Von Schalscha leads Kinnelon boys basketball to overtime win
BOONTON - It was close to being deja vu for the Kinnelon boys basketball team, but senior captain Charlie Von Schalscha wouldn’t allow his Colts to lose a second heart breaker in a row.
“We just came off a tough loss to Dover where we blew a lead,” Von Schalscha said. “So we didn’t want to lose this game.”
After holding a lead for the majority of the game, the Colts ended up pulling out an overtime thriller to defeat Boonton, 61-58, to earn their first win of the season.
The Colts dominated early on, scoring 21 points in the first quarter. However, Boonton put together a 12-0 run early in the second quarter to give the home team life.
After a back and forth third quarter, Boonton managed to take the lead, 46-45, entering the fourth quarter — its first since a 2-0 lead to start the game.
Late in the fourth quarter, Boonton held a four-point lead, but Von Schalscha hit a clutch three-pointer to bring his side within a point.
On the Colts ensuing possession, Von Schalscha drew a foul, but missed both free throws. After the second free throw attempt, he hustled after the loose ball and drew a second foul, where he would hit one-of-two free throws to tie the game at 55.
“We were in the same situation last game,” head coach Matt Arroyo said. “We had to fight through. Someone had to have the will to win and Charlie (Von Schalscha) just carried us.”
In the overtime period, Von Schalscha gave the Colts a 57-55 lead. Sophomore Dylan Cathcart followed with a shot of his own to extend the lead to a two-possession advantage.
Boonton sophomore guard Nate Maquiling followed with a three-pointer to cut the Bombers’ deficit to one point, but Colts forward Matt Stewart put the icing on the cake, when he hit a clutch layup to give his side a three-point lead.
Stewart led the Colts with 19 points, followed by Von Schalscha and Cathcart who had 14 each. Senior John Hamill scored 11 and Will Spreen had three — all five starters accounted for all 61 of the Colts’ points.
“Our big guys were resilient today,” Arroyo said. “They dug down and got some big rebounds. They’re a good unit and got the baskets we needed.”
Senior guard TJ Green led the Bombers with 19 points, followed by senior Connor Davis (14), and Maquiling (11).
“They pressured us a little bit and exposed our weakness by playing three bigs,” Arroyo said. “Fortunately we ended up pulling it out. It was a hard fought game for both sides, but we’ll take the win.”
Staff Writer Dan Canova: 862-240-2878;dcanova@gannettnj.com