GMC Hoops Blogosphere

Monroe Sports Center Summer League Scheduled To Start In Mid-June

MONROE, NJ–On Thursday, GMC Hoops was contacted by Andrew Guy from the Monroe Sports Center with information about MSC’s upcoming summer league, which is scheduled to start June 17th. This league has been running for several years, and consists of teams from the GMC, Colonial Valley Conference, Shore Conference, and Skyland Conference. Below are more details about the league including contact info. The site does plan to cover some of the action from the league this year.

Monroe Sports Center Summer High School Basketball League
4 Farrington Boulevard, Monre NJ 08831

-10 Games between June 17-Aug 1.
-Air Conditioned Gyms. Divider between courts.
-Certified Officials. No Cadets.
-Teams from the Shore, CVC, GMC, and Skyaland Conferences.
-Games Tuesdays/Thursdays with optional Mondays/Wednesdays. Even double headers.
-Scheduling done by hand so time/day requests accommodated.
-Play teams out of your conference and at the level you want.
-LAST YEAR SOLD OUT!

Contact Steve Mate (Spotswood) or Andrew Guy (Freehold)
Steve Mate Cell: 732-778-3381
SteveM@MonreSportsCenter.Com
Andrew Guy Cell: 908-839-5712
AndrewG@MonroeSportsCenter.Com
Work: 609-426-4000

2011 Summer League Playoff Brackets

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–With the summer league winding down, GMC Hoops took some time to put together all of the playoff schedules, results, and brackets, and post them here. Below are all the brackets from playoffs in leagues that we were able to get info on.

2011 Summer League Playoff Brackets

• Bound Brook Summer League
• Colonia JV Summer League
• Elizabeth Summer League
• Kean Spring League
• Middlesex County College Summer League
• Monroe Sports Center Summer League
• Rahway Summer League

GMC Hoops are still trying to get results from a couple of these leagues.

Monroe Sports Center Summer League–July 19, 2011

MONROE, NJ–After being at the Elizabeth Summer League on Tuesday afternoon, GMC Hoops hustled over to the Monroe Sports Center to see the final games of the summer at the 2011 MSC Summer League including the championship and third place consolation. Three GMC teams were in action as Monroe faced Steinert and South River battled Freehold Boro in consolations at the 7:40 PM hour. Then, in the 8:40 PM hour, Colts Neck took on Manalapan in the third place game while Spotswood squared off against Notre Dame in a thrilling championship.

Monroe Tops Steinert, 50-40

The Falcons jumped out to a 19-12 lead late in the first half, and then scored three of the final five points for a 22-14 edge at the intermission.  In the second half, Monroe scored 8 of the first 14 points including two free throws by Ryan Genevieve at the 14:15 mark for a 30-20 lead.

Over the next 3:52, the Purple Birds scored 6 of the next 10 points to take a 36-24 lead when a timeout was called with 10:23 remaining in the game.  Over the next three minutes both teams had trouble finding the basket before Ryan Stolte, who recorded a blocked shot earlier, connected on a three pointer from the right wing at the 7:28 mark for a 39-24 lead.

Steinert wouldn’t give up though with seven of the next nine points over a span of 3:13 including a steal for a layup at the 5:28 mark for a 41-31 Monroe lead with 4:15 left.  The Spartans continued to pressure Monroe, and forced several turnovers resulting in five more points for a 41-36 Falcons lead with less than two minutes to go.

Genevieve then made one of two from the line with 1:28 left, and then the Purple Birds scored on a putback for a 44-36 lead.  Monroe added a transition layup with about a minute remaining for a 46-36 lead.  MTHS then got four of the next five points including two free throws by Genevieve with less than 30 seconds left to help wrap up the 50-40 win.

Freehold Boro Shuts Down South River, 46-31

The Rams trailed 16-13 with 1:30 to go in the first half when Freehold scored five straight points for a 21-13 lead with less than a minute to go in the half.  South River then scored four of the last six points for a 23-17 edge at the intermission.

The second half began with Freehold scoring the  first four points including a basket while being fouled at the 14:00 mark after making a huge block at the other end for a 27-17 lead.  The Rams got on the board about a half minute later, and then got a stop on the defensive end.  However, South River turned the ball over when Tim Darrar dribbled the ball off his foot, and the Colonials got the steal for a layup, and a 29-19 lead

Over the next 2:30, the Rams tried to battle back with one of two free throws, and then a layup by Tyler Harris at the 10:28 mark for a 29-22 Freehold lead.  South River scored four of the next six over a span of 1:30 after that including a layup by Erick Gomez at the 9:00 mark for a 31-26 Freehold lead before the  Colonials called for time at the 8:52 mark.

