2011 Elizabeth Summer League–Results–Playoffs–Championship–August 1st

• Columbia over St. Peter’s (S.I.)

GMC Hoops thanks Elizabeth head coach, Chris Balent for providing information on this league this summer.

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.

2011 Elizabeth Summer League–Playoff Results–Opening Round–July 27th

• Elizabeth over St. Joseph’s
• St. Mary’s over Weequahic
• Columbia over Monsignor Farrell
• St. Peter’s over Franklin

2011 Elizabeth Summer League–Updated Playoff Schedule–Semifinals–July 28th

• St. Peter’s vs. St. Mary’s, 5:00 PM
• Elizabeth vs. Columbia, 6:00 PM

GMC Hoops thanks Chris Balent for his cooperation.

2011 Elizabeth Summer League–Playoff Schedule

Quarterfinals–Wednesday–July 27, 2011

• Elizabeth vs. St. Joseph’s, 5:00 PM
• Weequahic vs. St. Mary’s, 5:00 PM
• Columbia vs. Monsignor Farrell, 6:00 PM
• St. Peter’s vs. Franklin, 6:00 PM

• Semifinal Game #1, 5:00 PM
• Semifinal Game #2, 6:00 PM

• Semifinal Winners, 5:00 PM

GMC Hoops hopes to cover some of the playoff action.

Saitta And Johnson Spark Sayreville Past Oratory Prep, 55-45

Sayreville had jumped out to a 17-10 lead with 1:30 to play in the first quarter when the Rams went on a 15-0 tear over a span of 7:26 to take an eight point lead with a little more than four minutes to go in the first half. The Bombers seemed to give way to a couple of things that had plagued them in last Wednesday’s loss to Moore Catholic of Staten Island as Oratory scored on putbacks and off turnovers. However, Sayreville closed the first half wit a 10-5 spurt to trail by only three at 30-27 going into the intermission.

The Bombers then began the second half with a 14-2 tear over the first 8:18 of the third for a 41-32 lead and withstood a late third into early fourth quarter rally by the Rams for the victory. Soon to be junior, Joe Saitta led the way for Sayreville with 20 points while Trey Johnson chipped in with 14 points. Cody Van Note also contributed with six points including four during the third quarter tear that essentially helped Sayreville get the win. For the game, Sayreville connected on 20 field goals, 5 threes, and 8 of 13 from the foul line.

Oratory Prep compiled 45 points on 17 field goals, 4 threes, and a perfect 7 of 7 from the line. Sayreville had more points from both beyond the arc (15-12) and the charity stripe (8-7), and also had more two point field goals (15-13). The Bombers had 10 points off turnovers while Oratory Prep scored 11 points off miscues. However, the school from Summit didn’t score any points off turnovers in the second half. The Rams only had six second chance points as Sayreville did a much better job of keeping their Union County foes off the boards, and minimizing turnovers.

The Bombers, which outscored the Rams by a 28-15 margin in the second half, enjoyed a 38-20 surge over the last 24:04 of the contest. Neither team had a lead bigger than 10 points as Oratory led by eight in the first half when Sayreville ended the game with the largest margin. There were three lead changes and three ties. Sayreville led the game for 29:48 while the score was tied for 1:03. Oratory only led for 9:09. The key stint for Sayreville began at the 1:58 mark, and continued for 10:16 as the Bombers outscored the Rams by a margin of 24-7 to take a 41-32 lead with 1:42 to play in the third.

Saitta and Johnson each had 9 points during the run as Saitta had four field goals including a trey while Johnson had three field goals including a three along with two free throws. Van Note capped the tear with a drive from the left side for a floater. This was a nice win for Sayreville. This past season, Oratory Prep reached the semifinals of the Non-Public B North State Tournament before losing to eventual champion, and Tournament of Champions winner, St. Anthony’s. The Bombers will wrap up the regular season next week with a game against Scotch Plains on Monday, July 25th at 6:00 PM.

Playoffs start at the Elizabeth Summer League on July 27th. They continue on July 28th, and conclude on Monday, August 1st with the championship.

