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Camden Catholic tops Camden for first division title since 2010

Demola Onifade figured he put the finishing touch on another Camden Catholic victory with an emphatic slam in the game's final seconds.

Demola Onifade figured he put the finishing touch on another Camden Catholic victory with an emphatic slam in the game's final seconds.

Then he did it again for good measure.

Neither dunk did the trick, somehow, as visiting Camden still had a chance to tie or win Thursday's Olympic Conference National Division thriller on the last possession of the pressure-packed game.

But the back-to-back stuffs in front of a roaring Camden Catholic student section underscored Onifade's contributions to the cause in a landmark, 43-41 victory - and his steady growth into one of the top big men in South Jersey.

"When he's not in there, it's so blatant that we miss him," Camden Catholic coach Matt Crawford said of Onifade after the Irish's second two-point victory over their archrivals this season.

Onifade generated 10 points with 10 rebounds, and senior swingman Courtney Cubbage added 14 points with 11 rebounds as Camden Catholic (23-3, 8-0 Olympic National) clinched its first division title since 2010.

Junior point guard Jamal Parker scored eight points, including an acrobatic, lefthanded layup at the 1-minute, 13-second mark, and played a strong floor game for Camden Catholic, the No. 5 team in The Inquirer Top 20.

Junior guard Brad Hawkins scored 14, and senior guard Will McCants added 10 for No. 6 Camden (19-6, 5-2).

The Panthers were in position to tie or win the game after Camden Catholic missed a pair of free throws with eight seconds on the clock, but the visitors were unable to get off a shot in the frantic final seconds.

"We were helter-skelter, and we didn't need to be that way," Camden coach John Valore said.

Valore lamented his team's willingness settle for jump shots instead of attacking the basket against Camden Catholic's matchup zone.

"We're not a jump-shooting team, we're a slashing team," Valore said.

But Camden's players might have been reluctant to drive into the paint because of the presence of the 6-foot-8 Onifade, who blocked three shots and altered several others.

"He's come a long way," Valore said of Onifade. "He's a good big man."

Onifade, who came to this country from Nigeria in April 2013 and has battled injuries in his two seasons with the Irish, still labors at times at the offensive end.

But Crawford and many Irish observers know Onifade's defense and rebounding have been major factors in one of the most successful regular seasons in recent Camden Catholic history.

"He does so much for us," Parker said of Onifade's contributions.

Onifade ranked his performance on Thursday as one of the "top three" of his career with the Irish.

"It was a team effort," Onifade said. "We had to come out strong. Coach told us before the game we had the chance to win the conference title for the first time since 2010.

"We took that very seriously."

Onifade scored four points, making two baskets on putbacks, with five rebounds as Camden Catholic seized the upper hand in the second quarter and took a 15-13 lead at halftime of the deliberately paced game.

The Irish were in front by 27-23 after three quarters and stretched their advantage to 39-33 when Cubbage made a pair of free throws at the 1-minute mark.

Then things heated up before a large, boisterous crowd in Camden Catholic's gymnasium.

After Hawkins made two free throws for Camden, Cubbage twice fed Onifade for slams as the Irish beat the Panthers' pressure defense down the court.

"I felt like the [first] dunk put the game away," Onifade said.

He was wrong about the first one and wrong about the second, too, as Camden roared back into contention on three-pointers in the final 30 seconds by McCants and Hawkins.

"The kids and the fans are celebrating [after Onifade's dunks], and I'm yelling: 'Get back, get back on defense,' " Crawford said. "That team [Camden] will never quit."

Camden was unable to convert its last possession, and Camden Catholic walked away with a season sweep of its fiercest rival and a perfect mark in division play.

The Irish have won seven in a row as they prepare to enter the Non-Public South A tournament next week as the No. 2 seed.

"It was special," Onifade said of the victory. "But now we have to look forward to the playoffs."

Camden 6 7 10 18 - 41

Camden Catholic 2 13 12 16 - 43

C: Brad Hawkins 14, Jamal Holloway 6, Rasool Hinson 8, Will McCants 10, Cory Whiting 3.

CC: Courtney Cubbage 14, Brendan Crawford 2, Demola Onifade 10, Jamal Parker 8, Jimmy Robinson 7, Terrence Harris 2.