Piscataway Tech Finishes Rutgers Team Camp With Huge Win

June 27, 2011 on 9:38 pm | In Rutgers Team Camp, Piscataway Tech Hoops | Comments Off

Defeats North Section I Group III Champion, Teaneck On Camp’s Final Day

PISCATAWAY, NJ–On Monday afternoon, GMC Hoops received word from Piscataway Tech assistant coach, Galen Smith, that the Raiders finished the Rutgers Team Camp with a solid win on Sunday over Teaneck.

The Highwaymen, which won the North Jersey Section 1 Group III Championship this past season before losing to Plainfield in the Group III state semifinals this past season, had just come off a finals appearance in the Hoop Group Summer Showcase after defeating Gill-St. Bernard’s in the semis. Teaneck would lose to St. Benedict’s Prep in the Championship game of the event.

The Raiders fought Teaneck tooth and nail for three overtimes before coming away with the victory. Piscataway Tech has some new faces on the roster this summer to supplement returning standouts in Turell McClendon, Galen Smith, Khairi Mosely, and Tafari Kerr. P-Way Tech is coming off a season where it won its first Gold Division title since winning back to back titles in 2003 and 2004.

Piscataway Tech is looking to build on last season’s successes that included a Round 16 berth in the GMCT with serious runs in both the Group I State Tournament and the GMCT.

Rutgers Team Camp I–June 25, 2011

June 25, 2011 on 11:52 pm | In Rutgers Team Camp, Piscataway Hoops | Comments Off

PISCATAWAY, NJ–On Saturday night, GMC Hoops wrapped up its coverage of the first Rutgers Team Camp this summer with a trip to the RAC after work to take in the final couple hours of games. Piscataway Tech was scheduled to be in action at 8:15 against Hackettstown at the Livingston Campus Recreation Center, but there were changes in the schedule, and the site didn’t get a chance to see the Raiders play. However, the site did manage to see an entertaining JV game between Piscataway and Immaculata during the 9:15 PM round of games. The Junior Spartans jumped out to a double digit first half lead, and led by a dozen early in the second half before having to hang on for a 41-38 victory.


Junior Spartans Hang On To Edge Junior Chiefs, 41-38

Back when I was in High School, my JV coach often said that JV games or won and lost by which team wanted it more. Junior Varisty teams don’t always have the talent since it is all up at the varsity level. However, JV teams won with scrappy play and desire. For the first 16:28, it seemed that Immaculata wanted it more. The Junior Spartans jumped out to a 25-11 lead as it hit four three pointers in the opening half while Piscataway had none.

The Junior Chiefs, which had only two points and no field goals for over a stretch of ten minutes, had only three field goals in the first 20 minutes. P-Way fell prey to a 15-2 Immaculata tear over a span of 8:54 that turned a narrow 10-9 deficit into a seemingly comfortable, 25-11 lead. However, Piscataway, which went 12 of 15 from the line in the first half, hung tough by first ending the opening period with the final seven points to cut the deficit in half at 25-18 going into the intermission.

Then, after the Junior Spartans opened the second half with a 5-0 spurt over the first two minutes for a 30-18, the Junior Chiefs showed some resiliency and guts by gradually chipping into the lead with a combination of tough defense, and transition baskets to close the gap to 36-32 with 9:50 to play. Immaculata would score the next three points to take a 39-32 advantage at the 7:47 mark, but once again Piscataway fought back with six straight points over the next 3:14 to pull within one at 39-38 at the 4:43 mark.

The Junior Chiefs, which outscored the Junior Spartans by a margin of 27-14 over a span of 18:49 to close within a point, was unable to score over the final 4:43. Meanwhile, Immaculata, which only scored 16 points in the second half, and had only two points over the final 7:47, managed to get some much needed breathing room with a pair of free throws at the 3:10 mark for what would be the final score of 41-38. P-Way had nine field goals and made two free throws in the second half, ended up with 12 field goals for the game along with a 14 of 17 effort from the charity stripe.

Immaculata was shut down from beyond the arc with no threes in the second half while making five field goals along with 6 of 7 from the line in the final 20 minutes. The Junior Spartans connected on eight field goals including their four treys and made 5 of 8 from the line in the first half. For the game, IHS connected on 13 field goals including four threes, and was 11 of 15 from the line.

The Somerset County team led the game throughout, but the Junior Chiefs hung tough, and didn’t give up. However, the 12-0 edge from beyond the arc proved to be a big difference. The Junior Spartans also got some solid post play. Both teams had plenty of size down low, and it was quite a battle in the paint with the Junior Chiefs battling on the boards to get offensive rebounds, draw fouls on putback attempts, and make free throws. Immaculata did a great job feeding their big man for buckets.

