Wrestling school. Football school. Small school.
All those terms still fit Paulsboro, the Group 1 school in the blue-collar town on the Delaware River in Gloucester County.
But make room for another description: Basketball powerhouse in the making.
Actually, the Red Raiders might already be there, since their 69-59 victory over top-ranked Paul VI on Saturday at the Cherry Hill East Invitational improved their record to 23-0 and validated their place among South Jersey's best teams.
But given Paulsboro's youthful talent, especially in its loaded freshman class, the Red Raiders likely are still on the rise.
"This was big for our program," Paulsboro coach Sean Collins said after the Red Raiders, the No. 6 team in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings, outplayed the Eagles before a near-capacity crowd of around 1,800 spectators.
"This shows we can play, we can compete, with anybody in South Jersey."
Junior forward Xavier Lundy led Paulsboro with 21 points and eight rebounds.
But it was a balanced effort for the Red Raiders, as freshman forward Theo Holloway scored 15 points, senior guard Calvin Johnson scored 11, and four other players scored between four and seven points.
"My kids are never scared," Collins said. "They take so much pride in being from Paulsboro and just going out and playing harder than them."
Senior guard Ron Curry scored 22 for Paul VI (20-3), which had won five in a row and 11 of 12. Curry led a furious fourth-quarter rally as the Eagles battled back from a 40-21 deficit and closed to within 58-54 on Roosevelt Cubbage's layup with 2 minutes, 50 seconds on the clock.
But the 6-foot-5 Lundy spun around a defender for a layup, and the Red Raiders went 9 for 11 from the foul line in the final 1:38 of play.
"It means a lot," Lundy said. "It means we're one of the top three teams in South Jersey. We wanted to prove that point, that we can play with anybody."
The Red Raiders were the more aggressive team, especially in the game's first three quarters. They used a full-court press as well as a trapping, 1-3-1 zone to force numerous Paul VI turnovers.
By halftime, Paulsboro had six players with five or more points. Lundy had 12, but Holloway and fellow freshman Saleem Little were hitting the boards along with 6-8 junior Julien Davenport, and Johnson and fellow senior guard Juwan Alford were controlling the game's tempo.
Stunningly, Paulsboro had a 40-22 lead at intermission.
