GMC Hoops Blogosphere

GMC Hoops Bleacher Cam Highlights–#3 Atlantic City vs. #2 St. Joseph’s–T of C Semis

Here are the bleacher cam highlights from St. Joseph’s of Metuchen’s 63-49 victory over Atlantic City in the semifinal round of the 2013 Tournament of Champions at Monmouth University. After trailing 31-29 at the half, the Falcons outscored the Vikings by nearly a two to one margin in the final two periods for the 14 point victory.

St. Joe’s defense was simply stifling in the second half. Over the final two periods. AC’s shooting percentage dropped 15 percent. The Vikings went just 5 of 30 from the floor in the second half. 3 of 15 from the floor in the fourth quarter alone including misses on their last 10 shot attempts of the game. Atlantic City not only couldn’t get that clutch second half three that they had been able to get in the previous three rounds, but they couldn’t even buy one as it went 0 of 6 from beyond the arc in the final two periods. The result was the Falcons turning a two point halftime deficit into a 14 point, 63-49 win by outscoring the Vikings by nearly a two to one margin (34-18) over the final two periods.

The Falcons also overcame a double digit rebounding deficit at one point in the first half to have a 35-33 edge on the boards. St. Joe’s also committed fewer team fouls (15-17), and ended up shooting 25 of 51 from the field for 49 percent. Both teams ended up going 12 of 18 from the free throw line. The four time defending GMCT champion, didn’t shoot much better from three point range by only going 1 of 12, but the Falcons got a combined 54 points, or 86 percent of its scoring from the Big Three of Karl Towns (24 points), Wade Baldwin (15 points), and Marques Townes (15 points). Towns, who managed to avoid fouling out of the contest, connected on 10 of 16 shots while Townes clicked on 6 of 10 shooting for the winners.

GMC Hoops Highlights–March 15, 2013–#3 Atlantic City vs. #2 St. Joseph’s–T of C Semis

Here are the video highlights from St. Joseph’s of Metuchen’s 63-49 victory over Atlantic City in the semifinal round of the 2013 Tournament of Champions at Monmouth University. After trailing 31-29 at the half, the Falcons outscored the Vikings by nearly a two to one margin in the final two periods for the 14 point victory.

St. Joe’s defense was simply stifling in the second half. Over the final two periods. AC’s shooting percentage dropped 15 percent. The Vikings went just 5 of 30 from the floor in the second half. 3 of 15 from the floor in the fourth quarter alone including misses on their last 10 shot attempts of the game. Atlantic City not only couldn’t get that clutch second half three that they had been able to get in the previous three rounds, but they couldn’t even buy one as it went 0 of 6 from beyond the arc in the final two periods. The result was the Falcons turning a two point halftime deficit into a 14 point, 63-49 win by outscoring the Vikings by nearly a two to one margin (34-18) over the final two periods.

The Falcons also overcame a double digit rebounding deficit at one point in the first half to have a 35-33 edge on the boards. St. Joe’s also committed fewer team fouls (15-17), and ended up shooting 25 of 51 from the field for 49 percent. Both teams ended up going 12 of 18 from the free throw line. The four time defending GMCT champion, didn’t shoot much better from three point range by only going 1 of 12, but the Falcons got a combined 54 points, or 86 percent of its scoring from the Big Three of Karl Towns (24 points), Wade Baldwin (15 points), and Marques Townes (15 points). Towns, who managed to avoid fouling out of the contest, connected on 10 of 16 shots while Townes clicked on 6 of 10 shooting for the winners.

GMC Hoops Game Analysis–#2 St. Joseph’s vs. #1 Roselle Catholic–NJSIAA Tournament of Champions Final–Sun National Bank Center–March 19, 2013

Richardson and Roberson Lift RC Past St. Joe’s For Title, 65-49

TRENTON, NJ–One of the keys to Tuesday night’s Championship Game in the 2013 Tournament of Champions at Sun National Bank Center was which team’s big three was going to play well. For top seeded Roselle Catholic, the big three of Malachi Richardson, Tyler Roberson, and Hakim Saintil proved to be too much for second seeded St. Joseph’s.

Spurred by a game high 22 points including five three pointers by Richardson, and another 19 points by Syracuse bound Roberson, the Lions big three combined to outscore St. Joe’s big three by a margin of 49-37, and that helped Roselle Catholic emerge from this heavyweight fight with a 65-49 victory, and its first ever T of C title. St. Joseph’s was also making its first finals appearance.

Richardson had 13 points and three of his treys in the first half. Two of them came during a key 15-2 run that bridged the end of the first period with the end of the second as Roselle Catholic turned a 8-6 deficit into a 21-10 lead en route to a 26-16 edge at the intermission. After giving up the first two points of the second half, St. Joseph’s made its biggest run of the game by scoring 11 straight points including the last five by Marques Townes on two acrobatic layups including one that resulted in a three point play that closed the gap to 28-27.

Despite a number of subsequent opportunities over the next few minutes, the Falcons were unable to tie or take the lead. Meanwhile, Roselle Catholic began to pull away by the end of the third as Richardson struck again for two more threes that grew the Lions lead to seven at 42-35 heading into the fourth. St. Joe’s got no closer than six points the rest of the way as the Lions were able to spread the floor, get to the foul line, and make easy layups to pull away for the victory.

