Maplewood, JFK win to set up rematch

March 5, 2011 at 12:00a.m.

Warren

The Warren JFK High and Maplewood boys basketball teams earned a rematch by winning by convincing margins Friday night in sectional games at the Division IV tournament at Warren Harding.

Warren JFK (11-10) got off to a slow start, but defeated Ledgemont (10-12) 48-31 in the late game. Brendan Cox, a junior, led the Eagles with 15 points, while senior Martae Hainesworth tallied 14 points and hauled down 10 rebounds.

In the early game, Maplewood (15-6) defeated Newbury (8-14) 51-35 behind the one-two punch of junior Mark Spitler and senior Justin Fenstermaker. Spitler scored 23 points for the Rockets, while Fenstermaker added 17 points.

JFK and Maplewood will meet at 7:30 p.m. in a rematch of their December game at Kennedy, which the Eagles won 38-35.

Warren JFK coach Shawn Pompelia started preparing his team for the Tuesday night matchup with a traditional rival before Friday’s game against Ledgemont was finished.

During a fourth-quarter timeout, Pompelia said he told his team “we have to start getting ready to play Maplewood.”

Pompelia commended Maplewood coach Matt Urchek. “Matt’s an outstanding coach. He’s going to put something out there and have his kids ready for us Tuesday.

Friday night, Pompelia had his own team prepared for the contest against Ledgemont. But Ledgemont also came out strong, and the first quarter was a determined battle.

The score was tied 4-4 midway through the first quarter, but Hainesworth and senior Carl Broadbent scored consecutive fields, giving JFK a lead the Eagles never relinquished. The quarter ended with JFK leading 8-5.

JFK exploded in the second quarter, outscoring Ledgemont 15-6. Hainesworth pound the ball inside, while Cox poured in points from long range, connecting on two 3-point shots in the second quarter. Cox added a third 3-pointer in the second half.

Raitwann Gaston, a junior, added seven points for the Eagles, all in the second half.

Warren JFK led 23-11 at halftime and 40-21 after three quarters.

Pompelia said Hainesworth’s play was a key to the Eagles pulling away from Ledgemont.

“We have confidence in him,” he said.

Ledgemont coach Rick Nemet said JFK’s defensive pressure hampered his team’s offense.

“They put a lot of pressure on us. They’re quick and they hurt us on the boards,” Nemet said.

Like the Eagles, Maplewood got off to a slow start, holding a lead of only 7-6 over Newbury at the end of the first quarter.

But in the second quarter, Maplewood exploded, outscoring Newbury by the same margin Warren JFK outscored its opponent in the second quarter, 15-6. Spitler scored six points for Maplewood in the second outburst.

Maplewood led 22-12 at halftime, but Newbury played a strong second half. The Rockets outscored the Black Knights only 29-23 after halftime.

Urchek said his players missed some shots they shouldn’t have early in the game, but once Spitler and Fenstermaker started hitting their shots, that picked up the team.

“When you get your leading scorers going, everyone feeds off that,” he said.

Spitler is simply a good shooter, Urchek said, while Fenstermaker “is a load inside” at 6-foot, 5 inches and 230 pounds.

But while struggling offensively early in the game, the coach added, his team continued to play defense.

“One thing that can be a constant is defense,” he said.