JERSEY CITY, N.J. -- St. Patrick used timely three-point shooting and strong defense in the middle quarters on Saturday to claim a 72-57 victory over Paterson Catholic H.S. at The 3rd Annual Scholarship Fund for Inner-City Children Basketball Festival.
Clinging to a 15-14 lead after the opening quarter, the Celtics heated up beyond the arc in the second quarter, using a pair of three-pointers from senior guard Ruben Guillandeaux to outscore the Cougars 18-6 and grab a 33-20 halftime edge.
St. Patrick sank six of 10 shots beyond the arc in the first half, and things only got worse for Paterson Catholic in the third quarter. Inspired play by athletic junior wing Jeff Robinson and senior combo guard Jhamar Youngblood ignited a 14-2 quarter opening run that yielded a 47-22 Celtic lead midway through the period.
The lead mushroomed as high as 31 points before St. Patrick substituted liberally, aiding the Cougars' strong fourth quarter effort (26-15) that made the final score more cosmetically appealing.
"We had a good last part of the first quarter and an excellent second and third quarter," reflected St. Pat's Head Coach Kevin Boyle. "They had 14 points after the first quarter and scored a combined 14 points in the second and third quarters, and that was because we did a good job of containing the ball and staying with their shooters."
The Celtics were particularly concerned about the Cougars' pint-sized 5-10 shooter, Nicodemus Eaton. Eaton mustered just four points in the first half, but thanks to a late burst with the game's outcome already in the balance, he paced Paterson Catholic with 16 points.
"Jhamar did a great job on Nicodemus," Boyle added. "He [Eaton] banged like five three-pointers in a recent game against CBA (Christian Brothers Academy), and we did a good job of not letting him get off attempts in the first half and third quarter."
Corey Fisher, who carried St. Pat's to a Tuesday night victory over St. Benedict's Prep, had a relatively quiet game with 11 points. Robinson and Guillandeaux picked up the slack nicely, scoring 16 and 15 points, respectively.
"I thought that Jeff Robinson played a real complete game today," Boyle said. "He did a lot of things -- handled the ball a little bit, passed it and I also thought Ruben played at a very high level today."
Robinson is considered among the top junior prospects in the tri-state area, while Guillandeaux is among the region's top unsigned seniors.