St. Patrick will shoot for its third New Jersey Tournament of Champions title in four years Monday night against Newark Science.
The Celtics won the crown in 2006 and ’07 behind point guard Corey Fisher, now at Villanova, and forward Jeff Robinson, now at Seton Hall. St. Patrick is seeking its fifth TOC crown.
Newark Science lost to St. Anthony in last year’s final. The teams will meet at the Izod Center at 8 p.m. Monday.
Despite the fact that George Mason-bound forward Paris Bennett sustained a broken nose after a collision with a teammate, the Celtics advanced to the final with a 66-40 victory Friday over Group 4 champ Lenape.
Newark Science downed Immaculata 54-49 in the other semifinal.
Junior guard Kyrie Irving tallied 20 points, sophomore forward Michael Gilchrist added 13 points and North Carolina-bound guard Dexter Strickland added 12.
Bennett was hit in the nose in the second quarter by Gilchrist during a follow-through on a blocked shot, according to The Star-Ledger. A St. Pat’s source said Bennett’s nose was broken and that he was “hopeful” of playing Monday.
“In a different game, this could have been a devastating injury, but we have good depth,” St. Patrick coach Kevin Boyle told the Ledger. “Kyrie missed 12 games and Michael and Dexter also missed games, but they’re used to playing without guys. One of the good things about depth is that you can rotate guys in and out and not miss too much.’’
(Photo courtesy The Star-Ledger)
