green Wave may be ready to roll. Sam Sweeney and Doug Plank power Delbar-ton which barely defeated DePaul this week. 7. BOONTON (6-2): The Bombers were tripped up by Dover last week, but the winners of the Montville Holiday tournament have been gaining respect. Dan Elkerson is a dangerous offensive threat and Desmond Robinson has surprised.

8. SPARTA (5-1): The Spartans defeated previously unbeaten High Point by 1 8 on Tuesday to earn their spot in the Top 1 0. Brian Hann leads a strong perimeter shooting club. 9. CHATHAM (6-2): The Cougars are off to their best start in some time.

Will Riordan is strong up front while Trevor Reich-man and Bill Walsh have also played well. 10. RANDOLPH (3-3): The Rams are a talented team troubled with injuries and inconsistency. Ray Harris is much improved. Watch out for transfer student Brian Snead.

Also considered for top 1 0 status are Pope John, Wallkill Valley, High Point, Parsippany and Pingry. Sports in the USA New Jersey Boys Top 20 and Group rankings. (Selected by Sports In The USA's panel of high school and college coachesas well as state-wide sports media personnel) Boys Top 20 was appointed. I was an assistant Calderone's 14 points leads Whippany Park to victory ROUNDUP 1 St. Anthony (Jersey City) 2.

Camden 3. Atlantic City 4. Marist (Bayonne) 5. Paterson Kennedy S. Elizabeth 7.

McCorristin 8. Eastern 9. Teaneck 10. Christian Brothers Academy 11. Trenton 12.

Shawnee 13. Bridgewater-Raritan 14. Engiewood 15. Burlington Township 16. Cinnamjnson 17.

Bridgewater-Raritan 18. Camden Catholic 19. Essex Catholic 20. Lakewood years. Last year, was my first year as head baseball coach." King had very little trouble sue- ceeding his basketball mentor.

In fact, it hasn't seemed like there has been much transition at all. "It's easy to (take over) for a coach like Tom O'Brien," King 'said. "He's such a good coach. He taught fundamentals to the kids all the way through." Apart from coaching, King also works as a physical education teacher at the Morris County Education Center in Mt Tabor. The school works primarily with disabled and handicapped children.

King takes great pride in teaching them a little about sports. "Even at my school, we had a baseball game and I'm the ref and coach," King said. "Our pro-S gram has been successful with kids. I've had a number of them go into Ithe district programs, then come Iback (to visit) and tell me of their success." Odds and split ends Injuries have wreaked havoc a number of high school bas-'ketball teams. Among the fallen 'are Jefferson point guard Mike JMarchiano, Pope John's Todd I Lewis, Randolph starter Dave Mitchell and key Morris Hills sub Hartmen.

Sudden improvement A number of high school teams that had miserable teams last year, tare already well on their way to improving their records. I- Kinnelon, 2-18, last year is already 3-3. Dover, 2-19, last year is 2 3 so far this season. Madison, which finished 4-16, has a 2-3 record. Wallkill Valley's four victories matches it's 4-17 record of last sea- son.

Montville and Parsippany and Morristown are also well on their way to surpassing victory totals from last year. Breaking records 'i West Morris basketball coach (Harry Zingg started the season 292 victories in his coaching 'career. It may take a little longer for him to get to 300. Currently, the I Highlanders have been struggling 'with a record of 1-4. Zingg is the second longest coach in longevity at the same school in the Daily Record area.

Hopatcong coach Rich Fincken is in his 22nd season as coach of the Chiefs. GROUP 1: 1. Burlington Township; 2. Newark Tech; 3. Cresskill; 4.

Pauls-boro; 5. Bound Brook; 6. Glen Ridge; 7. South Riven 8. Wallington; 9.

Roseile Park; 10. Ounellen. GROUP II: 1. Engiewood; 2. Cinnaminson; 3.

Morris Hills; 4.Middte Township; 5. Mendhem; 6. Leonia; 7. Dayton Regional; 8. Gateway Regional; 9.

Hopatcong; 10. Garfield. GROUP III: 1 Orange; 2. Lakewood; 3. Williamstown; 4.

Red Bank Regional; 5. Northern Highlands; 6. Wayne Hills; 7. Ewing; 8. Warren Hills; 9.

Lower Cape May; 1 0. West Side (Newark). GROUP IV: 1. Camden; 2. Atlantic City; 3.

Paterson Kennedy: 4. Elizabeth; 5. Eastern Regional; 6. Teaneck; 7. Trenton; 8.

Bridgewater-Raritan; 9. Shawnee; 10. Linden. PAROCHIAL 1. McCorristin; 2.

Christian Brothers Academy; 3. Camden Catholic; 4. Essex Catholic; 5. Seton Hall Prep; 6. St.

Josephs (Metuchen); 7. Paul VI (Hammonton); 8. St Peter Prep (Jersey City); 9. St. Joseph Regional (Montvale): 10T.

Bishop Ahr (Edison); 10T. Red Bank Catholic. PAROCHIAL 1. St. Anthony (Jersey Crty); 2.