Both Immaculata and Piscataway continue to have solid foundations at the lower levels, and that will continue to bring success to these programs in years to come.

GMC Hoops thanks the folks at Rutgers for their hospitality.

GMC Hoops Play-By-Play–Rutgers Team Camp I–June 25, 2011–Piscataway JV vs. Immaculata JV

June 25, 2011 on 11:00 pm | In Rutgers Team Camp, Piscataway Hoops | Comments Off

PISCATAWAY, NJ–On Saturday night, GMC Hoops traveled out to the Rutgers Athletic Center on the Livingston Campus of Rutgers University to take in the second night of action from the first overnight Rutgers Team Camp of the summer. The site took in a matchup between Piscataway’s JV and Immaculata’s JV. It was a very competitive affair with the Junior Spartans edging the Junior Chiefs, 41-38. Below is the play-by-play from the game.

First Half

19:37–IMMAC–traveling
19:13–IMMAC–steal
19:00–IMMAC–hits jumper on the follow for a 2-0 lead.
18:41–IMMAC–gets loose ball.
17:32–PWay–turns it over on behind the back dribble in backcourt.
17:24–PWay–timeout.
17:03–IMMAC–hits three pointer off the inbounds for a 5-0 lead.
16:38–PWay–drives down right lane, draws foul, and makes two FTs for a 5-2 IMMAC lead.
15:29–PWay–draws foul on putback attempt.  Makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 5-3 IMMAC lead.
14:46–IMMAC–three pointer from left side for an 8-3 lead.
14:27–PWay–pulls up for foul line jumper–first FG of the game for an 8-5 IMMAC lead.
14:00–PWay–draws foul on fast break layup attempt, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for an 8-6 lead.
13:17–PWay–forces jump ball–IMMAC keeps possession.
12:48–IMMAC–dribbles through the legs and then hits off-balanced jumper for a 10-6 lead.
12:26–PWay–scores on putback and is fouled for a three point play, and a 10-9 IMMAC lead.
11:41–IMMAC–pounds the glass for several offensive boards, and draws foul for two free throws, and a 12-9 lead.
10:21–IMMAC–draws foul on the floor.
9:48–IMMAC–draws foul on layup attempt off inbounds underneath, and makes one of two FTs for a 13-9 lead.
8:52–IMMAC–hits three pointer from right wing off inbounds for a 16-9 lead.
7:25–PWay–makes two free throws for a 16-11 IMMAC lead.
7:00–IMMAC–nice feed for layup, and an 18-11 lead.
6:32–IMMAC–scores on the follow for a 20-11 lead.
5:45–IMMAC–steal
5:40–PWay–steal, but loses ball out of bounds.
5:00–IMMAC–one of two free throws for a 21-11 lead.
4:35–IMMAC–three pointer from right side for a 24-11 lead.
3:32–IMMAC–draws foul, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 25-11 lead.
2:18–PWay–draws foul, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 25-12 lead.
1:54–PWay–crashes the boards after missed free throw, and draws foul on putback attempt for two free throws, and a 25-14 IMMAC lead.
1:30–PWay–travels on fast break layup attempt–IMMAC timeout.
1:03–IMMAC–turnover.
0:51–PWay–draws foul, and makes both FTs for a 25-16 IMMAC lead.
0:10–PWay–blocks shot.
0:03–PWay–scores on breakaway layup for a 25-18 IMMAC lead at the half.


Piscataway ends the half with a 7-0 run over the final 2:18.
Piscataway had no field goals and only two points over a span of 10:08 of the first half.
immaculata had four threes in the first half, and outscored P-Way by a 12-0 margin
P-Way goes 12 of 15 from the line…Chiefs only had three FGs in the entire half

