1987 Bridgewater / Raritan High School West Basketball State Playoffs
vs Steinert
	After a 24-1 regular season, the Golden Falcons headed to the state playoffs. In the first playoff game they put on an amazing performance against Hamilton East (Steinert) . They came out smoking taking a 20-2 lead. By the third quarter it was 61-22 before the starting players would be removed from the game for good. The final would be 92-49. The win startled the basketball community as it was the kind of rout that is seen in a mismatched regular season game, not in a state tournament. The opposing coach said “They kept hitting those outside shots against our zone. Normally you expect them to cool off eventually, but it just never happened. And their defense … well I just haven’t seen anyone play that kind of man to man defense all year. They’re so quick”. The Golden Falcons scoring totals that game were Murdock with 27, Dave Miller with 12, and Lance Miller with 10. Reserve forward Bob Bryant even scored 10 points coming off the bench.	Falcons 92 Steinert 49 Name FG FT Points Eric Murdock 10 7 27 Lance Miller 5 0 10 Dave Miller 6 0 12 Bill Ettel 5 2 12 Jim Shikora 3 0 6 O'Hara 1 0 2 R. Murdock 1 2 4 Iovene 1 0 2 Bryant 4 2 10 Regert 2 2 6 Albrethsen 1 0 2 Popaduik 1 0 2 Score by periods Bridgewater 22 25 29 16 93 Steinert 6 14 13 16 49
vs Ewing (at Sayreville)
	The next game was against the defending state champions Ewing. The game was tied with 5 minutes left in the first half when Bridgewater went on a 12-4 surge to take an eight point lead into the locker room. The highlight reel included an nice fast break basket by Bill Ettel after a Murdock blocked shot, a Lance Miller turnaround jumper that delighted the crowd, and an impressive” end to end” run by Murdock that started with his rebound on defense and ended with a layup at the other end. In the third quarter they continued their domination outscoring Ewing 16-9 to take a commanding 15 point lead into the fourth quarter. However, at this point the Golden Falcons showed that they were indeed human. Ewing, the defending champions, were not going down without a fight. Starting the 4th quarter Ewing’s Kelly Williams got hot. Bridgewater started missing shots. Then in frustration they were fouling on the rebounds giving Ewing foul shots of which they made 9. While the Golden Falcons bent, they did not break. With a minute left, Ewing pulled to within 4 points, but Eric Murdock proved he was a true superstar (as if there was any doubt) and came through hitting 4 of 5 free throws and a bank shot in the final minute to allow Bridgewater to hold on and advance to the next round .	Falcons 58 Ewing 53 Name FG FT Points Eric Murdock 7 5 19 Lance Miller 5 2 12 Dave Miller 5 4 14 Bill Ettel 4 1 9 Jim Shikora 2 0 4 Score by periods Bridgewater 12 13 16 17 58 Ewing 9 8 9 27 53
vs Colonia at (at Woodbridge High School)
	Next up was Colonia. Here the Golden Falcons were out for revenge as last year they had been eliminated in the state tournament in double overtime by Colonia. A packed house of basketball fans came to see what they thought would be a close game between two evenly balanced teams. The score was tied 12-12 one minute into the second quarter when Dave Miller put Bridgewater up for good with a jump shot. Then in a two minute stretch they pulled away. First Eric Murdock drove through the defense to the basket on two consecutive possessions and then Lance Miller stole a pass and went in for a layup. When Colonia inbounded the ball a deflected pass was intercepted by Murdock who scored on a jump shot. They took a 32-21 lead at halftime. In the last half Colonia tried to battle back, but the Golden Falcon’s aggressive man to man defense, led that night by Jim Shickora and Bill Ettel, frustrated Colonia’s offense. The final was 75-50.	Falcons 75 Colonia 50 Name FG FT Points Eric Murdock 12 4 28 Lance Miller 4 3 11 Dave Miller 7 2 16 Bill Ettel 3 2 8 Jim Shikora 3 2 8 Bryant 0 2 2 Avant 1 0 2 Score by periods Bridgewater 10 22 20 23 75 Colonia 8 13 10 19 50