By Jim Geant, Middletown South student correspondent
MIDDLETOWN SOUTH - A career night from Matt Callori propelled
Middletown South into the
semifinals of the Central Jersey Group III playoffs with a 52-36 win over
Freehold Boro.
The win, according to head coach Kevin Cullen, was the
first playoff win for the program since 2001.
Callori scored 8 points in the third quarter to help the Eagles
finally pull away from the Colonials after a highly-contested first
half.
The Eagles were on fire from the perimeter early in the game, with
Pete Clabby and Garret Thiel knocking down several 3-pointers and
jump shots in the first period.
Despite this, South led only 15-11 at the end of the first. The Eagles
extended their lead slightly until about midway through the quarter,
when Freehold grabbed the momentum.
The Colonials forced several turnovers that led to fast-break
opportunities, but several missed lay-ups cost them a chance at the
lead.
A 3-point shot at the end of the half brought them within
three points, 23-20.
This is where Callori took over. He was wide open several times after
setting screens and knocked down easy jump shots from the short
corners. He finished with 17 points, along with 5 rebounds.
Freehold tried to make a late push at the end of the game, but the
Eagles made enough of their free throws to put the game out of reach.
The two players who are usually the leading scorers for South, Thiel
and Kyle Cancillieri, were by no means absent.
They both netted 12
points and Cancillieri pulled down 8 rebounds.
Brandon Carter led the Colonials with a team-high 15 points in the
final high school game of his career. Teammate Lance McKenzie added 9
points in the loss.
The Eagles will get a chance at revenge on Saturday as they host Red
Bank Regional, the team that defeated South in the first round of the
Shore Conference Tournament two weeks ago. The game will be at 7 p.m.
at South and the winner will go on to the Central Jersey Group III
championship game.