Second Half

19:42–IMMAC–swipes steal, and draws foul on the layup attempt, and makes two free throws for a 27-18 lead.
19:09–IMMAC–swipes steal, but gets called for traveling.
18:00–IMMAC–nice feed for layup and three point play for 30-18 lead.
17:27–PWay–puts in follow after IMMAC block.
17:10–PWay–draws foul after getting steal.
16:10–IMMAC–steal.
15:44–PWay–breakaway layup for a 30-22 IMMAC lead.
15:18–PWay–steal leads to fast break layup for a 30-24 IMMAC lead.
14:09–PWay–blocks shot.
14:00–IMMAC–scores on follow for a 32-24 lead.
12:26–PWay–gets offensive rebound, and scores on follow for 32-26 IMMAC lead.
12:00–PWay–steals pass, and goes length of the floor for a layup, and a 32-28 IMMAC lead.
11:55–IMMAC timeout.
11:40–PWay–steal near mid court, and goes rest of the way for a layup, and a 32-30 IMMAC lead.
11:20–IMMAC–nice entry pass for layup, and a 34-30 lead.
11:02–PWay–traveling.
10:41–IMMAC–nice entry pass for another layup, and a 36-30 lead.
9:50–PWay–jumper from left side for a 36-32 IMMAC lead.
9:04–IMMAC–draws foul on layup attempt underneath, and makes one of two FTs for a 37-32 lead.
8:37–IMMAC–blocks shot.
8:08–PWay–forces jump ball with blocked shot.
7:47–IMMAC–hits jumper from right wing for a 39-32 lead.
7:30–PWay–turnover.
6:44–PWay–makes basket for a 39-34 IMMAC lead.
5:37–PWay–two FTs for a 39-36 IMMAC lead.
4:43–PWay–putback for a 39-38 IMMAC lead.
4:30–PWay–contests shot, and forces IMMAC travel.
3:10–IMMAC–drives down the right lane, and draws foul for two FTs, and a 41-38 lead.
2:25–IMMAC–travels.
1:39–IMMAC–hoists three point attempt that hits the rim, and goes out of bounds.
1:29–PWay–timeout.
0:08–IMMAC–traveling–PWay–timeout.
0:00–IMMAC fouls P-Way as time runs out.

GMC Hoops plans to have an article posted on this game soon.

2011 Rutgers Team Camp I–Some Results–Day Two–June 25, 2011

June 25, 2011 on 10:54 pm | In Rutgers Team Camp, Piscataway Hoops | Comments Off

PISCATAWAY, NJ–On Saturday night, GMC Hoops traveled over to the Rutgers Athletic Center for the second night of action at the first Rutgers overnight team camp of the summer. Piscataway and Piscataway Tech were in action during the day while P-Way’s JV rounded out the night by taking on Immaculata’s JV in one of several nightcap games at 9:15 PM. The site got results from several games. Below are some of the results:

2011 Rutgers Team Camp I–Some Results–Day Two–June 25th

  • Morris Hills 65–Brick Memorial 62
  • Holy Cross 43–Fort Lee 35
  • Hackettstown 40–Cranford 38
  • Tasis Dorado 37–Immaculata JV 27
  • Asbury Park 70–River Dell 54
  • Ridge 43–Mahopac 39
  • Clarkstown South II 42–Ridge JV 30
  • Immaculata JV 41–Piscataway JV 38
  • Holy Cross JV 42–Ridge JV 41

GMC Hoops will have the play-by-play from Piscataway’s JV game against Immaculata posted shortly.

Rutgers Team Camp I–June 24, 2011

June 24, 2011 on 10:24 pm | In Rutgers Team Camp, Piscataway Tech Hoops | Comments Off

PISCATAWAY, NJ–On Friday, the first day of action took place at the first Rutgers Overnight Team Camp of the summer at the Rutgers Athletic Center and the Livingston Campus Recreation Center. Both Piscataway and Piscataway Tech were in action, and the site had a good opportunity to see the Raiders play, which is rare during the summer. P-Way Tech pulled away from a six point lead with a late second half tear to defeat Holy Cross of Delran, and then battled Ridgewood of Bergen County.


Raiders Surge To Victory Over Holy Cross, 48-27

It’s a rare occasion when you see Piscataway Tech playing hoops during the summer. So, when GMC Hoops saw the Raiders were on the schedule with games at 6:30 and 7:30 PM, he began to wonder if the rapture was going to take place this weekend, or perhaps he should go skywatching for possible UFOs. Seriously speaking though, with the talent the Raiders have assembled this past season, it was a good thing that head coach, Karl Towns had them put in some summer work.

P-Way Tech led 14-13 with three minutes to go in the first half before the Raiders went on a 6-2 run including a layup at the 1:51 mark, and two free throws by Turell McClendon at the 1:20 for a 20-15 lead.  Galen Smith then spread out the floor for the Raiders, and dished to Tafari Kerr for a layin and a 8-2 run to take a 22-15 lead with 0:43 to go in the first half.  P-Way Tech took a 22-17 lead into the intermission

Neither team scored for nearly two minutes before Piscataway Tech called for a timeout with 18:07 to go in the contest.  Following the stoppage, Holy Cross had the most significant scoring opportunity of the early second half when the Lancers crashed the boards for several offensive rebounds that led to a foul, and two free throws at the 17 minute mark.

