One of the more overlooked clichés among sports coaches is that they and their players are not worrying about the other team as much as they are concentrating on themselves.

Yeah, right. Either the coach isn’t quite being honest or, worse, he isn’t informed enough about the other team.

Trenton Catholic Academy boys’ basketball coach Fred Falchi knows a lot about Camden Catholic, the Cherry Hill squad the Iron Mikes will play for all the marbles in the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament of Champions final Tuesday night at the Izod Center in East Rutherford. And, yes, Falchi is worried about the talented Irish.

“For us to have a chance, we will have to get and make good shots on offense,” Falchi says, “and somehow slow up (Anthony) D’Orazio and their inside game on defense.”

The 21st TOC championship game – and first involving a Mercer County team – matches the two Non-Public title winners, ‘A’ champion Camden Catholic (29-1) and ‘B’ champion TCA (27-3). Both teams have veteran lineups, including key seniors.

Camden Catholic has good size and a senior class that features three-year starters in the 6-2 D’Orazio, a 1,000-point scorer who is an outstanding perimeter shooter and will play at Lehigh University; bookend forwards in 6-foot-7 Gerry Wixted and 6-6 Tim Crawford, who are mobile and versatile. Also on the frontline is 6-4 Sharod Cadogan, a physical player that is underscored by the fact he will play football at the University of Wisconsin. The Irish had to replace only one starter coming into the season, and point guard Matt McElhatton, a 5-9 sophomore, has settled into a setup role without looking to score often.

Coach Jim Crawford has a 659-209 career record and has led Camden Catholic to 22 straight seasons of at least 20 wins – an incredible feat. The Irish will play a matchup zone that TCA might have to adjust to early in the game.

Where the Iron Mikes have a big edge is the bench. The trio of Chris Lewis, Chazz Patterson and Ron Paden often are overshadowed by the starting lineup of seniors Frantz Massenat, Dondre Whitmore and Markese Tucker as well as junior forward Khalid Lewis-El and sophomore center Brandon Taylor, but the Iron Mikes’ reserves are athletic and give the team much more offensive ability than Camden Catholic’s reserves.

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