Freehold Boro wouldn’t let the Rams get closer though.  South River went into a scoring drought while the Colonials scored six straight points for a 37-26 lead with 3:10 to go.  The Rams, which went scoreless for almost eight and a half minutes, didn’t score again until the final 30 seconds as the Colonials closed the game with a 15-5 run for the 46-31 win.

Colts Neck Surges Past Manalapan To Win Third Place, 59-39

The Cougars, which were knocked off by Notre Dame in the semifinals on Thursday, trailed early by the score of 4-2 before putting together a 9-4 run to take an 11-8 lead with 13 minutes to go in the first half.

Over the next 3:30, Manalapan bounced back with the six of the next seven points for a 14-12 lead before COlts Neck scored four unanswered including a steal for a layup at the 6:50 mark for a 16-14 lead.

Colts Neck then closed the half with 10 of the last 17 points to take a five point, 26-21 advantage into the intermission.  The Cougars opened up the second half with a scoop shot layup at the 19:22 mark for a 28-21 lead.  CNHS tried to add to its lead when it forced a turnover, but then was called for traveling on the ensuing transition opportunity with 18:30 left.

The Cougars continued to add to its lead with four more points including a layup, and had a chance to go up by 14, but hit rim on a three point attempt from the right corner before Manalapan score at the 16:31 mark on a three for a 32-24 Cougars lead.

From there, Colts Neck pulled away with a 15-5 surge over the next 10:31 to take a commanding 47-29 lead with six minutes to play.  The Cougars cruised from there by outscoring the Braves by a 12-10 margin the rest of the way for the 59-39 victory.

Notre Dame Sinks Spotswood For Title On Jackson Three With 1.3 Left, 55-53

It was quite a finish to the inaugural season of the Monroe Sports Center Summer League. Coming off upset wins in the semifinals, both third seeded Spotswood and fourth seeded Notre Dame of Lawrenceville put on a heck of a show in the Championship Game. On top of all that, Spotswood brought its student section in full force for this game to make it a true playoff atmosphere for this contest.

For the entire first half, the Chargers were buoyed by their fan support. Spotswood went to work right away to take the lead, and carried it all the way to the intermission with a 33-23 advantage over a Notre Dame squad that had soundly defeated top seeded Colts Neck in the semifinals (62-32), and then cruised past South Brunswick in the semifinal of the Mercer County CYO Summer League at West Windsor-Plainsboro South High School on Monday night. However, the Irish played to their true form by outscoring Spotswood by a 32-20 margin in the second half including the game winning three pointer with 1.3 seconds left by junior Jabree Jackson for the 55-53 win.

While the Chargers were sluggish offensively for much of the second half, they did put together a spirited rally to get back into the game after Notre Dame had charged into the lead. After the Irish stepped up its defense, and played with much more urgency in putting together a 15-4 tear over the first 5:56 of the second half for a 38-37 lead, and led 42-39 with 8:57 to play, Spotswood battled to stay in the contest despite things working against it. There were a total of 7 lead changes and one tie over the final 14:04 of the game while neither team had a lead bigger than three points.

In the first half, Spotswood amassed its 33 points on 13 field goals including three treys and made 4 of 6 from the foul line. Meanwhile, the Chargers limited Notre Dame to nine field goals and 5 of 8 from the line for its 23 points. Tommy Soulias led the way for Spotswood in the first 20 minutes with 16 points on six field goals including two threes while also making two of four from the charity stripe. Soon to be junior, Jamal Lewis chipped in with 8 points on three field goals and made both his free throw attempts. The Chargers also did a solid job limiting the offensive output of Notre Dame’s Ryan Germano and Josh Williams in the first half.

The Chargers came out of the gates fast by scoring 8 of the first 10 points over a span of just 3:20 before the Irish battled back with six unanswered points in just a little over a minute to tie the game at 8-8. After Soulias got a basket as he was fouled at the 15:15 mark, Notre Dame tied the game again at 10-10 with a bucket 30 seconds later. Then, Spotswood took control for a while as it went on a 13-2 tear over a span of 5:14 for a 23-12 lead just past the midway point of the first half. Soulias scored seven points during the run including a basket at the 12:58 mark for a 14-10 lead, a three from the left wing at the 10:57 mark for a 19-12 edge, and a pair of free throws with 10:32 to go in the half for a 21-12 lead. He also handed an assist out on another score during the run.