The Raiders didn’t get on the board until they drew a foul, and made one of two from the line for a 23-19 lead at the 15:01 mark.  P-Way Tech would get on the board again by spreading the floor out, and letting McClendon and Smith handle the ball for a bit..  McClendon then kicked out to Smith for a long three from well beyond the top of the key for a 26-19 lead at the 13:14 mark.

Holy Cross, which is from Delran in Burlington County, and plays in the Burlington County Scholastic League, got a point back by drawing a foul, and making one of two from the line.  The Lancers had a chance to get closer, but the Raiders blocked a shot that fell into the hands of Kerr, who passed upcourt to a teammate that was fouled, and made one of two from the line with 10:30 left for a 27-20 lead.

P-Way Tech was able to pad its lead some more with two free throws at the nine minute mark.  The Raiders then added a three pointer off a carom from a missed dunk to take a 32-20 advantage with 8:21 remaining.   The Lancers, which advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Non-Public B South tournament before losing to Cardinal McCarrick this past season, reeled off the next six points including a three pointer at the 7:53 mark, a putback off a missed layup at the 6:53 mark, and one of two from the line at the 6:35 mark to cut the deficit in half at 32-26.

However, Holy Cross couldn’t get closer.  Piscataway Tech responded with a three pointer, and then a traditional three point play with exactly four minutes left to go back up by a dozen at 38-26.  After the Raiders got a stop on defense, Smith then took a baseball outlet pass from McClendon in the Lancer frontcourt, and cruised in for an easy layup, and a 40-26 lead with 3:37 to go.  Khairi Mosely added two free throws at the 2:55 mark for a 42-26 advantage.

The Raiders then wrapped things up with three of four from the line by Kerr with just over two minutes to play, and then McClendon helped wrap the game up with a breakaway one handed flush at the 1:47 mark for a 47-26 lead.  Piscataway Tech went on to win by the final score of 48-27. P-Way Tech outscored Holy Cross by a margin of 34-14 over the final 23 minutes of the contest including a 16-1 tear to close the game. McClendon and Smith scored 6 points during that span while Kerr added 5 points and Mosely chipped in with two.

Raiders Tangle With Group IV Ridgewood

In the final game of the night, GMC Hoops saw Piscataway Tech play again in a 7:30 PM game against Ridgewood. The Raiders had an 11-9 lead when we joined the action after a walk across campus.  P-Way Tech then added a score at the 8:00 mark for a 13-9 lead, and then the Raiders scored again at the 7:39 mark when Turell McClendon dished to Tafari Kerr for a layup, and a 15-9 lead.  

Ridgewood answered with a three pointer, and had another chance to score when McClendon drew a charge.  The Bergen County school then scored on a putback at the 6:15 mark, and went ahead at 16-15 on another follow with 4:30 to go in the half.  Both teams exchanged scores for a Ridgewood 18-17 lead when P-Way Tech threw the ball away.

Following a 30 second timeout by Ridgewood at the 3:32 mark, Piscataway Tech forced a turnover on a Ridgewood inbounds play, but couldn’t take advantage as Kerr missed a layup underneath at the 3:00 mark.  The Raiders got another stop on defense, but failed to score at the other end as Galen Smith was called for traveling with 2:45 to go in the half.  

P-Way Tech continued to persist on defense, and forced another turnover.  This time, it produced results at the other end as Khairi Mosely drew a foul, and made one of two from the line to tie the score at 18-18.  Ridgewood went back out in front on a layin at the other end, and P-Way Tech was unable to convert free throws at the other end with 1:39 to go in the half.

The Raiders continued to victimize themselves at the other end by not keeping Ridgewood off the boards, especially on long caroms off three point attempts.  P-Way Tech did manage to tie the game at 20-20 when it got a rejection at the defensive end that turned into a transition opportunity cashed in on a tip-in by McClendon at the 25 second mark.

After Piscataway Tech took the lead by two, Ridgewood gave the Raiders a chance to take an even bigger lead going into the intermission when it threw an inbounds pass out of bounds at the other end with three seconds to go in the first half.  Following a timeout, Piscataway Tech tried a lob pass on the inbounds, but Ridgewood defended it well, and knocked the pass away as time expired for a 22-20 PVT at the break.

GMC Hoops was only able to see the first half of action in this game since he needed to head over to South Amboy for some rare Friday night action from the Raritan Bay Summer League. The site plans to be back out at the RAC on Saturday night.

