EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Monday, state tournament play began for 25 of the 31 teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference that qualified for the various tourneys categorized by school enrollment. As of the end of play, Wednesday night, the GMC has gone 9-9 against teams outside Middlesex County in state tourney play.

Entering the state tournament season, the 31 teams in the GMC had combined for an 82-76 record during the regular season against teams from other conferences. The conference is now 91-85, and has gone 22-16 since dropping to .500 in the middle of February. It has been an up and down, and streaky season for GMC schools against non-conference foes. The GMC began the year with 8 wins in its first 9 games, and then was clobbered over the holidays.

From that point on, the GMC schools have been on a roller coaster ride against teams outside of Middlesex County. For the most part though, the conference has held its own against many of the conferences in the Central Jersey area. Entering play on Thursday, the GMC is 4-3 against the Colonial Valley Conference, 23-22 versus the Skyland Conference, 10-10 against the Union County Conference, and 16-19 versus the Shore Conference. While the conference has not been dominant against schools from these other conferences, it has been able to hold its own.

A couple conferences that have done fairly well against the GMC this year have been the Burlington County Scholastic League, which has won 5 of 8 games against GMC schools, and the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association, which has won 6 of 9 against the GMC. Breaking down the 91-85 GMC non-conference record by division: The Gold is 32-19. The Red is 27-21. Blue Division is 20-17 while the White has struggled at 12-28. Teams that have done well against non-conference schools this season are: Perth Amboy Tech (8-1), St. Joseph’s (7-2), South River (7-3), East Brunswick Tech (6-2), Dunellen (4-0), Old Bridge (5-2), East Brunswick (5-2), Middlesex (3-0), Piscataway Tech (4-2), and Spotswood (3-1).

Jake Dadika led Spotswood with a game high 17 points including a perfect 10 of 10 from the foul line while Grant chipped in with 16. Turell McClendon led the Raiders in a losing cause with 13 points while Aziz Austin chipped in with 10, and Jordan Lackey added 9 before fouling out midway through the fourth. Spotswood was actually a perfect 16 of 16 from the line, and made 7 of 20 three point attempts while outscoring the Raiders by a margin of 21-9 from beyond the arc.

Leading 30-18 early in the third, Spotswood embarked on a 17-8 run that included 6 points from Jamal Lewis, a three by Dalonte Grant, and four points by Corey Brown for a 47-26 lead. The Chargers never let P-Way Tech get any closer than 18 points after that. Jake Dadika led Spotswood with a game high 17 points including a perfect 10 of 10 from the foul line while Grant chipped in with 16. Turell McClendon led the Raiders in a losing cause with 13 points while Aziz Austin chipped in with 10, and Jordan Lackey added 9 before fouling out midway through the fourth.

Spotswood was actually a perfect 16 of 16 from the line, and made 7 of 20 three point attempts while outscoring the Raiders by a margin of 21-9 from beyond the arc.

SPOTSWOOD, NJ–Despite a less than spectacular shooting performance by the Spotswood Chargers (17 of 46 for 37 percent), they were able to win easily over Piscataway Tech by the score of 57-37 in a key Blue Division Showdown that will help determine this year’s winner. Spotswood has never won a division title since the inception of the GMC back in the 1985-86 season. The Chargers will have their shot on Monday night when they travel to Carteret. The Ramblers won the last meeting in Spotswood (76-74).

Spotswood jumped out to a 14-6 lead as they took advantage of six first quarter turnovers by the Raiders, who were unable to get into a rhythm throughout the contest. The Chargers got 12 of their 14 first quarter points via the three pointer as Dalonte Grant, Jake Dadika, and Cory Weeks all hit threes while Dadika was fouled on a three point attempt by Jordan Lackey, and he swished all three foul shots. Spotswood ended up going 7 of 20 from beyond the arc and outscored P-Way Tech by a 21-9 margin from three. Another key was rebounding with the Chargers enjoying a 25-18 edge on the boards.