For the game, St. Joseph’s only shot 20 of 56 overall for 36 percent including just 3 of 19 from long distance. Roselle Catholic on the other hand, connected on 23 of 47 shots for 49 percent including 5 of 13 from beyond the arc. Both teams shot well at the line, but the Lions get there more often and went 14 of 16 for 87. 5 percent while Joes was only 6 of 7 for 85.7 percent. The Falcons actually enjoyed a 31-27 overall rebounding edge, and had fewer fouls most of the game before having to foul, and RC ended up getting the edge there, 12 to 14. Another key to the game was which team would dictate tempo, and Roselle Catholic was able to control things from that aspect.

The Lions didn’t allow the Falcons to get into transition very often, and made the GMC school work from sets in the half court. RC also took advantage of missed Falcon shots by getting out on the break as well for easy buckets. Roselle Catholic did a solid job containing Kentucky bound big man Karl Towns. The Lions got a solid and physical effort from big man Chris Silva before he left the game in the third, and Roberson helped clean up by swatting away a couple of Towns’ shots down low. The Falcons big man, who managed to stay out of foul trouble, was forced to take shot attempts away from the basket, and rushed into shots, and wasn’t able to get off a good shot, particularly from the perimeter. Towns didn’t get his first points until the 7:05 mark of the third quarter, and ended up with just seven for the game even though that still helped him get over 1,000 for his career.

Silva and Roberson had plenty of help too as Roselle Catholic’s defense played off other Falcon players to focus on Towns. James Ziemba had a few more open looks than usual, and took advantage in the first period with four points, but only had two more the rest of the way. Raven Owen had some good looks as well, especially from beyond the arc, but wasn’t able to get any of them to fall. Roselle Catholic had seven different players get into the scorebook with four of those players getting at least eight points. St. Joe’s had six players score with only two having eight points or more. Richardson and Roberson combined to shoot 13 of 24 from the field.

One bright spot for the Falcons was Townes, who ended up with a team high 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the floor including two threes. The junior guard scored 13 of those points including both threes in the second half. Wade Baldwin chipped in with 13 points. Hakim Saintil and freshman Asante Gist each added 8 in a winning cause for Roselle Catholic. With the victory, Roselle Catholic finished the season at 25-5 while St. Joseph’s, which had its 13 game winning streak snapped, closed out its season at 27-5.

GMC Hoops Preview–#2 St. Joseph’s vs. #1 Roselle Catholic–Tournament of Champions–Championship–March 19, 2013

Finale To 2013 Boys Hoops Season Should Be A Dandy

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–Even though the usual finalists such as St. Anthony’s or St. Patrick’s are not in this year’s final, it still should be quite a game when top seeded Roselle Catholic faces off against second seeded St. Joseph’s in the Championship Game of the 2013 Tournament of Champions at Sun National Bank Center in Trenton on Tuesday night.

The Falcons made history on Friday night when it defeated third seeded Atlantic City in the T of C semifinals at Monmouth University.  Not only did St. Joseph’s become the first GMC team to win a game in the T of C since Piscataway defeated Middle Township in the opening round of the 1994 T of C at Rutgers, but it also became the  first school from the conference to play in the final.  St. Joe’s is also making its second straight appearance in the T of C, which no GMC team has ever done before either.

Roselle Catholic is also making its first appearance in the T of C final.  The Lions had not won a state title since the 1962-63 season.  RCHS defeated St. Anthony’s in the Non-Public B State Championship, and then defeated fifth seeded Newark Tech in its semifinal matchup.  The Lions are the third team from the Union County Conference to play in the T of C final.  The last two seasons, Plainfield had represented the conference in the championship only to lose to St. Anthony’s.  The Cardinals defeated St. Joe’s in last year’s semifinal (72-48) en route to that finals berth.

Both teams have had common opponents this season in East Brunswick and  the Patrick School.  St. Joe’s played EB three times, and lost the first two meetings before edging the Bears in a double overtime thriller of a GMCT final (66-63).  The Falcons also played the Patrick School in the finale of the Butch Kowal Scholarship Games at Rahway High School back in the first Saturday of February, and lost 72-65, but they didn’t have the services of big man Karl Towns for that one.  Towns also fouled out in the first overtime against EB in the GMCT Championship.  Those two games did a lot for St. Joe’s in the sense that the Falcons found out a lot about themselves, and learned that they could still be somewhat successful without Towns on the floor.  The two contests did a lot in bringing the team together.

Roselle Catholic played and defeated the Patrick School three times this season including the most recent encounter in the Non-Public B South sectional championship at Jackson Liberty some two weeks ago.  The Lions also played East Brunswick in a revamped schedule at the Primetime Shootout back during the second weekend of February.  RC edged EB in a very competitive game.  Both teams also played in tough out of state holiday tournaments, and out of state foes.  St. Joe’s competed in the HighSchoolOT.com Holiday Invitational were it defeated previously unbeaten Broughton of Raleigh, North Carolina, and then lost to DeSoto of Texas in the final.  Roselle Catholic played in the Jameer Nelson Classic where it defeated LaSalle College of Philadelphia and Friends Central.  St. Joe’s played in the Nelson Classic tourney last year.  

The Lions also played Montverde Academy out of Florida, and coached by former St. Patrick’s head coach, Kevin Boyle in the Hoops for Troops showcase at Roselle Catholic at the very beginning of 2013.  The Falcons have also played tough foes including St. Augustine Prep, Paul VI, St. Peter’s Prep twice, and Phelps School of Pennsylvania.  Both teams feature two solid big men in their frontcourt.  One known to put up big numbers offensively while the other plays great defense and rebounds.  For St. Joe’s it is the combination of Karl Towns and James Ziemba while Roselle Catholic has the tandem of Tyler Roberson and Chris Silva.  Towns is averaging 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 blocks per game for the Falcons while Ziemba has piled up big numbers on the boards along with providing great hustle and defense.  Roberson leads Roselle Catholic with 17 points and 11 rebounds per game while Silva chips in with solid shot blocking and rebounding.