2011 Rutgers Team Camp I–Some Results–Day One–June 24th

June 24, 2011 on 10:07 pm | In Rutgers Team Camp, Piscataway Tech Hoops | Comments Off

PISCATAWAY, NJ–On Friday night, GMC Hoops traveled out to the RAC to see some action from the first day of the first overnight team camp of the summer at Rutgers University. Two teams from the GMC, Piscataway and Piscataway Tech were in action, and the site got a good look at the Raiders, which played back to back games at 6:30 and 7:30 PM. Here are some results:

2011 Rutgers Team Camp I–Some Results–Day One–June 24th

  • Piscataway Tech 48–Holy Cross 27
  • Piscataway Tech vs. Ridgewood

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at Rutgers to see the Raiders again in action on Saturday night.

Teams In The 2011 Rutgers Team Camp I

June 24, 2011 on 10:03 pm | In Rutgers Team Camp, Piscataway Tech Hoops, Piscataway Hoops | Comments Off

PISCATAWAY, NJ–On Friday night, GMC Hoops traveled over to the Rutgers Athletic Center on the Livingston Campus of Rutgers University to see the first night of action from the 2011 Rutgers Overnight Team Camp I. There are 27 teams from several different states including two from the Greater Middlesex Conference. Below is a list of all the schools competing.

  • Bishop Loughlin (NY)
  • Roman
  • Piscataway
  • Emmaus (PA)
  • Christ the King (NY)
  • St. Benedict’s Prep
  • Bound Brook
  • Brick Memorial
  • Cranford
  • Immaculata
  • Hackettstown
  • Holy Cross
  • Morris Hills
  • Ridge
  • Fort Lee
  • Rumson-Fair Haven
  • Tenafly
  • Asbury Park
  • Mahopac (NY)
  • Red Bank
  • River Dell (NY)
  • Point Pleasant Boro
  • Truman (MD)
  • Clarkstown South (PA)
  • Piscataway Vo-Tech
  • Ridgewood
  • Tasis Dorado

GMC Hoops will be posting a couple results as well as an article from Friday night’s action shortly.

2011 Summer League Season Approaching

May 27, 2011 on 5:17 pm | In Linden Team Camp, Rutgers Team Camp, Middlesex County College Summer League, Bound Brook Summer League, Scarlet Shootout, Montgomery Team Camp | Comments Off

Several Team Camps Kickoff Season In Two Weeks

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–On this first day of the unofficial start to summer around the Garden State, thoughts begin to creep in that the summer league season is swiftly approaching. In a little more than two weeks, the first of a number of team camps will be taking place with the third annual Scarlet Shootout at Rutgers University.

The following week, there will be two camps taking place. The second annual Montgomery Team Camp as well as the Linden Team Camp will be getting underway on Monday, June 13th, and running until Thursday, June 16th. During that same week, the Bound Brook Summer League will begin play with games on Tuesday, June 14th as well as Thursday, June 16th. The week after that, the Middlesex County College Summer League opens play with games on Tuesday, June 21st, and Thursday, June 23rd. Rutgers is scheduled to have an Overnight Team Camp take place from Friday, June 24th to Sunday, June 26th.

In addition, William Paterson College will be running a team camp during the week of June 20-23. Before all of this activity takes place, there is the Raritan Bay Summer League, which will start its second week of play on Tuesday after Memorial Day. The schedule for week three indicates that there will be games played from 5:00 to 10:00 PM at night at South Amboy Middle/High School. Summer is usually a very busy time of year for GMC Hoops. The site sees a great deal of team camps, summer leagues, and showcases during this period.

Already, the web site has seen and covered two spring leagues, and plans to be at the Raritan Bay Summer league next week.

Rutgers Team Camp II–July 9, 2010

July 15, 2010 on 7:59 pm | In Rutgers Team Camp, Piscataway Hoops, South Plainfield Hoops, New Brunswick Hoops | Comments Off

PISCATAWAY, NJ–After being down at Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania for the Hoop Group Elite Team Camp for much of the day, the site headed over to the RAC after dinner to see some of the Friday night games from the second Rutgers Team Camp of the summer. There were several teams from the GMC including: New Brunswick, Piscataway, and South Plainfield. In addition, there were other teams from around the Garden State including: Newark Central, Point Pleasant Boro, Immaculata, Ridge, Wayne Valley, and Pascack Valley. The site got to see all three teams from the conference in action as Piscataway battled Pascack Valley, South Plainfield took on Mahopac, and New Brunswick and Newark Central duked it out in a very competitive game.


Pascack Valley Defeats Piscataway, 44-36

While South Plainfield took on Mahopac on Court #3 in the same hour, Piscataway went at it with Pascack Valley over on Court #1. Since the site has seen a good deal of the Chiefs at the Linden Team Camp and the Rahway Summer League, it spent more time watching the Tigers, which hadn’t gotten a good look for much of the summer. Nevertheless, the site peeked over at Court #1 for this game, which actually got off to a late start. The contest was fairly close for the first 31 minutes with Pascack Valley tenuously holding a 29-28 edge with about eleven minutes to play.

