Baba Ajike leads Camden Catholic past Moorestown
The senior swingman generated 17 points with 16 rebounds as the No. 6 Irish handled the No. 5 Quakers at the Jeff Coney Classic at Rancocas Valley.
It wasn’t so much the 17 points.
Or the 16 rebounds.
Or the three assists, two steals, and 5-for-5 marksmanship from the free-throw line.
It was all that stuff together that underscored the brilliant play of Baba Ajike.
The versatile senior made an impact at both ends of the floor, in the paint and on the perimeter, in Camden Catholic’s imposing 51-35 victory over Moorestown in the showcase game of the Jeff Coney Classic on Saturday at Rancocas Valley.
“He can go in and out, he can run the break, he can shoot the jumper,” Camden Catholic coach Matt Crawford said. “He’s multi-versatile.”
The 6-foot-6 Ajike teamed with 6-6 senior Uche Okafor to control the game for Camden Catholic (12-3), the No. 6 team in the Inquirer Top 25.
Okafor generated 13 points, with eight rebounds and four blocks, and 6-7 sophomore swingman Zach Hicks made a pair of three-pointers and scored 10 for the Irish, who built a 44-22 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Senior guard Jagger Zrada made a trio of three-pointers for nine points for No. 5 Moorestown (11-4).
The Quakers, who lacked an inside presence with senior swingman Nick Cartwright-Atkins limited by a hamstring injury, made nine three-pointers, but got to the foul line just once and were 0-for-2 in free throws.
“They played a very tough inside game against us,” Moorestown coach Shawn Anstey said. “Not having Nick at full strength really hurts our flow, but they played great ‘D,’ and having three guys over 6-6 really helps.”
Camden Catholic’s game plan was simple: work the basketball inside to Ajike and Okafor.
“We knew we could get inside,” Ajike said after Camden Catholic won for the 10th time in its last 11 games.
Ajike did his share of damage in the paint. But the Cherry Hill resident also excelled in transition, lifting steals on consecutive possessions and scoring five unanswered points as the Irish took a 37-19 lead late in the third quarter.
He also showed his ballhandling skills and athleticism in the first half, crossing over a defender, going baseline and rising up for a dunk.
Crawford said Ajike is a rare athlete who seems to gain strength during the grind of the season.
“Some guys seem to thin out, get sick, get weaker,” Crawford said. “He gets stronger as the season goes along. Every game, it’s like he can’t wait to play.”
Ajike has scholarship offers from four NCAA Division II programs: Wheeling Jesuit, California University of Pennsylvania, Georgian Court, and University of the Sciences.
He also has drawn recruiting interest from NCAA Division I programs such as Mississippi Valley State, Wagner, and Loyola of Maryland.
“I’m not stressing about it,” Ajike said. “I’m trusting the [recruiting] process. My goal is for my parents not to have to pay for me to go to college.
“It’s every kid’s dream to go D-I and it’s mine, too. But if I go D-II, I won’t be upset about it.”
Ajike, a four-year varsity player and three-year starter for the Irish, is counting down the days to the end of his career.
“It’s getting down to the last games now,” Ajike said. “That’s why I just love to go out and play with my teammates every day.”
Camden Catholic 11 11 17 12 – 51
Moorestown 7 9 3 16 – 35
CC: Baba Ajike 17, Uche Okafor 13, Zach Hicks 10, Lucas Dunn 5, Valen Tejada 2, Darian Robles 4.
M: Jagger Zrada 9, Akhil Giri 6, Vinnie Caprarola 6, Ben Cantwell 5, Evan Francisco 3, Kevin Muhic 4, Shane Knobloch 2.