The Chargers also outperformed the Raiders at the foul line by going a perfect 16 of 16 while P-Way Tech was only 8 of 12. Dadika, who ended up with a game high 17 points on the night, led the way with a 10 of 10 showing from the charity stripe. Dalonte Grant added 16 for the winners. Turell McClendon led Piscataway Tech with 13 while Aziz Austin chipped in with 10 and Jordan Lackey added 9 before fouling out about midway through the final period. The Raiders were battling foul trouble throughout much of the first half as Austin and Lackey went to the bench with three fouls while Khari Cain picked up two.

Piscataway Tech, which came into the game riding a 10 game winning streak, had moved up to the Blue after winning two consecutive Gold Division titles, and was tied with Carteret at 12-1 entering the contest. Spotswood was only a half game behind at 11-1 in division play. The Chargers continued to roll in the second quarter as they went ahead by as many as 16 points late in the period before going into the half up 30-16. Then, after McClendon opened the second half scoring with a basket for P-Way Tech, Spotswood scored the next five points including a three by Grant for a 35-18 lead.

Over the next seven minutes or so, Spotswood outscored the visitors by a margin of 12-8 to take its biggest lead of the game at 47-26. Jamal Lewis and Corey Brown each had four points during the run while Marlon Hart and Dadika each added scores as well. From there, Piscataway Tech could get no closer than 18 points the rest of the way while the Chargers equaled their biggest lead on two more occasions in the fourth.

Following a Spotswood timeout, the Junior Chargers went on a 7-2 run to take a 37-23 lead en route to a 41-26 win. Spotswood outscored P-Way Tech by an 11-8 margin in the third, and a 17-11 margin over the last 14 minutes of the contest for the win. Ali Austin (4 points on 2 FG) and Giovani Rios (4 points on 4 of 6 FTs) accounted for all the Junior Raider scoring in the fourth.

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–Prior to the season, I had indicated that the Blue and Gold Divisions were going to be tough. With the additions of Piscataway Tech and South Plainfield in the Blue, and the exit of P-Way Tech from the Gold, competitive races were expected this year in these two divisions. So far the season hasn’t disappointed. At the midway point we have a three way tie in the GMC Blue, there are three teams separated by one game.

If there is any parity in the GMC, it lies in these two divisions mostly. For instance, of the seven games that were played on Wednesday, five of them were decided by single digits, and six were determined by 10 points or less. Oh, by the way, the sixth game, the one that was decided by ten points, went to overtime. South River needed an extra session to defeat Timothy Christian, 72-62.

Gold Division Free For All

Speaking of the Rams, they have come back from the dead in divisional play. After losing its first three league games, South River has battled back with victories over Wardlaw (57-36), East Brunswick Tech (78-44), Amboy Tech, and TCS. A big part of that was the play of Tyler Harris, who had a monster week in week four with 89 points in three games.

Besides the rally in the GMC Gold, the Rams also have beaten a very good Group I school from the Shore in Keansburg twice. First time was a come from behind overtime victory in the Genevieve Hawley Tournament Championship (73-71) at Henry Hudson Regional HS over the holidays, and the second time was last Saturday at home (79-77). Matt Martinez has also played very well for the Rams. He pumped in 27 points in the win over Timothy Christian, and had a double-double in the first win over Keansburg with 16 points and 10 assists. Martinez has a great handle, shoots the ball well, and plays with great confidence. He is probably the best point guard at South River since this site was launched in 2000.

Let’s not forget Sean Darrar, who was the hero in the first win over Keansburg. The younger Darrar scored all 11 of his points in the final 5:35 of the contest including three treys. One of the threes tied the game at the buzzer to force overtime, and then another was the game winning with 18.7 seconds remaining. Against East Brunswick Tech, South River opened the game with a 28-6 first quarter rampage that included five threes. Two of those treys were by Harris, who scored the first 9 points of the game for the Rams, and had 14 of the points in the period. He ended up with 22 in the first half, and 30 for the game. Another of the two treys came from Bobby Applegate, who can provide scoring from the perimeter as well as length on defense, and rebounding.

