WOODBRIDGE, NJ–Earlier this week, GMC Hoops was contacted by former Colonia hoops standout and 1,000 point scorer, Bobby Timinski with regards to offseason workouts being run at his facility, the Basketball Warehouse. Offseason workouts have begun this week, and will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays with track workouts taking place at Woodbridge High School on Saturdays. While the Basketball Warehouse strongly encourages all players to play as much AAU as possible…HOWEVER playing AAU is not an excuse to neglect your individual SKILLS, especially at the younger levels!!…your ballhandling, footwork, jump shot etc DO NOT improve in TEAM practices….you must put the work in on your own!!!! Below is the schedule for this week.

Tuesday, March 19th

6:00-7:00PM 3rd & 4th boys and girls- INCLUDES 4, 5 and 6 YEAR OLDS!!!
7:00-8:00PM 5th-8th boys and girls
8:00-9:00PM High School boys and girls

Thursday, March 21st

6:00-7:00PM 3rd & 4th boys and girls- INCLUDES 4, 5 and 6 YEAR OLDS!!!
7:00-8:00PM 5th-8th boys and girls
8:00-9:00PM High School boys and girls

Saturday, March 23rd

7:00AM- 8:00AM TRACK WORKOUT All Ages- Woodbridge High School -25 Samuel Lupo Pl, Woodbridge, NJ
Please note workouts will last no longer than 60 minutes and probably less for the younger or less conditioned.

THERE IS A $10 FEE FOR EVERY BASKETBALL AND TRACK WORKOUT

Follow the Basketball Warehouse on Twitter for the lastest schedule updates Basketball Warehouse @bballwarehous

www.basketballwarehouse.net

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ–All season long, Newark Tech, the Group II state champion, and fifth seed in this year’s Tournament of Champions, has started slow in games.  Against Medford Tech in the Group II state final at Rutgers, the Terriers trailed 16-6 after a quarter.  Then, in the opening round of the  T of C, Newark Tech fell behind by 16 late in the second before rallying.

On Friday night against top seeded Roselle Catholic, the Terriers got off to a fast start by scoring the first five points of the game, and having a 7-4 lead with a little less than three minutes gone by in the contest.  The good start for the Terriers proved to be a bad omen.  The Lions, playing their first game in almost a week, turned the tables by scoring 11 of the last 13 points of the period, and then breaking the game open in the second with a 31-13 surge for a 46-22 lead late in the frame before going into halftime up, 48-28.

Roselle Catholic never let Newark Tech get closer than 14 points after that en route to an easy 78-64 victory.   Five RC players scored in double figures including four starters.   The Lions outscored the Terriers by a margin of 24-9 from beyond the arc.  The Union County school also had an 18-13 edge in free throws made while Newark Tech had more two point field goals (21-18).  Malachi Richardson led all scorers with 21 points for Roselle Catholic while Rakwan Kelly was a bright spot for the Terriers with 19 points.  Newark Tech had three players score in double figures as Dwayne Murrill chipped in with 13and Tyree Sykes added 10.

Despite the physical play that developed in the second half, Hakim Saintil managed to chip in with 13 points including seven from the line for the Lions while Kory Highsmith came off the bench, and fired in 11 points including three treys. Tyler Roberson and freshman Asante Gist added 10 points each for the winners.  The game was over by the half as Roselle Catholic outscored Newark Tech by a margin of 46-17 over a span of 12:41 to take a 24 point lead.   The Lions sank five of their threes in the second quarter.  Roselle Catholic was able to get out in transition and get easy baskets in the form of threes or layups.  While Newark Tech didn’t give up, and kept fighting until the end, the damage was done.  

The Terriers tried to get more physical in the second half.  Saintil was fouled hard on several occasions in the second half as things got a bit chippy.  However, the Lions didn’t lose their cool, and instead increased their lead back to 20 late in the fourth quarter before Newark Tech finished the game with the final six points.  According to the Star-Ledger, Roselle Catholic shot 70 percent from three in the  first half, and ended up shooting 61 percent from long distance for the entire contest.  The Lions also took advantage of mistakes by Newark Tech as they converted eight first half turnovers into 13 points.  Both teams had 9 players get into the contest with seven of them scoring.

The win improved RC’s record to 24-6 overall on the season, and put the top two seeds in the T of C final for the first time since 2010.  Newark Tech finished the season at 23-9.

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.

First Quarter

6:36–NT–jumps out to a 5-0 lead on a two handed dunk by Kekomo Turay and a three pointer from the right wing that banked in by Mustafa Lawrence.

5:58–RC–scores next four points on baskets by Tyler Roberson and Asante Gist to close the gap to 5-4.