St. Peter’s Rallies In Fourth To Knock Off St. Mary’s, 40-37

After watching St. Mary’s of Elizabeth defeat St. Joseph’s last week, the Hilltoppers looked like a tough team to beat heading into its contest with St. Peter’s of Staten Island in the 6:00 PM round of games on Tuesday. The Eagles trailed 27-22 at the half, and pulled within three at 28-25 in the middle of the third quarter before St. Mary’s ended the period with seven unanswered points to take a 35-25 lead heading into the fourth and final quarter.

St. Peter’s began the fourth by scoring the first seven points of the quarter over a span of 5:34 to close within three before St. Mary’s got a basket when a player spun on his pivot foot, and then sank a shot from the left side for a 37-32 lead at the 4:26 mark. Undaunted by the minor setback, the Eagles continued to battle their way back into the game with a jumper, and then a quick steal for another score to narrow the deficit to one at 37-36 with around four minutes to play.

Neither team would score for about the next two minutes until St. Peter’s drew a foul, and made two free throws for a 38-37 edge at the 2:00 mark. After stopping the Hilltoppers on defense at the other end, St. Peter’s then spread the floor, and did a solid job of moving the ball around while not getting fouled until the 39 second mark. Making both ends of the bonus, the Eagles were now leading by three at 40-37. St. Mary’s tried to set up for a tying three pointer, but the Eagles prevented a shot going off from the perimeter.

The Hilltoppers then tried to attack the basket for a bucket, and perhaps call timeout, but missed the layin with 16 seconds to play. St. Peter’s then got the rebound, and ran out the clock for the 40-37 victory.

Columbia Rolls Past St. Joseph’s, 54-27

The Falcons reserves, and Junior Varsity players are getting a lot of time up in Elizabeth. This is helping them get valuable experience against varsity competition. It was a tough lesson though as they played Columbia of Maplewood in one of the two 5:00 PM games of the day.

The Couagrs jumped out to a 21-9 lead over the first 13:42 of the contest before the Falcons showed some life to close out the first half. St. Joseph’s ended the half with a 9-4 spurt to close the gap to 25-18 at the intermission. Salman Hasan sparked the late first half rally with a three pointer from the right side at the 6:04 mark for a 21-12 Columbia lead. A little over a minute later, Austin Sour added a basket down low to narrow the deficit to 21-14 with exactly five minutes to go in the half.

After neither team scored for over two minutes, the Columbia Cougars went back up by nine on a jumper from the right wing at the 2:50 mark for a 23-14 advantage. The Falcons then closed out the half with four of the final six points as Matthew Greene scored a transition layup as he was fouled with 1:30 to go in the half, and then St. Joe’s got another basket with 55 seconds remaining in the half for the 25-18 Cougar lead going into the brief intermission. However, the Falcons wouldn’t get closer though.

Columbia stormed out of the gate in the third quarter with the first 11 points over a span of 5:54 to take a 36-18 lead, and held St. Joseph’s two just two points on a drive for a layup by Tom Cicalese en route to a 45-20 lead going into the fourth quarter. Earlier in the frame, the Cougars drew two chargers on Cicalese, who drove to the basket without fear in the second half. The fourth quarter was a more competitive one with the Cougars earning the 9-7 edge for the 54-27 victory. Over the last 26:18 of the contest, Hasan scored five points, Greene added four, Cicalese scored three, and Sour added two.

Over the two plus periods of play, Columbia outscored St. Joe’s by a margin of 33-18 including a 29-9 margin in the second half.

First Quarter Spurt And Defense Lift Carteret Past Nazareth, 36-24

The featured game by GMC Hoops during the 6:00 PM hour featured Carteret as it took on Nazareth of Brooklyn. Early on, it seemed the Kingsmen would be tough to beat in this one, but the Ramblers went on an 11-0 run over a span of 5:18 of the first period to turn a 5-2 deficit at the 7:05 mark into a 13-5 lead at the 1:47 mark. Carteret led by as many as 14 points in the early fourth quarter before coming away with the 36-24 victory.