Back to the rest of the Gold Division, there is a lot more competitive balance this year with the departure of Piscataway Tech. For instance, even though Amboy Tech is 2-5 in the league, they have lost a number of close games including a one point loss at home to Dunellen, and overtime losses to Timothy Christian and East Brunswick Tech. They also suffered a loss to South Amboy without two top players in Agnel Etienne and Jonathan Sosa. Jordan Little is a solid player in the middle for the Pats while Kelvin Perez has been the most consistent. Wardlaw is also 2-5, but they have been a strange team.

The Rams have lost twice to Amboy Tech by four and defeated Dunellen. Wardlaw also lost by one in non-conference play to North 13th Street Tech of Newark in the Joe Silver Holiday Tournament. Justen Davis is a solid rebounding and scoring combination, who is closing in on 1,000 points. Noah Ganz gives the Rams some perimeter punch while Ish Menns and John Newman provide athleticism. Matt Rosado gives much needed experience at the point while John Pohopin gives additional scoring from the outside. East Brunswick Tech has struggled since a 2-0 start with six losses in its last 10 games. Mark Alston and Brett Carmen have been solid for the Tigers.

Moving up to the top half of the Gold, Dunellen, South Amboy, and Timothy Christian are all locked in a three way battle for first place at 5-2. The Guvs appeared to have control of the division late last week, but three straight single digit losses including one at the buzzer to Highland Park, have brought them back down to .500. Thankfully, South Amboy only has won loss in the division during this recent tough stretch, a 50-42 defeat at the hands of Dunellen on Wednesday. The Governors are led by a group of juniors that includes Steve Herdman, Joe Fruncillo, Nick Kales, and Dan Murphy. They also have sophomore Tim Kales and senior Matt Lavan in the rotation.

The Guvs could easily be 9-3 at least if it weren’t for tough crossover losses to Cardinal McCarrick (54-51 in OT on December 15th), Sayreville (54-46 on January 12th), and the buzzer beater to Highland Park. In all three games, South Amboy had the held including an 11 point advantage on McCarrick. If this group begins to figure out how to close out close games against these bigger schools from the upper divisions of the GMC, they could make a bit of a rumble in the county tournament. Herdman, who recently had his 37 consecutive game streak with at least one three pointer broken, came back the next game with four in the first period as the Guvs defeated Wardlaw, 60-38. Fruncillo has had game high in each of the last three games.

Despite losing two 1,000 point scorers in Dan “Triple” Decker and Kristian Svendsen to graduation, and another key player from last year’s team in Devon Johnson, who transferred to Edison this year, the Tigers of Timothy Christian are still a factor in the GMC Gold. Led by senior Jeff Parker and junior Brandon Summers, this edition of the Tigers are a solid shooting bunch that still play solid defense and great team ball. Trailing by four near the end of regulaton and in overtme at Amboy Tech last week, TCS found a way to win (54-51) as Summers came up with two scores to tie the game with a minute to go in overtime and Parker won it with a three from the left wing with 31.8 seconds to go.

Jarret Locke is a nice little playmaker, who was just a split second shy from winning the contest in regulation with a heave just inside halfcourt. He also had a runner that tied the contest. Mike DiLeo provides some additional scoring punch while reserve Zach Coyle helped the Tigers stay in front for a while in the third against the Patriots with a trey from the left wing. Evan Waldron clogs up the middle, and gives TCS some much needed size down low. Head coach Chris Hobbs has some help on the bench this year with an assistant, and that has helped him find ways to keep the Tigers in the hunt despite the turnover from last year.

Finally, we get to Dunellen, which could be the most intriguing team of all in this division. The Destroyers did take some hits to graduation by losing the likes of Sean Gibney and Jeff Puckett, but they still had a lot back this year with Deon Brown, Dylan Hoski, Matt Heidinger, Tony McGuane, and Orville Thompson. However, DHS has had some struggles that included losses to Wardlaw, Middlesex, and more recently, Timothy Christian. Keep in mind though that Dunellen has always gotten off to tough starts under head coach Bernie Buniak only to come on strong and either win or challenge for the division crown in late January and February.

Three Way Horse Race In GMC Blue

While four teams are in the hun in the Gold Division of the Greater Middlesex Conference, three teams are battling for first place in the Blue. Carteret moved into sole possession of first at 8-1 with a come from behind, 75-72 win over Spotswood on the road on Wednesday night. The Chargers, which came into the week undefeated in both division and conference play suffered two straight conference losses including a 74-59 defeat to North Brunswick at home on Monday night.