Each team has two dynamic guards with St. Joe’s having 1,000 point scorers Wade Baldwin (16.3 ppg) and Marques Townes (14.4 ppg) while Roselle Catholic has the duo of Hakim Saintil (14.2 ppg), and Trenton Catholic transfer, Malachi Richardson (15 ppg).  Both teams also have solid supporting casts with the Falcons having starting point guard Jimbo Long, who along with  Ziemba have won over 100 games in their four years on the varsity roster along with reserves Raven Owen, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Brunson, and Sean Finan.  Roselle Catholic’s supporting cast consists of freshman starting guard, Asante Gist and reserves Matt Bullock, Kory Highsmith, and Rob Lewis.  Both teams are quite comfortable in both the half court, and in transition.  One key will be which team is able to dictate tempo.

Another key will be which team’s Big Three will be more effective.  Will it be St. Joe’s trio of Towns, Baldwin, and Townes, or will it be Roselle Catholic’s triumvirate of Roberson, Saintil, and Richardson.   Which supporting cast player will make his impact felt?  In the games on Friday, James Ziemba made a couple key hustle plays early in the fourth quarter to help the Falcons hang on to a tenuous lead, and then pull away from Atlantic City while Kory Highsmith sank three treys in the Lions huge second quarter to put away Newark Tech.  Can both teams stay out of foul trouble?  If not, which team will be able to manage it the best.  Finally, which team will be able to take care of the basketball for the team that does will likely be able to dictate tempo, and have an upper hand.

GMC Hoops Game Analysis–#3 Atlantic City vs. #2 St. Joseph’s–NJSIAA Tournament of Champions Semifinals–Monmouth University–March 15, 2013

St. Joseph’s Turns  Up The Heat Defensively In 2nd Half For Win, 63-49

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ–At the half of its T of C semifinal game with St. Joseph’s, third seeded Atlantic City, also ranked third in the most  recent Star-Ledger statewide Top 20, had a lot to be happy about.  The Vikings didn’t get off to a bad start like they had done in their previous three games, Falcon big man, Karl Towns was in foul trouble, and AC led by two at the break.

In the first half, the Falcons only outshot Atlantic City by a margin of  48 to 46 percent while rebounding was close.  However, in the second half, St. Joe’s showed AC that it could also turn up the heat defensively.  They shut down Isaiah Graves, a second half clutch performer for the Vikings this post-season, and limited him to just 6 points on 2 of 12 shooting including an 0 of 4 showing from beyond the arc.  As a team, Atlantic City only shot 1 of 11 from long distance with Dayshawn Reynolds getting the only trey.

The Falcons also clamped down on  two-thirds of Atlantic City’s front line.  Both Jahleem Montague and Ga’briel Chandler, two players that played an important role in the Vikings second half rally against Point Pleasant Beach in the  quarterfinals, were limited to just 7 points each on a combined 3 of 14 shooting from the floor.  Dennis White along with Reynolds were the only bright spots with 15 and  14 points respectively on a combined 13 of 28 shooting from the field.  For the game, Atlantic City only made 31 percent on 18 of 57 shooting from the floor.  

St. Joe’s defense was simply stifling in the second half.  Over the final two periods.   AC’s shooting percentage dropped 15 percent.  The Vikings went  just 5 of 30 from the floor in the second half.  3 of 15 from the floor in the fourth quarter alone including misses on their last 10 shot attempts of the game.  Atlantic City not only couldn’t get that clutch second half three that they had been able to get in the previous three rounds, but they couldn’t even buy one as it went 0 of 6 from beyond the arc in the final two periods.  The result was the Falcons turning a two point halftime deficit into a 14 point, 63-49 win by outscoring the Vikings by nearly a two to one margin (34-18) over the final two periods.  

The Falcons also overcame a double digit rebounding deficit at one point in the first half to have a 35-33 edge on the boards.  St. Joe’s also committed fewer team fouls (15-17), and ended up shooting 25 of 51 from the field for 49 percent.  Both teams ended up going 12 of 18 from the free throw line.  The four time defending GMCT champion, didn’t shoot much better from three point range by only going 1 of 12, but the Falcons got a combined 54 points, or 86 percent of its scoring from the Big Three of Karl Towns (24 points), Wade Baldwin (15 points), and Marques Townes (15 points).  Towns, who managed to avoid fouling out of the contest, connected on 10 of 16 shots while Townes clicked on 6 of 10 shooting for the winners.  

James Ziemba (4 points), Jimbo Long (4 points) and Raven Owen (1 point) combined for the final 9 points, but they gave so much more that didn’t show on the scoresheet.  Both Long and Owen did a great job of handling the basketball against AC’s ball-hawking defense and played a key role in preventing Graves and Dayshawn Reynolds from doing their damage on the perimeter while Ziemba hustled, got on the floor for loose balls, rebounded well, and blocked shots.  The Hillsborough native bound for Duke on a baseball scholarship, helped the Falcons weather the storm while Towns was on the bench.  

