Late Rally by Bergen Tech Upends Bloomfield 51-44 in Boys State Tourney – TAPinto.net

HACKENSACK, NJ – A fourth quarter surge by 7th seed Bergen Tech doomed 10th seed Bloomfield as the Bengals fell 51-44 on Monday night in the first-round of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 4 Boys Basketball State Tournament at Bergen County Tech High School in Hackensack.

After two victories in the last three games for the Bengals heading into the States, the team was optimistic about their chances heading into the postseason tournament.

The Bengals kept pace with Bergen Tech through the first 8 minutes of play, trailing only 18-15.

Bloomfield took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Knights 12-7 to take a 27-25 lead at halftime.  The Bengals increased their lead after three quarters to 37-32.

Bergen Tech’s offense caught fire in the final 8 minutes and outscored Bloomfield 19-7 in the fourth quarter to overcome the 5-point deficit and walk away with the 7-point win.

Senior Will Robinson had 16 points to lead Bloomfield in the loss, while senior Michael Ramos had 13, senior Tochi Anyanwu had 6, sophomore Vernon Lee added 4, junior Vinny Torrisi had 3, and senior Kevin Mitchell had 2.

Senior Marc Martinez scored a game-high 19 points for Bergen Tech, while senior Brian Ibeabuchi had 17 points and senior Howell Nunez added 13.

With the win, Bergen Tech improves to 16-7 overall and continues to the second round against #2 seed Fair Lawn on Wednesday.  Fair Lawn defeated #15 seed Randolph 73-35 on Monday night to advance.

The Bengals conclude the season with a 12-13 overall record in Coach Michael Passero’s first season at the helm.

Bloomfield came into the States with momentum on their side after winning two out of three games, including quality wins over Nutley and Columbia, and a buzzer-beater loss to Montclair in which the Bengals took the highly-ranked Mounties to the limit.

Last season, the Bengals finished 22-7 and made it to the semifinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 1, Group 4 State Tournament.  In 2016-17, the Bengals won the Section 1, Group 4 title and finished at 24-6.  It was their first State Section title since Kelly Tripucka was on the team in 1977.

Bloomfield High School plays host to the Group 2 State Semifinals on Wednesday, March 6 at 5 pm.