MIDDLETOWN - Dressed in a collared shirt and tie along with a dapper overcoat after the game,
Monmouth sophomore Neil Thompson was the perfect illustration of how much things had changed in a year since the Falcons lost in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals last season.
While last season's quarterfinal appearance against
Christian Brothers Academy was for pleasure, this season was all about business.
"I think last year we were just happy to be there,'' said junior Austin Whitehurst. "This year was a much different story.''
"The kids were used to this atmosphere and used to playing big games at neutral sites, which helped,'' said Monmouth coach Larry Cirignano. "They were very focused.''
The fifth-seeded Falcons avenged a loss to the Colts from last season's SCT quarterfinals and an earlier loss to CBA from this season with an impressive 55-50 win over fourth-seeded CBA at Brookdale Community College on Sunday. They will now take on nemesis
Neptune, the No. 1 seed, in the semifinals at the Ritacco Center on Thursday, and a big reason was the duo of sophomore point guard Neil Thompson and junior center Joe Willman. Thompson registered a career-high 23 points and was unguardable off the dribble, while Willman continued his rampage through the Shore Conference with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Whitehurst also had a great all-around game with eight rebounds, six assists and two blocks while also limiting CBA star Brian Neller to 12 points.
"I think we wanted it a little bit more this time,'' Willman said. "We knew we could run on them, so we tried to run as much as we could.''
A big question was whether Monmouth could remain under control and not be baited into taking bad shots against CBA's zone when the Colts tried to slow the game down against the more athletic Falcons. Thompson, Whitehurst and junior Anthony Gibson did an excellent job of knowing when to be patient and when to just beat CBA down the floor because they had numbers. Thompson in particular, with his crossover dribble and hesitation move, was impossible for any CBA player to keep in front of him.
"We got a little reckless in the beginning, but we tried to stay within ourselves,'' Whitehurst said. "We knew when to run and when to slow it down.''
The Falcons zipped out to a 9-2 lead before 10 points by CBA senior guard Mike Kuhn (15 points) in the second quarter helped the Colts grab a 24-22 lead at the break. While Kuhn had the big flourish in the second quarter, there were still plenty of encouraging signs for Monmouth as Thompson was consistently breaking down defenders off the dribble and the 6-foot-5 Willman was all over the offensive glass. Willman is also perhaps the best in the Shore at grabbing an offensive rebound and going directly back up with it without bringing it down near his waist where shorter players can swipe at it.
"I just worked hard to get the ball and put it back up,'' Willman said.
"When Joe Willman is hitting his shot and making rebounds, that's when the whole team comes together and gets the energy,'' Thompson said.
The third quarter was packed with excitement as there were three ties and seven lead changes before the dust settled and Monmouth led 38-35 heading into the fourth quarter. Thompson rattled off 10 points in the quarter while Neller and junior center Pat Light combined for 11. Any time CBA sent too many players at the offensive glass and missed a shot, Monmouth usually made the Colts pay by snatching the rebound and taking off behind Gibson or Thompson. Also, the Falcons' patience against the zone was rewarded with a pair of 3-point bombs by Thompson, both of which gave Monmouth the lead back, including snapping a 35-35 tie before heading into the final period.
"We knew they were going to slow it down, so we just kept running and running,'' Thompson said.
A 3-pointer by Neller tied the game at 38 to start the fourth quarter, but that would be CBA's last gasp as the Falcons promptly ripped off a 9-0 run to push the lead to 47-38 with 2:58 left in the game.
"Brian and I are good friends, so I know the way he plays,'' said Whitehurst, one of the top defensive players in the Shore. "I know he's a big part of their team, so I just play 'D' as hard as I can to make someone else beat us.''
During the 9-0 run, Gibson, another potent scorer who had been relatively silent up to that point, splashed in a 3-pointer and hit a free throw, and then Willman powered in a transition lay-up and then drew a roar from the crowd with a 3-point play.
CBA couldn't get closer than five points from there on out as Monmouth's guards did a good job of protecting the ball against the Colts' full-court pressure, closing out the win by making enough free throws to keep the Colts at bay to show the difference in experience that a year makes. They also got some important plays down the stretch from senior Richard Gilbert, who grabbed some big rebounds in traffic.
Now it's on to the team that served as an inspiration for Monmouth against CBA. While Monmouth's win was no big shock because of the Falcons' stellar play, they accomplished a rare feat - the Colts have reached at least the SCT semifinals in all but about four or five seasons since they began playing in the SCT in the early 1980s. The added fuel for Monmouth was a chance to get another crack at Neptune, who defeated Asbury Park in the day's first quarterfinal. Monmouth lost twice to the Scarlet Fliers in Class B North by a combined five points during the regular season, but now the Falcons enter the game having won 16 of their last 17 games.
"Before the season started, one of our main goals was to play at the Ritacco Center, so (Neptune being there) was definitely fuel,'' Whitehurst said.
"We know Neptune doesn't want to see us,'' Willman said.
Box score
Monmouth 55, CBA 50Monmouth (55): Willman 8 1-1 17, Thompson 8 4-6 23, Whitehurst 0 3-4 3, Fagan 0 0-0 0, Gibson 2 3-7 8, Bard 2 0-0 4, Gilbert 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 11-18 55.
CBA (50): Ouano 1 0-0 2, Mabrey 2 0-0 4, Neller 4 1-2 12, Kuhn 3 9-10 15, Light 3 1-2 7, Hobbie 3 4-4 10, Farrell 0 0-0 0. Totals: 16 15-18 50.
Monmouth (19-5) 14 18 16 17 - 55
CBA (17-7) 6 18 11 15 - 50
Three-point goals: (M) Thompson 3, Gibson; (C) Neller 3. Fouled out: (M) Willman.
E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com