The Indians, which finished up at 11-9 on the year including a first round loss to Passaic Valley in the 2010 North Jersey Section I Group III state tournament, then scored eight unanswered points over the next 5:04 including a three pointer at the 9:02 mark for a 37-28 lead with just under six minutes to go. Piscataway then scored eight of the next ten points to close the gap to three, but couldn’t get any closer.

Piscataway first got a three at the four minute mark that made the score, 37-31, and then Vik Singh drained a three from the left corner at the 3:04 mark for a 37-34 Pascack Valley lead. The Indians then broke the Chiefs pressure to score a layup for a 39-34 lead with 2:45 to go in the game before Tyjohn Young scored a basket while being fouled for a 39-36 score at the 2:05 mark. P-Way had a chance to get closer, but Pascack Valley drew a charge on Young at the 1:44 mark, and then put the game away with two free throws at both the 1:15 and 0:14 second marks, and a one of two showing from the line with six seconds to go for the 44-36 victory.


South Plainfield Hangs On To Defeat Mahopac, 42-40

While Piscataway and Pascack Valley were going at it in a late starting game on Court #1, GMC Hoops finally was able to get a good look at the South Plainfield Tigers, which were in action against Mahopac from New York. The Tigers were without their point guard, Troy McNair, but they still had the likes of Denzel Mensah, Sharif Ross, and Joe Skwiat in their lineup. The only other time, GMC Hoops saw the Tigers in action was against Dunellen in the Rahway Summer League on July 2nd. The Tigers took a bit of a hit with the losses of Owolo Benjamin, and Carlos Ruiz to graduation, but they still have some good size returning with Mensah (6′2″), Ross (6′5″) and Skwiat (6′0″). SPHS trailed early in this one, but put together a strong finish to the first half for a double digit lead, and then got some late foul shots by Skwiat to hang on for the 44-40 win.

GMC Hoops joined the action with Mahopac leading by a score of 3-0 at the 19:03 mark. Nearly two minutes later, the New York team called for time as South Plainfield got a score to draw within one at 3-2 with 17:13 to go in the first half. Ross then got going as he was fouled, and netted two free throws for a 4-3 lead with 17:02 to go in the half. Ross then got another score prior to a Tigers timeout with 16:38 left in the first half, and the score now 6-3 in favor of SP. Following the stoppage, Mahopac tied the game at 6-6 with a three pointer from the right wing with 16:23 left in the first half. Ross continued to work as he got an offensive rebound, and drew a foul on the follow that produced one of two from the line for a 7-6 score at the 15:24 mark. Mensah then got into the act with a reverse layup for a 9-6 lead at the 14:00 mark.

Mahopac then got a score to draw within one again, but Mensah set up a fast break basket by pulling down a rebound, driving upcourt, and dishing for a layup, and an 11-8 lead at the 13:17 mark. Ray Perez then got into the act with a field goal at the 11:58 mark for a 13-8 advantage. South Plainfield then ran the break well again for a bucket while being fouled, and a 16-8 lead with 9:03 to go in the half. The Tigers went up by ten as Ross made a nice pass to Skwiat for a layup, and a 18-8 lead with 7:31 to go in the half. Perez then led the break with a drive for a layup while being fouled that resulted in a traditional three point play, and a 21-8 lead at the 6:55 mark. Skwiat scored again on an offensive rebound and follow off a Ross miss to answer a three pointer by Mahopac for a 23-11 score at the 5:39 mark. SPHS closed out the first half with four of the last six points including a three pointer that banked in for a 27-13 advantage at the intermission.

Mahopac opened the second half with a short jumper at the 18:30 mark for a 27-15 South Plainfield lead. Ross then kicked out to a teammate for a short jumper from the left side, and a 29-15 lead with 16:31 to go in the half. Mahopac then scored the next five points including two free throws at the 15:57 mark, and a three with 14:47 to go to pull within nine at 29-20. Mensah scored the next three points on a nice post move at the 14:20 mark, and one of two free throws with 13:30 to play for a 32-20 advantage. Ross demonstrated a nice touch with a short jumper for a 34-20 lead with exactly twelve minutes to go in the half. Mahopac, which competes against the likes of Yorktown and Carmel during the regular season, scored five of the next six points over a span of 1:57 for a 36-25 Tigers lead with a little more than 10 minutes to play.

