ROSELLE, N.J. — St. Anthony remains unbeaten and Tariq Carey is a major reason why.
The 6-foot-2 point guard scored all nine of his points in the second half Saturday as the Friars, No. 5 in the Five Star Power Rankings, held off No. 6 Huntington (West Va.) Prep, 50-49, in the PrimeTime Shootout at Roselle Catholic High School.
“It was definitely good for my confidence,” Carey said after the game. “Up to this point, I was playing a little bit of a role, just trying to score and stuff like that. But I think I really showed Coach [Bob] Hurley that I can do much more this game.”
With the Friars trailing 35-31 late in the third quarter after an Andrew Wiggins dunk, Carey scored seven straight points, hitting a 3-pointer, a layup and another basket to put St. Anthony up 38-35.
He scored again in transition later thanks to a perfect pass from UCLA-bound point guard Kyle Anderson.
“He is a great passer,” Carey said of Anderson, who finished with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. “I really like playing with him, especially because he’s a McDonald’s All-American, so you end up playing around more stars other than just yourself.”
Carey began his career at Newark East Side and was enrolled at St. Benedict’s Prep at the start of this year. There he was part of a crowded and talented backcourt that includes Tyler Ennis, Isaiah Briscoe and Miami-bound Melvin Johnson.
But Carey said he shifted again to St. Anthony in order to play for Hurley, a Naismith Hall of Famer.
“I wanted to come under an experienced coach,” Carey said. “Not to say coach [Mark] Taylor wasn’t a good coach, but I wanted to come under somebody that would get me ready for the next level.”
As for that next level, Carey is considering offers from Quinnipiac, Siena, Manhattan and New Hampshire.
“I’m committing on my birthday, April 15th,” he said.
In the meantime, Carey and St. Anthony have won 52 straight games dating to March 2010, and the goal is to keep on winning.
“We work hard every day,” Carey said. “Coach Hurley says don’t worry about winning, going undefeated, just worry about every game day by day.
“So that’s what we’re doing.”
