By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — Atlantic City didn’t have anyone who could match up with Colts Neck forward Lloyd Daniels on Wednesday night in the Group 4 semifinals at Egg Harbor Township High School. But this season has never been about one player for the Vikings. The sum is greater than the parts. Daniels filled up the stat sheet for the Cougars with 23 points, eight rebounds, three steals and three blocks, but Atlantic City made enough plays down the stretch to edge Colts Neck 55-50 and punch its ticket to the Group 4 state championship game. Atlantic City (26-4) earns a date with Linden, a 69-56 winner over Hackensack, Sunday at noon at Rutgers University for the state title. “Everybody had to step up today. We just played hard. It’s a good feeling. It feels really good,” said guard Ahmad Biggins. Colts Neck (23-5) led throughout much of the first half before senior guard Lamar Thomas nailed a 3-pointer to give Atlantic City a 21-20 lead with about three minutes left in the second quarter. Nazim Derry scored in transition off an assist from Thomas, and Ray Bethea added a jumper as the Vikings took a 24-21 lead into halftime. 
Atlantic City’s Ray Bethea scores on a layup during the Vikings’ win over Colts Neck on Wednesday night in the Group 4 semifinals. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) The teams battled back-and-fourth throughout the third quarter, which featured two ties and four lead changes, before consecutive buckets by Khaled Mostafa and Rob Hill gave Colts Neck a 38-33 lead heading into the final quarter. But that’s when Atlantic City’s inside game started heating up. Bethea — a dynamic sophomore who led the Vikings with 16 points while adding six rebounds — scored five straight points to close the gap to 42-40. “He’s a sophomore, but he’s tremendous,” Ayshion Centeno said of Bethea. “He’s young, but he plays above his game. He might get mad and he might get frustrated, but he doesn’t give up.” “When he gets in the lane he can just go over people, and he hit some big shots for us,” said Atlantic City coach Gene Allen. “I told him not to settle for the three, but get in the lane and get some short shots. And we needed every point from him. He was the most athletic kid on the court, and he wanted the ball.” Centeno woke up in the second half as well, scoring all 10 of his points in the final two frames. His layup gave Atlantic City the lead for good, 46-44, and he followed that up with a blocked shot on the other end that led to an outlet bucket by Nah’Sir Morgan to make it 48-44. Morgan added another inside basket as the lead reached 50-44. Morgan had his best game of the season, scoring 14 points while adding a game-high 15 rebounds. “In the first half, I wasn’t feeling it. I was going to the hole and getting my shots blocked. In the second half, I told myself I had to come and play and have a big second half,” Centeno said. “The best thing about this team is, anybody can come out on any night and give us a good game. We have a lot of players who have game and can come out and play well.” “I had been getting on him for the last couple of games,” Allen said of Morgan. “I thought the moment was too big for him, but tonight he played very well.” 
Atlantic City’s Nah’Sir Morgan finished with 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds in the win over the Cougars. Colts Neck refused to go down quietly, however, cutting Atlantic City’s lead to 51-50 in the final minute before the Vikings were able to seal the win at the free-throw line. “We came out (of halftime) hungry,” Centeno said. “For the seniors, this is our last shot, so we knew we had to step up big. This is our last ride, so we have to go all out.” “How many people really felt like we could get to this point? And to get to this point is amazing. It’s the kids buying into what we are trying to preach. And what we’ve been trying to preach is, every day just come to practice and try to get better. Fortunately, these sophomores got their opportunity and made the most of it,” Allen said. “It is a tight-knit group, and they really root for each other. I talked about this after the game, how those seniors were rooting so hard for the sophomores. Sometimes you get seniors, and when guys who are younger are playing in front of them, they don’t have the same enthusiasm. But these guys — to a man — were very enthusiastic for each other, and that was really gratifying for me.” Allen said he knows Linden presents a huge challenge for the Vikings in the championship game on Sunday, but that he and his team are going to enjoy the ride no matter what happens. “I just told them, look, go up (to Rutgers), savor it, take in the atmosphere,” Allen said. “It’s something that a lot of guys don’t get in their basketball careers. We’re playing with house money now.” His players welcome the challenge. “We’re still not done yet,” Centeno said. “Our work is still not done.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
Boys basketball: Atlantic City holds on to beat Colts Neck, earns berth in Group 4 state championship game
