Center Moriches wins Class B championship
BY BOB HERZOG

bob.herzog@newsday.com

February 27, 2009

With orange-shirted fans from Babylon screaming from the top rows of the bleachers on one side of the court and red-shirted fans from Center Moriches doing the same from the other side, it was clear the crowd had brought its "A" game to the "B" championship last night at Longwood.

They were pumped and so was Jonathan Ward-Adams. The junior from Center Moriches sank three-pointers on the Red Devils' first three possessions, added another trey later in the quarter and concluded his electrifying first-period fireworks display with a steal and coast-to-coast layup in the final half minute. By that time, only one side of the gym was making noise.

Ward-Adams scored 16 of his 27 points in that first quarter as No. 1 seed Center Moriches built a 29-10 advantage and withstood a 30-point fourth quarter by Babylon to win the Suffolk B title, 73-66. The Red Devils (15-5) will face Greenport on Monday in the Suffolk Small Schools semifinals. Their next game in the state tournament is March 10 for the Long Island B championship against Malverne.

"Just the atmosphere here got me ready," Ward-Adams said. "I was just taking my shots and they were going in. I get in this mode but I haven't seen it in a while. This feels great."

Ward-Adams has shouldered a bigger scoring load since earlier this month when his brother Jordan, a senior and the team's leading scorer, went down with a high ankle sprain. Jordan practiced for the first time in two weeks yesterday and entered the game with 3:20 left in the second quarter. He tested the ankle with his team well ahead and found out he could maneuver fairly well.

That was useful information for coach John Ward-Adams, father of the backcourt duo. In the third quarter, with Center Moriches' 22-point halftime lead whittled to 16, Dad sent his oldest son back in the game. This time, Jordan contributed. He nailed a three from the wing to make it 47-30 then took a pass from his brother for a breakaway layup that made it 53-35.

But Babylon would not go quietly. The third-seeded Panthers (12-9) scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to 55-44. That's when Jordan Ward-Adams hit another three for some much-needed breathing room. When J.T. Pate, who scored 12 of his 24 in the final period, converted a three-point play, the Panthers were within 65-55 with three minutes left.

At that juncture, Jonathan Ward-Adams limped off the floor favoring his left leg. "I knew it was just a cramp. He was working hard at both ends and left it all on the court," John Ward-Adams said. "He was due for a big game. When you challenge Jonathan, you know he'll step up."

Jonathan returned to sink four straight free throws in the final half-minute but praised his brother's modest contributions. "We couldn't have done it tonight without him," he said. "Even though he wasn't as quick, he gave us a lift,"

That was after little brother provided the initial turbo boost.

Copyright © 2009, Newsday Inc.

Last night was really exciting. The Boys deserved that win. Good Luck in the next round!
The CM spectators were well behaved. Everyone was so proud.