One instance was early in the fourth quarter when AC got a score, and Reynolds tried to steal the ball from Townes.  When the Falcons junior guard was unable to reach and recover the basketball in the St. Joe’s backcourt, Ziemba dove to the floor to get possession of the basketball.  A little while  later, Ziemba made a similar play in front of the scorer’s table between the two team benches to prevent another turnover.  On top of that, the 6′9″ center connected on both of his shot attempts.  With the victory, St. Joe’s improved to 27-4 overall on the season, and became not only the GMC first team since Piscataway in 1994 to win a T of C game, but also the first conference school to appear in the T of C final.  Atlantic City finished its season at 30-2.

GMC Hoops Highlights–March 9, 2013–St. Peter’s Prep vs. St. Joseph’s–Non-Public A State Final

Here are video highlights from the NJSIAA Non-Public A State Championship between St. Joseph’s of Metuchen and St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City. St. Joseph’s, winnners of Non-Public A South for the second straight year, fell behind early as the Marauders took an 11-4 lead, but slowly and surely, Joes climbed back into the game as it trimmed the deficit to one at the end of the first, and then took the lead at 22-19 going into the intermission.

St. Joseph’s pulled away in the second half by outscoring St. Peter’s Prep by a score of 35-28 in the second half, but it wasn’t easy. The Falcons only led 39-37 with 3:42 remaining, and had to close the game with a 18-10 run as Karl Towns, who was saddled with foul trouble, flushed home two dunks to seal the win.

The Falcons shot 50 percent from the field while the Marauders shot only 37 percent. St. Joseph’s was 73 percent from the line while St. Peter’s was 75 percent. Both teams shot 25 percent from three and had nine points from beyond the arc. St. Joe’s had fewer fouls (15-18), and outrebounded St. Peter’s Prep by a margin of 29-20. The big three of Wade Baldwin (17 points), Marques Townes (14 points), and Karl Towns (12 points) combined for 43 of the Falcons 57 points on 15 of 26 shooting.

Jimbo Long had some key contributions though including a three pointer en route to his 7 points while Raven Owen came off the bench to score 5 points. James Ziemba rounded out the Falcon scoring with two points on a key layin in the second half. Trevis Wyche led St. Peter’s Prep with 16 points while backcourt mate, Austin White added 14. Vic Jusino chipped in with 9 points, but only had two in the second half before fouling out. With the win, St. Joe’s became the first Middlesex County team to win back to back state titles since Sayreville in 1951-52.

GMC Hoops Preview–#3 Atlantic City vs. #2 St. Joseph’s–NJSIAA Tournament of Champions–Semifinals–Monmouth University–March 15, 2013

Will First Round Bye Be A Blessing Or Curse For St. Joe’s

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–For two straight years, the St. Joseph’s Falcons have won the Non-Public A State Championship, and with it, a first round bye in the Tournament of Champions. The first ever team from Middlesex County to participate in back to back T of C’s had to wait a whole week after winning the state title last year to play in the semifinals of the T of C only to lose to third seeded Plainfield, a team that had to play an opening round game against Asbury Park.

It is not unusual though for a top seeded team that receives a bye to end up losing in the semifinals. In the 24 year history of the Tournament of Champions, 13 top seeded teams have exited the showcase in the semifinals after receiving that first round bye including the past two seasons, 4 out of the last 5 years, and 6 out of the last 9. Of those 13 teams, 11 of them were the second seed in the field. Only Bloomfield Tech Idefeated by Linden) in 2006 and Linden in 2007 Idefeated by Bloomfield Tech) were top seeded teams that were defeated in the semifinals.

So, while being a top seed with a first round bye can be a blessing in the form of extra rest for players suffering from nagging injuries, soreness, or the usual bumps and bruises that go with a 30 plus game season, it can also be a curse in the form of another “R” word, and that is rust. Plainfield, which made the T of C final in each of the previous two years, did so as a three seed that had to win three games in order to get the title. In order for St. Joseph’s to make history, and become the first GMC school to play in the ultimate title game, it will have to break through the recent trend of two seeds coming off a bye and getting knocked out in the semis.

It won’t be easy either. The Falcons are playing against a third seeded Atlantic City team that has only lost once this season (to St. Anthony’s 45-31 in January), and defeated a common opponent in East Brunswick in the Group IV state semifinals at Egg Harbor Township High School ten days ago. In each of the last three playoff rounds, the Vikings have found themselves behind at the half or later only to rally from behind and win the game including the last two in overtime and double overtime respectively. Atlantic City plays tremendous man to man defense that went full court in the second half against Point Pleasant Beach in the opening round of the T of C, and change the whole complexion of the game by rushing the Garnet Gulls into missed shots and turnovers, and thus creating transition and easy basket opportunities for the Vikes.

The one positive for the Falcons is that they don’t mind playing up-tempo with the likes of 1,000 point scorers Wade Baldwin and Marques Townes looking to get out in the open court and go in for easy buckets and high flying dunks. In addition to his prolific scoring from both the inside and outside, Karl Towns has a great knack of getting rebounds and dishing out great outlet passes to the other two members of the heralded “Big Three” for transition opportunities. Towns may have a tough task ahead of him though. Although he has at least four inches of height over AC’s big man, Jahleem Montague, the latter will be up to the challenge as he was against Linden’s Quadri Moore in the Group IV state final.

