Hilltoppers Top Hillside

With only 24 hours between games, the cards seemed stacked against the Summit Hilltoppers boys basketball team going into their game against Hillside at home Friday.

After a subpar performance in Roselle in which Summit gave up two 14-0 runs to the Rams just 24 hours before tipoff, head coach Eugene Maxwell and the Hilltoppers made adjustments that were apparent from the opening whistle. In an all-around team effort, Summit topped Hillside High School 57-44.

In the first quarter, it looked as if the game was to be decided in the paint. Matt Wooley's size, power, and agility was instrumental in Summit's offense and defense, as he put up five points amid seven rebounds.

David Newton also ruled the boards: while he was not the tallest down low, he drove as hard as anyone, putting up five points of his own in the first eight minutes. 

Wooley started the second quarter with a layup, and Dwaine Dabney's spin-move drive turned into an assist to Newton on the next possession. 

As Hillside began to challenge the Summit dominance under the hoop, the Hilltoppers switched gears: their usually moderate pace and orchestrated drives gave way to a fast-break, quick-pass, outside shoot-around that left Hillside wondering how to react.   

Shawn Hillas turned on, putting up eight points off two 3-pointers and a Matt Rea assist. Rea began driving hard from the outside, and the Hilltoppers went into the half up 24-18.

"We moved the ball well," Hillas said of his team's play in the game. "We got everyone into it instead of playing one-on-one. We knew they were smaller, and we tried to attack down low, and make Matt's presence known."

While Summit played well enough to get a lead in the first half, coach Maxwell must have given them a serious pep talk during the break. They nearly doubled their first half totals in the third quarter alone, putting up 23 points as a team.    

As Newton worked the baseline with Wooley, Cris Cafiero put on a dribbling clinic in the backcourt, crossing up several Hillside guards before dishing the ball to a teammate. Hillas and Newton hit threes and registered steals in a standout quarter for the entire squad.

The fourth quarter started off with some excitement when Dabney dished a no-look pass behind his head to Ryan O'Malley for two for 47-31 Hilltoppers, and the pair linked up on the next possession to add two more. Cafiero, Hillas, and Newton all got on the board in the fourth, and closed the game out with a 57-44 win.

"We came out flat," Terry McKenna said of his team's performance against Roselle the day before.  "We didn't want that to happen.  We knew we had to win."

"We played together, and we played strong," Dabney said of yesterday's game against Hillside. "We played hard the whole game."

Now 7-4, the Hilltoppers will be at home on Tuesday against Rahway. With just three games left in the regular season, every one will count.