The Chargers were able to maintain a double digit cushion going into the intermission. However, Notre Dame became much more aggressive at the start of the second half. The Irish turned up the heat defensively, and put together a rally to not only get back into the game, but also take the lead. Notre Dame used pressure and trapping to force turnovers that led to easy transition baskets. The Irish also locked down on Soulias as Germano limited the soon to be Charger senior to just seven points in the final twenty minutes on two field goals including a three as well as two free throws. Soulias, who also handed out an assist in the second half, didn’t score over the final 7:19 of the game.

Lewis was also shut down in the second half. The athletic forward was held to just four points in the final 20 minutes, and didn’t score a point for 18:16 before scoring a layup off a nice feed with 23.6 seconds to go for a 53-52 lead. Still, the Spotswood duo combined for 23 and 12 points respectively, or about 66 percent of the Charger scoring. Notre Dame scored 18 points off of turnovers in the game including 16 in the second half. Spotswood only had six points off of Irish miscues. Spotswood ended up with 21 field goals for the game including five three pointers while also making 6 of 8 from the foul line. The Chargers only attempted two free throws in the second half as well.

Meanwhile, Notre Dame ended up with 21 field goals including two threes, but also went 11 of 16 from the foul line. While Spotswood had a 15-6 edge in points from beyond the arc, the Irish enjoyed an 11-6 advantage in points scored from the free throw line. With the three ties in the first half, there were a total of 7 lead changes and 4 ties in the game. The Irish didn’t claim its first lead of the game until the 14:04 mark of the second half, and led for only 7:26 of the contest while the game was knotted for only 2:31. Spotswood led for the other 31:03 of the game.

After the Irish got back into the contest, and seemed to have Spotswood on the ropes, the Chargers showed some surprising resiliency. Perhaps, it was the fan support provided by the large student section at the game, but even without any offense from Soulias or Lewis, Spotswood still managed to stay in the game, and actually enjoy several leads. The role players came up with big plays. Ike Ejikeme didn’t factor much on the offense, but clogged up the middle well, and blocked a putback attempt by Germano at the 5:06 mark. Moments later, Soulias kicked out to a teammate on the left wing for a three pointer, and a 45-44 lead with just under five minutes to go.

The trey sparked a 7-2 spurt that included a putback at the 4:30 mark, and a follow with 4:05 to go for a 49-46 lead. Notre Dame fought back though with four straight points including its first three of the game on a shot from the right wing with 1:47 left for a 50-49 lead. The Irish then added another layup for a 52-49 edge with 1:25 to go as Spotswood called for time. Once again, the Charger role players came up big with a floater off the glass at the 1:17 mark for a 52-51 ND lead, and then after the Irish missed the front end of a one and one with 52.5 seconds left, Spotswood took the lead at 53-52 on a nice drive and dish to Lewis for a layup with just under 24 seconds remaining in regulation.

After a Notre Dame timeout with 23.2 remaining, the Irish held out for the final shot. The Chargers appeared a bit confused on defense as Soulias gave Germano plenty of space in the left corner as the clock was running down. Both Soulias and Lewis scrambled to cover an ND player just before Jackson netted his three from the left side of the key with 1.3 remaining for the 55-53 win. Both teams ended the summer at 6-4, but Notre Dame won six of its last seven at Monroe after starting the season at 0-3.

GMC Hoops Play-By-Play–Monroe Sports Center Summer League–July 19, 2011–Spotswood vs. Notre Dame

MONROE, NJ–On Tuesday night, GMC Hoops traveled down to the Monroe Sports Center after being at the Elizabeth Summer League to catch the final night of action from the 2011 MSC Summer League. It was quite a Championship Game between fourth seeded Notre Dame and third seeded Spotswood. The Chargers jumped out to a 33-23 halftime lead only to have the Irish surge back to start the second half with a 17-4 tear for a 40-37 lead. Spotswood battled back though with a 12-6 spurt for a 49-46 lead, and the game went back and forth the rest of the way until Notre Dame connected on a three pointer with 1.3 seconds to go for the 55-53 victory. Below is the play-by-play from this game:

First Half

Spotswood–student section at the game!!!!!