Despite the fact that he gave up 70 pounds to Moore, Montague limited the Tigers big man to just nine points, and it proved to be one of the factors as Atlantic City won its second straight state title in overtime. Another factor going for the Vikes is just their sheer resiliency, and ability to make big shots when called upon. Both Isaiah Graves and Dayshawn Reynolds have highlighted this post-season run with huge threes late in games. or scoring binges in the fourth quarter. The guard trio of Baldwin, Townes, and top defender, Jimbo Long will have to do a solid job of locking down the duo of Graves and Reynolds. James Ziemba, a solid rebounder in his own right, along with Towns will also have to deal with an AC front line that not only consists of Montague, but also includes Ga’briel Chandler and Dennis White.

The Viking frontcourt trio of Montague (16 points), Chandler (17 points), and White (8 points) accounted for 41 of their team’s points against Point Pleasant Beach, and played a huge role in a pivotal 31-7 surge that turned a 43-24 deficit midway through the third into a 55-50 lead with under four to play in regulation. In the state championship against Linden, White was one of the heroes with his play in the second half and overtime en route to 16 points. Both teams have been battle tested with AC playing the likes of St. Anthony’s, St. Augustine Prep, Paulsboro, Middle Township, Toms River North, Lenape, East Brunswick, Linden, Medford Tech, and Point Pleasant Beach while St. Joe’s has played Teaneck, Broughton (NC), DeSoto (TX), East Brunswick (3 times), Phelps School (PA), Patrick School, Irvington, St. Augustine Prep, Paul VI, and St. Peter’s Prep (twice).

Both teams have played the common opponents of East Brunswick and St. Augustine Prep. Atlantic City defeated both teams by slim margins including a two point victory over EB in the state semifinals (51-49). St. Joseph’s lost to EB twice during the regular season, but defeated the Bears to earn their fourth straight GMCT Championship (66-63). The Falcons also broke away from a 16-14 late first half deficit with a 25-2 tear for a 41-18 lead en route to an 80-39 rout of St. Augustine in the Non-Public A South semifinals.

Keys to the game will be the following: For St. Joseph’s, they will need to keep Karl Towns out of foul trouble. In the last game against St. Peter’s Prep, the Kentucky bound sophomore was hampered by fouls in the first half, and was limited to just 12 points including two late fourth quarter dunks to put the game away. The Falcons will also need to take care of the basketball against an AC backcourt that likes to create havoc by forcing turnovers. St. Joe’s will need to dictate tempo by executing in the halfcourt, and picking their spots in transition. Solid play from the Falcon bench including contributions from Raven Owen and Brian Fitzpatrick will be a big help also. For Atlantic City, the Vikings can’t afford to fall too far behind in this one. The trio of Montague, Chandler, and White will need to crash the boards, and combine to make life difficult for Towns at both ends of the floor while Graves and Dayshawn Reynolds must continue to have the hot hand from the perimeter.

GMC Hoops Preview–A Sneak Peek At The 2013 Tournament Of Champions

St. Joseph’s Earns First Round Bye For 2nd Straight Year

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–The final chapter of the 2013 Boys Basketball season begins tonight as the Tournament of Champions gets underway with two first round games starting at 6:00 PM at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River.  Top seeded Roselle Catholic, and second seeded St. Joseph’s, the lone GMC representative in the tourney, get first round byes and await the winners from tonight’s games in the semifinals at Monmouth University on Friday night.

Group IV state champion, Atlantic City, making its second straight T of C appearance, and third since 2005, was seeded third.  Group III champion, Newark Eastside, which won its first state title since 2002, received the fourth seed, and will play neighborhood rival and fifth seeded Newark Tech in the first quarterfinal matchup at Pine Belt.  Sixth seeded Point Pleasant Beach, the Group I state champ, will take on AC in the nightcap quarterfinal game at 8:00 PM.  The Garnet Gulls should enjoy a bit of a home court advantage by playing close to their backyard in Ocean County.

Quarterfinal Round

Newark Eastside and Newark Tech will be playing for the third time this season with each team winning once.  Eastside won the most recent matchup in the Essex County Tournament (50-47).  The Red Raiders have been able to do it with defense as they have only yielded an average of 45 points per game over its six games of the state tournament.  Newark Eastside has also defeated state powers Mendham, (43-21), Irvington (40-38), Teaneck (39-35), and Camden (60-54).  The Raiders held their opponents to under 40 points in four of those six state playoff games.

Akbar Hoffman (20 points including two threes) and Ahmad Harrison (10 points including two threes) helped lead the way for the Raiders in the state final against Camden.  However, Stephen McNair came ready to play, and gave East Side a much needed boost off the bench with 15 points including a three.  Piscataway Tech transfer, Will Joyce was held scoreless, but was a force on the defensive end and the boards along with fellow forwards Abdul Lewis and Ismael Sonogo.  The three frontcourt players have an average height of 6′5″ and combine to average just under 24 points per game while helping to trigger the Red Raiders fast beaker with their rebounding.

Joyce dominated the GMC Gold Division last year in order to earn All Division Honors at P-Way Tech.  He was tenacious and relentless on the boards.  Lewis and Sonogo match that tenacity and high energy.  Meanwhile, Newark Tech also benefitted from the presence of a transfer as Rakwan Kelly came over from Hudson Catholic after playing a key role for the Hawks in getting to the Non-Public B North sectional final last year.  Kelly scored 20 points to lead the way for the Terriers in a 56-44 win over Medford Tech in the Group II State Championship on Sunday.  Dwayne Murrill came up big in the second half of that game by scoring all 16 of his points over the final two periods including a two handed dunk, and two three pointers.

