Teaneck………..Teaneck is good! Very good! And they showed Passaic Valley just how good they are in winning the North 1 Group 3 Championship 64-40! After a close 1st quarter in which Teaneck led 13-11, the Highwaymen took complete control of the game by putting defensive pressure on Valley’s guards and giving up only one shot on a possesssion by dominating the boards! Passaic Valley only scored 2 points in the 2nd quarter and that came from the fouline! Sophomore Joel Hernandez, Junior Chris Jones and Senior Danta Davis did the majority of the scoring in the stanza as they took a 31-13 lead into the half! They never looked back, enjoying their largest lead at the end of the 3rd 49-27! Passaic Valley played hard, but could not find a basket as Senior sharp shooter Nick DiCristina could only manage one trey in the contest and only Senior Tom Gaccione reached double figures in the game with 10 points! Teaneck seems to be getting better as their young players keep maturing before your eyes! They are ten deep and get legitimate contributions from each player! Hernandez led the scoring with 20 points and 8 rebounds! Jones(right) scored 16 points and Davis came off the bench to score 17 points and grab 10 rebounds! Senior Dave Clough scored 9 for P.V. and Junior Olumide Onajide finishede with 7 points and 9 rebounds! Teaneck will now face Plainfield for the North Championship Thursday at East Orange Campus!

NOTES: Hoops Journal would like to acknowledge the career’s of Passaic Valley senior’s Nick DiCristina, Dave Clough, Tom Gaccione and Elias Logothetis! When you talk team, Passaic Valley is the ultimate team! And these four players were key to the success that they achieved this season! Some would say”surprising success”! Logothetis played a good point guard this season and Tom Gaccione(left) became a lethal threat from the perimeter! DiCristina(bottom right) and Clough(top right) especially, have had great career’s for the Hornets! Both were a big part of Passaic Valley’s season last year and they came back with the pressure of being leaders this season! They each can play college basketball on some level and here’s hoping they give it a legitmate shot! It’s been a pleasure to cover and meet these four  young men and here’s hoping for the best in the future!

Paterson…….This time Eastside was ready! They dominated down low and point guard David Burgos proved to be the best player on the floor as they revenged their Passaic County Tournament loss to Kennedy with a 68-51 win and became the North 1 Group 4 Sectional Champions! Eastside controlled the game from the start, going inside to 6’4 Senior Ky’re Jackson early and often as he scored 10 1st quarter points and the Ghosts took a 19-11 lead to end the quarter! Their other big man Senior Najee Seabrooks was tough on the defensive end, intimidating in the interior and going after every shot down low that Kennedy took! After the 1st quarter, the game more or less became a game featuring Burgos(right) and Eastside’s domination on the boards! The Senior controlled the tempo and was a threat on literally every possession! He scored on drives, made pullups and still kept his teammates involved! Kennedy could not press because of his handling of the ball! He finished with 25 points,4 assists,5 rebounds and 3 steals! Jackson(left) finished with 20 points and 11 boards and Junior DeAndre Noble, who also played a solid game added 15 points and 5 rebounds! Senior Jhamir White went down fighting for Kennedy as he finished with 17 points,4 assists and 4 rebounds! Junior Jamaar Ellerbee scored 14 points and Junior Sammy Singletary added 11 as the Knights got only 5 points from standout Senior Dawon Lighty! Eastside will now play for the Group 4 North Championship against Linden at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth Wednesday! 

NOTES: Hoop Journal would like to acknowledge the career’s of Senior’s Jhamir White, Dawon Lighty and Kaheem Davis of Kennedy! Davis(left) became a pleasant surprise for the Knights and the reality is that he is probably the most surprising kid in the area! This is a guy who played J.V. his Junior year and at times didn’t start! But his perseverance paid off and he made himself into a quality basketball player! Lighty(right) has been a pleasure to watch and get to know! It will actually be strange to watch a kennedy game next year and not see his #5! He seems to have been on the squad forever! Not only that, the kid can play and their aren’t many who can shoot the rock from as deep as he can! I truly expect to see him playing on the next level! Has a good family also! White(right) came from Paterson Catholic after they closed down and finally had a chance to shine! And that’s what he did! He quarterbacked Kennedy to a Passaic County Championship and one game away from a Sectional title and was exactly what Kennedy needed! He probably can play on a higher level than he is being looked at, but because he didn’t get crazy time with P.C. might have been overlooked! He is a tough minded kid and you can expect to here from him again on the next level!

    In a series of player profiles, Hoop Journal sat down with Paramus Catholic big man Justin Harris who just ended his highschool career in a quarterfinal loss in States! Justin has been a constant for P.C. the last four years and has left an indelible inprint in the annals of the school! He leaves as a 1,000 point scorer and a tough player under the glass! He will be playing Division 1 basketball and will have an opportunity at that level to be a success!

FUN FACTS:          Hgt: 6’8              Wgt:  250

Age: 17                                              D.O.B. : May 28, 1993

Nickname: none

Parents:   Ron Harris and Gloria Vanderwende

Siblings:   Paul Vanderwende

Who Inspires You (non basketball):  My Loved Ones

Favorite Basketball Team:  New York Knicks

Favorite Basketball Player:  Kevin Durant

Favorite Alltime Sneaker:  Adidas Crazy 8’s

Favorite Artist: Lupe Fiasco

Hottest Song On Ipod:  Show Goes On: by  Lupe Fiasco

Highschool Goals: Win A State Championship

Future Goals: To Play Pro Basketball

Something People Would Be Surprised To Know About You: I’m the best chef/ baker in North Jersey

Favorite College Team:  UConn.

Schools Interested In You:  Hofstra, Quinnipiac, New Hampshire, Manhattan College, Illinois State