Seton Hall Prep holds off Moeller to move into semifinals
Less than 24 hours after taking down St. James in the first round of the Beach Ball Classic on Saturday, Seton Hall (N.J.) was back on the hardwood for the quarterfinals Sunday.
The quick turnaround may have affected the Pirates’ game, but they still got it done.
Notre Dame signee TJ Gibbs put up 13 points and Stephen Ferraro scored 12 to lead Seton Hall to a 39-33 victory over Archbishop Moeller (Ohio) to advance to the semifinals of the tournament.
“They were a great team and we knew that coming in. It’s just great to play some good competition out here and to get that win was a good one for us,” Gibbs said. “… I think [the turnaround] definitely had a little bit of an effect on us. … But it was good to get this win.”
Pirates coach Kevin Williams preached defense early on, and his team followed suit, opening the game on a 17-6 run and holding an advantage for the entire first half.
“I thought we played great defense,” said Williams, whose team entered halftime leading 21-16. “We played a great team in Moeller and when you come down here you expect to get competition like that. To get another win here is great; the kids just played really hard and luckily we won.”
Indeed.
In the final minutes, it was a close game as Moeller chipped back in the second half and took the lead twice. However, some clutch free throws down the stretch helped the Pirates.
After taking a 33-31 advantage, the Crusaders allowed a Stephen Ferraro layup to tie the game 33-all. Then, Gibbs, Keller and Ferraro each hit two free throws to seal the win for Seton Hall.
“It was a tough [finish]. We weren’t really hitting our 3s, which is something we kind of depend on,” Gibbs said. “But we were able to get to the hole and the free-throw line and knock down shots. … It was just a team effort.”
The victory was the 100th overall for Williams, who is in his fifth year as the head coach. Williams was previously an assistant under legendary coach Bob Farrell, a member of the Beach Ball Classic Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Nate Georgeton had 11 points and Trey McBride scored 10 to pace Moeller, which also had a first-round game the day before. The Crusaders will now be featured in the consolation bracket, and will play the Montverde (Fla.)-St. Francis (Ga.) loser at noon Wednesday.
The Pirates will take on the Montverde-St. Francis winner in the semifinals Wednesday at 7 p.m.
“Just playing as a team and playing Seton Hall basketball; that’s one thing coach preaches a lot,” Gibbs said of what it will take to reach the championship. “It’s not one of us, it’s all of us and we just know we’re together, win or lose.”
▪ SETON HALL PREP (39): TJ Gibbs 13, Zach Keller 4, Stephen Ferraro 12, Ryan Toohers 6, Austin Williams 4.
▪ MOELLER (33): Keegan McDowell 2, Nate Georgeton 11, Riley Voss 3, Sam McCracken 2, Trey McBride 10, Caleb Canter 5.
▪ Halftime: Seton Hall Prep 21-16. 3-point goals: Seton Hall Prep 1 (Gibbs), Moeller 2 (Georgeton 1, Canter 1). Team fouls: Seton Hall Prep 12, Moeller 15. Fouled out: None. Technical fouls: None.
▪ Records: Seton Hall Prep 5-0, Moeller 7-1.
Max McKinnon: 843-626-0302, @mmckinnonTSN
This story was originally published December 27, 2015 at 9:42 PM with the headline "Seton Hall Prep holds off Moeller to move into semifinals."