Newark Tech has put things together within the past six weeks or so with 8 victories in its last 9 games including wins over Columbia of Maplewood (68-50), Shabazz (64-45), Elizabeth (64-53), Newark Central (76-54), and Snyder of Jersey City (55-54).  The Terriers have given up more points per game than East Side during their run (48 points per game), but have also scored an average of 63 points per game.  In those 9 games, the Terriers scored 60 points or more six times, but was also held to their lowest output during the stretch by Newark Eastside in the ECT Semifinals (47 points).  Football standout Kemoko Turay scored 8 points including six in the third in the win over Medford Tech on Sunday while Tyree Sykes grabbed 14 boards.

The Terriers have more overall size with five players in their rotation that are at least 6′4″, and have a frontcourt size of 6′6″.  Newark Tech got off to a slow start against Medford Tech in the state final, and have been prone to them during the course of the season.  They will not be able to afford to do that against Eastside, which likes to get out in transition  and score easy baskets.  The Terriers will have to attack the glass, and be patient against Eastside’s defense to get good shots, and prevent the Raiders from getting out on the break.  Expect this to be an exciting, tightly contest, and low scoring game.  The last time two teams from Newark played against each other in the T of C was back in 2009 when Newark Science defeated University.

Prediction:  Newark Eastside wins, 59-55.

In the other quarterfinals, Point Pleasant Beach, a choice school, and winner of the Group I title, will face, Atlantic City, the Group IV champion.  Last year, AC was the fourth seed, and had to rally to force overtime before winning in the extra session over then fifth seeded and then Group II state champ, Ewing in the 2012 T of C quarterfinals.  With the likes of backcourt combo Isaiah Graves and Dayshawn Reynolds sinking clutch threes from deep as they did against Linden on Sunday, the Vikings have no fear on offense.  There is also a great deal of balance on the Viking offense with Dennis White, Ga-briel Chandler, and Jahleem Montague all putting up good numbers down low.

White was huge in the state final against Linden.  Time and time again in the second half, White was able to score inside to keep Atlantic City in control.  Graves was huge in the win over East Brunswick with 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter, and three treys in the second half and overtime including two moon shot threes from the right wing in the extra session to give the Vikes the lead for good.  Graves ended up with 18 points including four threes.  Dayshawn Reynolds made Graves heroices possible in the overtime by striking for three with 33.7 seconds in regulation.  Tashad Reynolds, Lamar Thomas, and  Dzja Chase  with Chase making some great dishes to White for layups in the second half.

While Atlantic City is known for making clutch shots and coming from behind, much of its late game heroics are created by a stout man to man defense.  Against East Brunswick, the Vikings gave up 33 points in the first half and trailed by 10 at the intermission before locking down on the Bears to limit them to 16 over the final two periods, and 49 for the game.  EB only had two field goals over the first 10 minutes of the second half.   Montague helps provide support by blocking shots, and guarding the other team’’s big man.  Despite giving up about 70 pounds to Linden’s Quadri Moore, Montague limited him to just 9 points in the state final.

Point Pleasant Beach is playing in its first T of C, but also competing in front of a favorable crowd since it is from Ocean County.  The last time Point Beach played on this court was a week ago when it handily defeated Paulsboro (67-48).  The Garnet Gulls have a solid backcourt with the likes of P.J. Kinneavy and Matt Farrell, but they also have had good frontcourt play from big men, Riley Calzonetti, Dominique Uhl, and Noah Yates.  Uhl provides some length  and athletic ability as well as a good stroke from the perimeter. Calzonetti is a good finisher, who scored 12 of his 18 points in the second half including eight straight points in the fourth as the Gulls executed a patient, methodical, and disciplined game down the stretch in its 43-39 win over Jonathan Dayton in the Group I title game.

The Gulls will need to use its patience and discipline again to control the tempo and pace of this game with AC.  Point Beach will have to do a solid job of protecting the ball and making shots in order to keep this a halfcourt game with the Vikings.  The Garnet Gulls will also have to keep Isaiah Graves from taking over the contest, and prevent he and Dayshawn Reynolds from making big shots.

Prediction:  Atlantic City wins, 60-47.

Semifinal Round

Both St. Joseph’s and Roselle Catholic will face stern tests from whoever advances in the quarterfinal round.  The Falcons and Lions will also have about a week layoff, which can be a curse as much as a blessing.  St. Joe’s was seeded second in last year’s T of C, and also had the first round bye before being routed by Plainfield in the semifinals, 70-48.

However, the Falcons have experience on their side from last season with Karl Towns Jr.,  Jimbo Long, and James Ziemba all returning from last year’s squad.  Atlantic City is the only other team that played in last year’s T of  C returning this year.  So, predicting AC to win its quarterfinal round game over Point Beach, I take a look at how the Vikings will fare against St. Joe’s in the semis.

In its last 22 games, St. Joe’s has gone 20-2 with 12 straight wins.  The only losses were to Central Jersey Group IV champion, East Brunswick (January 17th) and Union County Tourney and Non-Public B South runner-up, Patrick School (February 2nd).  Against the latter, and in its third battle with EB, the Falcons played well without the services of Towns, who sat out against the Patrick School with tendonitis in his knee, and fouled out in the first overtime against the Bears.  St. Joe’s rallied to only lose by seven to the Celtics, and then came from behind in the second overtime to beat EB for the GMCT title.

