Understanding that it could not allow the kind of prolonged scoring streak Parsippany orchestrated in this season’s first meeting, Pequannock put forth two basic defensive keys for this second clash:
Make Parsippany’s first shots difficult and its second chances all but impossible.
A tall order, it seemed, against a club that reeled off 19 straight points in that December victory for Parsippany, and came in averaging 63.2 points a game.
Certainly not too big a challenge for senior forward Braydon Van Lenten, though, as he spearheaded the successful mission to limit Parsippany’s offensive production on the boards.
He scored a team-high 16 points and pulled down a career-best 16 rebounds to guide the Panthers to a 57-50 victory in a Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference-Independence Division battle Wednesday night in Parsippany.
“That was our whole game plan. We knew we had them on size, so we we had to get rebounds, put up layups and give them no second-chance points because they’ve got some good players. Couldn’t let them get two shots.”
Pequannock (10-3) seemed to take the marching orders of head coach Brandon Horetsky quite literally, as it out-rebounded the Red Hawks, 36-18, and allowed only two off their offensive glass.
Van Lenten alone took down 10 offensive rebounds to help his squad avenge a 58-51 loss last month.
Marchello Rubino scored 15 points and collected six rebounds and fellow senior Jack Picardo compiled 15 points and five rebounds as the Panthers stretched their winning streak to seven games and ended a five-game win streak for Parsippany (9-2).
Senior guard Thomas Niedermaier netted a game-high 20 points and had five rebounds, and junior forward Alex Schmieder scored 18 for the Red Hawks.
“Braydon just did an amazing job tonight, and I’m really proud of how much effort he put in today,” Horetsky said of Van Lenten.
“He’s one of the guys that we depend on night in and night out, and tonight he really stepped up and just was a force on the boards, and finishing and distributing when he was getting doubled down on the post.”
Along with that rebounding dominance, quick, smart ball movement also characterized the overall play for Pequannock. Both of those elements were a bit unsteady in that initial meeting, when the Panthers were out-rebounded, 32-31, and made a number of costly errors.
That was particularly true in that game’s third quarter, when Parsippany’s 19-point spree helped forge a 43-31 lead,
“We just couldn’t get that one stop and just couldn’t find a basket,” Horetsky said. “Today we made the adjustment. We said, ‘Just be patient offensively; work the ball and make sure we get some really good looks. And then defensively, we’ve just got to sprint our lanes and make sure that we’re back to defend the paint, defend what they do well offensively.”
Parsippany’s good side was on display in the first six minutes as it jumped out to a 12-6 advantage and held the lead until Picardo buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 25-24 lead with 1:09 to go in the first half.
The Red Hawks clawed their way back in that second quarter with a pair of tough putbacks and also one 3-pointer each by Rubino and Picardo in the last two minutes.
No surprise there as Pequannock had come into the game with 83 buckets from 3-point range, and deposited seven in this game.
Rubino opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer for a 28-24 lead, but the Red Hawks suddenly shifted their focus the rest of the quarter by creating scoring opportunities in the paint with strong screens and excellent passing.
“That was the game plan; to hit the post if it’s there. If you get doubled, you kick out. It became pretty much our whole offense, and it worked really well,” Van Lenten said.
With all that crisp play, the Panthers were only able to establish a 43-41 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Niedermaier started the fourth with Parsippany’s only putback all game to tie things at 43-43. Picardo responded with a 3-pointer from the left wing off a feed by Van Lenten, and a breakaway layup off a steal by Picardo and a feed to Michael Damico for a 48-43 advantage.
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