Tied with Spotswood, and only a half game back of Carteret in the standings is Piscataway Tech at 7-1. The Raiders rolled over Bishop Ahr, and have a tie breaker over Carteret thanks to a thrilling, 54-52 win on the road at CHS on January 4th. Spotswood defeated the Raiders at P-Way Tech to start the new year. Despite moving up a division, and losing the likes of Galen Smith, Khairi Mosely, and Mo Pierre to graduation and the likes of Will Joyce and Jalen Jackson to transfer, Piscataway Tech has managed to not only stay in contention, but get some early season quality wins on the road at Carteret and over Group IV schools, Passaic and Paterson Kennedy in the Jingle Bells Jubilee over the holidays.

Turell McClendon, Jordan Lackey, and Aziz Austin carry much of the load for PVT, but role players Robby Pierre, Inderpaul Pingahila, and Willie Patterson have contributed nicely as well. Head coach Karl Towns has also made some defensive adjustments, and now he is looking like a strong GMC Hoops Coach of the Year candidate. He may have mellowed a bit on the sideline as well, but he was very close to top form in the win over Carteret two weeks ago. Carteret also took some heavy losses to graduation by losing the likes of Avery Carter, Tanveer Dosanjh, Joe Nigro, and Kevin Van Dyke among others, but still had the likes of sophomores Jaquan Robertson and Brandon Gilder back along with senior Elijah Torres.

Younger brother Zach Torres has also contribued off the bench while newcomers Tyrell Lockley and Joe McRae provide athleticism and versatility. Forward Andrew Stam gives CHS some length and scoring ability from the perimeter. The team in the Blue with the most experience back is Spotswood. Even though the Chargers lost 1,000 point scorer, Tommy Soulias, who is now playing well at Kean, they had the likes of Jake Dadika, Dalonte Grant, Jamal Lewis, Corey Brown and Kevin Fox all back this year. In addition they have some solid newcomers such as freshmen Marlon Hart and Eric Dadika coming off the bench. Jake Dadika is one of the top scorers in the GMC this year whle Grant provides additional scoring punch to make this one of the best backcourts in the conference.

Lewis may be undersized, but his athletic ability and tenacity help him compensate for that as he has put up a number of double-digit scoring games recently including 18 in a victory over Bishop Ahr. Corey Brown brings his football toughness on the boards while scoring from either the perimeter or by going to the basket. Kevin Fox demonstrated a nice knack of perimeter shooting to help the Chargers put the game out of reach against BGA. Hart and the younger Dadika also find ways to contribute any way they can.

For a while, Bishop Ahr appeared to be a contender with five wins in six games after an opening night loss to Carteret, but since then, the Trojans have come back down to earth with three straight losses including an overtime defeat at Metuchen, and double digit setbacks to division frontrunners Spotswood and Piscataway Tech. The BGA was hit hard by graduation with all but two players graduating last June. However, head coach Dennis O’Keefe has a solid sophomore class headed by Tom Weiler, and a couple transfers from St. Joseph’s including Owen McLeod. Mike Jensen, one of the two holdovers from last year, has a knack for getting to the basket while Greg Patuto provides some scoring from the perimeter. Senior guard, Tom Duffy has the ability to make plays and score.

Like Ahr, Middlesex had also been playing well for a stretch before suffering several setbacks. Although the Blue Jays are presently hovering around the .500 mark, they look to be more improved this year, especially with Rutgers Prep transfer, Austin Bardaji in the lineup. Prior to Bardaji getting into the rotation, the Jays had won 5 of its first seven games with the only two losses to division contenders Bishop Ahr and Piscataway Tech. Middlesex also defeated Dunellen in a crossover for the 2012 Shello/Santy Christmas Tournament Championship. However, the Jays have stumbled as of late with losses to divsion heavyweights Spotswood and P-Way Tech before falling at home to JFK.