The Ramblers, which defeated Cranford nearly two weeks ago by the score of 38-34, used tough defense to scrap out another win on Tuesday. Nazareth scored 9 points in the first period, four points in the second and third periods, and seven in the fourth period. All seven points in the final frame came in the last 7:30. Before that, the Kingsmen only managed 12 points over a span of 29:35 of the game from the 7:05 mark of the first quarter to the 7:30 mark of the fourth.

Carteret was able to do it even without the likes of Tanveer Dosanjh and Juwan Coston in the lineup. Kevin Van Dyke helped out though. Even though he only scored four points, Van Dyke, a standout in football as well for the Ramblers, grabbed 7 rebounds, swiped 2 steals, and blocked 2 shots. Most importantly though, he did a solid job shutting down Nazareth’s best player. After the Kingsmen’s top scorer scored the first 9 points of the game for Nazareth, Van Dyke shut him down for the rest of the first half and much of the third quarter before letting up a little in the final frame.

For the game, the Ramblers had 13 points in the first quarter, 10 points in the second, 6 points in the third, and seven points in the fourth. Carteret scored its 36 points on 14 field goals including two threes while making 6 of 8 from the foul line. CHS scored 18 points off turnovers including eight each in the first and second quarters to take a 23-13 halftime lead. Meanwhile, Nazareth was limited to 24 points on 10 field goals and 4 of 6 from the line. The Kingsmen only had four points off of turnovers, and were outscored 6-0 in points from beyond the arc, and 6-4 in points from the foul line.

Nazareth led for 5:13 of the contest while the game was tied for 14 seconds. The other 34:33 was all Carteret. There was only one lead change and one tie in the contest. The Ramblers led by double figures for 19:41 of the contest. CHS held leads of 10 points on six different occasions, 11 points on two occasions, 12 points on five occasions, and 14 points once in the game. The Kingsmen’s biggest lead was three. The Brooklyn school jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a drive across the key for a jump hook at the 9:33 mark. A little over a minute later, the Ramblers evened things up by swiping a steal for a layup at the 8:22 mark.

Nazareth scored the next three points on a reverse layup at the 8:08 mark, and then a one of two showing from the foul line at the 7:05 mark. Then, after going scorless for 3:25, Carteret took over with 11 unanswered points over a stretch of 3:10 to take a 13-5 lead with under two minutes remaining in the opening period. Highlighting the run was a floater from the right wing to spark the key run at the 4:57 mark, a steal that lead to a layup that gave the Ramblers the lead for good at the 4:33 mark, another steal for a layup at the 3:05 mark, a three pointer from the left wing at the 2:30 mark, and finally, a transition layup after a blocked shot on the defensive end for the eight point lead with 1:47 to go in the period.

Carteret was never really threatened after that as its defense took over, and Nazareth couldn’t get back in sync offensively for the rest of the contest.

First Quarter

6:30–Arrive–SAY leads 7-5
5:38–SAY–Joe Saitta buries a three from left wing for a 10-5 lead.
5:20–OP–scores for a 10-7 SAY lead.
4:22–SAY–three point play for a 13-7 lead.
3:30–SAY–basket for a 15-7 lead.
3:15–SAY–Saitta blocks shot.
3:01–OP–three pointer from right wing for a 15-10 SAY lead.
2:22–SAY–pass by Saitta for Trey Johnson goes out of bounds.
2:05–OP–out of bounds–turnover.
1:30–SAY–drives in for floater, and a 17-10 lead.
0:00–both teams are unable to score on their last attempts of period for a 17-10 SAY lead.

