Thanks to Charlie Ginex for the photo (East Brunswick's Kyle Barry sets John McLaughlin in a game against Old Bridge during the Bears Invitational.)By Fred Siegle
EAST BRUNSWICK - John McLaughlin warmed up his jump serve in East Brunswick's last pool play game at the Bears Invitational. By the time the Bears were in the final, it was on fire.
East Brunswick beat St. Josephs 25-14 in the final on Saturday to keep the B.I. Jug that goes to the tournament winner and remain the only team to capture the title in the event's three-year history. McLaughlin played a huge role in the victory with two aces and nine service points, with most of those coming because of St. Joes errors or off easy defensive plays for the Bears because of the pressure McLaughlin's tough serves put on the Falcons' offense.
"It started working for me in the second Bayonne game (the Bears' last pool-play game), and I just started getting more and more confident in it,'' McLaughlin said. "Once it started working for me, I just kept ripping it.''
McLaughlin, a senior middle blocker, also started for the Bears last year. But he didn't jump serve then.
"I would try it once in a while in practice, but I always hit it out of bounds,'' McLaughlin said. "It would sail all over the place, most of the time into the wall.''
But he stuck with it at practice this year.
"I've been working on it,'' he said. "Today, it started working in that one game. I start out with just a float, and if we get a point off that I'll go with a harder jumper.''
In the final, McLaughlin's first flurry of jump serves came at the start of the game. His fifth point came on an ace that hit the net and trickled over for his second ace and gave the Bears a 7-1 lead. It also forced the Falcons to take a time out, after which they were able to side out on a kill by Keith MacDonald.
McLaughlin also had a four-point streak at the end of the game, all St. Joes' errors, that made the score 24-13. The Bears, who went 11-1 in pool play in the 7-team event, went on to finish the game with a block by Alex Rigley and retain the jug. Senior Sameer Sood of the Bears was named the tournament MVP.
Since the final was only one game, it won't count on either team's record. But the two teams , ranked first and third in the Powerzonevb.com top 10, will meet with even more on the line on Tuesday in a match postponed from last week.
"Playing them (St. Joes) today gives us a chance to see what they have,'' McLaughlin said. "We know they're a good team and won't lay down. We have to come out just as hard on Tuesday.''
St. Joes was erratic all day, going 7-5 in pool play, which was still good enough for the second seed in the playoffs.
"We were kind of chippy all day,'' coach Miguel Cabrita said. "This really doesn't mean anything, win or lose. It was more about feeling each other out to see what each team can do. ''
The Falcons have a tough week, with a home match against No. 5 Fair Lawn on Monday, the match vs. East Brunswick on Tuesday, a meeting with perennial state power Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday, and then a quad match involving the Bears (again), No. 2 Southern, and No. 9 Moorestown on Saturday at Southern.
East Brunswick beat Bayonne (6-6 in pool play, including wins over the Bears and Falcons) in the semifinals, while St. Joes beat Old Bridge (7-5 in pool play). Bayonne beat Bridgewater (5-7) in the quarterfinals, while Old Bridge beat Hillsborough (4-8). West Windsor-Plainsboro South went 3-9 in pool play.
But he stuck with it at practice this year.
"I've been working on it,'' he said. "Today, it started working in that one game. I start out with just a float, and if we get a point off that I'll go with a harder jumper.''
In the final, McLaughlin's first flurry of jump serves came at the start of the game. His fifth point came on an ace that hit the net and trickled over for his second ace and gave the Bears a 7-1 lead. It also forced the Falcons to take a time out, after which they were able to side out on a kill by Keith MacDonald.
McLaughlin also had a four-point streak at the end of the game, all St. Joes' errors, that made the score 24-13. The Bears, who went 11-1 in pool play in the 7-team event, went on to finish the game with a block by Alex Rigley and retain the jug. Senior Sameer Sood of the Bears was named the tournament MVP.
Since the final was only one game, it won't count on either team's record. But the two teams , ranked first and third in the Powerzonevb.com top 10, will meet with even more on the line on Tuesday in a match postponed from last week.
"Playing them (St. Joes) today gives us a chance to see what they have,'' McLaughlin said. "We know they're a good team and won't lay down. We have to come out just as hard on Tuesday.''
St. Joes was erratic all day, going 7-5 in pool play, which was still good enough for the second seed in the playoffs.
"We were kind of chippy all day,'' coach Miguel Cabrita said. "This really doesn't mean anything, win or lose. It was more about feeling each other out to see what each team can do. ''
The Falcons have a tough week, with a home match against No. 5 Fair Lawn on Monday, the match vs. East Brunswick on Tuesday, a meeting with perennial state power Bridgewater-Raritan on Wednesday, and then a quad match involving the Bears (again), No. 2 Southern, and No. 9 Moorestown on Saturday at Southern.
East Brunswick beat Bayonne (6-6 in pool play, including wins over the Bears and Falcons) in the semifinals, while St. Joes beat Old Bridge (7-5 in pool play). Bayonne beat Bridgewater (5-7) in the quarterfinals, while Old Bridge beat Hillsborough (4-8). West Windsor-Plainsboro South went 3-9 in pool play.
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