19:41–SPOTS–Jamal Lewis scores layup for a 2-0 lead.
19:10–ND–Ryan Germano drives in for layup and a 2-2 tie. 
18:59–SPOTS–basket for a 4-2 lead.
18:42–SPOTS–traveling.
18:00–SPOTS–basket for a 6-2 lead.
17:33–ND timeout after turnover
16:40–SPOTS–drives in for layin that gets kind roll.
16:27–ND–jumper for a 8-4 SPOTS lead.
16:11–SPOTS–turnover.
15:58–ND–drives through middle for layup, and an 8-6 SPOTS lead.
15:38–ND–after getting stop, the Irish tie the game at 8-8 on jumper from lefty wing.
15:15–SPOTS–Tommy Soulias gets layup and is fouled, but misses FT for a 10-8 lead.
14:45–ND–scores basket to tie game at 10-10.
14:13–ND–misses layup in transition.
14:09–timeout.
13:52–SPOTS–offensive rebounds by Soulias and Lewis leads to putback for a 12-10 lead.
13:40–SPOTS–gets steal, but can’t score.
12:58–SPOTS–Soulias gets basket, and is fouled, but misses bonus FT for a 14-10 lead.
12:30–ND–draws foul on layup attempt, and makes two FTs for a 14-12 SPOTS lead.
11:46–ND–deflects pass for Soulias out of bounds.
11:19–SPOTS–Soulias sets himself, and kicks out to the right side for jumper, and a 16-12 lead.
10:57–SPOTS–Soulias connects on three from left wing for a 19-12 lead.
10:41–ND–turnover.
10:32–SPOTS–Soulias draws foul on the drive, and makes two FTs for a 21-12 lead.
9:31–SPOTS–Dalonte Grant gets steal off deflection, and dishes for short shot in transition for a 23-12 lead.
9:26–ND–timeout
8:50–SPOTS–Cory Brown called for foul on floor.
8:33–SPOTS–called for pushing foul.
8:11–ND–drives right baseline for layup, and a 23-14 SPOTS lead.
7:58–SPOTS–Grant scores basket for a 25-14 lead.
6:36–ND–draws foul, but misses FT.
6:15–ND–draws foul on Grant.
5:10–SPOTS–turnover.
4:44–SPOTS–called for another foul on the floor
4:16–ND–Josh–drives past Soulias, and dishes to Isaiah, who makes layup, and is fouled, but misses bonus FT for a 25-16 SPOTS lead.
3:53–SPOTS–Grant drives and kicks back to Soulias for three from left wing for a 28-16 lead.
3:10–ND–Josh draws foul, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 28-17 SPOTS lead.
2:47–ND–Isaiah blocks Soulias shot.
2:15–ND–now in double bonus–makes both ends of bonus for 28-19 SPOTS lead.
1:47–ND–ties up Lewis on drive–forces jump ball, and gets possession.
1:29–SPOTS–hits wide open three from right wing for a 31-19 lead.
1:20–SPOTS–Lewis swats away shot .
1:16–ND–hits foul line jumper off inbounds for a 31-21 SPOTS lead.
1:04–SPOTS–Lewis fouled underneath on putback attempt, and makes both FTs for a 33-21 lead.
48.7–ND–draws foul on putback attempt off Germano miss, and makes both FTs for a 33-23 SPOTS lead.
37.3–ND–strips ball away from Lewis out of bounds–SPOTS ball.
5.7–ND–draws charge on Grant
0.0–ND–misses layup at buzzer–SPOTS leads 33-23 at half.