Second Quarter

9:15–OP–offensive rebound and layin for a 17-12 SAY lead.
8:46–SAY–blocks shot from behind, but is called for a foul, but they don’t make FTs.
7:26–SAY–gets rebound, but is called for a double-dribble.
7:05–OP–hits threew from right wing for a 17-15 SAY lead.
6:29–OP–drives right baseline for reverse layup, and a 17-17 tie.
6:01–OP–after being stopped by Saitta, gets steal, and draws foul on follow for two FTs anda 19-17 lead.
4:51–OP–offensive rebound and putback for a 21-17 lead.
4:34–OP–steal for transition layup, and a 23-17 lead.
4:04–OP–gets hands on loose ball, and drives in from left wing for layup, and a 25-17 lead.
3:10–SAY–pass by Danny Wojcik goes out of bounds.
2:47–OP–jumper from right wing hits back of rim, and then the support–out of bounds–turnover.
2:29–OP–blocks Saitta shot.
1:58–SAY–Justin–baseline jumper for a 25-19 OP lead.
1:40–SAY–steal leads to Johnson layup for a 25-21 OP lead.
1:32–OP–draws foul, and makes both FTs for a 27-21 lead.
1:01–SAY–Saitta hits straight on jumper off dribble for a 27-23 OP lead.
0:45–OP–draws foul, but misses both FTs.
0:37–SAY–Saitta sinks jumper from just inside arc at the top of the key for a 27-25 OP lead.
0:20–OP–drives in, draws foul from Johnson, makes shot, and bonus FT for a 30-25 lead.
0:03–SAY–Johnson scores layup from left low block for 30-27 OP lead.
0:00–OP–last second heave hits off backboard and backiron.

Third Quarter

9:25–OP–gets a couple offensive rebounds, but can’t score..gets ball out of bounds.
8:58–SAY–Justin gets loose ball, and is fouled at midcourt.
8:27–SAY–Saitta rattles in trey off kickout for a 30-30 tie.
8:02–SAY–Johnson draws foul, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 31-30 lead.
7:01–SAY–Wojcik gets steal.
6:22–SAY–banks in a runner for a 33-30 lead.
5:44–SAY–Johnson picks off steal.
5:34–SAY–Johnson draws foul, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 34-30 lead.
4:46–OP–connects on jumper from left side for a 34-32 SAY lead.
4:32–SAY–Johnson sinks trey for a 37-32 lead.
3:37–SAY–Johnson battles for offensive rebound, and draws foul, but misses both FTs.
2:38–SAY–Saitta dribbles his way to basket on right side for layup, and a 39-32 lead.
2:19–SAY–Saitta blocks shot.
2:10–SAY–throws ball away for turnover.
1:42–SAY–Cody VanNote drives in from left side for floater, and a 41-32 lead.
1:26–OP–makes basket, draws foul, and makes FT for a three point play, and a 41-35 SAY lead.
0:51–OP–blocks SAY shot out of bounds
0:38–SAY–nifty drive by VanNote for layup, and a 43-35 lead.
0:01–OP–jumper from right wing hits back of rim…43-35 SAY after three.

Fourth Quarter

9:53–OP–three pointer from left corner for a 43-38 SAY lead.
8:16–SAY–Wojcik misses three attempt from left wing–SAY called for foul.
7:45–OP–swipes steal.
7:04–SAY–forces turnover.
6:30–OP–short shot for a 43-40 SAY lead.
5:51–SAY–draws foul, and makes both FTs for a 45-40 lead.
4:24–SAY–turnover.
4:08–OP–gets two offensive rebounds, but can’t score.
3:54–SAY–Saitta fouled on floor.
3:16–SAY–Saitta pulls up for three from right wing for a 48-40 lead.
3:11–OP–timeout.
3:06–OP–ball goes off foot out of bounds for turnover.
2:50–SAY–Johnson gets offensive rebound off Wojcik miss, and draws foul on follow.  Makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 49-40 lead.
2:04–OP–calls timeout after making layup for a 49-42 SAY lead.
1:43–OP–after missed layup by Johnson, the Rams score on running bank shot, and draw foul from Wojcik for a three point play, and a 49-45 SAY lead.
1:31–SAY–calls timeout to avoid turnover.
121–SAY–nice passing capped by Saitta dish to Johnson for layup, and a 51-45 lead.
1:06–SAY–gets rebound and is fouled for two FTs and a 53-45 lead.
0:57–OP–swipes steal off Johnson, but can’t score.
0:48–OP–gets ball off SAY turnover.
0:13–SAY–two FTs for 55-45 lead.
0:05–SAY–Wojcik and Saitta combine for blocked shot

SAY wins 55-45

2011 Elizabeth Summer League–Some Results–Monday/Wednesday Division–July 20th

• Sayreville 55–Oratory Prep 45
• Weequahic 76–Moore Catholic 49
• Monsignor Farrell 46–Franklin 39

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at Elizabeth next week.