5:11–NT–Tyree Sykes gets a bucket for a 7-4 lead.

4:38–RC–Malachi Richardson swipes steal and goes in for the dunk, and a 7-6 NT lead.

3:58–RC–Roberson scores on a layup for a 8-7 lead.

3:03–RC–basket for a 10-7 lead.

2:45–RC–Matt Bullock hits three from left wing for a 13-7 lead

2:20–NT–Rakwan Kelly ends 9-0 RC run with jumper from right side for a 13-9 RC lead.

2:00–NT–draws charge on Roberson.

1:22–RC–Roberson–fouled–misses both FTs.

2.0–RC–Bullock scores on layin from right baseline for a 15-9 lead after one.

Second Quarter

7:45–RC–Hakim Saintil banks shot high  on the glass for score, and a 17-9 lead.

7:40–NT–Lawrence fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 17-10.

7:21–RC–Bullock scores on layin from left side for a 19-10 lead.

6:30–RC–Richardson hits three pointer for a 23-12 lead.

6:03–RC–Kory Highsmith sinks jumper for a 25-12 lead.

5:50–NT–30 sec timeout after steal for layin by Richardson as he was fouled.  Makes bonus FT for  a 28-12 lead.

5:26–NT–Al Tariq Halsey fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 28-13 RC lead.

5:10–RC–Gist misses three attempt, and Richardson just misses great follow.

5:01–NT–Murrill–converts three point play for a 28-16 RC lead.

4:25–RC–Highsmith sinks three from right wing  for a 31-16 lead.45

4:16–NT–Kelly scores on layup from right side for a 31-18 RC lead.

4:07–RC–Highsmith–three pointer from left wing for a 34-18 lead.

3:51–RC–Saintil scores on layup for a 36-22 lead.

3:15–RC–Bullock layup for a 38-22 lead.

2:43–RC–Richardson fires in triple from well beyond the arc on right wing for a 41-22 lead.

2:36–RC–Saintil swipes steal for a layup and a 43-22 lead.

2:35–NT–timeout.

1:55–RC–Gist–three pointer from right corner as he was fouled for a four point play, and a 46-22 lead.

1:43–NT–Nasir White puts in follow for a 46-24 RC lead.

1:18–NT–Kelly knocks in mid-range jumper for a 46-26 RC lead.

45.0–RC–Chris Silva scores basket from left low block for a 48-26 lead.

5.6–NT–White flips in shot from right side for a 48-28 RC lead.

0.0–NT–Tyree Sykes stops Richardson on drive, but NT is unable to get a shot off before the buzzer.  RC leads 48-28 at the half.

Third Quarter

7:38–NT–30 sec timeout–RC–Silva at the line–already missed first FT–makes 2nd–for a 49-28 lead.

7:00–RC–Gist sinks floater for a 51-28 lead.

6:57–NT–technical foul–Richardson makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 52-28 RC lead.

6:49–RC–Silva–technical foul–Kelly–NT–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 52-29 RC lead.

6:45–NT–Kelly gets basket, and foul (by Bullock)–makes bonus FT for three point play and a 52-32 RC lead.

6:07–RC–knocks ball off NT player out of bounds–Richardson tries to inbound, but forced to call 30 sec timeout.

5:46–NT–Turay–flagrant foul on Roberson–Roberson makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 53-32 lead.

5:37–NT–Kelly called for offensive foul.

5:21–RC–Roberson fouled again by Turay–makes 1 of 2 FTs fora 54-32 lead.

5:05–NT–White fouled on baseline drive by Roberson–makes both FTs for a 54-34 RC lead.

4:50–RC–Richardson flips in shot for a 56-34 lead.

4:30–NT–Al-Tariq Halsey–scores on reverse layup for a 56-36 RC lead.

4:25–RC–Saintil–tied up–jump ball–NT possession.

4:13–NT–Murrill scores on layin for a 56-38 RC lead.

4:03–RC–Gist–fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 57-38 lead.

3:51–NT–Murrill–sinks three from left side for a 57-41 RC lead.

3:41–RC–30 sec timeout.

2:54–RC–Saintil–tied up–jump ball–NT poss.

2:52–RC–Saintil–fouled by Murrill–makes both FTs for a 59-41 lead.

2:13–NT–Tyree Sykes–knocks in shot for a 59-43 RC lead.

2:00–RC–Richardson sinks triple from left corner for a 62-43 lead.

1:49–RC–ties up NT–jump ball–Lions get poss.

1:24–NT–Sykes–fouled–makes both FTs for a 62-45 RC lead.

1:04–NT–turns it over on fast break.

