By Bob Badders - Senior Staff Writer

    JACKSON -- It's a funny thing, that attribute called speed. You can't teach it and you can't coach it. And trying to devise a way to stop it can drive a coaching staff mad. St. Rose is not a lumbering group at all, but the Purple Roses had not seen anything like what Trenton Catholic brought to the court on Wednesday.
    The Iron Mikes blitzed the Purple Roses in the opening minute of the game by forcing three turnovers and jumping out to a nine-point lead. St. Rose recovered, but the damage was already done. Dondre Whitmore led all scorers with 26 points and Reggie Coleman and Daquan Basnight chipped in with 13 and 12, respectively, as Trenton Catholic pushed its lead to double digits and held on for a 74-56 victory in the NJSIAA Non-Public South B final at Jackson Liberty High School. The sectional championship is the first for the Iron Mikes since 1989.
    "They had us on our heels," said St. Rose head coach Dennis Devaney. "Three out of our first five possessions I thought we were going to score easy and we ended up not getting any points out of it. You say to yourself right there: uh-oh."
    Whitmore, Coleman and Basnight were not only slashing to the rim with ease, but were knocking down nearly every jump shot they took while also swarming on the defensive end.
    "Just look at their style of play early on," Devaney said. "We had breakaway layups that we couldn't convert because they got back so quickly. Passing lanes looked like they were open and the next thing you know the passes are intercepted. We made entry passes to (6-foot-7 senior center) Sean (McPaul) because it looks like he has his man sealed off and the defender comes out of nowhere.
    "It's that cliche: speed kills, and boy it killed us really quick."
    Trenton Catholic's last title came as the second of back-to-back championships 18 seasons ago. The good times don't figure to last, however, as the Iron Mikes prize is a date with St. Anthony, the powerhouse squad that is not only ranked No. 1 in New Jersey, but is also tops in the United States. That Non-Public B final is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday at the Ritacco Center in Toms River.
    Two days after shocking Cardinal McCarrick in the sectional semifinals, St. Rose couldn't recapture the magic to bring home a state crown. The Mikes jumped out to a 7-0 lead before the Purple Roses could even cross the half-court line. Marquis Tucker dropped in a layup and then hit a jumper after a steal by Basnight. Another turnover saw the Mikes work the ball quickly to Whitmore on the right wing, and the sophomore started the evening with a three from the right arc. Joe Quinn got the Roses on the board with a basket, but Basnight scored with a jumper and then stole the ball and laid it in for an 11-2 lead.
    "We didn't expect it that quick," said St. Rose senior forward Chris Heine, who led the Roses with 19 points. "They were shooting threes and making layups, and we were sleeping out there. We didn't even know what happened."
    St. Rose regained its composure, but Trenton Catholic, as it did all game, maintained its advantage for a 19-9 lead after the first quarter. Five straight points by Heine early in the second quarter cut the deficit to 23-16, but the Iron Mikes went on a 10-0 run with Tucker hitting a 15-foot jumper, Coleman swishing a three and Whitmore scoring five consecutive points for a 33-16 lead. St. Rose fought back but just couldn't score points in bunches like Trenton Catholic could. If the Purple Roses went on a 5-0 run, the Mikes would come back with an 8-0 run, slowly extending their lead and continuing to feed off the early-game energy.
    "We kept going point-for-point with them but they were already up 10 so we weren't making up anything," Heine said. "We would play good defense for 15 or 20 seconds, and then they would chuck it up and score. They must have been 50 percent from three."
    St. Rose trailed by 13, 39-26, at the half but came out in the third quarter and began to knock down some shots and get some stops on the defensive end. The Roses closed the gap to 45-38 midway through the third, but back-to-back threes by Coleman and a two by Basnight made for eight quick points and a 15-point lead in less than 90 seconds.
    "We started to hit some shots but we made a few turnovers in a row and they went on a run," said senior guard Brian Poppert. "We wanted to break their press and get it down to Sean where we have the height advantage, but they were forcing things with their speed, and we just couldn't get into an offense."
    Already with a 15-point lead heading into the fourth quarter, Trenton Catholic pushed the lead to 18 when Whitmore sandwiched a basket by Heine with a layup of his own and another trey. Consecutive buckets by Heine and Quinn cut the lead to 60-46, but when the Roses started to foul they didn't get any help from the Iron Mikes shooters, who went 14-for-16 from the line in the fourth quarter to seal a win and send the Purple Roses home for the season.
    "The better team won tonight," Devaney said. "They outplayed us. I know they're young but what a future they have the next couple of years."
    St. Rose, meanwhile, graduates three of its starting five in Heine, Poppert and guard Ryan Breval. The turnover was even worse heading into this season when the Purple Roses had to play with basically a brand new team. Their 19-9 record included a strong end to the season, as they defeated Freehold Township in a regular-season game before stunning Cardinal McCarrick, which was heavily favored in the sectional semifinals.
    "People didn't know what to expect from us this season, but we made a statement coming to the South Jersey B final," Poppert said. "And we had a fun year."
   
   
Box Score

NJSIAA Tournament
Non-Public South B Final

(1) Trenton Catholic 74, (3) St. Rose 56

St. Rose (56)
Chris Heine 7 2-2 19, Joe Quinn 6 2-2 15, Sean McPaul 3 5-7 11, Brian Poppert 3 0-0 6, Ryan Breval 1 3-5 5, Mike Brickowski 0 0-0 0, Mark Casagrande 0 0-0 0, Connor McNiff 0 0-0 0, Dylan Smith 0 0-0 0, Andrew Van Schaak 0 0-0 0. Totals: 20 12-14 56.

Trenton Catholic (74)
Dondre Whitmore 8 7-9 26, Reggie Coleman 4 2-3 13, Daquan Basnight 5 2-2 12, Frantz Massenat 1 7-8 9, Khalid Lewis-El 3 2-2 8, Marquis Tucker 3 0-0 6, David Michaels 0 0-0 0, Lorenzo Santos 0 0-0 0, Jamar Square 0 0-0 0, Mel Weldon 0 0-0 0. Totals: 24 20-24 74.

Three-point field goals: (SR) Chris Heine 3, Joe Quinn; (TC) Reggie Coleman 3, Dondre Whitmore 3.

Fouled out: (SR) Sean McPaul.

Trenton Catholic (23-6) 19 20 16 19 - 74
St. Rose (19-9)             11 15 14 16 - 56

E-mail: badders@digitalsports.com