On the basketball court, Thomas was a key player for the Eagles the past two seasons. As a point guard, he guided Cardy Mac to a combined record of 37-17 including a 17-11 mark the past two seasons. The Eagles reached at least the GMCT Elite Eight while playing in the Non-Public B South Final in each of the past two seasons. As a sophomore three years ago, Thomas led McCarrick to the 2008 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament Championship over Bishop Ahr while also being on the roster of the varsity squad that won the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament Championship over St. Joseph’s.

Describing himself as a numbers cruncher, who loves to get on the keyboard, Thomas will be taking up Computer Science as his major. A number of schools were interested in having Thomas, but he narrowed his search down to three: Wilkes, Misericordia, and New England. He’ll be joining another GMC player at Wilkes. Steve Blish is entering his sophomore season there. Over his final two years at McCarrick, he averaged 6.1 points, 5.7 assists, and 3.4 steals per game while he also averaged 5.7 rebounds per game his senior year. Thomas was a stopper on defense as well. Thomas received a $500.00 scholarship from GMC Hoops for this honor. Congratulations Craig on a job well done, and best of luck in the future.

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–On Friday, GMC Hoops put together his summer league season honors for 2010. This includes Player of the Week, Game of the Week, and GMC Profile (Team of the Week). The site has decided to award the Player of the Week honor to Quenton DeCosey of St. Joseph’s while giving the Game of the Week award to both Piscataway and Cardinal McCarrick, and the GMC Profile recognition to J.P. Stevens.

DeCosey earned Player of the Week Honors for St. Joseph’s by averaging a double-double in seven games covered by the site. Despite only making 43 of 109 shots (39 percent) in those seven games, DeCosey connected on 14 of 37 from three point range (38 percent), and connected on 28 of 41 from the line for 68 percent. He averaged 14.3 points per game, 10.3 rebounds per game, 1.9 assists per game, 1.6 blocks per game, and 1.1 steals per game over the seven contests against tough competition including: Hillsborough, Theodore Roosevelt (DC), Cumberland Valley (PA), Bloomfield Tech, Point Pleasant Beach, Linden, and St. Patrick’s. St. Joe’s was 4-3 in those games. He also helped the Falcons defeat Monsignor Farrell of Staten Island at Elizabeth, and Cherry Hill West at the Summer Prime Time Shootout. DeCosey is no stranger to Player of the Week Honors. During the 2009-10 season, he earned the honor in Week Five thanks to a spectacular performance against Piscataway. Congratulations Quenton on receiving this honor.

Our Game of the Week award went to Piscataway and Cardinal McCarrick for their battle in the semifinals of the Rahway Summer League played on July 29th. McCarrick had jumped out to a 21-7 lead only to have Piscataway roar back to take a 50-45 lead late in the second half. The Eagles rallied to tie things up again though as Charlie Gorman connected on a three pointer, and Dana Raysor scored on a layup. However, Tajae Sharpe gave P-Way the lead for good by coming right back down for a score, and a 52-50 lead with under a minute to play. The Chiefs got another score to go up by four, and hung on to win by three, 55-52. These two teams also played another thrilling game earlier in the summer at Rahway that McCarrick won in overtime on July 2nd. Piscataway eventually lost in the Championship to Rahway while McCarrick, the top seed at Rahway, also played in the Linden Summer League. Congratulations to both teams for putting on such a fine show this summer.

Finally, but most importantly, J.P. Stevens earned our GMC Profile honor. The Hawks made a step in the right direction this summer by winning the Middlesex County College Summer League. The Hawks went 6-3 in the regular season to earn the fifth seed, and then defeated Perth Amboy Tech in the quarterfinals, South River in the semifinals, and Keyport in the championship. JPS averaged 38.4 points per game while yielding only 31.3 points per game during the summer at MCC. Mike Reuben, the younger brother of standout, Myles Reuben, earned MVP honors from the league while Victor Quan, Brandon Ahmed, Marvin Crawford, and Kenny Arias also contributed. The Hawks were 1-21 last season, but played mostly with a young and relatively inexperienced squad. Between the work done here, and the effort put in at the East Brunswick Team Camp, and the JV playing at the Colonia JV Summer League, Stevens is hoping to have a better 2010-11 season. Congratulations to the J.P. Stevens Hawks for making strides to improve this summer.

