Bulldogs Defend Their Turf: Rumson Wins Tournament Title

By Bobby Klatt - Shore Sports Network contributor

RUMSON - Rumson has already taken down a top-four team in the preseason Shore Sports Network Top 10 in Shore Regional and was looking to add a holiday tournament title to its resume early in the season when it faced Ocean on Saturday night in the Bulldawg Classic championship game.

Rumson made a statement right away, starting the game on a 19-0 run as Jack Hermman was firing on all cylinders to help the Bulldogs run away with a 93-52 victory to take home the title at their host tournament.

The senior scored 9 of his 24 points within the first three minutes of the game. Once Ocean began to focus on stopping Herrmann, it left the door wide open for Brendan Barry to step up and make an impact.

Barry, a sophomore, also got off to a hot start. Barry and Herrmann combined for 19 of Rumson’s 25 points in the first quarter as the Bulldogs jumped out to a 25-4 lead. Barry finished with a game-high 25 points in the win.

“Coach (Chris Champeau) stressed to us that we should pressure them right away,'' Barry said. "We just wanted to score early and jump out to a big lead."

The Bulldogs needed to continue the scoring in the second quarter because Ocean started to figure out the pressure defense Rumson was using. Rumson only won the second quarter by one, but because of the massive first half, its lead was still large at 51-29 going into the locker room.

“Jumping out to the lead in the first quarter was big because they battled in the second (quarter),'' Champeau said. "They are a good team and we knew we had to be aggressive from the start.

There was no letdown in the second half as Barry and Herrmann continued to play well and another scorer emerged for Rumson. Junior Thomas Famulary also had a good night, scoring 19 points in the victory. Those three combined for 68 of the 75 Rumson points at the end of three quarters.

“Ball movement is the most important thing,'' Barry said. "We look for each other and who has the open shot."

Ocean had balanced scoring from both starters and bench, being led by Taj Shomo, who finished with 12 points.

After an 11-13 season last year in which it did not qualify for the Shore Conference Tournament, Rumson is out to shock some people, especially in a tough Class A Central division with the likes of Shore Regional, Red Bank Catholic, and Manasquan.

“We need to continue focusing on defense,'' Barry said. "That’s what wins games. We need to continue to pressure teams and force turnovers."

“We've got great balance on the offensive end this year,'' Champeau said. "We got a good mix of players that drive to the hoop and hit threes. Last year, we beat Manasquan at their place when they were No. 1 (in the Shore), and we thought that was the greatest thing and we didn’t finish the season like we wanted to. We've still got a tough schedule ahead."