Second Half

19:47–ND–Isaiah swipes steal, and drives up right side for a dunk, and a 33-25 SPOTS lead.
19:30–SPOTS–turnover.
19:16–ND–drive from left side for layup, and a 33-27 SPOTS lead.
18:40–SPOTS–Lewis scores on putback for a 35-27 lead.
17:54–ND–gets rebound off air-ball, and outlets upcourt to Germano for layup, and a foul for a three point play, and a 35-30 SPOTS lead.
17:11–ND–blocks shot by Brown–out of bounds–SPOTS BALL.
16:55–SPOTS–Soulias foul line jumper for a 37-30 lead.
16:40–SPOTS–Soulias pass off Grant out of bounds for turnover.
16:33–ND–layup for a 37-32 SPOTS lead.
16:22–ND–steal off Ike Ejikeme
15:52–ND–layup for a 37-34 SPOTS lead.
15:25–ND–swipes steal at half court and is fouled by Soulias.  Makes both FTs for a 37-36 SPOTS lead.
14:24–ND–steals pass, but loses it out of bounds…turnover.
14:04–ND–Germano steal leads for drive down left lane for layup, and a 38-37 lead.
13:09–ND–traveling after SPOTS miss.
12:46–SPOTS–Soulias fouled underneath–makes both FTs for a 39-3 lead.
12:05–SPOTS–called for foul on the floor.
11:44–SPOTS–called for foul down low.
11:22–SPOTS–Soulias ties up ND player–jump ball–ND gets possession.
10:42–ND–inbounds to Isaiah for layup, and a 40-39 lead.
10:29–SPOTS–Grant to cutting Soulias, but he misses layup.
10:11–ND–fouls Grant on floor.
9:55–SPOTS–misses drive for layup from right side.
9:47–ND–turnover.
9:24–ND–draws charge on Lewis.
8:57–ND–fouled on the drive, and makes both FTs for a 42-39 lead.
7:44–ND–called for foul.
7:19–SPOTS–Grant gets offensive rebound off own miss, and kicks out to Soulias for three pointer from right wing for a 42-42 tie.
6:25–SPOTS–Lewis misses layup.
6:15–ND–sinks mid-range jumper from left sid efor a 44-42 lead.
5:35–SPOTS–after ND misses, Chargers lose ball out of bounds.
5:06–ND–Germano gets offensive rebound, but gets rejected by Eijkeme.
4:55–SPOTS–Soulias passes to teammate on left wing for three pointer and a 45-44 lead.
4:30–SPOTS–putback for a 47-44 lead.
4:21–ND–drives past Ejikeme for layup, and a 47-46 SPOTS lead.
4:05–SPOTS–scores on follow of own miss for a 49-46 lead.
3:12–ND–fouled on drive down left lane, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 49-47 SPOTS lead.
2:17–SPOTS–Soulias–can’t handle pass from Grant–out of bounds–ND ball.
2:00–ND unable to score, but keeps possession.
1:47–ND–three pointer from right wing for a 50-49 lead.
1:33–ND–swipes steal.
1:25–SPOTS–timeout after layup by ND for a 52-49 lead.
1:17–SPOTS–drives in from left wing for floater off glass for a 52-51 ND lead.
52.5–ND–fouled on drive–misses front end of one and one.
23.6–SPOTS–drive and dish to Lewis for layup, and a 53-52 lead.
23.2–ND–timeout.
1.3–ND–hits  three pointer from just to the left of the top of the key for a 55-53 victory

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Final Standings

MONROE, NJ–On Tuesday, GMC Hoops had compiled all the scores from all eleven days of regular season action at the Monroe Sports Center thanks to Director of Basketball Operations, Steve Mate. Using these results, we have put together the final standings.

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Final Standings

• Colts Neck (9-1)
• Notre Dame (6-4)
• Spotswood (6-4)
• Manalapan (6-4)
• Steinert (5-5)
• Freehold Boro (4-6)
• South River (3-7)
• Monroe (3-7)
• South Amboy (3-7)

GMC Hoops will post the play-by-play between Notre Dame and Spotswood in the Champioship shortly.

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Results–Day Eleven–July 19th

MONROE, NJ–On Tuesday night, GMC Hoops was able to travel out to the Monroe Sports Center to take in the final day of summer league action there. The site saw all four games including the Championship Game between Notre Dame and Spotswood. Below are the results from the day eleven of the summer league here including playoff games:

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Results–Day Eleven–July 19th

• Notre Dame 55–Spotswood 53–Championship
• Colts Neck–Manalapan 39–Third Place Consolation
• Monroe 50–Steinert 40
• Freehold Boro 46–South River 31

GMC Hoops plans to have play-by-play from Notre Dame’s thrilling last second win over Spotswood in the Championship Game posted shortly.