The trio of Towns, Wade Baldwin, and Marques Townes do the bulk of the damage for the Falcons by averaging well into double figures each game.  However, Jimbo Long has been a solid playmaker and defender while coming up with clutch shots like the three he hit in the first quarter against St. Peter’s Prep to get the Falcons going in their Non-Public A state final.  James Ziemba has done a great job helping Towns dominate the glass, and had a key basket himself in the second half against the Marauders.  Raven Owen is healthy after suffering an ankle injury late in the regular season, has a solid stroke, and can come off the bench to spell Long, or help the Falcons go more up-tempo with a smaller lineup.  Brian Fitzpatrick has also come off the bench to make solid contributions this year.

Montague will have the task of stopping Karl Towns, who has become a better low post player this year while still keeping his fine stroke from long distance. He also does a great job of starting the Falcons fast break with fine outlet passes to Baldwin and Townes.  Towns got into foul trouble in last year’s semifinal, and in the state final against St. Peter’s Prep.  Baldwin and Townes have the ability to take over a game.  Baldwin scored 30 in the loss to the Patrick School including 20 in the fourth period.  Townes made the key play that helped the Falcons prevail over EB.  Graves and Dayshawn Reynolds have that same capability of taking over games, and making big plays for AC.  The Ziemba-White or Ga-briel Chandler matchup down low could be a key matchup.  Both teams have played a common opponent in East Brunswick with AC winning its only game over EB in the state semis while Joes won the most recent of three matchups in the GMCT Championship.

Prediction:  St. Joseph’s wins, 65-63

In the other semifinal, top seeded  Roselle Catholic will face off against fourth seeded  Newark Eastside.  Both of these teams have been able to get this point with solid defense, and each has its share of athletic and talented players.  Roselle Catholic has momentum on its side though thanks to its victory over a St. Anthony’s squad that had only lost once in its previous 94 games. 

The Lions have also beaten the Patrick School three times, Elizabeth, Plainfield, Pope John, East Brunswick, and many other top notch teams in the state.  They are led by the trio of Hakim Saintil, Tyler Roberson, and Malachi Richardson.  Asante Gist is a talented freshman with a great shooting touch.  Eastside will have its hands full, but also plays suffocating defense.

Saintil has big play capability from the perimeter and inside.  He can penetrate to the basket for layups or dishes to  Roberson for scores.  Richardson can also shoot the three.  Saintil demonstrated the Lions resolve in its win over the Friars with scores inside at the 1:26 and 1:21 marks for a 45-42 lead.  Roselle Catholic galvanized itself with a great run through the Non-Public B field with wins over the likes of Rutgers Prep, Wildwood Catholic, and Patrick School before stunning St. Anthony’s.  

Expect this game to be a close one as well, and could be as low scoring as the Non-Public B state final.  The team that dictates tempo and plays better defense will win the game.   Joyce, Lewis, and Sonogo will have to find a way to stop Roberson at both ends of the floor.  Akbar Hoffman and Ahmad Harrison will have to match up well against Saintil and Richardson.

Prediction:  Roselle Catholic wins, 50-45.

Championship

The matchup of top seeded Roselle Catholic and second seeded St. Joseph’s could be a classic.  Both teams have faced top flight opponents including common foes East Brunswick and Patrick School with RC going 4-0 against those two schools while St. Joe’s is only 1-3.

Both have plenty of talent and athletic ability, have rallied back from adversity to  win titles, and play solid defense.   Both also have momentum going for them with the Lions beating St. Anthony’s in the Non-Public B state final while the Falcons defeated EB after losing to the  Bears the previous two times to win the GMCT.

St. Joe’s has been able to find ways to win or play well without Karl Towns, and may have been able to defeat Patrick School with him in the lineup. The Falcons will have to contain the speed, quickness and resiliency of Saintil while containing the shooting of  Saintil and Richardson.  Roberson will have a tough battle on his hands with Towns and Ziemba in the paint, but did  dominate against Division I prospect Kentrell Brooks  and St. Anthony’s.

Prediction:  St. Joseph’s wins, 57-56.

GMC Hoops Game Analysis–St. Peter’s Prep vs. St. Joseph’s–Non-Public A State Championship–March 9, 2013

Big Three Get Help From Role Players To Give Falcons 2nd Straight State Title

TOMS RIVER, NJ–A much improved St. Peter’s Prep team did everything that it needed to do to have a chance against St. Joseph’s, but the Falcons still emerged victorious in the Non-Public A State Championship at Pine Belt Arena. The Falcons big three of Karl Towns, Wade Baldwin, and Marques Townes combined to score 43 of the team’s 57 points on 15 of 26 shooting, but it was the timely contributions from the likes of Jimbo Long, Raven Owen, and James Ziemba that proved to be the difference in the 57-47 win.

Long scored 7 points including a three pointer while Owen added 5 points including another big three. Ziemba only had two points, but it was an important bucket early on in the second half. The Marauders did a great job of defending, and getting back on defense to force the contest to be won in the half court. St. Peter’s Prep also stifled Karl Towns, who was saddled with foul problems and ended up with 12 points. The Jersey City school needed solid efforts from the backcourt combination of Trevis Wyche and Austin White, and it got it with Wyche leading the way with 16 points while White added 14.

The Marauders, which lost to St. Joseph’s (82-66) at the SFIC Festival in January, jumped out to an 11-4 lead in the early going. However, the Falcons tightened up defensively, and held St. Peter’s Prep to just 8 points over the final 12 minutes or so of the first half including an 8-4 showing in the second period that was capped by two transition layups by Marques Townes for a 22-19 lead at the intermission. In the second half, the Falcons did a solid job clamping down on Marauders big man, Vic Jusino, who had a team high 7 points in the first half, but only scored two in the final two periods before fouling out late in the game.

