Rumson-Fair Haven Takes Control Of A Central With Rout Of Matawan

Photo above: #1 Elijah McAllister

RUMSON – In a rare mid-season scheduling quirk the Bulldogs had a week off in between games to prepare for their showdown with A Central rival Matawan.

However, one of two things can happen to a team following a week off - you either come out rested and raring to go or you come out flat and out of sync.

Luckily for Rumson option number one triumphed and they ran the Huskies out of the gym Tuesday night at Rumson bolting out to a 14-0 first-quarter lead on the way to a 54-32 rout of Matawan.

The win was their second of the season over Matawan (10-3, 6-2) and pushed their lead over the Huskies to two games in the Shore Conference Class A Central race.

“It’s never easy, but we were off for a week so we came out like caged tigers,” Rumson head coach Chris Champeau said of his teams play after the layoff. “The energy level was off the charts. When you’re off for a week two things can happen and we came out like crazed dogs.”

Senior Elijah McAllister – a 6-foot-6 center and Vanderbilt University football commit – led the first-quarter assault grabbing five rebounds and blocking three shots. He added an assist and a steal while slamming home a thunderous dunk that pushed the score to 12-0 with 2:59 left in the quarter.

“We came out high intensity with a week off and came out firing,” said McAllister who sets the tone on defense for the Bulldogs. “Offensively our shots were falling and we were playing together as a team and on the defensive end, obviously, they only had two points in the quarter. The team allows me to get those blocks and rebounds and I feed off them and they feed off me. I’m working on my post moves to get more involved offensively and I hit a couple of post –up shots today so I’m excited.”

McAllister finished the game a point shy of a triple-double with nine points, 15 rebounds and 10 blocks in an absolutely dominant defensive effort.

“He’s just a difference maker routinely averaging a double-double in rebounds and blocks,” Champeau said of his big man. “With him in the middle it gives us the opportunity to press on the perimeter.”

The Bulldogs (10-1, 6-0) are ranked third in the Shore Conference and their defense is a big reason they’re in the position they’re in. They held Matawan to just two points in the first quarter and seven in the second on the way to a 27-9 halftime lead.

They’re quick and aggressive on the defensive end playing a style that allows them to man-up on teams with suffocating pressure resulting in turnovers and fast breaks.

“Coach always says ‘Bulldogs basketball starts with defense,’” McAllister said of his team’s relentless style of defense. “If you play great defense and play with that hard intensity on defense you’ll get offensive buckets. We have some zone packages but today we were locking them down with man-to-man and it felt good so it allowed us to get rebounds and push and run.”

“I like getting offense off our defense,” said Champeau of his pressure man-to-man defense. “We’re long and aggressive on defense so if we press and get the ball moving on D then we can get our offense going.”

Junior forward Ian O’Connor led the team with nine first-half points including two three-pointers in the second quarter and finished with 11 points, five rebounds and two assists while senior guard Devin Cooper scored all seven of his points in the first half while finishing with seven assists, two steals and two rebounds.

In the third quarter senior sharp shooter Teddy Sourlis came alive hitting three three’s to help keep the onslaught going and push the lead to 25 points, 46-21, after three quarters. He completed his night with 11 points and a team-leading eight assists, four rebounds and two steals.

“Teddy has been in a little shooting slump so it was great to see him hit those three’s in the second half,” Champeau said. It was just a matter of time for him, he hit 103 three’s last year and he’s starting to percolate for us now.”

Champeau pulled his starters to a standing ovation with 2:16 left in the game and the Bulldogs safely ahead 54-28.

Rumson, who won their seventh straight game, have been playing without third-team All-Shore guard Jack Solano for the past month - out with a broken orbital bone in his face, but in his absence junior Jackson McCarthy has stepped into the starting lineup and has flourished.

McCarthy – a 6-foot-4 forward – has averaged close to 15 points and five rebounds per game since taking on the starting assignment and has transformed the team into more of a slashing, attack the basket-type of a team as opposed to the three-point shooting monster the Bulldogs are known for.

“The first time we played Matawan I looked at the tape and 12 of our first 15 shots were three’s,” said Champeau. “Once Solano went down I said we’re going to start playing ‘bully ball’ so we’re attacking and pounding it in. We’re not looking for three’s anymore, we’re looking to attack, go to the line, and pound it inside. We had to change, and we have some depth so we can do that. So when Solano comes back we’ll have a little bit of a mixed bag; but in his absence Jackson has been great for us. ”

Solano is expected back in a week or so but will be wearing a protective mask and only time will tell what effect, if any, it will have on his play.

“The thing about this team is that we have a lot of depth,” Champeau said when asked how good his team is. “So if someone is struggling I can put in another guy, and we have some length which is not a normal attribute for us. We have the potential to be pretty good but like everyone else if we don’t make shots we struggle.”

Senior Mike Dunne finished with a team-high 10 points for Matawan.

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