50.2–RC–Saintil–fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 63-45 lead.

23.4–RC–Saintil–fouled by Murrill–RC in double bonus–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 64-45 lead.

0.0–RC–stops NT on scoring attempt, but fall short on heave–lead 64-45 after three.

Fourth Quarter

7:55–RC–Roberson swats shot out of bounds.

7:36–NT–Murrill fights through to score on follow for a 64-47 RC lead.

7:27–RC–Gist–fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 65-47 lead.

7:05–RC–backcourt violation.

6:39–RC–traveling.

6:20–RC–Roberson fouled on athletic follow–NT–calls timeout–makes both FTs for a 67-47 lead.

6:10–NT–White called for technical–fouls out–Richardson makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 68-47 RC lead.

5:42–NT–Kelly–fouled–makes both FTs for a 68-49 RC lead.

5:24–RC–Saintil–fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs–gets offensive rebound, but goes out of bounds.

5:12–NT–Halsey scores on floater for a 69-51 RC lead.

4:41–RC–calls full timeout.

3:59–NT–Kelly drives to the basket from left wing–fouled–misses both FTs.

3:53–NT–forces RC turnover.

3:44–NT–Murrill fouled in paint by Richardson–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 69-52 RC lead.

3:35–RC–Saintil gets into open court, drives down left lane, and is fouled by Sykes–makes both FTs for a 71-52 lead.

3:06–RC–Gist fouled by Kelly–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 72-52 lead.

2:38–RC–Richardson gets rebound off missed three by Murrill–pushes ball up court, and passes ahead to Roberson for two  handed jam, and a 74-52 lead.

2:24–NT–Kelly scores off inbounds underneath from right low block, and is fouled for a three point play, and a 74-55 RC lead.

2:16–NT–Lawrence connects on three pointer from right corner for a 74-58 RC lead.

2:01–RC–Silva–layup from right low block for a 76-58 lead.

1:44–RC–Highsmith knifes to the basket, and is fouled by Lawrence–misses both FTs.

1:35–RC–Silva–swats NT shot off  the backboard.

1:30–RC–Highsmith scores on breakaway layup from right side for a 78-58 lead.

1:28–RC–full timeout.

1:13–NT–Sykes scores on layup from right low block for a 78-60 RC lead.

47.0–NT–Lawrence scores on reverse layup for a 78-62 RC lead.

14.8–NT–Kelly scores on reverse layup for a 78-64 RC lead.

0.0–RC–runs out clock after NT gets steal, and Kelly misses on layup attempt–RC wins, 78-64.

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.

Lawrence’s triple sparked a 30-11 surge by the Terriers the rest of the way as they grabbed the lead midway through the fourth and led by six late before Akbar Hoffman scored four points for East Side to draw the Red Raiders within two with under a minute to play. However, Newark Tech survived a flurry of scoring chances by the Raiders in the closing seconds to come away with the dramatic come from behind, 42-39 victory. View the game notes from the contest.

Rakwan Kelly led the Terriers to victory with a game high 14 points including 11 scored in the second half. Akbar Hoffman led Newark East Side with 12 points including 10 in the first half.

Point Beach opened the second half with a 9-4 run as Farrell and Riley Calzonetti got baskets, and Dominique Uhl connected on a three for a 43-24 lead midway through the third. Atlantic City battled back like it has repeatedly during its playoff run with a 31-7 surge over the next eight minutes or so to take a 55-50 lead with under four minutes to play in regulation. Isaiah Graves gave the Vikings their first lead of the game on a triple from the left wing at the 4:15 mark.

The Gulls then fought back themselves with a 9-4 run the rest of regulation as Uhl scored on a two handed jam at the 2:54 mark, and then Farrell tied the game at 57-57 with a three from the top of the key at the 2:21 mark. After Ga’briel Chandler scored at the 2:05 mark for a 59-57 AC lead, Farrell helped Point Beach knot the game back up at 59-59 about a minute later with a layup. The Group I State Champs then almost pulled off the upset when P.J. Kinneavy got a good look on a three from the left side as time was running out, but just missed, which evoked a large collective roar from the crowd.

In the first overtime, Atlantic City jumped out to a six point lead on a couple of occasions including a 68-62 advantage with 1:08 to play. However, Point Beach rallied again with an 8-2 run the rest of the extra session including a layup by Uhl at the 1:01 mark, another layup by Calzonetti at the 45 second mark, a reverse layup by Calzonetti with 11.4 seconds left in overtime, and then two free throws by Calzonetti with three seconds left for a 70-70 tie. Finally, Atlantic City put the game away in the second overtime with a 10-3 showing for the 80-73 win.