Gibbs’ big night propels Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) past Shadow Mountain (Ariz.)

T.J. Gibbs has signed to play basketball at Notre Dame next season.

While Gibbs will likely make an impact for the Fighting Irish, he’s not done leaving an imprint at Seton Hall Prep (N.J.).

The senior had the game of his life Thursday, setting a career high in points (36) and rebounds (10) in leading the Pirates to a 77-67 victory over Shadow Mountain (Ariz.) in the third place game of the Beach Ball Classic.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it,” Gibbs said of setting a career high in points. “I was just thinking about how my team would get the win, whether it be me scoring, me making a pass or me not even touching the ball at all. They were just denying me the ball and coach thought it would be best if I just stayed away and I just let my other teammates make the play and have me go backdoor and it was working. I’m glad that happened.”

Gibbs’ point and rebound totals Thursday were one more than his previous career-highs (35 points; nine rebounds). He had just nine points in the first half before going off in the second.

In fact, Gibbs put up nine points in the opening four minutes of the second half as Seton Hall opened on a huge 15-0 run to take a five-point lead and never looked back.

“We talked about it at halftime — that wasn’t Seton Hall basketball in the first half. We kind of looked a little disinterested and that’s understandable coming off an emotional game like last night when we were going toe-to-toe with a powerhouse,” said Pirates coach Kevin Williams. “We just said in the second half that we have to get back to who we are and that’s defending, playing hard and playing for each other. Luckily we did it.”

Shadow Mountain point guard Michael Bibby, who had 17 points, was disappointed with the team’s performance in the second half as Seton Hall outscored the Matadors 57-37 in the final 16 minutes.

“We have to come out better in the second half. They went on a 15-0 run, and [Gibbs] is a hell of a player but we have to shut him down when he starts getting hot like that,” Bibby said. “… It shows how hard we need to play all the time. We saw some top competition out here and it’s good to take that back with us.”

Bibby’s father, former NBA great and Shadow Mountain head coach Mike Bibby, was ejected with nine seconds left. Bibby’s frustration was understandable as his team was coming off a loss to St. John’s (D.C.) on Wednesday in which 57 combined fouls were committed. On Thursday, the Pirates and Matadors combined to commit 46 fouls.

“It’s [poppycock]. I didn’t say anything to get thrown out,” Mike Bibby said. “All I said was, ‘You called that foul all night, you’re going to let it go because he has a dunk?’ And he gave me a tech. These refs were here for a reason, because they [officiated] our game last night as well.”

Mike Bibby was also upset his team allowed a 15-0 run to start the second half, but believes the entire tournament experience will help the Matadors as they prepare for a run through the Arizona state playoffs later in the year.

“It’s kind of frustrating. They went on that big run and we couldn’t bounce back from it. When you’re up 10, you can’t have that happen,” the older Bibby said. “Coming in, we controlled the whole first half but came out sleeping in the second. … I think it will definitely help us; I think we’ll be OK. We’ve been playing against this caliber of guys before and I think we’re ready.”

Gibbs is also hoping to use the tournament as a learning experience in his last season as a Pirate.

“It was definitely a great for me and us as a team,” Gibbs said of the Beach Ball Classic. “We go to the state [championship] every year and we see teams like this. New Jersey is a tough place to play, especially at states. It’s just great that we figured out that we can play with anybody in the country so we can play with anybody in Jersey. We know the recipe now; we just have to use it.”

This story was originally published December 31, 2015 at 9:59 PM with the headline "Gibbs’ big night propels Seton Hall Prep (N.J.) past Shadow Mountain (Ariz.)."