Old Bridge came into the final round of the Greater Middlesex Conference tournament with a plan.
The Knights were prepared to take on Monroe for the sixth time over the last two years. The familiar conference foe did its homework and was prepared for what Old Bridge threw its way.
What do you do in this situation if you are Old Bridge? Lean on depth — and that is how a champion is built.
“They were focusing on Oskar [Lapinski],” Old Bridge head coach Andrew Hopman said. “During the timeout, we said we wanted to spread the ball around more.”
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Monroe was prepared for the attack of Lapinski on the outside. When the Falcons attempted to take away the junior hitter, Old Bridge countered with Adrian Marke and Logan Fernandes.
Marke led the team with eight kills while Fernandes added seven as top-seeded Old Bridge, No. 2 in NJ.com’s Top 20, secured its third consecutive GMC title with a 25-19, 25-16 win over second-seeded and No. 5 Monroe in Old Bridge.
“Our goal during the season is to put ourselves in in the best position for the county tournament, win the Red division, and put ourselves in the best position for states. We did all that today,” Hopman said.
Troy Markle dished out 25 assists and totaled eight digs. He added four kills as well. The Fairleigh Dickinson commit was prepared to adjust if needed and the time presented itself early and often.
“We watch film, they watch film,” Markle said. “They know our tendencies. Especially today, they knew where I was going with the ball and that made it tough.”
Old Bridge (27-1) took control early on its home floor by taking a double-digit lead in the first set. Trailing 24-14, Monroe (19-7) put together a run of five consecutive points, sparking a timeout from the Knights.
In the huddle, Old Bridge brought itself back to neutral and was able to close out the set.
“Some coaches don’t like to call timeouts, I love to call timeouts,” Hopman said.
“You can never assume that a team is never going to score 10 points, especially a good team like this.”
The second set was more of the same as the Knights jumped out in front early. Monroe used its size at the net to make it difficult for Old Bridge’s hitters but the relentless attack could not be contained for long.
Lapinski added six kills despite being defended with double blocks from the opening moments.
“I’m still going to give our best weapon the ball but I’m going to spread it out more,” Markle said. “That’s the key to winning.”
Marke was used in the middle and was able to get hot to carry Old Bridge in the second set.
“He’s always on top of his game but today it was extra special,” Markle said. “I knew when I gave him the ball, it was going to be a kill.”
After building a lead, Old Bridge used its defense to stay in front.
“We talk about keeping the ball off the floor,” Hopman said. “That takes the wind out of the other team’s sails. Don’t get complacent. We always talk about keeping the lead with defense.”
Old Bridge finished on top of the Red division in the GMC before making this run to a third consecutive title. The Knights are in position to be the top seed in the bracket for sectionals once again.
To this point, all boxes have been checked.
“Our regular season is now a success,” Hopman said.
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Greg Patuto can be reached at [email protected].