Plainfield earns top seed for boys' basketball UCT; Mountain Division champion Rahway - the winningest team in the county - is the 6th seed

By JR Parachini
Union County Sports Editor
The last time Plainfield won the Union County Tournament the captain of the two-time defending World Series champion New York Yankees was the best catcher in the American League – No. 15, Thurman Munson.
We were also just weeks away from Magic vs. Bird in the NCAA final and George Young making the decision to sign a quarterback out of Morehead State named Phil Simms.
The year was 1979. It was that long ago.
Plainfield won the championship that year under the coach for which its gym is named after – Rico Parenti. 
Plainfield, which has defeated every single Union County team it has faced so far this season, earned the top seed Wednesday for the 76th annual Frank J. Cicarell Boys’ Basketball Union County Tournament.
Plainfield is 16-3, with its only losses coming to St. Benedict’s Prep 67-65 at West Orange, to St. Patrick 55-52 at Kean and most recently to St. Anthony 43-31 Tuesday night at home.
Plainfield defeated St. Patrick 66-65 at home the first time the teams played in Union County Conference-Watchung Division play. If Plainfield defeats Westfield at home Thursday night in its final division game, then the Cardinals will win the division title for the second time in three years and this time with a 10-1 record. Plainfield is only playing Roselle Catholic once in the division because of an original agreement to play Cranford just once before Roselle Catholic and Cranford switched divisions for this year, with Cranford moving back down to the Mountain.
Four-time defending champion St. Patrick – coached this year by Chris Chevannes and the only Union County team to beat Plainfield – earned the second seed. The Celtics have won six of the past seven tournaments and will attempt to capture their first UCT title without Kevin Boyle as their head coach since the 1967 team won the crown under head coach Ed “Buzzy” Fox.
Plainfield has lost in its last four appearances in the final, including 2010, 2006, 1984 and 1980. The Cardinals made three consecutive finals from 1978-1980, losing two two-point games and winning one two-pointer.
Rahway last won the UCT in 1957 and last reached the final in 1985. The Indians not only won the first tournament in 1937, but were also the first program to win three straight crowns, doing so from 1941-1943.
Those squads were guided by Earl Walter, for whom the Rahway gym is named after.
Rahway sixth-year head coach Kevin Conroy has guided the Indians to the most wins in Union County, with his Mountain Division championship squad fashioning an 18-2 record.
Rahway is the first Mountain Division team to be seeded, positioned at No. 6. All five schools seeded above the Indians are from the Watchung Division.
“There’s no doubt the Watchung (division) is the better league,” Conroy said. “You just can’t compare the leagues.”
During Conroy’s second year at the helm in 2008, he guided Rahway to the UCT semifinals with a 21-0 record before the Indians were quite respectable in a 79-66 defeat to top-seeded St. Patrick in the 4-vs.-1 semifinal at the Elizabeth Dunn Sport Center.
In the same seeded game at Dunn in 2005 and 2006 with future Louisville standout and NBA player Earl Clark, the Indians were walloped by the Celtics.
“We would love to reach the semifinals, but in order to do that we’re going to have to knock off one of the big schools,” Conroy said.
The top eight seeds are 1-Plainfield, 2-St. Patrick, 3-Roselle Catholic, 4-Elizabeth, 5-Linden, 6-Rahway, 7-Roselle and 8-Union Catholic.
For the second year in a row the top four seeds receive byes right into the quarterfinals.
The championship game is scheduled for Feb. 25 at 6 p.m. at Kean.

76TH ANNUAL FRANK J. CICARELL
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT
SEEDS: 1-Plainfield. 2-St. Patrick. 3-Roselle Catholic. 4-Elizabeth.
5-Linden. 6-Rahway. 7-Roselle. 8-Union Catholic.
9-Scotch Plains. 10-Westfield. 11-Cranford. 12-Dayton.
13-St. Mary’s, Elizabeth. 14-Gov. Livingston. 15-Hillside. 16-New Providence.
17-Union. 18-Oratory Prep. 19-Summit. 20-Johnson.
Roselle Park and Brearley did not enter.

PRE-PRELIMINARY ROUND
Saturday, Feb. 11
At Johnson
19-Summit vs. 6-Rahway, 3:30 p.m.
14-Gov. Livingston vs. 11-Cranford, 5 p.m.

PRELIMINARY ROUND
Sunday, Feb. 12
At Rahway
13-St. Mary’s vs. 12-Dayton, noon
17-Union vs. 8-Union Catholic, 1:30 p.m.
15-Hillside vs. 10-Westfield, 3 p.m.
16-New Providence vs. 9-Scotch Plains, 4:30 p.m.
20-Johnson vs. 5-Linden, 6 p.m.

18-Oratory Prep vs. 7-Roselle, 7:30 p.m.

FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, Feb. 15
At Rahway
Top side of the bracket, 6 and 7:30 p.m.
At Roselle Catholic
Bottom side of the bracket, 6 and 7:30 p.m.

QUARTERFINALS
Saturday, Feb. 18
At Rahway
Top side of the bracket, 6 and 7:30 p.m.
At Johnson
Bottom side of the bracket, noon and 1:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, Feb. 21
At Roselle Catholic
Top side of the bracket, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 22
At Kean
Bottom side of the bracket, 7:30 p.m.

FINAL
Saturday, Feb. 25
At Kean
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.   