Marist (Bayonne); 3. St Au- Sustine (Richland): 4. St. Benedict Prep; S. Gloucester Catholic; 6.

Bayley-EI-ird; 7. St. Rose (Belmar); 8. Bishop Eustace; 9. St.

Patrick (Elizabeth); 10. Paterson Catholic. Whippany Park is a team with a host of seniors and a busload of talent The Wildcats moved to 6-0 after their 50-30 win over Mountain Lakes yesterday in girls basketball Senior guard Elysa Calderone led a balanced attack with 14 points and Sandy Peltz and Cynthia Jackson, also seniors, each scored 10. GILL ST. BERNARDS 58, WARREN TECH 18 -Center Sharon Faggans dominated action in the paint as Gill-St.

Bernards whitewashed Warren Tech. Besides scoring 18 points, she pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. Guard Latoya Adams shared scoring honors, also scoring 18 points. VILLA WALSH 42, PINGRY 26 With Kathleen Krusas leading the attack. Villa Walsh jumped out to an 18-6 lead after one quarter in its game against Pingry and cruised to win.

Krusas, who scored 12 points, was helped out by Jessica Bongiorno who chipped in with nine points. DEVEREUX 17, MOUNT ST. JOHN 15 Devereux scores only 17 points, but it was enough to help the small prep school from Chatham beat Mount SL John Academy. Dawn Degraw was a one-girl show on the offensive end, scoring 15 of her team's 17 points. JEFFERSON 48, WALLKILL VALLEY 36 Pam Brendell continued her domination of opposing centers.

She scored 21 points and added eight rebounds in the Falcons win over Walkill Valley. NEWTON 58, KITTATLNNY 51 Diana Auter played the role of the pickpocket in Newton's 58-51 come-from-behind win. Auter sparked a 21-12 third-quarter run with several steals and a four free throws. Bridget Brennan contributed 10 points in the critical third quarter, before fouling out in the same period. She finished with a game-high 18 as the Braves improved to 5-2.

MORRIS CATHOLIC 44, DePAUL 38 Kate Ved-der and Gina Lazaro scored 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the Crusaders' win over DePaul. For Vedder, it was a terrific all-around performance as she also finished with 10 rebounds, four assists, and four steals. MORRISTOWN-BEARD 35, STUART COUNTRY DAY 31 The Crimson shut down Stuart Country Day in the fourth quarter and held on for the win. Amy Vogel was a double-edged sword for the Crimson, dropping in 15 points and taking down 13 rebounds. GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON 36, RIDGE 29 The Red Devils lost a defensive battle, but got 16 points from junior forward Cindy Stake in a losing cause.

Boys basketball DELBARTON 62, WEST MORRIS 51 The Green Wave jumped out to a 25-12 lead after the first quarter and cruised to a win over West Morris. Senior forward Brian Buchert poured in 21 points to pace the attack. JEFFERSON 69, WALLKILL VALLEY 67 In one of the more exciting games of the day, Jefferson nipped Wallkill Valley. Jefferson came into the game with a 3-5 record as opposed to Wallkill Valley's 6-2 mark. Senior guard Chad Busch continued to be the key to Jefferson's offense, netting 23 points and also contributed six rebounds.

PINGRY 48, SOLOMON SCHECTER 37 Pingry improved its record to 5-1 with yesterday's win. The Big Blue completely shut down Solomon Schecter in the second quarter, holding it without a point Center Carey Egan was almost unstoppable inside. He dominated physically and statistically, with 23 points and 15 rebounds. Swimming POPE JOHN 87, MORRISTOWN 83 Brian Riordan led his team to a hard-fought win over Morris-town's boys swimmers. Riordan, one of the top swimmers in the area, took individual wins in the 200 and 500 free and took part in the winning medley relay and 200-free relay.

POPE JOHN 122, MORRISTOWN 48 The Lion girls also defeated Morristown, but had an easier time doing it Meghan Hast took four first, two Individual and two in relays, to lead her team to a 122-48 win over the Colonials. MORRIS HILLS 85, MORRIS KNOLLS 84 In a coed meet, Morris Hills took second- and third-place finishes in the final event the freestyle relay, to pull out a win over Morris Knolls. College basketball WEST POINT PREP 61, CCM 60 Despite Kim Gore's 22 points, the CCM women's basketball team suffered a 61-60 loss to West Point Prep in Randolph. Butler's Pete Buntzen surpassed the career scoring mark in a game last week. Boonton standout Dan Elkerson is expected to surpass that record sometime this season.

Tournament time Some tournaments come and go and some you can't get rid of. The Pequannock Blue and Gold tournament will make a return next year after a two-season absence. Seton Hall's Echeverry named to All-America team SOUTH ORANGE Sophomore forward Gerson Echeverry was named third-team All-America by the National Soccer Collegiate Athletic Association. Echeverry finished the 1991 season as the country's third leading scorer with 19 goals and 14 assists for 52 points as he led the Pirates to a 14-4-3 record. The former scholastic all-stater at Paterson Kennedy High School was named the Big East's "Offensive Player of the Year.".