First Quarter

9:33–NAZ–drives right across key for jump hook, and a 2-0 lead.
8:22–CAR–steal for layup, and a 2-2 tie.
8:08–NAZ–drive for reverse layup, and a 4-2 lead.
7:45–CAR–timeout.
7:34–NAZ–foul on floor.
7:05–CAR–drives through middle, and draws foul, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 5-2 lead.
5:18–NAZ–carrying violation.
4:57–CAR–banks in floater from right wing for a 5-4 NAZ lead.
4:33–CAR–swipes steal, and dishes ahead for layup, and a 6-5 lead.
4:05–CAR–foul on floor.
3:30–CAR–traveling.
3:05–CAR–swipes steal for layup, and an 8-5 lead.
2:30–CAR–three pointer left wing for a 9-0 run, and an 11-5 lead.
1:47–CAR–blocked shot leads to nice dish for transition layup, an 11-0 run, and a 13-5 lead.
1:20–NAZ–sinks foul line extended jumper for a 13-7 CAR lead.
0:29–NAZ–sinks baseline jumper for a 13-9 CAR lead.
0:10–CAR–turnover.
CAR leads 13-9 after one quarter.

Second Quarter

9:36–CAR–KVD–offensive rebound and putback for a 15-9 lead.
9:20–NAZ–traveling.
8:45–CAR–nifty drive from left side for layup that rolls in for a 17-9 lead.
7:45–CAR–swipes steal, and dishes to KVD for layup, and a 19-9 lead.
7:21–NAZ–steal for layup, and a 19-11 CAR lead.
7:03–CAR–timeout.
6:46–CAR–turnover.
6:05–CAR–scores layup off steal for a 21-11 lead.
5:30–CAR–KVD–steal leads to transition layup attempt that draws foul, but miss both FTs.
4:30–NAZ–turnover.
4:18–CAR–fouled on floor.
3:41–NAZ–timeout.
2:55–CAR–KVD–blocks shot.
2:28–NAZ–hits jumper from left wing for a 21-13 CAR lead.
2:01–CAR–turnover.
1:21–CAR–pokes away steal, but NAZ blocks shot.
1:05–CAR–traveling.
0:45–NAZ–turnover.
0:26–CAR–draws foul, and makes both FTs for a 23-13 lead.
0:03–CAR–swipes steal, but misses layup…leads 23-13 at half.

Third Quarter

9:20–CAR–draws foul in transition, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 24-13 lead.
8:05–CAR–KVD reach in foul after missing putback attempt.
7:37–NAZ–hits jumper from left wing for a 24-15 CAR lead.
5:59–NAZ–draws foul, and makes both FTs for a 24-17 CAR lead.
5:20–CAR–deflects pass out of bounds.
5:01–NAZ–drives in from left side, and draws foul on KVD, but misses both FTs.
4:14–NAZ–pokes away steal, but loses ball out of bounds.
3:43–NAZ–throws outlet pass off rim underneath own basket, but blocks shot to prevent CAR score.
2:51–CAR–three pointer from right side for a 27-17 lead—first points of second half.
2:33–NAZ–fouled on floor.
2:23–CAR–steal off inbounds.
2:10–NAZ–steal at midcourt, but can’t finish.
2:00–CAR–transition layup for a 29-17 lead.
0:22–CAR–pokes away steal, but unable to hit three from right wing.
CAR leads 29-17 after three.

