kevin j. riley/photo: Bulldogs freshman Jalen Carey drives to the basket against New Milford for two of his game-high (and career-high) 33 points.
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ENGLEWOOD – Dwight-Englewood guard Jalen Carey was determined to put on a show Jan. 23, not just for the fans in attendance, but for his grandfather who passed away the previous night.
The freshman from New York City scored a career-high and game-high 33 points, leading the Bulldogs to an 85-65 victory over the Knights of New Milford.
“He had a little something extra,” said Dwight-Englewood head coach Eli Goldberger. “He just lost his grandfather and I think that helped him play a little more poised tonight.
“He was fantastic tonight. Jalen is obviously just an enormous talent as a freshman. He’s our team leader and a lot is put on his shoulders for a freshman, but he carries it very well as you can see.
DEFENSE THE KEY
Right from the start, the Bulldogs played a tenacious style of defense that took the Knights out their game. Senior forward Andrew McElroy scored five of his 13 points in the first quarter for New Milford, but the team’s passing was erratic, resulting in too many poor shots and turnovers.
At the other end of the court Dwight-Englewood looked poised as Carey was able to drive the lanes with relative ease, scoring eight points, including four free throws.
At the end of the first quarter Dwight-Englewood was on top, 19-13.
In the second quarter, Dwight-Englewood continued its press on defense, resulting in missed shots for the Knights, who couldn’t seem to find a handle on the ball, or figure out how to counter the Bulldogs defense.
“We play a mayhem style of basketball,” Goldberger said. “We’re a young team; we play hard. What we want to do is create a lot of mayhem on the court. That’s what we do, we try to wear people down, force them to play at a pace they’re not comfortable at. Sometimes we’re not exactly pretty to watch.
“I think as a young team they’re going to get more comfortable playing at that pace. It’s a stretch for us, we played three tough games this year against Bergenfield, Cresskill and Ramapo, and we were in all of those games through three-and-a-half quarters. I think they just need to turn the corner. I don’t think they’re intimidated by any of the big teams out there.”