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Results–Day Ten–July 14th

MONROE, NJ–On Thursday, GMC Hoops wasn’t able to travel out to the Monroe Sports Center to take in summer league action there. However, the site was able to obtain results from the five games played. Below are the results from the day ten of the summer league here including playoff games:

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Results–Day Ten–July 14th

• Notre Dame 63–Colts Neck 32–Semifinal
• Spotswood 47–Manalpan 34–Semifinal
• South Amboy 34–Freehold Boro 30
• Steinert 49–South Amboy 44
• South River 36–Monroe 33

GMC Hoops plans to have results from Tuesday night action as well as play-by-play from Notre Dame’s last second win over Spotswood in the Championship Game of the MSC Summer LEague posted shortly.

2011 Monroe Summer League–Playoff Seeds, Brackets, And Schedules

MONROE, NJ–On Wednesday afternoon, GMC Hoops received the playoff seeds and schedule for the 2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League. Playoff and consolation games begin on Thursday night, July 14th, and will finish up on Tuesday night, July 19th. Below are the seeds and the playoff schedule.

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Playoff Seeds

1. Colts Neck
2. Manalapan
3. Spotswood
4. Notre Dame
5. Steinert
6. Freehold Boro
7. Monroe
8. South River
9. South Amboy

Top four seeds qualified for the playoffs while the other five teams will play consolation games.

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Playoff Schedule

Thursday–July 14, 2011

• Consolation–Freehold Boro vs. South Amboy, 6:40 PM–MSC Red
• Semifinal #1–#4 Notre Dame vs. #1 Colts Neck, 7:40 PM–MSC Red
• Semifinal #2–#3 Spotswood vs. #2 Manalapan, 7:40 PM–MSC Yellow
• Consolation–Steinert vs. South Amboy, 8:40 PM–MSC Red
• Consolation–Monroe vs. South River, 8:40 PM–MSC Yellow

There are no byes on Thursday.

• Consolation–Freehold Boro vs. South River, 7:40 PM–MSC Red
• Consolation–Monroe vs. Steinert, 7:40 PM–MSC Yellow
• Third Place Consolation–Loser of Notre Dame-Colts Neck vs. Loser of Spotswood-Manalapan, 8:40 PM–MSC Yellow
• Championship–Winner of Notre Dame-Colts Neck vs. Winner of Spotswood-Manalapan, 8:40 PM–MSC Red

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at MSC on Tuesday night.

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Final Regular Season Standings

MONROE, NJ–On Wednesday, GMC Hoops had received all the scores from all nine days of regular season action at the Monroe Sports Center thanks to Director of Basketball Operations, Steve Mate. Using these results, we have put together the final regular season standings.

2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League–Final Regular Season Standings

• Colts Neck (8-0)
• Manalapan (6-2)
• Spotswood (5-3)
• Notre Dame (4-4)
• Steinert (4-4)
• Freehold (3-5)
• Monroe (2-6)
• South River (2-6)
• South Amboy (2-6)

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at the MSC next Tuesday for the Championship and Consolation games.

Monroe Sports Center Summer League–July 12, 2011

MONROE, NJ–On Tuesday night, the final day of regular season action took place at the 2011 Monroe Sports Center Summer League. GMC Hoops took in all four games including one involving a GMC team as Monroe battled Notre Dame in one of the two 7:40 PM contests. Notre Dame as well as Freehold Boro played twice on this night as the Irish also played Steinert while the Colonials played Colts Neck at 7:40 PM, and then Manalapan at 8:40 PM.

Colts Neck Cruises Past Freehold Boro, 65-31

The Cougars of Colts Neck continue to remain the top team in the league, and do it in dominating style.  CNHS jumped out to a 37-10 lead over Freehold Boro at the half, and never looked back in a convincing 65-31 victory.  

The Colonials of Freehold Boro played much more respectably in the second half with an 18-16 run over the first 14 minutes of the period, but Colts Neck was still out in front handily by the score of 53-28.  The Cougars then closed out the game with a 12-3 tear over the final six minutes for the 34 point victory.

Second Half Surge Helps Manalapan Rout Freehold Boro, 60-38

The Colonials were licking their wounds a bit after losing to first place Colts Neck in the 7:40 PM game.  However, Freehold Boro played well for much of the first half in this one before Manalapan went on a 16-0 run overe a span of seven minutes to break away from a 14-10 edge to a commanding 30-10 lead with just under three minutes to go in the half.