After an injury timeout, Ross connected on a foul line jumper as the Tigers did a fine job dissecting the Mahopac zone in the second half. However, the Indians wouldn’t be denied as they struck for a three pointer at the 7:55 mark, and one of two free throws with 7:29 to go for a 38-30 SPHS lead. Perez then netted a baseline jumper at the 6:47 mark, and Mensah made one of two from the line for a 41-30 lead with 5:45 to go. Against the ropes, Mahopac rallied again with a 10-1 run including a steal of Perez for a layup and foul that was converted into a traditional three point play, and a 41-33 South Plainfield lead with 3:31 left. Following another Tigers turnover at the 2:48 mark, Mahopac then connected on a three from the right wing to draw within five at 41-36 with 2:28 left. After a Mahopac timeout, the Indians got another score off a steal as they put in a follow off a miss for a 41-38 SPHS lead with just under two minutes to go.

After Skwiat made one of two from the foul line for a 42-38 Tigers lead at the 1:26 mark, Mahopac connected on another jumper that rattled in for a 42-40 score with 1:06 to go, but the Indians couldn’t get any closer as Skwiat finished off the 44-40 victory with two free throws at the 41 second mark.

Team 1 2 Total
South Plainfield 27 17 44
Mahopac (NY) 13 27 40


Newark Central Downs New Brunswick, 42-36

The nightcap game played at 8:45 PM was an entertaining one as two urban schools went at it in a very up-tempo contest. New Brunswick played a very good game for much of the first half, but ran out of gas as Newark Central surged to the lead at the intermission, and then went up by as many as nine in the second half en route to a 42-36 win. The Zebras did surprisingly well from the three point arc as they made 4 of 6 shots from long distance. However, Newark Central was able to match the scoring from three with a 4 of 11 effort, and scored seven points off of turnovers, and eight second chance points. For the game, New Brunswick was 13 of 23 from the floor overall including a 7 of 13 showing in the first half, and a 6 of 10 effort in the second half.

Meanwhile, the Blue Devils went 15 of 32 overall, but made 7 of 14 shots in the second half after going 8 of 18 in the first twenty minutes. New Brunswick also went 5 of 7 from the charity stripe while Newark Central went 5 of 10. In other statistical departments, Newark Central outrebounded New Brunswick by a margin of 16-10 including a 10-3 showing on the offensive boards. NBHS had no second chance points on the game. The Blue Devils had fewer turnovers (6-8), but the Zebras had more assists (9-7), steals (3-2), and blocks (3-1). Both teams drew a charge in the contest as well. Both Jaquan Cook and Milton Pittman led New Brunswick with 11 points apiece as Cook made four of eight shots, and three of four from the line while also collecting four rebounds, two assists, and two blocks. Pittman went 4 of 6 from the floor including one of two from three point land, and made two free throws for his 11 points. He also picked up four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.

Fuquan Rogers also chipped in with 6 points on a two of two effort from beyond the arc along with two rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Outside of that, New Brunswick only had eight points including two from Nyeem Coleman. Both teams offenses were better in the first half with the two teams combining for 44 points before the intermission. The game was off to a flying start as it went back and forth for the first 6:45 of the contest. Both teams played a very up tempo style, and seemed to have an answer for the other team’s score. However, Newark Central put together a 5-0 run over the next 1:45 including a layup at the 12 minute mark, and a three pointer from way beyond the left wing for a 17-10 lead with 11:30 to go in the first half. New Brunswick, which made each one of its first six shots of the game, answered with a 5-0 run including a Cook layup from Deon Perry, and a three pointer by Rogers off a kick by Cook for a 17-15 score at the nine minute mark as Newark Central called for time.

Two minutes later, New Brunswick, which also connected on its first three treys of the game, got a steal that was converted into a Cook layup to tie the game at 17-17 with seven minutes to go in the first half. The Zebras went out in front a little later as Cook drew a foul on the drive, and netted two free throws for a 19-17 score at the 5:33 mark. The Blue Devils battled back with an offensive rebound and follow of a missed shot to tie the game again at 19-19 with 3:30 to play in the half. Newark Central then had a chance to go ahead, but Gary Reeder drew a charge with 1:47 to go before the intermission. However, the Zebras couldn’t take advantage as Newark Central eventually went ahead again at 22-19 with a three from the right wing over Reeder at the 1:15 mark. Cook made one of two from the line to trim the deficit to two at 22-20 with 44 seconds to go in the half, but the Blue Devils got the final points of the half for a 24-20 advantage at the break.