Speaking of the Mustangs, Kennedy is starting to play better. After a 1-4 start the Stangs have split their last six with wins over Metuchen, South Plainfield, and Middlesex while losing to Spotswood, Piscataway Tech, and Point Pleasant Boro. JFK suffered close defeats to Warren Hills (54-47) and Mater Dei (51-47) over the holidays at the Gene Haley Tournament in Edison. Head coach, Chris Banos was hit hard by graduation as he lost his entire starting lineup from last year, but he is not making excuses and hopes his young bunch that includes Kyle Alvarez, Darrin Perez, Mike Weinstein, and Joe Duffy will continue to grow.

Metuchen has struggled in the early going this season, but second year head coach, Jon Korellis pretty much had figured that. He felt his team would start playing better come January. The Bulldogs have only won three games this season, but two of them included the overtime win over Bishop Ahr and a solid win over Group IV Howell of the Shore Conference. Metuchen also gave Piscataway Tech some trouble before falling in overtime (57-51) in the first full week of the season. Artie Flaherty Jr. is playing much like his dad did when he scored over 2,000 points to become the all time leading scorer at the school in the early to mid-1980s. Tom Chalker continues to grow at the point while Brian Eustace, Hunter Clarke, Frank McGuire, and Evan Collier have contributed well.

South Plainfield, which looked to be one of the favorite’s in the division entering the season, conntinues to go through some growing pains under second year head coach, Justin Chiera. The Tigers have lost a ton of close games including to Perth Amboy (48-39 OT), Middlesex (60-53), J.F. Kennedy (57-52), Bishop Ahr (64-57), and Carteret (55-50). Claude Payne has been the bright spot for the Tigers with a solid consistent effort in the paint this season. Justin Glover has also had some solid games while youngsters Jordan Hankerson and Jason Lee have come up from the JV to make key contributions. SPHS has come up with some wins over Metuchen and Highland Park over the last week. Hopefully, they can use the recent successes to turn things around.

Finally, we have Highland Park, which has talent with the likes of football standouts, Nadre Hepburn, Jordan Long, and David Webb, but the Owls have not been able to get it to translate into more victories. HPHS does have a couple recent wins over neighborhood rival Metuchen and South Amboy to hang its hat on.

Eight of the lead changes and four of the five ties occurred in the final quarter alone as each team seemed to have an answer for the other. In the end though, Piscataway Tech found a way to win as Aziz Austin hit two threes from the right side including the game winner with 43.2 seconds left for a 54-52 win.

Austin ended up with 9 points while senior Turell McClendon led the way for the Raiders with 21 points while junior forward Jordan Lackey chipped in with 13 points. Brandon Gilder led Carteret in a losing cause with 14 points while Andrew Stam chipped in with 13, and Jaquan Robertson and Tyrell Lockley each added 10 for the Ramblers.

Second Quarter

6:18–arrive–CAR up 16-15.
5:00–PVT–goes on 4-0 run including a jumper from left wing by Inderigha for a 19-16 lead.
3:50–CAR–basket for a 19-18
3:34–PVT–Turell McClendon–three point play for a 22-18 lead.
3:25–PVT–timeout after CAR hits three pointer from right wing for a 22-21 PVT lead.
2:58–PVT–Willie Patterson scores on a layup underneath for a 24-21 lead.
2:36–PVT–McClendon fouled on drive from right side–PVT already in bonus–CAR–8 team fouls–McClendon makes both FTs for a 26-21 lead.
1:54–CAR–deflects ball out of bounds.
1:26–PVT–Robby Pierre–gets steal and is fouled–makes both FTs for a 28-21 lead.
1:01–CAR–Andrew Stam–fouled on three point attempt–makes all three FTs for a 28-24 PVT lead.
39.7–PVT–Aziz Austin fouled makes both FTs for a 30-24 lead.
28.5–CAR–traveling
0.0–PVT–Aziz Austin drives left baseline and puts up a floater that goes off rim. Jordan Lackey tries to put it back in, but time expires before shot. PVT leads 30-24 at half.

