UNION, NJ–Kean University is planning to run several team camps this off-season. A spring league is scheduled to start in late April while the popular Iron-Man Challenges are set for June and July. All of the Team Camps are played at Kean University’s Harwood Arena with 3 full length college courts, air-conditioning, and full digital scoreboards. At both Spring League and the Iron Man’s we hire high school and college certified officials to officiate every game. Kean takes pride in attempting to run the most efficient and beneficial team camps in the state that are directed towards helping your team improve.

2013 Kean Spring League

APRIL 22-May 20 Monday and Wednesday Nights.
Price: $500 for a minimum of 8 games, plus playoffs.
The Spring League is pretty self explanatory. Games are every Monday and Wednesday Night, and you play a different team every night. Top 8 teams make the playoffs in a single elimination tournament. Registration cutoff is April 15!

IRON MAN I & IRON MAN II

June 29 & July 27 AM/PM
Price: $300 for a minimum of 3 games
The Iron Man has been our trademark here at Kean for the past 6 years. It’s a tournament style team camp that offers an AM and a PM session. The AM session runs from 8AM-3PM and the PM sessions runs from 3:30 PM-10PM. Teams typically play in a game on game off format and can play 3-4 games within 6 hours or so. In times when its hard to get your team together because of AAU and outside interests, the Iron Man allows teams to play a good number of games, in a short period of time for a very fair price. The PM session is typically stronger than the AM session, which may help you when selecting which session to play in.

If you should have any questions about either team camp or you would like us to hold your spot please contact head manager, Ross Talbert at either 908-698-1039, or via e-mail at talberro@kean.edu.

PISCATAWAY, NJ–On the heels of winning the 2011 Bound Brook Summer League Championship, the Piscataway Chiefs added another notch to its belt this summer league season by competing and winning the 2011 Kean Ironman Challenge II held at the Harwood Arena on the campus of Kean University back on July 30th.

The Chiefs, which reached the finals of the Kean Spring League before falling to top seeded Shabazz of Newark, rolled to the title with victories over North Hunterdon, Raritan, and Shore Regional. All the victories were by 15 points or more according to the Piscataway Basketball web site.

Piscataway, which also had a squad reach the championship of the Colonia JV Summer League, is one of three GMC squads that will be in action this weekend at the Summer Prime Time Shootout along with East Brunswick and St. Joseph’s.

2011 Kean Ironman Challenge–July 30th–Schedule

Opening Round

• Game 1–Bound Brook vs. North Hunterdon, 8:00 AM, Court #2
• Game 2–Roselle Park vs. Watchung Hills, 8:00 AM, Court #1
• Game 3–Franklin vs. Keyport, 9:10 AM, Court #1
• Game 4–Weehawken vs. Shore Regional, 9:10 AM, Court #2

• Game 5–Bound Brook–North Hunterdon winner vs. Piscataway, 10:20 AM, Court #2
• Game 6–Roselle Park–Watchung Hills winner vs. Point Pleasant Beach, 10:20 AM, Court #1
• Game 7–Franklin–Keyport winner vs. Raritan, 11:30 AM, Court #1
• Game 8–Weehawken–Shore Regional winner vs. Newark Academy, 11:30 AM, Court #2

• Game 9–Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 2:30 PM, Court #1
• Game 10–Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 2:30 PM, Court #2

• Game 11–Winner of Game 9 vs. Winner of Game 10, 5:00 PM, Court #2

There will also be consolation brackets with the losers in games from this bracket squaring off against each other. GMC Hoops thanks Kean men’s basketball assistant coach, Tom Wagenblast for providing the information in this event.

Teams In The 2011 Kean Ironman Challenge–July 30th

• Bound Brook
• North Hunterdon
• Piscataway
• Roselle Park
• Watchung Hills
• Point Pleasant Beach
• Franklin
• Keyport
• Raritan
• Weehawken
• Shore Regional
• Newark Academy

GMC Hoops will not be able to attend the event. Schedule for the first two rounds will be posted shortly.

• Newark Academy
• Weekhawken
• Notre Dame
• Fort Lee
• Montgomery
• Caldwell
• Cherry Hill
• Toms River
• Immaculata
• White Plains
• Paterson Kennedy
• Ridge

GMC Hoops will not be attending this event.

2010 Kean Ironman Challenge II–PM Session–Team Stats–Point Differential

2010 Kean Ironman Challenge II–PM Session–Team Stats–Total Offense

2010 Kean Ironman Challenge–PM Session–Team Stats–Total Defense

GMC Hoops would again like to thank Tom Wagenblast of the men’s basketball program at Kean for his assistance and hospitality.

• Bound Brook Summer League–Playoffs
• Colonia JV Summer League–Playoff Brackets
• Kean Ironman Challenge II–AM Session
• Kean Ironman Challenge II–PM Session
• Middlesex County College Summer League–Playoff Brackets
• Rahway Summer League–Playoff Brackets

GMC Hoops thanks coaches Anthony Melesurgo of Bound Brook, Bernie Buniak of Dunellen, Brian O’Lone of Colonia, Chris Tarver of Middlesex County College, and Tom Wagenblast of Kean for getting us these results.