St. Peter’s Prep still managed to stay in the contest though thanks to a big second half by Wyche, who scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half. The Marauders closed to within two at 39-37 with 3:42 left. However, the Falcons didn’t let the Jersey City school get any closer than that the rest of the way as Baldwin came up with a three point play, and a dunk, Towns had two flushes, and Marques Townes sank 3 of 4 from the line. The Falcons went 7 of 10 from the charity stripe down the stretch to put the game out of reach. The start of the game saw the Falcons in a precarious position as they trailed by seven on several occasions including 15-8 late in the first period.

However, Long and Baldwin hit back to back threes to put St. Joe’s back in contention going into the second period. After St. Joe’s took control in the second for a three point halftime lead, St. Peter’s then opened the second half with a one point lead. The Falcons would come back to take the lead with role players again contributing. Ziemba helped the Falcons go up by four early in the third, and then Owen broke a 29-29 tie with a three from the right side of the key. Unofficially, St. Joe’s finished up 19 of 38 from the floor including 3 of 12 from the foul line. St. Peter’s Prep connected on 16 of 43 shots including 3 of 12 from beyond the arc. The Falcons were 15 of 22 from the foul line overall while the Marauders were only 12 of 16. St. Joe’s held an edge in rebounding (29-20), and had fewer fouls (15-18). Points from beyond the arc were even at 9-9.

The win improved the Falcons record to 26-4 overall on the season, and gave them their second straight state title. St. Joseph’s became the first school from Middlesex County to win back to back state titles since Sayreville accomplished the feat in Group I back in 1951 and 1952. St. Joe’s also pulled to within a point of East Brunswick in the GMC Hoops Trophy Standings, and now has a good chance of winning the Tournament of Champions.

GMC Hoops Preview–NJSIAA Non-Public A State Championship–St. Peter’s Prep vs. St. Joseph’s–March 9, 2013

Familiar Foes Square Off For Non-Public A State Title At Pine Belt Arena

TOMS RIVER, NJ–For the second straight year, St. Joseph’s will not only be playing for a state title, but it will be playing an opponent that it faced and defeated earlier in the season.  Like last year, the Falcons, winners of the Non-Public A South title over Paul VI of Haddonfield on Tuesday, are squaring off against a team that they defeated at the SFIC Festival in the first full weekend of January.

Last year, St. Joe’s played and defeated Seton Hall Prep in the SFIC Festival.  They would later defeat the Pirates in the 2012 Non-Public A Championship for its first ever state title.  Prior to this week, it looked as if Seton Hall Prep and St. Joe’s would meet in a long awaited rematch.  However, the Marauders from St. Peter’s Prep, located in Jersey City, put a monkey wrench into all of that by defeating The Prep at Rutgers in the Non-Public A North sectional championship on Wednesday, 63-57.

St. Peter’s Prep has been enjoying a renaissance over the past several seasons.  The Marauders, which were ranked 11th in the most recent Star-Ledger Top 20, was making its third appearance in the Non-Public A North Championship Game in the last four years with a title in 2010.  St. Peter’s Prep also won the Seglio Division of the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association, and lost to Non-Public B powerhouse, Hudson Catholic in the Hudson County Tournament final at St. Peter’s College on February 23rd.

When these teams met last in the SFIC Invitational at Kean University’s Harwood Arena, the Marauders tried to keep pace with St. Joseph’s up-tempo style, but couldn’t.  Instead, the Falcons put on a show as junior and Cardinal McCarrick transfer, Marques Townes scored his 1,000th point, and he, Wade Baldwin, and Kentucky bound, Karl Towns put on a dunking exhibition en route to an 82-66 win.  Since then, both teams have played better with Joes only losing to East Brunswick on January 17th, and the Patrick School on February 2nd without Towns.  The Falcons have won 11 straight, and their fourth consecutive Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament title.

Meanwhile, St. Peter’s is scoring about 10 points more per game, and giving up about five less.  Only 4-4 after suffering the loss to the Falcons back in January, the Marauders, like the Falcons, have also gone 19-2 with one of those losses to Hudson Catholic in the Hudson County Final, and the other was to a St. Benedict’s team that has given national powerhouse, St. Anthony’s its only loss of the season so far.  For the Maruaders to have a chance, they will have to get back on defense, prevent transition scores, and play halfcourt.  They will also have to get Towns into foul trouble.

Even if St. Peter’s manages to get Karl Towns to the bench with foul woes like East Brunswick did in the GMCT Championship, they will still have to contend with the duo of Baldwin and Townes, which have been able to adapt, and play well without the 7′0″ big man in the game.  Both keyed the decisive rally against EB in double overtime for the conference title, and both played well, especially in the fourth quarter in a loss to the Patrick School in the Butch Kowal Scholarship Games back at the beginning of February.

According to the Star-Ledger, Towns is averaging 21 points, 14 rebounds, and over 5 blocks per game.  However, he has been on a tear since the beginning of the GMCT.  In the tourney, he tallied 27 points per game en route to the GMCT MVP.  Baldwin is averaging 17 points and 8 assists per game while Townes comes in with a 14.4 points per game average.  The Marauders are led by the solid backcourt combo of Trevis Wyche and Austin White, who are averaging 18 and 16 points per game respectively while combining for nearly 100 threes.  St. Peter’s will need to have Wyche and White shoot and handle the ball very well in order to keep control of the tempo in this contest.