Third Quarter

7:52–PVT–Lackey scores layup off inbounds for a 32-24 lead.
7:35–PVT–traveling.
6:58–CAR–turnover.
6:32–CAR–Tyrell Lockley fouled–makes both FTs for a 32-26 PVT lead.
5:54–PVT–traveling.
5:46–CAR–Stam fouled on three point attempt again from left wing–makes 2 of 3 FTs for a 32-28 PVT lead
5:34–PVT–loses ball out of bounds–turnover.
5:09–CAR–fouled on floor–PVT–4 team fouls already.
5:04–PVT–McClendon blocks CAR shot–goes off CAR player for turnover–PVT ball.
4:24–PVT–McClendon intentionally fouled–makes both FTs for a 34-28 lead
4:11–CAR–turnover
3:49–CAR–Elijah Torres deflects ball out of bounds
3:31–PVT–called for offensive foul.
3:12–CAR–Anthony Spinelli–fouled–missed front end of one and one.
3:05–PVT–timeout.
2:54–CAR–steal for layup and a 34-30 PVT lead.
2:45–CAR–Lockley draws charge on Khari Cain.
2:34–CAR–Gilder called for offensive foul
2:21–CAR–30 sec timeout after steal leads to Lockley layup from left side for a 34-32 PVT lead.
2:11–PVT–Lackey fouled on layup attempt–makes both FTs for a 36-32 lead.
1:57–CAR–Stam–three pointer from left wing for a 36-35 PVT lead.
1:45–PVT–McClendon fouled–makes both FTs for a 38-35 lead.
15.9–CAR–misses shot from right corner, but ball goes off PVT–CAR ball.
1.5–CAR–Gilder knocks in triple from right wing for a 38-38 tie.

Tied up at 38-38 after three. CAR ends quarter with a 14-6 tear over last 6:32.

Fourth Quarter

7:38–CAR–Gilder fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 39-38 lead.
7:25–PVT–McClendon layup for a 40-39 lead.
6:48–CAR–Gilder–fouled–makes both FTs for a 41-40 lead.
6:33–PVT–McClendon–layup for a 42-41 lead.
6:15–PVT–offensive foul
6:06–CAR–Gilder–fouled–makes 1 of 2FTs for a 42-42 tie.
6:04–PVT–McClendon fouled after getting rebound off missed 2nd FT by Gilder–missed front end of bonus.
5:49–PVT–Lackey draws charge.
5:34–PVT–McClendon layup for a 44-42 lead.
4:52–PVT–30 sec timeout. Still leads 44-42.
4:43–CAR–Torres draws charge on Robby Pierre.
4:20–CAR–deflects pass out of bounds.
4:14–CAR–deflects inbounds pass out of bounds.
4:01–CAR–Lockley picks up steal and goes in for layup, and a 44-44 tie–CAR full timeout.
3:24–CAR–Jaquan Robertson layup for a 46-44 lead.
3:16–PVT–Lackey–layup for a 46-46 tie.
2:59–CAR–Robertson–fouled–makes both FTs for a 48-46 lead.
2:43–PVT–Aziz Austin buries jumper from right baseline for a 48-48 tie.f
2:24–CAR–Stam–layup underneath for a 50-48
2:04–CAR–ties up PVT–forces jump ball.
1:53–CAR–full timeout.
1:45–PVT–Pierre–fouled–makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 50-49 CAR lead.
1:29–PVT–McClendon hits shot from right side as he is fouled–missed bonus FT for a 51-50 lead.
1:19–CAR–calls timeout–after Robertson drives right lane for layin, and a 52-51 lead.
1:12–PVT–calls timeout.
1:06–PVT–turnover
59.1–CAR–turaoer
43.2–PVT–Aziz Austin buries three from right side for a 54-52 lead.
22.0–PVT–turnover.
0.0–CAR–misses shot from right wing as time runs out for a PVT 54-52 win

Piscataway Tech Scoring

Aziz Austin–9 points
McClendon–21 points
Lackey–13 points
Pierre–3 points
Inderpaul Pinghila–4 points
William Patterson–4 points

Carteret Scoring

Andrew Stam–13 points
Jaquan Robertson–10 points
Brandon Gilder–14 points
Tyrell Lockley–10 points
Joe McRae–5 points