Last Second Shot Lifts White Plains Past St. Anthony’s, 52-50

This one was quite a downybrook. St. Anthony’s didn’t bring their varsity squad to this event, but they still didn’t disappoint with plenty of young talent to go around. White Plains was up for the challenge still hoping to next off the Friars. The New York school, which goes up against the likes of Mount Vernon during the regular season went tooth and nail with St. Anthony’s in a game that went down to the wire. The Friars had a 29-20 lead at the half before White Plains began to make its move with a 12-8 run that closed the gap to 37-32 before a St. Anthony’s layin at the 12:34 mark for a 39-32 lead. Following a free throw by White Plains that closed the gap to six at 39-33, the Friars netted a three pointer from the right wing at the 11:15 mark for a 42-33 lead.

Over the next 7:29, White Plains made a game of it with a 10-3 spurt to close the gap to 45-43 with 3:46 to play. The New York team then tied the game with a score before St. Anthony’s was fouled down low and made one of two from the line for a 46-45 advantage with 2:56 left. White Plains then went out in front with a layup and a foul for a 47-46 lead at the 2:08 mark. Following a timeout by the Friars with 1:40 to go, St. Anthony’s missed a jumper that turned into a White Plans fastbreak capped by a jam for a 49-46 lead with 50.6 seconds to go. Both teams exchanged one of two showings at the foul line for a 50-47 White Plains lead with 29.4 remaining. Then, St. Anthony’s got a little bit of good fortune as it connected on a three pointer from the left wing that bounced off the rim, rolled along the top part of the backboard, and fell in for a 50-50 tie with 16.5 seconds to go.

White Plains had a chance to take the lead, but missed the front end of a one and one. Following a St. Anthony’s timeout with 7.3 seconds to go, White Plains forced St. Anthony’s to turn the ball over before calling its own timeout with just under a second to go. On the ensuing inbounds, White Plains lobbed the ball from right in front of their own sideline to the opposite side of the basket for a catch and shoot that fell in as time expired for the 52-50 victory. With the win, White Plains advanced to play Ridge in the semifinals, and started out at 1-0 while St. Anthony’s dropped to 0-1.

Ridge Defeats Somerset County Foe In Rutgers Prep, 52-40

While White Plains and St. Anthony’s were involved in a last second thriller, Ridge was disposing of Rutgers Prep in the other 3:30 PM first round game. The Devils jumped out to a 27-16 halftime lead, and still led 35-31 with 10:24 to go after a 15-8 start to the second half by Rutgers Prep. RHS then put some distance between itself and the Argonauts with a 10-3 spurt over the next 7:56 to take a 45-34 lead with two and a half minutes remaining.

Ridge then added another field goal for a 12-3 spurt, and a 47-34 lead with 1:34 left. The Red Devils then wrapped up the victory with a three pointer from the right wing for a 50-34 advantage with 1:16 to go. Rutgers Prep then closed the game with six of the final eight points including two free throws from former Edison standout, Greg Grippo with 57.2 seconds left for the 52-40 Ridge victory. With the win, Ridge started off at 1-0, and advanced to the semifinals to take on White Plains. Rutgers Prep fell to 0-1 and played St. Anthony’s in a consolation game.

Double-Double From DeCosey And Strong Shooting Effort From Long Lead St. Joe’s Past Bloomfield Tech, 56-41

After struggling in the first two games at the Hoop Group Elite Team Camp, soon to be junior, Quenton DeCosey was looking to play better in this showcase. His first opportunity came against Bloomfield Tech in the opening round of action in the PM session of the second Kean Ironman Challenge of the summer at Harwood Arena on the main campus of Kean University. DeCosey ended up with 24 points while soon to be sophomore, Jimbo Long added 18 as the two combined for 75 percent of St. Joe’s offense in a 56-41 victory over the Spartans.

Bloomfield Tech took a 23-22 halftime lead before the Falcons exploded with a 34-18 showing over the final 20 minutes to get the victory and advance to play Point Pleasant Beach in the semifinals. DeCosey went 9 of 16 from the floor including two of four from three point range while making all four of his foul shots. He also grabbed 12 rebounds for a double-double while collecting three steals, two assists, and a block. Long went 6 of 10 from the floor including a three of five effort from three point range, and made 3 of 4 from the foul line. Long also had four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.

Nick Straughn made a solid contribution for the Falcons as well by going 3 of 7 from the fllor, and 2 of 2 from the line for 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. James Ziemba (2 points, 9 rebounds, and an assist), Albert Myers III (2 points) helped round out the scoring for St. Joseph’s, which also had contributions from Jake Dadika and Jordan Tapia, who combined for 2 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. For the game, St. Joe’s went 21 of 46 from the floor for 46 percent including 5 of 12 from beyond the arc while making 9 of 10 from the foul line. More importantly though, the Green Birds limited Bloomfield Tech to just 15 of 61 shooting including only 4 of 19 from long range. The Spartans made 7 of 8 from the foul line while forcing 14 Falcon turnovers that they converted into eight points.