Freehold got on the board about a half minute later, but the Braves closed out the half with a 5-3 burst to take a 35-15 advantage into the brief intermission.   Over the first 7:15 of the second half, both teams fought to a 9-9 draw, but the Braves were still comfortably in front by 20 at 44-24. Over the next 10:15, both teams continued to play even basketball by scoring 12 points each for a 56-36 Manalapan lead with 2:30 left.

From there, the Braves scored four of the final six points to finish off the 60-38 victory.

Notre Dame Wins Fourth In Last Five Games By Rolling Past Steinert, 72-38

The Irish were looking to build off the momentum gained from its victory over Monroe in the 7:40 PM game as they played Colonial Valley Conference rival, Steinert in the 8:40 PM contest.  Notre Dame was making up for a game it missed earlier in the summer.  

The Irish jumped out to a 20-9 lead with 13 minutes to go in the first half before the Spartans responded with a 9-6 run that included a couple layups, and a three pointer at the 9:00 minute to close the gap to 26-18 with under eight minutes to go in the half.

Over the next four minutes, ND reeled off 10 of the next 12 minutes including a layup at the four minute mark for a 36-20 lead.  The Irish then added a three pointer from the left corner with just over three and a half minutes to go in the period for a 15-2 tear, and a 39-20 lead.  Both teams added another basket for a 41-22 Irish lead at the half.

The second half began with Notre Dame getting a couple breakaway opportunities that drew a foul on a dunk attempt for two free throws, and then got another steal for a layup before Steinert called for time at the 17:49 mark with the Irish now leading 45-22.  Following the timeout, ND got back to business as Ryan Germano scored on a layin for a 47-22 lead with 16:22 to go.

Notre Dame poured it on from there even with its reserves in the game late.  The Irish outscored the Spartans by a margin of 19-10 over a span of nearly 14 minutes to lead by 34 at 66-32.

Monroe Doesn’t Give Up In 55-48 Loss To Notre Dame

Believe it or not, it was the first time all summer that GMC Hoops had the chance to see Monroe play, and the Falcons didn’t quit in this one.  Trailing 25-14 at the half, MTHS got the first score of the second half as Nick Isola scored a layup at the 19:33 mark.  

The Purple Birds then gave way to a 12-0 Notre Dame run that was sparked by a three pointer at the 19:20 mark, and was capped by a two handed jam off a steal at the 16:05 mark for a seemingly commanding lead at 37-16.  At this point, the Falcons could have easly rolled over, but to their credit they didn’t give up.

Despite the uphill battle, Monroe fought the good fight, finishing the game with a 32-18 surge to only lose by seven at 55-48.  Soon to be senior, Victor Sorrento lead the way with 14 second half points on six field goals including two threes.  Teammate Ryan Genevieve came out of the gates slow to start the second half, but scored all 10 of his points in the period over the final 8:58 of the contest on three field goals and 4 of 4 from the line.

Isola added four points, but hustled to get offensive rebounds, and had a couple nice passes to set up scoring opportunities for Monroe.  In the final 20 minutes of play, the Purple Birds outscored ND by a margin of 34-30 as they connected on 14 field goals including two threes, and making 4 of 6 from the foul line.  

Notre Dame blitzed Monroe for 12 straight points over a span of just 3:15 on five field goals including a three pointer, and one of two from the line to take its largest lead of the contest.  Monroe native, Ryan Germano didn’t score during the tear, but had a steal and a couple of assists on layups to help highlight the run.

The Irish ended up scoring their 30 points in the second half on 12 field goals including three treys, and 3 of 5 from the foul line.  Notre Dame, which entered the game with two victories in its last four games after an 0-3 start this summer, had its lead gradually evaporate as the Falcons closed to within 49-37 at the 6:05 mark.

NDHS then scored on its next possession on a putback off a Germano miss, but was subsequently called for a technical foul, and not only did Genevieve net two free throws at the 5:30 mark, but then Sorrento followed up with a three pointer from the left wing to pull the Falcons within single digits at 51-42 with 4:40 left.  Unfortunately, MTHS wasn’t able to get any closer until the very end.

Notre Dame increased its lead to 55-44 by scoring four of the next six points on layups at the 3:14 and 1:14 marks while Isola got the only Monroe points on a layup as he was fouled with 2:44 left.  The Purple Birds then closed the game with  steals for layups by Sorrento and Genevieve in the game’s final minute to wrap up the 55-48 Irish victory.

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at Monroe on Tuesday night for the Championship and Consolation Games in the playoffs.