The Kearny High School boys’ basketball season had already reached the crossroads. The Kardinals owned a 3-3 record after a tough loss to Memorial of West New York.
The next team on the schedule for the Kardinals was St. Peter’s Prep.
Just last week, the Marauders, courtesy of a blowout 45-25 victory over Teaneck, cracked the state’s elite, making the Top 20 at No. 20. The Marauders held Teaneck, a high-powered offensive team, without a single point in the fourth quarter of that victory.
But Kearny head coach Bob McDonnell was confident about his team’s chances against the stingy Marauders. He was beaming with confidence after doing his pre-game preparation.
“I was watching video of St. Peter’s,” McDonnell said. “I knew it was going to be a tough matchup playing man-to-man against them. But if we played zone and slowed the game down a little, if we closed out and boxed out a little, we had a serious chance to stay with them and win the game. We had a good game plan going into the game.”
McDonnell also met with the Kardinals after the loss to Memorial.
“We had a team meeting concerning the team’s attitude and selfishness,” McDonnell said. “I said if we wanted to win, we needed more of a team effort. We weren’t playing like a team. We needed more from the team.”
On Wednesday afternoon prior to the game against the Marauders, McDonnell saw a different Kearny team on the practice floor.
“Once we got on the floor, I saw a higher energy level,” McDonnell said. “I had full attention of the entire team. That was the first time it happened all year.”
McDonnell said that the Kardinals had no clue that the Marauders had just climbed into the state’s Top 20.
“They had no idea St. Peter’s was state-ranked until we got on the bus,” McDonnell said. “St. Peter’s is always a big rival, so I knew they would be ready to play them.”
There were a lot of familiar faces in the downtown Jersey City gym.
“It felt like a home game,” McDonnell said. “A lot of people came. The girls’ soccer team was there. The baseball team was there. They were all very vocal. Kearny fans are fantastic.”
And the Kards were ready to play.
“The players’ attitudes changed,” McDonnell said. “They were focused on basketball and what could be done as a team. The kind of attitude I saw in practice was there for the game. We couldn’t afford a letdown.”
It didn’t happen. Gralen Vereen was the hero, scoring 14 points, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing off for seven assists. Vereen also drove the length of the floor with five seconds left in the game and made the game-winning layup, giving the Kardinals a 46-45 upset victory.
It was perhaps the biggest win Kearny has enjoyed in decades. It was not readily known when the last time Kearny defeated a team ranked in the top 20 in the state.
The Kardinals also got 11 points and 11 rebounds from Robert Myers and nine points and five rebounds from Javon Jackson, last week’s Observer Athlete of the Week.
But the star of the game was Vereen.
“It was probably the best game Gralen has played in his four years here,” McDonnell said. “He did everything the coaching staff wanted him to do and hoped for. His leadership was tremendous. He played the bottom of our zone defensively and did a tremendous job, holding his own against bigger guys.”
St. Peter’s Prep has two players, twin brothers, Parker and Ryan Omslaer who are 7-feet tall. But the 6-foot Vereen was battling down low with guys a foot taller.
“He went to the basket hard,” McDonnell said of Vereen. “He went up as if no one was in his way.”
McDonnell was ecstatic after the game.
“I think it’s a great win,” McDonnell said. “To beat one of the top ranked teams in the state is tremendous. That’s being competitive. We had players who worked hard. I just hope it can continue.”
Two days later, the winning ways continued for the Kardinals, as Jackson scored 24 points and Vereen added a triple-double, with 16 points, 10 assists and 10 steals in the Kardinals’ 85-72 win over American History of Newark.
Steve Kryatis added 15 points and Robert Myers had 14 for the winners. Little brother Samuel Myers had 10 points for the winners.
The Kardinals are now 5-3.
“We have to hope this can continue,” McDonnell said. “One of the kids said, ‘We’re no longer on the outside. We’re on the map now.’ I don’t remember who said it, but it’s true. To stay on the map, we need other wins.”
McDonnell then paused.
“But this was a great win,” McDonnell said.
Indeed.
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Jim Hague | Observer Sports Writer
Sports Writer Jim Hague was with The Observer for 20+ years — and his name is one of the most recognizable in all of sports journalism. The St. Peter’s Prep and Marquette alum kicked off his journalism career post Marquette at the Daily Record, where he remained until 1985. Following shorts stints at two other newspapers, in September 1986, he joined the now-closed Hudson Dispatch, where he remained until 1991, when its doors were finally shut.
It was during his tenure at The Dispatch that Hague’s name and reputation as one of country’s hardest-working sports reporters grew. He won several New Jersey Press Association and North Jersey Press Club Awards in that timeframe.
In 1991, he became a columnist for The Hudson Reporter chain of newspapers — and he remains with them to this day.
In addition to his work at The Observer and The Hudson Reporter, Hague is also an Associated Press stringer, where he covers Seton Hall University men’s basketball, New York Red Bulls soccer and occasionally, New Jersey Devils hockey.
He’s also doing work at The Morristown Daily Record, the very newspaper where his journalism career began.
During his career, he also worked for Dorf Feature Services, which provided material for the Star-Ledger. While there, he covered the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets.
Hague is also known for his announcing work — and he’s done PA work for Rutgers Newark and NJIT.
Hague is the author of the book “Braddock: The Rise of the Cinderella Man.”