Connelly

[Patch]

Hudson Catholic 9 10 9 10 - 38

 

Camden Catholic24 21 27 12 - 84

 

HC: McFadden 6, Valencia 2, Toliver 2, Mendoza 7, Cutler 5, Garner 6, Smalls 6, Morales 4.

 

CC: Brian Connelly 30, Connor Crawford 1, Anthony Jeune 10, Anthony Matera 14, Mark McCloskey 6, Joe McDonnell 3, Ahmad Nicholson 7, Kurt Reinhold 5, Tim Smith 6, Sean Gallagher 2.

[Patch]

South Jersey Parochial A

 

Defending South Jersey champion: Camden Catholic.

 

Favorite: Christian Brothers Academy (2).

 

Main contenders: St. Augustine (1), Notre Dame (4), Camden Catholic (3).

 

Dark horses: Gloucester Catholic (5), Paul VI (6).

 

Outlook: Christian Brothers Academy, which has a prestige win over Neptune and a three-point loss to mega-power St. Anthony on its resume, will be difficult to beat - and will probably meet Camden Catholic in the semifinals. The Colts revolve around Dan Werner, a 6-7 junior who has been an inside force.

 

Camden Catholic is formidable in its own right. Brian Connelly and Anthony Matera give the Irish a solid inside-outside combination, but Camden Catholic will need offensive productivity from Connor Crawford.

 

Pick: Camden Catholic.

[Patch]

Posted on Wed, Mar. 02, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

Basketball Scoring Leaders

 

 

Through Monday.

 

BOYS

 

Player, schoolG Pts Avg.

 

Paul Gause, Schalick... 25 833 33.3

 

Kevin Payton, Camden... 12 336 28.0

 

Brian Young, Cherry Hill East... 24 651 27.2

 

Sam McDuffy, Bordentown... 22 557 25.3

 

Brian Connelly, Camden Catholic... 24 561 23.4

[AlbanyObserver]

Can we suit this kid up Saturday for some more offense????

[reeder]

Feeling pretty good about this kid - 23ppg is about twice what Dyson averaged last year (I know Dyson's stats in the media guide and the web page says he averaged 17ppg, but those are off significantly).

 

Makes you wonder if he would have gone higher if he waited to sign in the spring instead of the fall.

[Patch]

His scoring is great and just think that this kid comes from a great "WELL COACHED" program. He'll know how to play and I think he still has a great upside as he continues to mature physically.

 

If we go back to our beginning in DI - I know we have never had a pair of skilled forwards (6'7"/6'8") with greater upsides than B. Wilson (3 years) and Connelly (4years).

 

Makes you wonder if he(Connelly) would have gone higher if he waited to sign in the spring instead of the fall. - reeder

 

I believe he definitely would have been heavily recruited.

 

That's the magic of Coach Brown and his staff - they must really have the "Gift of Gab" or something.

 

Early commitments - Jamar, Levi, Iati, B. Wilson, Lillis and now Connelly.

[Dane Pound]

Of the othe guys on the leading scorers list

 

Gause is going to the CAA

Payton the Big 10

Young to the Patriot League-Lafayette

 

I'm sure the level of competition they faces varies but it seems Connelly's team has played a pretty tough schedule. They played Camden at least once but I think they actually played them twice so he's put up those numbers against decent teams.

[Patch]

Posted on Fri, Mar. 04, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

Camden Catholic rallies past Paul VI

 

By Pete Schnatz

 

Inquirer Suburban Staff

 

 

Anthony Matera sank the go-ahead free throw with six seconds remaining and, after a steal, Connor Crawford hit a buzzer-beating layup as host Camden Catholic rallied to defeat Paul VI, 45-42, last night in a South Jersey Parochial A boys' basketball quarterfinal destined to be recounted in coaching clinics for years to come.

 

Thanks to an exceptional game plan crafted by Paul VI coach Barry Brodzinski, the sixth-seeded Eagles (14-11) were in position to avenge two regular-season losses and shock the second-seeded Irish (22-3).

 

By grabbing a 5-0 lead on a three-pointer by Bobby Harper (12 points) and a steal and layup by Santini Lancioni (10 points, five assists), Paul VI provided the early cushion that Brodzinski needed to set his plan in motion.

 

The Eagles repeatedly spread the Camden Catholic defense and worked the clock, looking for easy backdoor baskets. The slowdown resulted in a 7-2 lead for Paul VI after one quarter.

 

As the Irish, ranked second in South Jersey by The Inquirer, grew more impatient and launched ill-advised jumpers, Paul VI kept adding to its advantage, until Harper drilled another shot from beyond the arc to give the Eagles their biggest lead, 37-23, on the first possession of the fourth quarter.

 

"We wanted to dictate the tempo," Brodzinski said as he consoled his players leaving the locker room. "The kids executed, they did everything we asked of them. They played the best defense I've seen in a long, long time.

 

"I don't know if I've ever been prouder of a team - in victory or defeat," he added. "We just didn't convert a couple plays at the end."

 

Despite the large deficit, the Irish refused to yield. Matera knocked down a three-pointer to start an 11-0 run that brought them back to within 37-34. A jumper from the left wing by Brian Connelly (19 points, 12 rebounds) gave Camden Catholic its first lead of the night, 42-41, with 2 minutes, 26 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

 

Lancioni tied it by hitting 1 of 2 free throws with 2:13 to go, and then both teams took turns at forging a lead.

 

The ball found its way into the hands of Matera, Camden Catholic's senior point guard, who drove the lane and drew the fifth foul on Shauwn Hines (11 points, six rebounds).

 

After Matera hit the first foul shot to put the Irish ahead, Camden Catholic coach Jim Crawford called time out to set his defense. When Matera missed the second free throw, the Eagles' Brendon Robinson lost the rebound to Tim Smith, who fed Connor Crawford for the final basket.

 

"[Coach] Crawford kept telling us throughout the game to believe that we could come back," Matera said. "I never doubted that I would hit that free throw, and we never gave up. This team has a lot of heart."

 

Paul VI7 10 17 8 - 42

 

Camden Catholic2 10 11 22 - 45

 

PVI: Santini Lancioni 10, Brendon Robinson 7, Shauwn Hines 11, Brian Blumenstein 2, Bobby Harper 12.

 

CC: Brian Connelly 19, Ahmad Nicholson 2, Tim Smith 2, Connor Crawford 6, Anthony Matera 14, Mark McCloskey 2.