By ADAM ZAGORIA
Naz Reid battled foul trouble down the stretch of his final high school game, but was on the court when it mattered most.
The 6-foot-11 Louisiana State-bound big man threw the ball up in the air when the clock hit zero and he had finished with 22 points and 5 rebounds to help lead top-seeded Roselle Catholic to a 61-54 victory over No. 2 Don Bosco Prep in the New Jersey Tournament of Champions final in Trenton, N.J.
Reid overcame four fouls to lead the Lions (29-4) to their third TOC title under head coach Dave Boff (2013 and ’15). He was a freshman when they won in 2015.
“It’s amazing, four fouls with about three minutes left. My guys were able to pull it out for me,” Reid, who will next play in the McDonald’s All-American Game March 28 in Atlanta, told News 12. “I thank them. Those are my brothers, I love them to death. It’s an exciting feeling to have another trophy and hopefully get another one next year.”
Reid and Roselle Catholic this year won five titles — the first time that’s been done in school history.
“We’ve stuck to the goals that this group has had this year,” Boff said Friday. “They wanted to be the first Roselle Catholic team to win all the championships that you can win in a season — conference, county, section, state and TOC.”
Congrats to coach Dave Boff and @rc_basketball on winning their third NJ TOC title 61-54 over @DBFastBreakClub pic.twitter.com/8i8P9aTLhm
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) March 18, 2018
Roselle Catholic senior Alanzo Frink finished with 16 points and 4 rebounds.
Rutgers-bound guard Ron Harper Jr. went off for 33 points as Don Bosco lost in the TOC final for the second straight season after falling to the Patrick School in 2017.
.@rc_basketball defeats Don Bosco 61-54 for the TOC title. 5⭐️ Point-Forward @NazReid shined on his way to 22 points pic.twitter.com/ctN1RWkYtp
— NJ Basketball (@NJHoopRecruit) March 18, 2018
The Lions now own sole possession of third place in New Jersey history with three TOC titles.
Under Naismith Hall of Famer Bob Hurley, St. Anthony’s won 13, most recently in 2016.
Under legendary coach Kevin Boyle, St. Patrick’s won five. Rebranded as the Patrick School, they won a sixth last season under co-coaches Chris Chavannes and Mike Rice.
“It would be huge for us to get our third,” Boff said Friday by phone. “It would be something that would separate us from the other program that has two. I think Seton Hall Prep also has two TOCs, so it would put us into different company where our program would be along with St. Pat’s and St. Anthony’s as having the most TOCs, and I just think that that would be something special for our program to just kind of put ourselves in the super-elite level programs in the history of the state.”
LIST OF TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS WINNERS
1989 – St. Anthony 62, Elizabeth 55
1990 – Elizabeth 65, St. Anthony 62
1991 – St. Anthony 63, Seton Hall Prep 39
1992 – Shawnee 46, Marist 41
1993 – St. Anthony 84, Middle Township 59
1994 – Orange 64, Paterson Catholic 56
1995 – St. Anthony 47, Shawnee 44
1996 – St. Anthony 65, Shawnee 57 (OT)
1997 – St. Anthony 69, Seton Hall Prep 63
1998 – St. Patrick 62, Seton Hall Prep 49
1999 – Seton Hall Prep 54, Teaneck 45
2000 – Camden 50. Seton Hall Prep 46
2001 – St. Anthony 48, Shabazz 47
2002 – St. Anthony 69, Neptune 49
2003 – St. Patrick 61, Camden Catholic 38
2004 – St. Anthony 67, Bloomfield Tech 55
2005 – Seton Hall Prep 63, St. Patrick 60
2006 – St. Patrick 61, Linden 54
2007 – St. Patrick 85, Bloomfield Tech 61
2008 – St. Anthony 69, Science Park 36
2009 – St. Patrick 59, Science Park 57
2010 – Trenton Catholic 53, Camden Catholic 39
2011 – St. Anthony 61, Plainfield 49
2012 – St. Anthony 66, Plainfield 62
2013 – Roselle Catholic 65, St. Joe’s-Metuchen 49
2014 – St. Joe’s-Metuchen 85, St. Peter’s Prep 72
2015 – Roselle Catholic 57, Pope John XXIII 45
2016 – St. Anthony’s 55, Linden 38
2017 – Patrick School 69, Don Bosco Prep 55
2018 – Roselle Catholic 61, Don Bosco Prep 54
