S. Jersey Boys: Cherry Hill East defeats Sterling in OT, 55-50

Sophomore forward Chris Santo scored five of his game-high 25 points in overtime to lift host Cherry Hill East to a 55-50 victory over Sterling yesterday in the first round of the three-day Virginia Whittaker boys' basketball tournament.

Santo also snagged 14 rebounds and was supported by Seth Friedman's 15 points. Friedman got the Cougars to overtime by making four of five foul shots in the last 45 seconds of the second half, including two on a technical foul.

In the first game of the round-robin event named for East's former athletic director, Harriton (Pa.) defeated Moorestown, 46-44, despite Tony West's 18 for the Quakers.

Atlantic Cup.

Camden Catholic's trip to the shore turned sour when the Irish, rated the top team in The Inquirer's pre-season rankings, ran out of gas in overtime. Outscored 18-3 in the extra session, the green and gold suffered a 68-53 loss to Communications Tech (Pa.) in a bracket semifinal of the Boardwalk Classic at the Wildwoods Convention Center.

Tim Crawford (20 points), Anthony D'Orazio (18) and Sherard Cadogan (12) supplied the bulk of the scoring for the Irish, who were hurt by a 23-for-35 day at the foul line.

Ray Martin Memorial.

Brandon Pascucci shot 3-for-5 from long distance in scoring 17, and Tom McKeefery chipped in seven points, 11 rebounds and four assists as Lower Cape May - which scored just two points in the opening quarter - rebounded to nip Lower Moreland (Pa.), 42-40, for the championship in the Boardwalk Classic.

Kevin Miller's putback with 0.9 seconds remaining in regulation lifted Oakcrest over Glassboro, 33-31, in the third-place game.

Erik Nelson shot 4 for 6 from beyond the arc in scoring 14 for the Falcons, who held the Bulldogs to two points in the final period.

Jersey Shore.

St. Joseph's shot at the title came up short, as the Wildcats were outscored 20-8 in the final period of a 64-47 loss to Math, Civics and Science (Pa.).

In the consolation, Highland used a 14-4 run down the stretch to overtake Paul VI, 33-28. Devin Greer and Dom Scafidi had 10 points apiece for the Tartans, while Robert Poole led all scorers with 13 points for Paul VI.

Trenton Central Tournament.

Chris Henry dropped in four three-pointers in scoring 16 and tournament most valuable player Jarvis Perry added a dozen points, as Willingboro trounced Overbrook (Pa.), 63-46, in the championship game.

Blue Devil Classic.

Jordan Brice's lone point came on a free throw with 11 seconds left, but it was enough for Salem to edge Pemberton, 47-46, in a semifinal at Hammonton.

Quayshun Morris produced 12 points and seven assists and Derrick Parsley chipped in 11 rebounds and nine points for the Rams.

Michael Wilson (14 points), Chris Roundtree (12) and Drew Wilcox (11) shouldered the offensive load for Haddon Heights, which took over with a 13-1 third-quarter blitz and went on to hammer host Hammonton, 48-31.

Mike Bertino, with 10 points, was the lone double-figure scorer for the Blue Devils.

Riverside Tournament.

In the first round of the three-team event, Westampton Tech beat the host Rams, 64-47, as guard Brent Foster hit 17 points in the Panthers' win.

Clearview Pioneers Tournament.

Chris Rice had 20 points, Josh Daniluk hit four three's in scoring 16, and Chaz Dyer posted 10 points and 12 rebounds to offset a 28-point effort by West Deptford's A.J. Greenwald and lead Triton to a 65-52 semifinal win.

Reds Jordan Classic.

Cherry Hill West's Chris Gebhart (23 points) outdueled LaRon Byrd (22) of GAMP (Pa.), and the host Lions buried 10 three-point shots in cruising to a 79-31 semifinal victory.

Mike McGee's 12 points paced a balanced attack that included an 11-point, seven-rebound performance by Tony Hawkins, and Haddon Township used a 24-13 second-half surge to put away Northern Burlington, 45-34.

Eastern States Invitational.

Eric Johnson capped his 14-point outing by sinking the go-ahead layup with 5 seconds left in the fourth quarter, making Pennsauken a 51-50 winner over Immaculata in a quarterfinal at Trenton Catholic.

Blue Devil/Red Devil Tournament.

Rick Hudson poured in 25 points but Washington Township couldn't protect a late lead in falling, 62-61, to Hunterdon Central in a semifinal at Ewing.

Isaiah Andrews torched host Ewing for 26 points, paving the way for Burlington Township's 67-56 victory.

Tyler McCord captured the 160-pound title and teammate Anthony Hughes finished on top at 189, helping the combined Clayton/Glassboro squad take the team championship in the Dan Allen Clipper Classic at Clayton.

Runner-up Gateway had Yanni Tzitzfas (112 pounds), Chuck Zeisloft (119) and John Tednick (140) come away with individual crowns.

Overbrook Holiday Tournament.

Mike Bakuckas won the title at 135 pounds and John Bakuckas prevailed at 152 to help Hammonton come away with the team championship.

Nonleague.

John Gugel (119 pounds) and Kyle Draves (140) each posted a pair of pins and Albert Cianfrini (145) recorded two major decisions as Audubon swept Millville, 56-12, and host Schalick, 46-21, in a tri-meet.

Clearview split a pair of matches in a quad meet at Woodstown, beating the host Wolverines, 44-25, and dropping a 51-14 verdict to Central Regional.

For the Pioneers, George Skibinski (119 pounds) and Lionel Maldonado (189) each had a pin and a decision.

Holy Cross opened a quad meet at home with a 43-30 triumph over Egg Harbor Township. The Lancers reeled off five straight wins for 30 points between 119 and 140 pounds, including pins by Austin Stein, David Buckley, Jimmy Grogan and John Walls.