CLARK, NJ — One of the best starts ever in the history of Arthur L. Johnson High School’s boys basketball program, the Crusaders begin the final week of January 13-0 and are the only undefeated team remaining in Union County, which was highlighted on Saturday, Jan. 25, when a victory was realized against a team it lost to last year.
Arthur L. Johnson overcame an early nine-point deficit and, after leading by two at the break, eventually pulled away from Cranford High School in the second half to the tune of posting a 62-54 victory at Arthur L. Johnson High School’s Louis J. Peragallo Gymnasium.
In the same Union County Conference-crossover matchup last year at Cranford’s Martin Gymnasium, the Crusaders were beaten by the host Cougars 64-38.
Arthur L. Johnson has made great strides in head coach Jeff Lubreski’s second season at the helm of the Crusaders, as evidenced by the win on Saturday, Jan. 25, against a Mountain Division opponent. Arthur L. Johnson began the week leading the Valley Division at 7-0 heading into the scheduled crossover game at Mountain Division rival New Providence High School on Monday, Jan. 27.
The Crusaders, who at 7-3 finished second in the Valley Division last year to New Providence, have three more Valley Division games remaining this season against Roselle Park, Abraham Clark and David Brearley high schools, teams they have defeated by double-digit margins the first time around.
As a matter of fact, all seven Valley Division victories so far by the Crusaders have come by double-digits, as well as 11 of their first 13 triumphs overall.
“We’re keeping our record in perspective,” said Lubreski, who previously guided Plainfield and Rahway high school programs to a great deal of success the past 15 years. “Some games we were fortunate to win and some we deserved to lose. We’re just looking to our next game.”
Following a Cranford 9-1 run, which saw the Cougars tie the game for the final time at 32-32 early in the second half, Arthur L. Johnson junior shooting guard Dean Yellen Jr. drained one of his two three-point baskets from the left side to give the Crusaders the lead for good at 35-32.
In the fourth quarter, Yellen, who led all scorers with 24 points, produced two traditional three-point plays, driving hard to the basket, making the field goal and getting fouled. His free throws that followed gave Arthur L. Johnson leads of 50-43 and then 53-46.
“We had the advantage on the boards and on defense we were talking, which led to fastbreak points,” Yellen said.
This was a game of runs early on. A back-and-forth affair in the opening stages of the first quarter saw the score even at 8-8, as Arthur L. Johnson was having trouble finishing at the rim. Cranford took advantage and went on what would be a 12-0 surge, after being down 8-5, to take a 17-8 lead. The Crusaders led 17-10 after the first eight minutes.
A layup by Yellen right before the end of the first quarter turned out to be the beginning of a 10-0 Arthur L. Johnson run, which saw the Crusaders take the lead again at 18-17.
“We didn’t want it to be a game of runs,” Lubreski said. “We’re looking for more consistency.”
One of senior guard Jake Brower’s team-high three three-pointers pushed Arthur L. Johnson’s lead to eight for the first time at 31-23. Brower finished with 11 points.
Arthur L. Johnson won the third quarter 14-8 to take an eight-point lead of 46-38, heading into the game’s final eight minutes.
“We had a few more positive possessions in the third quarter,” Lubreski said.
Junior forward Ryan Malcolm, who closed with a 12-point performance, scored inside to give Arthur L. Johnson its biggest lead of 12 at 58-46 with less than two minutes remaining. It came on an offensive sequence, Arthur L. Johnson’s best of the game, which saw the Crusaders move the ball around with precision passing.
Junior guard-forward Luke LaPorta scored Arthur L. Johnson’s final point on a free throw with 24 seconds to go, putting Cranford up 62-51. Also driving hard to the hoop, LaPorta scored nine points on two field goals and five three throws.
“We knew it was going to be a physical game,” LaPorta said. “We started a little slow, but we were then able to play more fast-paced.”
Arthur L. Johnson has a busy slate this week with games at New Providence High School on Monday, Jan. 27; Delaware Valley High School at home on Tuesday, Jan. 28; Summit High School at home on Thursday, Jan. 30; and Roselle Park High School at home on Saturday, Feb. 1. All are 7 p.m. tipoffs except for the Roselle Park game, which is scheduled to commence at 1 p.m.
Arthur L. Johnson continues toward attaining as high a seed as it can for the upcoming Union County Tournament and Central Jersey, Group 2 playoffs. Arthur L. Johnson split UCT games last year, beating Summit and then losing to Westfield High School and was then ousted at Bordentown Regional High School in a first-round CJG2 clash.
“We’re trying not to be one-dimensional,” Lubreski said. “We have guys that are capable. That’s what we’re working toward.”
The slogan on the Arthur L. Johnson T-shirt reads: “Everybody. Every Play. Every Day.”
“We think we can do anything,” LaPorta said. “We have a bond, a chemistry. All we want to do is win.”
“We want to win our conference and we think we’re talented enough to make a run in states and the county tournament,” Yellen said.
Lubreski has been through it all. He guided Plainfield High School to the 2010 UCT final and then, two years later, guided the Cardinals to the 2012 championship, their first since 1979. His 2011-2012 Group 3 state championship Plainfield squad that finished 30-4 faced St. Anthony of Padua, Jersey City, for a second straight season in the Tournament of Champions championship game and only lost 66-62.
Lubreski then led four Rahway teams that won at least 20 games to the North 2, Group 3 playoffs each season, all four times just missing reaching the sectional final.
Success in Central Jersey, Group 2 and 13-0 starts don’t happen often here in Clark. The latter has been achieved. Attaining the former still awaits.
Photos by JR Parachini