By Jarrett George
CCC Journalism Program
The Camden County College men’s basketball team squeezed by Passaic County Community College, 66-63, on Nov. 23 in the Papiano Gym.
Both teams were coming off respectable wins. The CCC Cougars, with a team of five sophomores and the rest freshmen, shocked the number 4 team in the district in Montgomery County Community College on Nov. 19, while the PCCC Panthers were 3-0, winning by 10 or more points in all three victories.
The game started off with a Cougar Red Carpet coming out hot. It was 18-4 before the Panthers could blink. Sophomore captain Demere Hollingsworth had 8 of the 18 points for the Cougars. Hollingsworth said he tries to mold his game after Jason Kidd, “with his crafty decision making and precise shot making.”
As both teams tried to dominate, it became clear very early the Panthers wouldn’t go down without a fight. narrowing the Cougars’ lead to 30-24, by the end of the first half. A red-hot Head Coach Lou Abbattista followed his team into the locker room. He said after the game he was furious with “effort” and “calls.”
With victory in the air and only one team to feel it on this day, it came down to a grueling chess match of a second half. Both teams delivered blows but neither one was able to shake the other. Sophomore guard/forward Tyson Shaw stole the show with his spin moves and passing. The Cougars hung onto their lead through the second half, living up to the description of “relentless” that Hollingsworth and Abbattista gave for the team.
Abbattista said “playing gritty defense when needed while making key shots down the stretch” is what gave the Cougars their fourth win against two losses this season.
