Thrive Charter’s Marjon Skillman, 10, holds the championship trophy after defeating Newark Tech in the Group I boys basketball state final on Saturday afternoon at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Thrive Charter players celebrate after defeating Newark Tech during the Group I boys basketball state championship game on Saturday afternoon at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Thrive Charter’s Isaiah Gore, 5, drives to the basket against Newark Tech during the Group I boys basketball state championship game at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Thrive Charter’s Isaiah Gore, right, looks to move the ball as Newark Tech’s Zahmir Robinson, left, defends during the Group I boys basketball state championship game at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Thrive Charter’s Tyler Hammond shoots a free throw against Newark Tech during the Group I boys basketball state championship game at Jersey Mike’s Arena on Saturday afternoon in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Thrive Charter coach Khalid Lewis, right, hugs guard Isaiah Gore, left, after defeating Newark Tech during the Group I boys basketball state championship game on Saturday afternoon at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Thrive Charter coach Khalid Lewis celebrates after defeating Newark Tech during the Group I boys basketball state title game at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Thrive Charters’ Isaiah Gore, 5, shoots the ball as he’s surrounded by Newark Tech defenders during the Group I boys basketball state title game at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Thrive Charter’s Isaiah Gore, left, drives to the basket as Newark Tech’s Jalen Baker, right, defends during the Group I boys basketball state title game at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Thrive Charter players and coaches pose for a photo with the championship trophy during the Group I boys basketball state title game at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Show Caption1 of 10Thrive Charter’s Marjon Skillman, 10, holds the championship trophy after defeating Newark Tech in the Group I boys basketball state final on Saturday afternoon at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway. (Mike Sabo Photo) Expand PISCATAWAY — The Thrive Charter boys basketball team believed at the start of this journey that it could climb the mountain and thrive on the biggest stage at Rutgers if it blended its talents together with grit and unselfish play. The Titans lived up to their school name. Thrive Charter captured the Group I state championship in its inaugural season with a 63-51 victory against Newark Tech on Saturday afternoon at Jersey Mike’s Arena. It marks the fifth state title at the school building previously known as Trenton Catholic Academy and McCorristin Catholic High, and the 13th overall dating back to the earliest days of Trenton Catholic, tying Camden High for the fourth-most in New Jersey history. “We changed our name to a different school. Everybody is like, ‘Who’s Thrive?’” junior Marjon Skillman said. “I would say now they know us, because we won it.” Skillman (17 points), along with fellow juniors Tyler Hammond (15 points) and Javion Cesar-Jones (12 points), all scored double figures to lead Thrive Charter’s dynamic offense. But the story for much of this championship bout was defense, and the Titans set the tone by holding Newark Tech to 5-of-21 shooting from the field in the first half. Thrive completely transformed its defense this season under first-year head coach Khalid Lewis, a former TCA star who preached new philosophies with footwork, movement, rotations and helping one another. “The practices, they’re definitely harder than the games, and that’s what prepares us for whatever they throw at us,” Hammond said. “We knew they were not a great shooting team. We knew we just had to close in on the gaps, stop them from driving.” Skillman was particularly impactful with three blocks in the opening quarter as Thrive Charter jumped out to a 15-9 lead, and he led the charge on the boards as the Titans finished with a 37-31 advantage in rebounds. “I can use my athleticism because I play down on the block, but I’m a smaller block player so I see how to use my athleticism to block shots, get a rebound and steal the ball,” Skillman said. The Terriers entered on an 11-game winning streak and were the North Jersey Section 2 champions, and fight like a champion they did. Senior Malcolm Bragg led Newark Tech on 15-5 run to twice take the lead in the third quarter, yet each time, Thrive Charter had an answer. “Our guys dug deep. We took their best punch and figured it out,” Lewis said. “We talked about being tough — the battle of will between a Newark and a Trenton team.” Cesar-Jones sunk a falling layup through contact and Hammond banged a 3 at the buzzer as Thrive Charter ended the third quarter on an 8-0 run with a 40-34 lead. It spoke volumes of Thrive Charter’s heart going up against Newark Tech seniors who surely were determined to finish the job after losing the previous two Group I championship games. “Our will is stronger as a team, so nobody individually tried to be a superhero,” Hammond said. “We stayed composed and won the game.” In the fourth quarter, Thrive Charter got two huge 3s from senior Johnny Hammock Jr., while junior Isaiah Gore essentially sealed the win with a midrange jumper that made it 55-48 with less than three minutes left. Cesar-Jones made several big plays with his ball-handling and assertive play in the lane, scoring 10 points in the second half despite picking up his third foul with 6:57 left in the third quarter. Lewis trusted Cesar-Jones down the stretch to stay in the game and deliver for the team. “Him coming back in with that toughness and hard-nosed, getting downhill, getting to the basket, it was just amazing,” Lewis said. “It was all a mental toughness for him — just stayed locked in. I’m very proud of him for that.” The Titans ended this dream season with six straight wins in the state tournament and wins in 18 of their last 19 games overall, along the way becoming Burlington County Scholastic League Liberty Division champions, Central Jersey Group I champions, and finally state champions. This same nucleus of players improved its record from 17-11 a year ago to 26-4 through sheer hard work. Skillman describes practices as being more intense and competitive under Lewis, and while letting go of old habits in order to have more success on the court was difficult at first, it brought everyone together closer as a team. “We soaked up everything that he taught us,” Skillman said. “We trust him.” That meant everything to Lewis, a basketball lifer who has always wanted to coach. His father, the late Khaliq Lewis-El, was a Mercer County legend who guided Trenton Catholic girls basketball to a 2011 state championship and the Tournament of Champions crown. Lewis accomplished the same feat as a player in the previous year at Trenton Catholic before going on to play in college at Delaware, La Salle and Illinois. “I attribute this win, this state championship to (the players) because I know it was tough with me coming in this year,” Lewis said. “They’d been playing for a certain way for about two years for a different coach. My whole philosophy, my whole approach was a little bit different. I’ve got a little bit more edge to me, a little bit more fire, and it was tough for them to adjust to, so the fact that they bought in to me was just amazing. I thank them for that.” And with several of the Titans coming back next year as seniors, they plan to win it all again in even more dominant fashion. “Everybody said we were going to get it by the time we were seniors, so we just had to prove them wrong and get it now,” Hammond said. “We’re gonna get it again senior year.” NEWARK TECH (51) Tullis 4-4-11, Robinson 3-1-7, Baker 2-4-8, Malcolm Bragg 4-5-14, Adams 2-2-6, Marcus Bragg 1-2-5. Totals — 16-18-51. THRIVE CHARTER (63) Cesar-Jones 5-2-12, Gore 3-2-8, Skillman 7-3-17, Hammond 3-7-15, Page 1-1-4, Hammock Jr. 2-1-7. Totals — 21-16-63. Newark Tech (24-5) 9 10 15 17 — 51 Thrive Charter (26-4) 15 12 13 23 — 63 3-point goals: Tullis, Malcolm Bragg, Marcus Bragg (NT), Hammond 2, Hammock Jr. 2, Page (TC). ...read more read less