Boys Basketball: Pope John defeats Christian Brothers, wins Non-Public A title in resounding fashion

No. 4 Pope John put forth a dominant and aggressive opening quarter against Non-Public A South champion Christian Brothers to capture the Non-Public A championship by the score of 71-35 in emphatic fashion at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River North Saturday.

The Lions (29-3) hounded the Colts (24-5) with a full-court press and created easy interior baskets thanks to the size and offensive rebounding abilities of 6-foot-8 Jeromy Rodriguez and 6-foot-9 Syracuse-signee Moustapha Diagne, as the Lions led 33-12 at half and applied pressure all game. The Lions effectively put the game away early, following up a dominating first half with an 11-4 run to start the second half capped by a Jeromy Rodriguez transition dunk with 5:20 left in the third quarter.

The win advances Pope John into the six team Tournament of Champions which starts Wednesday at Pine Belt Arena. James Scott and Rodriguez finished as the Lions leading scorers with 16 points each while Pat Andree finished as Christian Brothers leading scorer with 14.

The Lions roared out of the gates to start the game, as head coach Jason Hasson utilized an energetic full court press against Christian Brothers guards while dropping back into a 2-3 zone for the majority of the half. The zone's length combined with the closeout abilities of the Lions athletic defenders gave Christian Brothers shooters fits, as good scoring opportunities were hard to come by for CBA. The Lions defense held Christian Brothers to just one basket in the game's opening nine minutes, and raced out to a 33-9 lead seconds before Christian Brothers connected on a 3-pointer to end the half.

Diagne scored the game's first six points, dominating the interior with his back to the basket and crashing the boards along with Rodriguez. The Lions showcased their size and athleticism in the game's opening minutes, winning the rebounding battle and taking a 19-3 lead after the first quarter with Diagne and Rodriguez winning the matchup up front against Christian Brothers star forwards Pat Andree, Jack Laffey and Jack McGuire.

Pope John received offensive contributions from every player who entered the game, as four players scored in the first quarter led by Diagne's six points to start the game and two first quarter 3-pointers from forward Damien Rance. And on defense the Lions limited Laffey and Andree to just 21 points one game after combining for 66 points in the win over St. Augustine.

Antonio Olivero may be reached at aolivero@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @antonioolivero. Find NJ.com on Facebook.