Jan 27, 2025
ALLENTOWN — Maddox Watson, like a young kid in his driveway dreaming of the big moment, wanted the ball in his hands. The Allentown boys basketball team had blown a 17-point lead, but with 5.2 seconds remaining, the Redbirds’ fate was in their hands. This was a chance at redemption, and a berth in the NJSIAA state tournament potentially hung in the balance. Nick Pless inbounded the ball to Watson, who drove the length of the court and heaved a midrange shot over two defenders that fell through the hoop as time expired to give Allentown a thrilling 68-66 home win Monday over Northern Burlington. “I don’t even know how to explain it,” a speechless Watson said afterward. “When it went in, I was just so happy for our guys. We worked so hard tonight, and we showed that we deserved this win.” Watson’s heroics led to a joyous celebration with players jumping up and down during what has been a trying season for Allentown (4-11) with losses and injuries. “That was amazing. He’s a senior, it’s his last year, playing with three freshmen,” said coach Walter Kelly, who designed the play for Watson. “He did what we needed to do and hit that buzzer beater.” Allentown’s Cal Shellenberger led all scorers with a career-high 19 points. Watson, the team’s leading scorer for the season, netted 12 points. Frank Varricchio (15 points) and Pless (11 points) also finished in double figures. Allentown entered the week two spots out of the Central Jersey Group III bracket, and Northern Burlington (4-9) was three spots out. So the winner of this game gained the upper hand on playoff qualification with less than three weeks left until the power points cutoff. Allentown was also determined to right the ship after last week losing a three-point nailbiter against West Windsor-Plainsboro North and then an overtime game at Seneca. The Redbirds were in danger of more heartbreak on Monday. “We said in the huddle we were not letting that happen again no matter what,” Watson said. “This game was ours tonight.” After the teams were tied at 8 in the first quarter, the Redbirds used hot shooting to go a 17-0 run until the 5:05 mark of the second quarter. The Greyhounds trailed by 14 points entering the fourth quarter but came storming back to take a two-point lead with 1:10 left by applying defensive pressure and getting out in transition. “We were panicking, and then I called a timeout,” Kelly recalled. “I said, ‘Guys, they have five fouls. You should want the ball, because the second they foul you, we’re going to the free-throw line. So there’s no need to panic throwing lobs. You’re playing into their hands. They want you to throw lob passes.’” Allentown began connecting with solid passes, and Shellenberger answered with a pair of clutch shots in the lane when Northern Burlington briefly held two leads down the stretch to tie the game with a minute left. The Greyhounds milked almost the entirety of the clock on their next possession before missing a jumper, setting up Watson’s final sequence. “They were in the bonus, so honestly, I was trying to get fouled,” said Watson, a 6-foot-2 guard. “But the kid kind of just stepped in front of me, so I just threw up a floater trying to draw something and it just went in.” Allentown was overdue for the ball to spin its way. Despite some of the tough results on scoreboards this season, this is a young team with four underclassmen, enjoys playing together and has learned to focus on improving. The Redbirds held a meeting about two weeks ago and talked about celebrating little successes, such as grabbing 10 offensive rebounds in a game. They also discussed playing smarter team basketball and not becoming too comfortable with just outside shooting — an area Allentown shines — because they also needed more paint touches, offensive rebounds and guys catching passes in motion. “They love the guys that they’re playing with, and that’s a huge plus,” Kelly said. “We’ve got to develop some chemistry and a bond and tight relationship, on and off the court. The relationship off the court, they have that, but now you’ve got to put it here.” Monday’s epic win was a significant step for a program that wants to finish this season strong and build for the future with the young talent on the roster and more in the middle school system. “It definitely wasn’t the prettiest,” Watson said, “but it just feels good, with all the struggles that we’ve had, to finally get one today.” NORTHERN BURLINGTON (66) Huguley 2-1-6, Torres 3-1-7, Aravind 7-0-18, Livingston 5-5-15, Richardson 3-0-8, Boyce 4-1-10, Miruno 1-0-2. Totals — 25-8-66. ALLENTOWN (68) Varricchio 6-2-15, Watson 5-0-12, Pless 5-1-11, Shellenberger 8-2-19, Pusczko 1-2-5, Eskow 2-0-6. Totals — 27-7-68. Northern Burlington (4-9) 8 18 13 27 — 66 Allentown (4-11) 13 23 17 15 — 68 3-point goals: Aravind 4, Richardson 2, Huguley, Miruno (NB), Watson 2, Eskow 2, Varricchio, Shellenberger, Pusczko (A). ...read more read less
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