Bloomfield Tech, which is under the guidance of second year head coach, Pete Vasil, who previously coached at Plainfield and Clifton, also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds that they converted into 10 second chance points. St. Joe’s pulled down ten offensive boards that it turned into 10 second chance points. The Falcons also outrebounded the Spartans by a margin of 38-30 in the victory. Bloomfield Tech had fewer turnovers (9-14), but St. Joseph’s had more assists (12-4). The Spartans had more steals (8-4) and blocks (6-1). St. Joe’s was only 8 of 22 from the floor in the first half, but Bloomfield Tech, a program that missed the state tournament in each of the last two years after being one of the most dominant programs in Group I, was limited to just 8 of 29 field goals.

St. Joseph’s actually jumped out to an 8-2 lead over the first 7:54 of the contest as Bloomfield Tech missed its first eight shots, and only managed two free throws. Meanwhile, DeCosey opened the scoring with a layup off an inbounds play by Long at the 17:41 mark. After a Spartan timeout, Long got on the board with a drive through the middle for a layup, and a 4-0 lead before Bloomfield Tech got on the board with two free throws at the 14:30 mark. The Falcons scored the next four points as DeCosey factored in the two scores including an assist on a Ziemba layup, and a drive for a layup himself that made the score 8-2 at the 12:06 mark. However, the Spartans didn’t stay down for long with a 6-2 run to pull within 10-8 before Long made one of two from the line for an 11-8 advantage with 9:45 to go in the first half.

The Spartans then scored five of the next seven points for an 11-4 run that was capped by a three pointer from the right wing for a 13-13 tie with 8:03 to go in the half. Bloomfield Tech had a chance to take the lead, but Long came up with a key steal, and drove upcourt, where he drew a foul that produced two free throws for a 15-13 Falcon lead at the six minute mark. The Green Birds then scored five of the next eight points for a 7-3 run that included a three pointer from Long off a kickout by DeCosey at the 3:51 mark for a 20-16 lead. Bloomfield Tech took control of the game though with seven unanswered points over the next 2:31 to take a 23-20 lead. The Spartans got a score at the three minute mark, a drive for a layup with 1:58 left in the half to tie the score at 20-20, and then capped the run with a three pointer from the left wing for a 23-20 edge with 1:20 left in the half.

Bloomfield Tech had rallied from a 10-2 deficit with a 21-10 surge to take the three point lead, and went into the locker room ahead by one at 23-22 after DeCosey made two foul shots with 13.9 seconds to go in the half. DeCosey was only 3 of 9 from the floor in the first half, but made both his free throw attempts for a team high 8 points along with 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Long was two of three from the floor including a three pointer, and also made 3 of 4 from the line to equal DeCosey for team high at 8 points while also picking up three rebounds. In the second half though, DeCosey and Long turned things up offensively as DeCosey made 6 of 9 shots while Long was 4 of 7 from the floor. As a team, St. Joe’s benefited by going 13 of 24 from the field in the second half including 5 of 7 from three point range.

Over the first four minutes of the second half, the Falcons went on a 10-4 run including a three point play by DeCosey for a 32-27 lead with 16 minutes to go. DeCosey registered another traditional three point play while he scored on an offensive rebound and follow while being fouled at the 13:49 mark for a 37-29 lead. Long then made it an 18-6 lead with a three pointer at the thirteen minute mark for a 40-29 edge. Straughn then chipped in with two free throws with 12:20 to go for a 42-29 lead. Bloomfield Tech tried to climb back into the game with a 6-4 run that closed the gap to 46-35, but DeCosey struck for three pointers on back to back possessions, and the Falcons remained in command at 52-35 with 7:30 to play. From there, St. Joe’s just ran out the clock although it was outscored the rest of the way by a 6-4 margin. With the 56-41 victory, the Falcons started the PM Session at 1-0, and moved on to the semifinals to face Point Pleasant Beach. Bloomfield Tech began the day at 0-1.

Rutgers Prep Defeats St. Anthony’s In Consolation, 48-39

In this consolation game, Rutgers Prep stormed out to a 15-5 lead with 12:47 to go in the first half, but the Friars began to chip away at the deficit after the Argonauts led 24-13 with 3:35 to go in the first half. St. Anthony’s closed the first half with a 7-2 outburst to pull within six at 26-20 at the intermission, and opened the second half with a 9-7 run over the first 6:46 to pull within 33-29 with 13:14 remaining. However, the Argonauts wouldn’t let the Friars get any closer as the Somerset team closed the game with a 15-10 run for the 48-39 final. With the victory, Rutgers Prep evened up their record at 1-1 on the day, and advanced to the consolation final against Bloomfield Tech, which defeated Paterson Kennedy by a score of 58-53 in another consolation bracket game. St. Anthony’s dropped to 0-2 on the day.

Ridge Knocks Off White Plains In Semis, 34-31

In the first of the two semifinals, Ridge took on White Plains of New York. The Devils, which won in their first round game over Rutgers Prep, played stingy defense against a White Plains team that defeated St. Anthony’s in the first round. The result was a 34-31 victory to advance to the Championship Game against Point Pleasant Beach at 8:30 PM. White Plains jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first 7:34 of the contest after a layup at the 12:26 mark. Ridge then scored the next five points including a layup off a nice pass to the cutter for a 7-6 lead with 11:09 to go in the half. White Plains scored the next four points for a 10-7 lead as RHS called for time with 10:14 to play in the period.