The second half started positively for New Brunswick, which was only 7 of 17 from the floor over the final 29:00 of the game. The Zebras scored seven of the first ten points to tie the game at 27-27 with 15:57 to go. NBHS had a chance to go ahead, but Cook traveled at the 15:37 mark. Newark Central then went on a decisive 11-2 run over the next 10:44 for a 38-29 lead. The Devils sparked the run with a basket and foul at the 15:16 mark. The run continued with a three pointer from the top of the key with 14:28 to go for a 32-27 lead. Newark Central, which reached the Championship Game of the North Jersey Section II Group I State Tournament before losing to crosstown rival, and T of C Semifinalist, Newark University (61-60), scored six of the next eight points including a runner at the 4:53 mark for its biggest lead of the game. New Brunswick tried to rally with five of the next six points over a span of 3:45, but couldn’t get closer.

Pittman began the final New Brunswick rally with two free throws at the 2:44 mark, and then the Zebras got a basket and a foul with 1:09 left, but Newark Central came away with the hard fought, 42-36 victory.

Team 1 2 Total
Newark Central 24 18 42
New Brunswick 20 16 36

GMC Hoops thanks Dennis Gregory and the folks at Rutgers for their assistance and hospitality during its visit on Friday night.

Rutgers Team Camp II–Analysis

July 14, 2010 on 1:46 pm | In Rutgers Team Camp, Piscataway Hoops, South Plainfield Hoops, New Brunswick Hoops | Comments Off

PISCATAWAY, NJ–After being over at Albright College in Reading for the Hoop Group Elite Team Camp earlier in the day on Friday, the site had some dinner, and then went over to the Rutgers Athletic Center to see the opening night of contests at the second Rutgers Team Camp of the summer. The site saw three teams from the GMC in action including: New Brunswick, Piscataway, and South Plainfield. It was the best look the site had at South Plainfield this summer. The Tigers, which also compete in the Rahway Summer League, was last seen in the second half of action in its game against Dunellen a week earlier.

The Tigers were in action on Court #3 against Mahopac of New York. SPHS stormed out to a 27-13 halftime lead as it broke away from a 6-6 tie at the 16:23 mark of the first half with a 21-7 showing the rest of the period for the lead. Despite not having point guard, Troy McNair in attendance, South Plainfield was able to play well with contributions from Sharif Ross, Denzel Mensah, and Joe Skwiat. However, Mahopac made things interesting in the second half. The New York team held South Plainfield to just 15 points in the second half, and almost came all the way back. The Tigers led by a score of 34-20 with 12 minutes to play, but Mahopac rallied with a 20-6 surge to tie things up before Skwiat made two free throws to propel SPHS to the hard fought, 42-40 victory. The Tigers have some size with the likes of Ross (6′5″), Mensah (6′2″), and Skwiat (6′0″), but even with Edison and Woodbridge moving down to the White and Colonia and Carteret moving out, it will still be a tough division for the Tigers to crack. With some offseason work though, SPHS could improve next season.

In another game that was happening at the same time, Piscataway was taking on Pascack Valley on Court #1. This game was pretty tight until nearly midway through the second half when Pascack Valley broke away from a 29-28 lead with an 8-0 run over a span of 5:04 for a 37-28 advantage with less than six minutes to go. The Chiefs got a three pointer from the left corner by Vik Singh, and a basket and a foul by Tyjohn Young to pull within three at 39-36 with a little more than two minutes left, but couldn’t get any closer as Pascack Valley scored the final five points for the 44-36 win. Then, in the finale, New Brunswick took on Newark Central in a very entertaining up-tempo game on Court #1. The Zebras took it to Newark Central early on, but the Newark team, which was runner-up in North Jersey Section 2 Group I to crosstown rival Newark University ended the first half with a 7-1 spurt for a four point lead, and then after a 7-3 run by NBHS to tie things up, Newark Central went on a decisive 9-2 run to ultimately prevail, 42-36.

Despite the loss, New Brunswick showed some rare flair from three point range. The Zebras went 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, which was better than Newark Central’s 4 of 11. Fuquan Rogers led the way by making both of his three attempts for his only points of the game. Milton Pittman, who went 4 of 6 overall in an 11 point performance, made one of two from long range. Pittman and Jaquan Cook led the team in scoring with 11 points each while both also had four rebounds. Pittman had three assists and a steal while Cook had two assists and two blocks. Newark Central made 16 of 33 shots from the floor while New Brunswick was 13 of 23 from the floor. The Zebras were 6 of 7 from the line while Central was 6 of 10 from the charity stripe. A couple key differences were points off turnovers and second chance points. Newark Central had seven points off miscues and eight second chance points while New Brunswick had four and zero respectively in those two areas.

Other teams from around New Jersey that competed in the event were Point Pleasant Boro, Immaculata, Pascack Valley, Wayne Valley, Newark Central, and Ridge. GMC Hoops plans to be back out at Rutgers later this month for the final team camp starting on July 30th.

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