VIDEO: Delbarton holds off Mountain Lakes in TOC semifinal | ||
|
Shaking off a slow start, Delbarton used a balanced offense and an imposing defense to advance to the finals of the boys' lacrosse Tournament of Champions. The Green Wave dominated the second and third quarters to defeat rival Mountain Lakes in the semifinal, 9-6. Garrett Samuelson scored three goals for Delbarton, which knocked off Mountain Lakes for the third time this season. The second-seeded Green Wave outscored the Lakers 7-1 in the middle quarters of the game after giving up the first two goals of the game at Kean University.
Rory Madigan and Keegan Khan had a goal and two assists apiece. Colin Crowley contributed a goal and an assist. Troy Higgins, Jack Chatwin and Michael Rutter also scored for Delbarton. The Green Wave defense locked down the Mountain Lakes offense for much of the game, allowing a total of just nine shots on goal. Chris Crowley had three saves. Down 7-3 entering the fourth, Mountain Lakes made things interesting with a pair of quick goals. After the Lakers conceded a score, defenseman Ian Graham scored his second goal of the quarter to pull the Lakers within 8-6. But Delbarton controlled the ball for most of the remaining time, and Madigan scored with just under two minutes left to ice the game. Lakers' goalie Joey Goodwin was tremendous in the first quarter and made a number of big stops throughout the game. Goodwin ended up with nine saves. Jake Spagnola, Ryan Frawley, Chris Boyhan and Brendan Monteleone also scored for sixth-seeded Mountain Lakes. The Lakers, who won the Group I state title, finish 18-7 including the three defeats to Delbarton. The Green Wave, champion of Non-Public A, is now 21-2. Delbarton will seek its fifth Tournament of Champions title when it takes on Pingry in Saturday's final. For sports video highlights of this New Jersey high school boys' lacrosse state Tournament of Champions semifinal game, click play in the box at left. |