The Devils eventually tied things up at 10-10 on a three pointer from Connor Skea with 7:22 to go in the first half, and then scored three of the last five points of the half to take a 13-12 lead going into the brief intermission. In the second half, Ridge opened up a five point lead at 23-18 on a 10-6 run over the first 9:53. White Plains responded though with a 6-0 run for a 24-23 lead at the 8:10 mark. However, Ridge retook the lead at 32-29 with a 9-5 run over the next 7:38. White Plains pulled within one on a baseline drive for a layup at the 29 second mark, but Tom Gambino sealed the 34-31 victory with a pair of free throws at the five second mark. With the victory, Ridge improved to 2-0 on the day while White Plains dropped to 1-1.

Hot Shooting Gulls Of Point Beach Down Falcons, 66-60

Quenton DeCosey continued his torrid shooting into the second game of the day for St. Joe’s, but it wasn’t enough as Jarelle Reischel and the Garnet Gulls of Point Pleasant Beach outscored the Falcons by a 40-30 margin in the first half, and held on for a 66-60 victory in the semifinal round of the PM Session of the third annual Ironman Challenge at Kean. For the game, Point Beach shot 22 of 39 overall for 56 percent including a scintillating 10 of 17 from beyond the arc for 59 percent. The Gulls also went 12 of 14 from the foul line. Meanwhile, St. Joseph’s made 21 of 45 shots for 47 percent including 9 of 19 from long distance for 47 percent. The Green Birds were also 8 of 13 from the foul line.

Both teams handled the basketball well as each only committed eight turnovers while Point Beach scored eight points off St. Joe’s miscues and the Falcons scored seven points off of Garnet Gulls mistakes. On the boards, St. Joe’s held a slight 18-17 advantage including a 4-3 edge on the offensive boards, but Point Beach took advantage of its second chances by scoring five points off the glass while the Falcons only had three. St. Joseph’s had more assists (15-12) and charges (1-0) while steals (4-4) and blocks (1-1) were even. DeCosey had a team high 30 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the floor including a near perfect 6 of 7 from beyond the arc. He also made 4 of 7 from the foul line, and pulled down another 8 rebounds while collecting an assist and a block in the loss.

However, the rest of the Falcons didn’t shoot well. They made only 11 of 30 shots outside of DeCosey, and when you took away the 5 of 12 effort by Nick Straughn, St. Joseph’s didn’t have much else. Straughn ended up with 11 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a rebound. Jimbo Long contributed with 5 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and a charge while incoming freshman, Jake Dadika made two of five shots (both threes) for 6 points, 2 assists, and a rebound. Kevin Mayce arrived late to the game after missing the first contest, and helped out with 4 points on a field goal and two free throws while getting an offensive rebound. James Ziemba (2 points, 2 assists, and a rebound) and Jordan Tapia (a point, 4 rebounds, and an assist) rounded out the Falcon scoring while Albert Myers III (an assist) played, but didn’t score.

DeCosey opened the scoring with a three pointer off an assist by Ziemba at the 19:10 mark for a 3-0 lead. Point Beach, which played with only five guys for the entire day, got a three pointer and a steal for a two handed jam by Reischel to take a 5-3 lead at the 17:18 mark. The Falcons rallied back though after giving up another score to the Gulls with a 7-0 run that included a three pointer and a layup by DeCosey for a 10-7 lead at the 15:12 mark. Point Pleasant Beach took the lead for good with a 9-2 run on three straight threes for a 16-12 lead at the thirteen minute mark. St. Joe’s tried to fight back with a 7-5 run that included another three from DeCosey, and one of two from the line by Tapia for a 21-19 advantage midway through the first half.

Point Beach, which made 9 of its first 14 shots including 6 of 9 from downtown, got another three by Reischel on a jumper from the right corner for a 24-19 lead as St. Joe’s called for time at the 9:32 mark. DeCosey, who was no slouch himself as he made each of his first six shots including five from long distance, connected on another three from the right corner at the 8:35 mark for a 27-22 Garnet Gulls lead. However, the Ocean County school went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:13 including two more threes for a 35-22 lead. The Gulls then made it an 11-0 run with a traditional three point play at the 4:32 mark for a 38-22 advantage. The Falcons then got a three pointer from Dadika and a layup by DeCosey as he was fouled in an 8-2 run that closed the gap to 40-30 at the intermission.

At the break, Point Pleasant Beach was 15 of 23 from the floor including a staggering 9 of 13 from three point range while St. Joe’s was only 11 of 27 from the field including 6 of 14 from beyond the arc. DeCosey was 7 of 9 from the floor at the intermission including 5 of 5 from three for 19 points along with 4 rebounds. St. Joseph’s turned up the heat defensively in the second half as it limited Point Beach to just 7 of 16 shooting from the floor, but the Gulls went to the line, and made 11 of 13 to pull out the win. The Falcons rallied with a 23-12 surge over the first 15:30 to take its first lead since 10-7 in the first half, but the Gulls stormed back with a decisive 8-0 run to take a 60-53 lead en route to the six point win.

