"As a senior, I just wanted this so badly," said Rodriguez, an All-State defensive back headed to West Virginia.Playing as though he did not want his basketball career to end tonight, ERod and the Bruins stormed into Hackensack High School's gym as the #7 seed and put on a commanding perfomance to oust #2 Hackensack from the State Playoffs, 88-70.
Xavier Silva led the Bruins with 23 hard-earned ponts and ERod followed closely behind with 22. ERod has been putting on a post-season to remember for his career. In his four playoff games he has scored 73 points, for a 18.3 ppg. average. Last year in five playoff games he scored a total of 45, for a 9 ppg. average. And in seven career State playoff games (5-2) he has scored 94 total points, for a 13.4 ppg. average.
With the victory the Bruins will add a surprising 11th home game to their season as they will host Eastside (Paterson) High School on Friday night in the Bruins' gym. After North Bergen's opening round win it was assumed their would be no more home games for the Bruins, but a strange twist of events, including the ousting of the #1, 2, and 3 seeds in the North 1 Group 4 tournament, leaves the Bruins as the second highest remaining seed (Eastside is the #11 seed). In the other Sectional Final, #4 Passaic Tech hosts #8 West Orange.
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Here's parts of a local write-up on the game from the Herald News:
Evan Rodriguez had his dream of leading North Bergen to a sectional championship in football dashed by a team from the NNJIL.
He was not about to let the same thing happen in basketball Wednesday night.
Rodriguez finished with 22 points and 16 rebounds, sparking the underdog Bruins in every facet as they registered a stunning 88-70 upset over second-seeded Hackensack in the North 1, Group 4 quarterfinals.
Teammate Xavier Silva added a team-high 23 points, making him one of four players to reach double figures for seventh-seeded North Bergen. The Bruins will play host to 11th-seeded Eastside in Friday's semifinals.
"As a senior, I just wanted this so badly," said Rodriguez, an All-State defensive back headed to West Virginia. "After what happened in football [with a loss to Clifton], I don't want to go home yet. None of us want this season to end yet, and we played like it."
Hackensack last won a sectional crown in 1993 and had missed the postseason each of the past two seasons. The Comets (16-8) seemed poised for a run, especially with the way junior forward Keon Williams and a young nucleus had performed down the stretch of the regular season.
| Key to the game Evan Rodriguez had 15 points during a 32-point third quarter, when North Bergen excelled in transition for easy baskets that broke the game open. * * * |
They clinched the NNJIL A Division title by downing Eastside on Feb. 16 and brought a three-game winning streak -- including a victory over Bergen Catholic, the same team that knocked them out of the Bergen Jamboree -- into the State tournament.
North Bergen (17-6) jumped out early, though, seizing control on both ends in the first quarter, mostly by being relentless in transition. The 6-foot-5 Williams led Hackensack with a game-high 25 points and 11 rebounds, but struggled to find his rhythm throughout the first half against tremendous post defense from the 6-3 Rodriguez.
"He was all over the place," Hackensack coach Gordon "Scooter" Whiting said of Rodriguez, who also had four assists, three blocks and two steals. "He wants to win. I think as a team they wanted to win more than we did. They 'out-everything-ed' us."