• Cardinal McCarrick (4-0)
• Columbia (6-2)
• St. Joseph’s (6-2)
• Union City (5-3)
• Point Pleasant Beach (4-4)
• Immaculata (1-3)
• Delaware Valley Charter (2-6)
• Freehold Township (2-6)
• Jackson Memorial (2-6)

GMC Hoops again would like to thank Joe Stein of the Hoop Group for providing all of this information.

• Greater Middlesex Conference
• Shore Conference
• Skyland Conference
• Super Essex Conference
• Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association
• Philadelphia Public League

GMC Hoops again thanks Joe Stein for providing this information.

• Cardinal McCarrick
• Columbia
• Delaware Valley Charter
• Freehold Township
• Immaculata
• Jackson Memorial
• Point Pleasant Beach
• St. Joseph’s
• Union City

GMC Hoops thanks to Joe Stein for providing this information.

RAHWAY, NJ–On Thursday evening, GMC Hoops traveled over to Rahway High School again after being at Linden for its championship earlier in the day. The inaugural Rahway Summer League was reaching its climax with two semifinal games. Both contests involved GMC teams as sixth seeded Woodbridge, an upset winner over third seeded Perth Amboy in the quarterfinals, was looking to knock off second seeded Rahway while the nightcap was a rematch of a regular season game that went to overtime as fourth seeded Piscataway was looking for revenge in its semi against Cardinal McCarrick. Only one of the two games turned out to be close as both Rahway and Piscataway advanced to the finals.

Rahway Smothers Woodbridge To Earn Berth In Final, 39-22

After being over at the Linden Summer League earlier in the afternoon to watch St. Joseph’s take on St. Patrick’s in the Championship, the site arrived at RHS with 14:21 remaining, and Woodbridge already trailing by a score of 24-16. The Indians, which defeated another Woodbridge Township school when it edged J.F. Kennedy in the quarterfinals on Tuesday night, got a field goal at the 13:50 mark for a 26-16 lead. The Barrons had a chance to trim the deficit back down to single digits, but Kyle Figueredo missed a pair of free throws at the 13:25 mark. Figueredo did help the Barrons get back on the board again when he teamed up with Keith Hughes on a give and go that resulted in a layup attempt by Hughes that drew a foul, and produced one of two from the foul line for a 26-17 Rahway lead the 11:58 mark.

WHS continued to try and peck into the lead with a steal for a layup attempt that drew another Rahway foul, and resulted in one of two from the line at the 11:26 mark for a 26-18 Rahway lead. The Barrons drew within six when Anthony Nyers grabbed an offensive rebound, and scored on a follow of a Kyle Pearson miss that made the score 26-20 in favor of Rahway at the 8:51 mark. Woodbridge was unable to get any closer though. The Indians went back up by eight at 28-20 on a floater with 8:13 left, and then scored a layup over Hughes at the 7:15 mark for a 30-20 lead. The Barrons then missed the front end of a one and one at the 6:12 mark before Rahway made it a 6-0 run on a nice pass for a layup from the left low block to take a 32-20 lead with 5:44 remaining.

The Indians, which closed the game with a 13-2 tear over the final 8:51, made one of two from the line at the 5:05 mark, and then scored six of the next eight points in a span of four minutes for a 39-22 lead. Rahway, which defeated Woodbridge by a similar margin earlier this summer, went on to win the game by the same score, and advanced to the finals to face Piscataway, a winner over Cardinal McCarrick. The Indians improved to 11-1 on the summer while Woodbridge closed out the season at 7-4.

Chiefs Overcome Early Deficit To Defeat McCarrick Behind Sharpe, Singh, Davis, And Smith

The other semifinal was much more compelling as Piscataway and McCarrick, two teams that went to overtime before McCarrick won the regular season meeting on July 2nd, put together another exciting game. This time the result was different although it didn’t look like it would be at first. Cardinal McCarrick hit 9 of its first 17 shots including five of its first six to take a 21-7 lead as Charlie Gorman and Marques Townes combined for 19 of the team’s 29 first half points as Townes connected on 5 of 10 shots in the first half, and made two free throws for 12 points and 5 rebounds. However, the Eagles gradually came down to earth, and Piscataway picked up its level of play over the final 27:20 to overtake McCarrick for a 55-52 victory.

Two players tied for team high for the Chiefs as Tajae Sharpe and Greg Davis both had 13 points on the game. Sharpe made 6 of 10 from the floor, and one of two from the line along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Davis made 6 of 12 shots, and his only free throw attempt while picking up an assist, and a block. Vik Singh chipped in with 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the field, and 3 of 4 from the foul line while also collecting 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Devonte Smith turned in a solid effort as well with a 4 of 7 shooting performance for 8 points along with 9 rebounds, an assist, and a block. Townes still ended up with a game high 16 points despite scoring only four points in the final 20 minutes. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double while also handing out an assist. Townes ended up going 7 of 15 from the floor, and 2 of 2 from the line.