Over a span of just under twenty minutes, St. Joe’s had gradually turned a 38-22 deficit into a one point lead with a 31-14 rally. Over a lull in the scoring for the first 2:09, DeCosey got an offensive rebound, and was fouled on the follow for a 40-32 Point Beach lead. Reischel then made a three pointer for a 43-34 advantage, but DeCosey answered with a drive for a layup at the 15:54 mark for a 43-34 score. On the next Garnet Gulls possession, Long drew a charge, and DeCosey cashed in soon afterward with a three from the right wing to close the gap to 43-37 at the 14:45 mark. DeCosey then made a fine play on defense with a blocked shot at the 14:34 mark. Over the next 3:20, the Falcons continued to peck away at the deficit with a 12-7 run that included a three pointer by Dadika prior to a timeout with 11:14 to play, and the score now reading 47-42 in favor of Point Pleasant Beach.

DeCosey then drove to the basket for a layup, and on a subsequent possession, drew a foul and made one of two from the line for a 47-45 Point Beach lead at the 9:42 mark. The Falcons then tied the game at 47-47 as Long passed to Straughn for a layup with 8:30 to go. Reischel then put the Gulls back out in front with an offensive rebound and follow, but DeCosey tied the score again at 49-49 with two foul shots at the 7:21 mark. Reischel then converted a traditional three point play for a 52-49 lead, but the Falcons fought back again with four unanswered points including a layup by Straughn off a feed from DeCosey to give the Falcons the one point lead with four and a half minutes to play in regulation. However, the lead was short lived as the Garnet Gulls reeled off eight straight points including a steal for a fast break layup at the 3:35 mark to take a 60-53 lead.

Long would hit a three pointer from deep on the right wing off a pass from Straughn with 1:36 to go, but the Falcons would get no closer than four points as Point Pleasant Beach advanced with a 66-60 victory. With the win, the Garnet Gulls improved to 2-0 on the day, and moved on to face Ridge in the Championship Game at 8:30 PM. St. Joseph’s dropped to 1-1, and faced White Plains in the third place game at 8:10 PM. Oh by the way, both of these teams compete in the Linden Summer League. So, it is possible that they could face each other again in the playoffs, which begin next week.

White Plains Rallies In Second Half To Defeat St. Joe’s, 41-37

In the final game of the evening for both of these teams, St. Joseph’s faced White Plains in the third place game after each had lost a close contest in the semifinals. The Falcons fell to a hot Point Pleasant Beach team by a score of 66-60 while White Plains fell to Ridge in a low scoring affair, 34-31. The first half saw the Falcons rest some of its key players in DeCosey, Long, and Straughn while giving youngsters such as Jordan Tapia and Jake Dadika an opportunity to play. The Falcons jumped out to a 6-0 lead only to have White Plains rally with a 9-4 run to close the gap to 10-9 with 11:25 to go in the first half. Long then entered the game, and passed to Kevin Mayce for a layup, and a 12-9 advantage with 10:38 to go in the first half.

White Plains, which defeated St. Anthony’s in the opening round, got a layup while being fouled at the 9:17 mark, but missed the bonus free throw, and St. Joe’s stayed in front by a score of 12-11. The Falcons then added another score before White Plains called for time with 6:36 to go in the half. Following the timeout, the New York school got a basket to pull within one before Albert Myers III connected on a field goal with 4:39 to play in the half for a 16-13 Falcon lead. Over the next 2:33, St. Joe’s scored four of the next six points including a steal for a layup by Jake Dadika for a 20-15 lead with 2:06 remaining in the first half. White Plains got two of those points back with a layup while being fouled, but DeCosey made a jumper with 1:15 to go before intermission for a 22-17 lead.

White Plains continued to hang around as they executed well in transition for a two handed jam at the 56.3 second mark, but St. Joe’s got a three to end the first half scoring for a 25-19 advantage. In the second half, White Plains outscored the Falcons by a 22-12 margin for the 41-37 victory. The Westchester County team opened the second half scoring with a three from the right wing at the 18:38 mark for a 25-22 St. Joe’s lead. Mayce scored on a putback at the 17:54 mark for a 27-22 lead. The next trip down for White Plains produced a rare four point play as it made one of two from the line, and then got the offensive rebound, which led to a three pointer from the left wing at the 17:22 mark for a 27-26 St. Joe’s lead.

White Plains then scored an easy basket off a baseball pass to take a 28-27 lead, its first of the game with 15:18 to go. Then, the New York school forced another turnover by drawing a charge on Long at the 14;40 mark. White Plains then got a fast break layup for an 8-0 run, and a 30-27 lead with 13:27 remaining. The Falcons broke the spurt with a kickout to James Ziemba for a baseline jumper at the 12:21 mark for a 30-29 White Plains lead. The Tigers then scored five of the next six points for a 35-30 lead before Ziemba netted two from the foul line for a 35-32 score at the 9:01 mark. White Plains then added five of the next eight points for a 40-35 lead as St. Joe’s called a thirty second timeout after DeCosey went one of two from the line with 3:44 to play.

Robinson then got an offensive rebound and follow to pull the Falcons within three at 40-37 with 1:56 to go, but White Plains wouldn’t let St. Joe’s get any closer in the 41-37 victory. With the win, the Tigers finished up at 2-1 while St. Joseph’s ended the day at 1-2.