Fourth Quarter

9:57–NAZ–steps on baseline out of bounds–turnover.
9:34–NAZ–knocks pass out of bounds–almost gets steal.
9:02–NAZ–gets rebound, but then steps out of bounds.
7:50–CAR–hits jumper from left side for a 31-17 lead.
7:30–NAZ–jumper from left side for a 31-19 lead.
6:47–CAR–forces jump ball and gets possession.
6:19–CAR–steal.
6:09–CAR–turnover.
5:45–NAZ–pulls up for jumper from the right baseline for a 31-21 lead.
4:52–CAR–picks up loose ball, drives to hoop, draws foul, and makes both FTs for a 33-21 lead.
3:16–both teams lose handle–NAZ gets ball back.
2:48–NAZ–baseline jumper from right side for a 33-23 CAR lead.
2:30–CAR–layup underneath for a 35-23 lead.
1:35–NAZ–draws foul on the drive, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 35-24 CAR lead.
0:35–CAR–draws foul and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 36-24 lead.
CAR wins 36-24.

Second Quarter

6:18–Arrive–COLUMB–up 21-9.
6:04–STJ–Salman Hasan his three from right side for a 21-12 COLUMB lead
5:00–STJ–Austin Sour–scores down low for a 21-14 COLUMB lead.
2:50–COLUMB–hits jumper from right wing for a 23-14 lead.
1:30–STJ–gets rebound, and ball ends up with Matthew Greene, who is fouled on layup, but misses FT for a 23-16 COLUMB lead.
1:15–COLUMB–layup for a 25-16 lead.
0:55–STJ–layup for a 25-18 lead.
0:37–COLUMB–fouled, but misses front end of one and one.
0:00–STJ–Owen McCleod fights to get steal, but misses shot at buzzer.
COLUMB 25-18 at half.

Third Quarter

9:51–COLUMB–timeout.
9:38–COLUMB–three pointer for a 28-18 lead.
8:56–COLUMB–draws charge on Tom Cicalese.
8:35–COLUMB–timeout.
8:17–STJ–loses ball out of bounds–turnover.
7:52–COLUMB–traveling.
7:20–COLUMB–draws charge on Cicaleese.
7:07–STJ–gets layup to roll in for a 30-18 lead.
6:53–COLUMB–called for foul on steal attempt.
5:53–COLUMB–layup off inbounds for a 32-18 lead.
5:19–COLUMB–draws foul on the drive, and makes both FTs for a 34-18 lead.
4:18–COLUMB–draws 5 sec call on inbounds.
4:07–COLUMB–gets basket off inbounds for a 36-18 lead.
3:37–STJ–Cicalese drives in for layup,, and a 36-20 COLUMB lead.
2:51–COLUMB–swipes steal off inbounds pass, and goes in for layup and a 38-20 lead.
2:30–STJ–steps out of bounds–turnover.
2:15–COLUMB–nice dump off pass for layup, and foul, but misses FT–40-20 lead.
1:05–COLUMB–banks in three pointer from left wing for a 43-20 lead.
0:11–COLUMB–offensive rebound and putback for a 45-20 lead.

Fourth Quarter

9:36–STJ–Cicalese draws foul on the drive, but misses both FTs.
8:52–COLUMB–turnover.
8:14–STJ–Cicalese draws foul on another drive, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 45-21 COLUMB lead.
6:39–COLUMB–draws foul on drive, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 46-21 lead.
4:39–COLUMB–gets loose ball, and goes rest of the way for a layup, and a 48-21 lead.
4:10–STJ–Greene–layup for a 48-23 COLUMB lead.
3:52–COLUMB–three pointer from right wing for a 51-23 lead.
3:35–STJ–layup for a 51-25 COLUMB lead.
3:17–COLUMB–draws foul on layup attempt, and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 52-25 lead.
2:10–STJ–McCleod gets steal.
1:27–COLUMB–nice dish for layin, and the foul, but misses FT for a 54-25 lead.
1:07–COLUMB–draws charge on McCleod.
0:44–STJ–Mike Cintron pokes away steal that leads to Hasan layup.
0:27–STJ–gets steal, but called for traveling.

COLUMB wins 54-27.