PATERSON – Paterson Charter is in uncharted territory.
The Lions captured their first NJSIAA sectional title on Monday night with a 59-43 victory over Cresskill in the North 1, Group 1 final.
The third time was a charm for Paterson Charter (26-4) after two previous appearances in the sectional championship game. The Lions lost to Wood-Ridge in the final in 2018, and lost to Verona in 2016.
Senior Sadiki Miller scored a game-high 19 points and senior Marquis Harris scored 18 points as the Lions outscored the Cougars 19-12 in the fourth quarter.
“This is unreal. It’s unbelievable. We’ve worked so hard to get here,” Miller said. “Year after year, coming up short. I’m a senior and four years of doing this, it just feels so unreal. Coming up short last year in the championship made me feel like I had to go the extra mile in the fourth quarter tonight. I had to pump it up a notch and keep going.
“I had to do what it takes to win. I knew it was going to come down to this. Me and Marquis made sure we were going to get it done.”
The win puts Paterson Charter in Wednesday’s Group 1 semifinal against University at Bloomfield High School. The Newark-based school defeated top seed Dunellen in Monday’s North 2, Group 1 final.
Paterson Charter’s speed was a big factor and made up for a lack of size compared to Cresskill (21-9). The Lions were quick off the boards and their run-and-gun style put pressure on the Cougars.
SCOREBOARD: Boys basketball scores from sectional finals across New Jersey
Harris, a 5-foot-6 shooting guard, scored four straight 3-pointers and finished the night 4-for-5 from downtown and hit for 12 second-half points.
Miller was equally impressive, connecting on 12 second-half points, including nine in the fourth quarter.
“Man, four years. Four years to get to this point. We came up short last year and that just gave me motivation,” Harris said. “I didn’t want that bad taste in my mouth again. We came out and played. I had butterflies coming into this game. I was in a rhythm, a groove and no one was going to stop me.”
Paterson Charter played tight defense and limited Cresskill standout Kristian Radovich to 11 points and just two points in the second half. That forced forward Kiel McGee to step up and the junior finished with a team high 14 points, seven in the second half.
Leading 40-31 at the end of the third quarter, Paterson Charter’s defense kept Cresskill off the scoreboard for the first 2:40, before the Cougars managed to score their first points of the frame with 5:20 left to play.
What it means
Paterson Charter is a sectional champion for the first time ever.
The school first introduced its athletic department in 2012 and methodically built its basketball program over the last nine years.
By the numbers
► Monday’s sectional final was the third meeting between the two schools in state tournament play. The Lions hold a 2-1 lead in the short series history.
► Cresskill defeated the Lions in the 2018 sectional semifinal 64-52 and Paterson Charter beat the Cougars in the 2017 semifinal 59-54.
► This was Cresskill’s fourth trip to the sectional final in seven years. The Cougars last won the North 1, Group 1 title in 2018.
They said it
“Wow, when I got here five years ago we played a weak schedule, our independent games weren’t tough and these kids here were in the eighth grade. It came from a mediocre program to a program that started to play Group 3 and 4 teams. They stuck with the process. It’s come a long way. It’s a historical season and they played well tonight. It feels great. Not so much for me, but for the kids that bought into the program over the years. Cresskill was tough and very structured. We stuck to the game plan and it worked out.” – Paterson Charter coach Jerry Wimberly.
“We made sure we ran them so they would get tired. We pushed the ball so we could get out of here with a win. We felt way more prepared this year compared to last year. We were way more locked in. It was a different kind of feeling. Everybody was locked in. We were all getting it done. It wasn’t just one person. Everyone was at practice on time all year. It was more like a team and we were in unison. It’s just beautiful. Our goal this year was to leave a legacy and that’s what we did.” – Sadiki Miller.