Ridge Defeats Point Beach For Title, 56-46

In the Championship Game, Ridge and Point Pleasant Beach went back and forth for much of the game. The Garnet Gulls, playing with only five guys throughout the tournament, held a 44-40 lead with several minutes to go, but the Devils put together a 16-2 surge to finish the contest for the 56-46 victory. The contest was stopped with 24.7 seconds to go when the officials decided that Point Beach couldn’t go any further. Its top player, Jarelle Reischel was spent, and was showing signs of leg cramps over the final few minutes of the contest. With the victory, Ridge went 3-0 in the competition while Point Beach ended up 2-1.

GMC Hoops would again like to thank Tom Wagenblast and the staff at Kean for their cooperation and hospitality.

Middlesex Downs Fort Lee To Earn Fifth Place, 44-37

After losing its opening round game to North Hunterdon, Middlesex fared better in the consolation bracket by defeating Barnegat in the semifinal round, and then knocking off a bigger school in Fort Lee in the consolation championship. Fort Lee, which has qualified for the state tournament in each of the past two seasons, lost to Monroe in the first round before winning its consolation semi. Middlesex, which has qualified for the state tournament in each of the past three seasons, and has put together a combined record of 56-22, fell behind early in this one as Fort Lee scored eight of the first twelve points for an 8-4 lead at the 15:24 mark.

However, Middlesex rallied with a 5-0 run including a three pointer at the 14:28 mark for a 9-8 lead, and then made it a 7-0 run on two free throws at the 13:35 mark for an 11-8 lead. Fort Lee got a score to pull within one at the 11:40 mark, but Middlesex closed out the first half with a 16-5 spurt for a 27-15 halftime edge. John Santoro sparked the run with a scoop shot for a layup at the 10:56 mark for a 13-10 lead. In the second half, Fort Lee started out strong again with a 12-6 run over the first 13:15 to close the gap to 33-27 with under seven minutes to go. But, Middlesex wouldn’t let them get any closer as the Blue Jays closed the contest with a 11-10 showing for the 44-37 victory. With the win, Middlesex earned fifth place with a 2-1 record while Fort Lee finished the day at 1-2.

Pope John Surges Past Amboy To Earn Third Place, 52-39

After losing to North Hunterdon in the semifinals, Perth Amboy was looking to salvage the day by going 2-1 and finishing third in the AM session of the Ironman Challenge. However, Pope John, which fell to Monroe in the semis, would have none of it. The team from Sussex County in Northwest Jersey took a 31-13 halftime lead, and put together a 12-0 run that turned a 36-25 advantage into a commanding 48-25 lead with 7:51 left en route to a 52-39 victory to finish third in the competition at 2-1. Kearny Canela scored 10 points in the final 5:25 to help Amboy finish strong, and make the score more respectable with a 14-4 surge.

Perth Amboy jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Pope John responded with a 14-2 tear over the next seven plus minutes for a 14-5 lead. The three point shot was the weapon of choice during the run with four of them including one at the 15:16 mark, and another from the left corner at the 13:20 mark. The Lions also added a field goal for an 8-3 lead at the 15:57 mark. Perth Amboy would finally break the run with a steal that led to a Jonathan Rodriguez layup at the 11:50 mark for a 14-7 Pope John lead. The Sparta based school, which competes in the National Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, scored next on a baseline drive from the right side for a 16-7 lead at the 11:27 mark.

The Lions, which went 11-13 overall last season, and was soundly defeated by eventual champion, St. Peter’s Prep in the first round of the Non-Public A North State Tournament, had a chance to go up even more after being fouled on an offensive rebound and follow of a missed three pointer, but missed both free throws at the 9:09 mark. The Panthers took advantage by scoring the next four points including a nice give and go play that led to a Yoelbin Sanchez layup at the 7:50 mark, and a layup off the fast break by Rodriguez for a 16-11 Pope John lead with 7:25 to go in the half. However, Perth Amboy was unable to get any closer as the Lions put together a 15-2 tear to end the first half with a 31-13 lead.

The run was sparked by a three pointer at the 7:14 mark for a 19-11 lead. Then, Pope John added two free throws at the 6:07 mark, and a steal for a breakaway layup at the 5:16 mark for a 23-11 lead before Amboy called for time with 5:12 to go in the period. Following the timeout, things continued to get worse for the Panthers as the lion’s scored eight of the last ten points before the break. After making a free throw, Pope John went up 26-11 with a nice drive and dish for a layup at the 3:05 mark. Following a short jumper by Canela that closed the gap to 26-13 with 2:43 left in the half, the Lions ended the period with five unanswered points for the eight point advantage at the intermission. In the second half, Amboy would rally to make things interesting for a while, but Pope John put together a back breaking run for a twenty-three point lead.