FRANK J. CICARELL UCT BOYS' BASKETBALL
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME SCORES, WINNING COACHES:
2011: St. Patrick 70, Linden 58 - Kevin Boyle - at Kean
2010: St. Patrick 82, Plainfield 45 - Kevin Boyle - at Kean
2009: St. Patrick 89, Elizabeth 72 - Kevin Boyle
2008: St. Patrick 67, Linden 56 - Kevin Boyle
2007: Linden 63, St. Patrick 51 - Phil Colicchio
2006: St. Patrick 65, Plainfield 52 - Kevin Boyle
2005: St. Patrick 77, Linden 68 - Kevin Boyle
2004: Elizabeth 58, St. Patrick 51 - Donald Stewart
2003: St. Patrick 68, Linden 62 - Kevin Boyle
2002: Elizabeth 75, St. Patrick 61 - Pat Brunner
2001: Linden 76, St. Patrick 59 - Phil Colicchio
2000: St. Patrick 69, Linden 55 - Kevin Boyle
1999: St. Patrick 52, Union 43 - Kevin Boyle
1998: St. Patrick 76, Union 45 - Kevin Boyle
1997: St. Patrick 61, Elizabeth 48 - Kevin Boyle
1996: St. Patrick's 65, Elizabeth 47 - Kevin Boyle
1995: Elizabeth 50, St. Patrick 49 - Ben Candelino
1994: St. Patrick 63, Hillside 47 - Kevin Boyle
1993: St. Patrick 45, Elizabeth 41 - Kevin Boyle
1992: Elizabeth 69, Linden 57 - Ben Candelino
1991: Elizabeth 76, Linden 49 - Ben Candelino
1990: Elizabeth 96, Roselle 67 - Ben Candelino
1989: Elizabeth 65, Roselle 57 - Ben Candelino
1988: Linden 50, Elizabeth 45 - Wilbur Aikens
1987: Elizabeth 62, Linden 61 - Ben Candelino
1986: Elizabeth 50, Union Catholic 43 - Ben Candelino
1985: Elizabeth 70, Rahway 56 - Ben Candelino
1984: Elizabeth 57, Plainfield 42 - Ben Candelino
1983: Linden 66, Roselle 60 - Wilbur Aikens
1982: Linden 86, Union Catholic 67 - Wilbur Aikens
1981: Johnson Regional 73, Hillside 61 - Steve Petruzzelli
1980: Union 65, Plainfield 63 - Tom Fox
1979: Plainfield 70, Linden 68 - Rico Parenti
1978: Elizabeth 62, Plainfield 60 - Ron Kelly
1977: Roselle 75, Rahway 54 - Dick Young
1976: Roselle 61, Union 54 - Dick Young
1975: Plainfield 69, Rahway 64 - Rico Parenti
1974: Union 61, Cranford 48 - Tom Fox
1973: Linden 69, Roselle 53 - Wayman Everly
1972: Jefferson 50, Linden 43 - Ron Kelly
1971: Roselle 73, Linden 71 - Dick Young
1970: Jefferson 68, St. Mary's 61 - Ron Kelly
1969: Jefferson 55, St. Mary's 47 - Ron Kelly
1968: Linden 63, Jefferson 62 - Joe Gaines
1967: St. Patrick's 58, Plainfield 50 - Ed "Buzzy" Fox
1966: Linden 51, St. Patrick 56 - Joe Gaines
1965: Westfield 61, Cranford 52 - Bob Sanislow
1964: Cranford 68, Linden 61 - Bill Martin
1963: Westfield 65, Roselle Catholic 45 - John Lay
1962: St. Mary's 40, Linden 30 - Al LoBalbo
1961: Roselle 45, St. Mary's 43 - Ralph Arminio
1960: St. Mary's 53, Jefferson 43 - Al LoBalbo
1959: Westfield 54, Cranford 46 - John Lay
1958: Roselle 66, Cranford 64 - Ralph Arminio
1957: Rahway 64, Jefferson 51 - Bob Berger
1956: Plainfield 58, Sacred Heart 51 - Bill Brann
1955: Jefferson 52, St. Mary's 44 - Bill Tranavitch
1954: Jefferson 57, Springfield 44 - Bill Tranavitch
1953: Linden 59, Union 38 - G. St. Andrassy
1952: St. Mary's 48, Linden 30 - Al LoBalbo
1951: St. Mary's 37, Jefferson 36 - Al LoBalbo
1950: Jefferson 69, Hillside 57 - Bill Tranavitch
1949: Jefferson 42, Hillside 41 - Bob Cox
1948: Jefferson 33, Springfield 32 - Bob Cox
1947: Springfield 31, Linden 29 - Walter Hohn
1946: Springfield 37, Linden 34 - Walter Hohn
1945: Jefferson 39, Roselle Park 23 - Abner West
1944: St. Patrick 40, Roselle Park 36 - Ken Milsop
1943: Rahway 34, Jefferson 33 - Earl Walter
1942: Rahway 46, Jefferson 30 - Earl Walter
1941: Rahway 32, Hillside 24 - Earl Walter
1940: Springfield 35, Cranford 33 - Bill Brown
1939: Linden 30, Plainfield 20 - Les Goodwin
1938: Springfield 25, Rahway 24 - Bill Brown
1937: Rahway 27, Hillside 17 - Earl Walter