PATERSON – In just a few short years, Paterson Charter has evolved from a small-school basketball program to a big-time North Jersey power.
In the nine years the program has been in existence, the Passaic County school has shown steady progress and year-over-year improvement.
This season, though, may very well serve as the gold standard.
On Tuesday, the top seeded Lions achieved another milestone and validated themselves as serious +state title contenders, defeating No. 2 seed Midland Park, 63-38, in the NJSIAA North 1, Group 1 final.
It’s Paterson Charter’s second straight sectional title.
“I don’t shortchange any of my players and none of my previous teams that I’ve had, but this is a special team,” Paterson Charter coach Jerry Wimberly said. “They work hard and they play together. It’s a very unselfish team. I’m so proud of them.”
After easily defeating Midland Park (21-6) last month in the NJIC Tournament semifinals, the Lions had an understanding of how to limit the Panthers’ scoring opportunities. With big man and leading scorer David Luberoff a force down low for Midland Park, Paterson Charter zeroed in on his supporting cast and relied on its own speed and run-and-gun style to run away with the victory.
It helped that we faced them during the regular season. We knew their big man was going to do what he’s supposed to do, but it’s a team game,” Paterson Charter guard Asim Jones said. “Defense is a big part of our game and we played well tonight.”
Though Luberoff scored a game-high 29 points, the rest of his team managed to score only a combined nine points from three different players.
What it means
Paterson Charter is a state sectional champion for the second time in program history.
The Lions will face Glen Ridge on Thursday in the North Group 1 semifinal. Glen Ridge defeated West Side, 52-48, on Tuesday in the North 2 sectional title game.
Paterson Charter, which was playing in its third straight sectional final, has now won 21 straight games and 40 of its last 41 games dating back to last year. The Lions have lost only one game in two years. Their only loss during the stretch was to Newark Central, 73-59, in a January regular-season matchup in Newark.