In the final 20 minutes of play, Pope John connected on 7 of 13 shots from the floor including 2 of 6 from three point range while making all five foul shots. Meanwhile, Perth Amboy connected on 10 of 18 shots from the floor including 3 of 7 from beyond the arc. The Panthers also made three of four from the foul line. Amboy started the second half strong with a 12-5 spurt over the initial 6:53 of the period that closed the gap to eleven at 36-25. Sanchez, Rodriguez, and Chabel Hernandez spearheaded the comeback attempt. Sanchez sparked it with a three point play at the 18 minute mark. Then, after two free throws from Pope John with 17:10 to go, Sanchez passed to Rodriguez, who dribbled in for a jumper, and a 36-18 Lions lead with 16:30 remaining. Hernandez then penetrated and dished to Sanchez for a layup, and a 36-20 Pope John lead at the 15:30 mark. Almost exactly a minute and a half later, Hernandez drove and dished again, but this time to Rodriguez for a three pointer from the right side that made the score, 36-23 in favor of Pope John at the 14:02 mark. Rodriguez then completed the run with a rebound and drive the length of the floor for a layup, and a 36-25 score.

Following a timeout at the 13:07 mark, Pope John put the game away with a decisive 12-0 spurt over the next 5:16. The Lions, which had too much size, and perimeter shooting, got a layup at the 10:34 mark, and then a three pointer and a three point play over the next 2:43 for a 48-25 lead with 7:51 left. Canela, who scored 12 points in the final 22:43 of the contest, got himself going with a three pointer from the right side at the 5:25 mark, a trey from the left side at the 4:46 mark, and a traditional three point play off a dish from Rodriguez at the 4:04 mark to close the gap to 50-34. The soon to be senior then made one of two from the line at the 1:09 mark for a 52-35 Lions lead. The Panthers then scored the final four points including a short jumper on a follow by Rodriguez with 40 seconds to go, but Pope John came up with the 52-39 victory. With the win, Pope John finished the event at 2-1 while Perth Amboy ended up 1-2.

North Hunterdon Rallies In Second Half To Defeat Monroe For Championship, 60-54

For the third straight year, the Falcons of Monroe participated in this event. Last year, the Falcons played in both the AM and PM sessions, and won the PM session title. This year, the Purple Birds opened up with a victory over Fort Lee, and another win over Pope John in the semifinals, but came up short in the championship to a North Hunterdon team that defeated three GMC squads en route to the title: Middlesex, Perth Amboy, and Monroe. The Lions, which finished up the season at 12-11, and qualified for the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV state tournament before losing at home in the opening round to Dickinson of Jersey City (48-40), fell behind early in this one, but rallied twice to go ahead, and pulled away late for a 60-54 victory over Monroe.

Monroe had jumped out to a 16-5 lead in the first 6:03 of the contest as they made six of their first seven shots, but North Hunterdon steadied itself with a 22-9 surge to close the half for a 27-25 lead. The Falcons then opened the second half in similar fashion with a 13-4 run over the opening 4:35 for a 38-31 lead, but once again, the Lions, which lost to Pope John of Sparta in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament, put together another solid run with a 14-7 tear over the next six minutes to tie things up at 45-45. Then, broke away from a 49-49 tie with 4:32 left with an 11-5 effort to win the game by six. For the game, the Purple Birds went 21 of 39 overall from the floor for 54 percent including a 5 of 14 effort from three while making 7 of 16 foul shots. The Lions, meanwhile, went 21 of 46 for 46 percent including a 5 of 13 effort from beyond the arc while making 13 of 18 from the foul line.

Besides free throw shooting, turnovers and offensive rebounding played roles as well. Playing without point guard, Ahmid Williams, Monroe committed 17 turnovers in the contest, which North Hunterdon converted into 20 points. In addition, the Lions had a 7-5 edge on the offensive boards, which they used for an 8-0 advantage in second chance points. Overall, the Falcons outrebounded the Lions by a 23-21 margin, and scored 10 points off of eight North Hunterdon turnovers, but were hurt by those key stats. Mike Walp led the charge in a losing effort for Monroe with 21 points on 9 of 10 shooting from the floor, and 3 of 5 shooting from the line. Walp also grabbed six rebounds, and handed out an assist. Teammate, Ryan Genevieve also contributed with 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting including 4 of 10 from beyond the arc. Genevieve also picked up four assists, three rebounds, and a block.

Danny Brix also contributed for the Purple Birds as he went 4 of 10 overall from the floor including one of three from three point range, and made a couple foul shots for 11 points, 4 assists, a rebound, a steal, and a block. Dillon Salva (4 points, 5 rebounds, and a block) and Victor Sorrento (2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) rounded out the Monroe scoring while Nick Isola (a rebound) and Ryan Stolte (two rebounds) also played, but didn’t score. Monroe got off to a fast start as the Falcons made their first five shots. Danny Brix opened up with a four point play for a 4-0 lead at the 19:30 mark, and then the lead built up to 8-0 as Ryan Genevieve passed to Sorrento for a layup at the 18:01 mark. Genevieve, who was 4 of 7 from the floor in the first half including two of four from three, connected on a three pointer, and then handed out an assist on a layup by Salva as he was fouled for a 13-5 lead at the 15:25 mark.

Walp then got into the act with a drive into the paint for a hook shot as he was fouled. He then converted the bonus free throw for the traditional three point play, and a 16-5 lead at the 13:57 mark. North Hunterdon began to bounce back with a 6-0 run that included two free throws at the 12:15 and 10:00 marks, but Genevieve put Monroe up by eight again at 19-11 with a trey off an assist by Brix at the 9:05 mark. Genevieve scored again after a brief lull in the scoring by the two teams as he connected on a pull-up jumper for a 21-11 lead at the 7:44 mark. The Falcons had a chance to go up even further, but missed two foul shots at the 7:10 mark while North Hunterdon got a basket to pull within eight. Walp, who scored seven points in the first half on two of three field goals, and three of four from the line, netted two foul shots at the 6:30 mark for a 23-13 lead.

