Triton Upsets Clearview in Playoff Opener

It’s been a very up-and-down season for the Triton High School boys' basketball team.

In a season bookended by difficult four-game losing streaks, the Mustangs still managed to successfully navigate a brutal schedule to earn the No.11 seed in the South Jersey Group 4 playoffs.

The reward? A visit to Clearview (15-8) to take on the No. 6 seed Pioneers.

But, as it turns out, the Mustangs’ rigorous schedule prepared them well for their playoff opener.

Triton upset Clearview, 56-45, Tuesday night behind strong performances from junior guard Dylan Daniluk and senior center Brian Keller.

Keller scored 14 of his game-high 20 points and pulled down 12 rebounds to help the Mustangs (12-13) pull away early in the second half after the two teams spent much of the opening two quarters on the seesaw.

After the game, Keller explained the motivation behind his big night.

“I know that every time we come on the floor now that this could be my last game of organized basketball, so I wanted to leave nothing on the court,” Keller said. “I’m giving 110 percent every time I step on the floor, and so are the guys behind me, because we know we have a chance to do something special.”

But it was the play of Daniluk, who finished with 12 points, that opened things up for the big man in the second half.

The sharp-shooting junior sparked Triton with eight first-quarter points, including two three-pointers that helped Triton jump out to a 17-12 lead.

“I just tried to get into a rhythm early because they were leaving me wide open and sitting down on the big guys,” said Daniluk.

Triton head coach Butch McLean credited Daniluk for setting the tone.

“It was huge for us to have Dylan open up the game like that because it allowed us to work the paint as the game wore on,” he said.

Despite the early lead, Clearview fought back with an 8-0 run to tie the game at 17-17 late in the first half. But Triton answered when sophomore Nick Concepcion came off the bench and scored three of his five points on a buzzer-beating three-pointer that gave the Mustangs a 26-23 halftime lead.

“Nick really stabilized things for us at the end of the first half. It was a great effort by him,” McLean said.

Triton picked up the defensive intensity in the second half, holding the Pioneers scoreless until the 2:49 mark of the third quarter. By then, Triton had built what was ultimately an insurmountable double-digit lead.

It appeared the win might set up an unlikely home game against No. 14 seed Millville, but it was not to be. No. 3 Shawnee trailed the upset-minded Thunderbolts, 52-50, with two seconds remaining when the Renegades Donny DiVirgilio scored his only basket of the night—a buzzer-beating three-pointer that gave his team a dramatic 53-52 win.

Triton and Shawnee have become familiar foes this season, splitting two hotly contested games earlier this season, with the road team winning each matchup.

Keller likes his team’s chances in the rubber match.

“We know how they play—they try to get under your skin,” he said. “We just have to stay within ourselves and play our game and we’ll be OK”

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Thursday.

Timber Creek boys eliminated

A month ago when the Timber Creek boys’ basketball team was struggling just to make it to the postseason, head coach Rich Bolds said that if his team could just find a way into the playoffs, it would be a difficult out.

The Chargers did make the playoffs—by the slimmest of margins—winning a tiebreaker over Highland to earn the right to be the No. 16 in the Group 3 playoffs.

However, the team lost 10 of its final 11 games of the regular season, making Bolds’ proclamation seem a little out of touch with reality. As it turns out, the first year-head coach was right on the money.

Timber Creek took No. 1 Lacey to the limit before finally succumbing, 38-35, Tuesday night. Dajaun Drennon led the Chargers’ offensively, finishing with a game-high 12 points. Lacey advanced to the quarterfinals on the back of its defense, which held an opponent under 40 points for the 16th time this season.

The Chargers finished the season 6-19.

Triton girls eliminated

There would be no magic for the Triton girls' hoops team, which, as a No. 16 seed, was thoroughly outplayed by No. 1 Shawnee in a 70-25 loss. The Mustangs were never able to get started, falling behind 25-6 after the first quarter. Everyone on the Shawnee roster got involved, with 13 players scoring. Kelsey Kennedy led the way with 11 points.

Marisa Martucci led Triton with eight points, while Deja Bullock finished with six.

Eric Schwartz contributed to this report.