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Camden plays with energy in loss to St. Anthony

The "wine and cheese crowds" of the state tournament, according to Bob Hurley, could learn something from a boys' basketball game at Camden High.

Camden's Rasool Hinson get the whistle for his foul on a layup in the
last seconds of a 50-46 loss to St. Anthony at Camden Saturday January
24, 2015. (David Swanson/Staff Photographer)
Camden's Rasool Hinson get the whistle for his foul on a layup in the last seconds of a 50-46 loss to St. Anthony at Camden Saturday January 24, 2015. (David Swanson/Staff Photographer)Read more

The "wine and cheese crowds" of the state tournament, according to Bob Hurley, could learn something from a boys' basketball game at Camden High.

Camden fans hold nothing back. The noise level from the band is something you'd expect from a rock concert. There are dancers, cheerleaders, and color guards.

People are shoulder to shoulder from wall to wall. And these aren't just students.

They are old and young residents of the city. They are energetic. They are knowledgeable.

Camden basketball is a source of pride - part of the foundation of a community they grew up in and love.

Saturday afternoon, the team on the court gave them every reason to be proud. Camden fell just short of knocking off St. Anthony - the top team in the state and one of the country's iconic programs - in a 50-46 defeat.

Afterward, Hurley, the wildly successful coach of the Friars and a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, sang the praise of a team clearly on the rise.

The atmosphere alone, he said, was worth his team's making the two-hour drive from Jersey City.

He talked about the faces in the gym.

Sprinkled throughout were stars of Camden's past, former players with mythical status, including Dajuan Wagner, who sat courtside on the floor that bears his name.

"The town is embracing what [Camden coach John Valore] is doing," Hurley said. "The alums are back. They're happy with what's going on.

"It's generating again."

The Panthers (11-2) had two clean looks at a go-ahead three-pointer in the final minute. They fell just short. But the message was clear: Camden, a legendary program in its own right, is moving in the right direction.

"I love the energy that we had, the crowd," said junior forward Jamal Holloway. "We just needed to be more into our offense."

Holloway was strong throughout, finishing with a team-high 16 points to go with eight rebounds.

Senior guard Rasool Hinson chipped in 15 points. He scored 12 in a crucial third quarter that ended with Camden ahead by 39-37. The Panthers were down 27-16 at the half but came out on fire after intermission, particularly on defense.

Hinson converted an and-one to give Camden the lead with 3:21 left in the third period. He did the same with 2:04 left.

"We came out with energy - we had to play for this city," Hinson said. In the third quarter, "we were feeling it."

St. Anthony (12-1) pulled away in the final period, thanks to the continued strong play of guard Jagan Mosely, who netted a game-high 17 points. Mosely scored four during a 6-0 run to open the fourth quarter. Camden battled back, but couldn't complete the comeback.

"We're a very talented team. The defense was great. Offensively, I thought if we were more structured, we would have been on the better side of the score," said Valore, in his second year at Camden.

As for the crowd, Valore added, "This was a college atmosphere. You couldn't ask for anything better."

St. Anthony 15 12 10 13 - 50

Camden 9 7 23 7 - 46

SA: Jagan Mosely 17, Taurean Thompson 8, Kalab Bishop 2, RJ Cole 3, Markis McDuffie 12, Idris Joyner 2, Mohamed Bendary 2, Shyquan Gibbs 2, Juvaris Hayes 2.

C: Brad Hawkins 7, Will McCants 6, Rasool Hinson 15, Jamal Holloway 16, Myles Thompson 2.