After a Lions free throw closed the gap to 23-14, Walp got on the board again with a drive and spin move for a layup as he was fouled for a 25-14 advantage at the 4:55 mark. Those would be the final Purple Bird points of the half as North Hunterdon closed things out with a 13-0 tear for the 27-25 lead at the intermission. A couple key plays wrapped up the Lions rally. With 29.8 seconds to go, and North Hunterdon in the midst of a 10-0 run, the Lions drew a charge on Walp. Then, on its next possession, North Hunterdon got a basket and a foul for a conventional three point play at the 16.8 second mark to go into halftime with a two point edge. In the first half, Monroe was 9 of 17 from the floor, but only 3 of 10 after starting the game 6 of 7. The Falcons were 3 of 5 from three point range while North Hunterdon was 9 of 19 overall including three of six from downtown. The Lions were 6 of 8 from the charity stripe in the first half while MTHS was only 4 of 10.

North Hunterdon started out with two offensive rebounds at the beginning of the second half, which they converted into a one of two showing from the foul line for a 28-25 lead at the 19:03 mark. The Falcons then scored six of the next nine points to tie the game at 31-31 including a pull-up jumper by Brix at the 17:07 mark that answered a three by North Hunterdon. Walp then added a score before Brix swiped a steal, and converted it into a layup for a 35-31 lead with 16:10 remaining as the Lions called for time. Following the timeout, Sorrento passed to Genevieve for a three pointer from the left wing that put the Purple Birds up by seven at 38-31 with 15:25 remaining. North Hunterdon then scored 14 of the next 21 points over a span of 7:20 to tie the contest at 45-45 before Walp got another basket as he was fouled with 8:05 to play for a 47-45 lead.

Danny Brix then fed Walp for another layup, and a 49-45 lead, but North Hunterdon fought back again with a score off a turnover, and then two free throws after being fouled on a layup attempt with 4:32 to play for a 49-49 tie. The Lions then connected on a three pointer from the left wing for a 52-49 lead with 2:23 left, and then drove and dished for a layup, and a five point, 54-49 edge at the 1:46 mark. Monroe tried to get back into the matchup with one of two from the line by Danny Brix at the 1:41 mark, and then two free throws by Salva at the 1:06 mark for a 55-52 North Hunterdon lead, but the Lions sewed up the 60-54 victory with five of the last seven points. With the win, North Hunterdon ended up 3-0 on the day at this event while Monroe finished at 2-1.

GMC Hoops would like to thank Tom Wagenblast, and the staff at Kean for their assistance and hospitality.

With 24.7 seconds to play in the game against Ridge for the Championship, the officials stopped play as it became evident Point Beach couldn’t go on any further. The Devils were able to score easy baskets as the Garnet Gulls were unable to get back on defense. Standout player Jarelle Reischel was spent. His calves were aching from the leg cramps that had built up from the non-stop play during the three games, and all the energy he spent in carrying his team to the title game. It wasn’t any easy road for the Gulls. This team, which reached the finals of the South Jersey Group I Championship before losing to eventual state finalist, Woodbury, had to go through Paterson Kennedy (North I Group IV), St. Joseph’s (GMC Red), and Ridge (North 2 Group IV) to win the PM session, and the Gulls almost pulled off the feat.

Point Beach, which has played up this summer, has played in competitions such as the Linden Team Camp, Linden Summer League, Hoop Group Elite Team Camp, and this event, defeated Paterson Kennedy by a 51-47 margin in the opening round. Then, in the semifinals, the Gulls impressed by shooting 22 of 39 from the floor for 56 percent including 10 of 17 from three point range for 59 percent while making 12 of 14 foul shots in a 66-60 victory over St. Joe’s. Point Beach scored 40 points in the first half, and never relinquished the lead from the 13 minute mark of the first half on. Reischel more than held his own with DeCosey. The 6′6″ 200 pound small forward went at it with St. Joe’s top player even though DeCosey poured in 30 points while grabbing eight rebounds. The Gulls supporting cast was the difference though as they were able to produce more than St. Joe’s supporting characters.

Point Pleasant Beach led by a score of 44-40 over Ridge with minutes to go in the game, but by that point fatigue had begun to take its toll. The Red Devils outscored the Gulls by a 16-2 margin the rest of the way for the 56-46 victory as the officials stopped the game with less than a half minute to go. Over the three games at Kean, Point Beach averaged 54 points per game while giving up just as much. Most importantly though, Point Beach has come a long way from being the doormat of the Shore Conference. The Garnet Gulls have vastly improved in recent years with playoff appearances in three of the last five years. This past season, Point Beach, which was seeded fifth in this year’s South Jersey Group I tourney, beat the likes of perennial powerhouses such as Burlington City and Pitman to reach the championship before falling to Woodbury on its home floor. This year, expect bigger and better things from the Gulls.