Meanwhile, Gorman scored only six points in the second half on two threes as he ended up with 13 points along with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Dana Raysor also played and chipped in with 5 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block. For the game, McCarrick went 21 of 56 from the floor for 38 percent including 3 of 14 from beyond the arc. The Eagles, which were just 12 of 39 from the field over the final 27:20 of the contest, also went 6 of 11 from the charity stripe. On the other side of the ledger, Piscataway, which began the game shooting 3 of 13 from the floor over the first 10:24, ended up 23 of 54 for 43 percent including 2 of 10 from long distance. The Chiefs were 20 of 41 from the floor over the final 29:36 of the game while also making 7 of 11 from the foul line. Turnovers were even at 11-11, but P-Way converted more of McCarricks miscues with a 13-4 edge in points off turnovers.

Another story was rebounding. Piscataway, led by Smith, garnered a 32-22 advantage overall on the boards including a 9-6 edge on the offensive glass. The Chiefs also had more second chance points with an 8-1 edge in that department. In other statistical areas, assists (13-13) and blocks (5-5) were even while P-Way had more steals (6-4) and charges (1-0). Over the final 27 plus minutes of the game, Piscataway outscored McCarrick by a margin of 48-31 to pull out the victory. McCarrick went to work early as Gorman forced a steal that led to a Townes layup as he was fouled for a three point play, and a 3-0 lead with just 33 seconds gone by in the contest. The Eagles then scored six of the next eight points in a span of just 2:12 including a layup by Townes and a layup by Gorman off a blocked shot for a 9-2 lead with 17:15 to go in the half.

After Singh made one of two from the line for a 9-3 lead at the 16:29 mark, Townes came up with a three pont play at the 15:44 mark for a 12-3 lead. The Eagles continued to play in overdrive by scoring five of the next seven points including a three by Gorman from the left wing at the 12:15 mark for a 17-5 lead. The Chiefs got a score, and was trying for another when McCarrick set up a double team near half court, and Gorman got a steal that led to a layup for a 19-7 lead. The Eagles eventually went up 21-7 before Piscataway began to fight back with a 6-2 run including a drive from the right wing for a layup by Davis at the 5:17 mark that made the score, 23-13. The Chiefs then made it a 12-4 run with six of the next eight points in a span of 1:46 including an offensive rebound and jumper on the follow by Devonte Smith at the 3:33 mark for a 25-19 McCarrick lead as the Eagles called for time.

Following the timeout, McCarrick scored four of the next seven points including one of two at the line by Mike Lewis (3 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal) at the 2:51 mark, and a three point play before Jelani Jackson (a point, 2 rebounds, 2 assist, and a steal) made one of two of his own at the 42.7 second mark, and the Chiefs got another score for a 29-24 McCarrick lead at the intermission. At the break, Cardy Mac was shooting 12 of 25 from the floor, but was 3 of 8 from the floor in the final 7:20 of the period. Meanwhile, Piscataway was 11 of 28 from the field after going 8 of 15 in the final 9:36. The Chiefs also had six points off McCarrick turnovers, and four second chance points. The second half started out much like it had ended with P-Way continuing on what would become a 27-12 surge for a 32-30 lead. David White started the second half scoring with one of two from the foul line for a 29-25 Eagles lead with 19:21 to play.

Piscataway then scored seven of the next eight points in a span of 4:34 including a steal by Donovan Kirkland (4 rebounds, a steal, and a block) that led to a three pointer from deep on the right wing by Brian Wong (5 points and 3 rebounds) for the two point lead with 14:47 to go. McCarrick responded with a three pointer from the right side for a 33-32 lead at the 14:37 mark. Following a timeout, P-Way scored the next four points including an offensive rebound and follow by Sharpe, and a layup by Davis for a 36-33 edge at the 12:15 mark. Davis then added a conventional three point play at the 10:05 mark for a 39-35 lead, and McCarrick transfer, Galen Smith, connected on a three pointer from the right wing for a 42-35 advantage. The Eagles rallied back with five straight points, and had a chance to tie when Galen Smith drew a charge on a driving Dana Raysor to keep the Chiefs in front at 42-40 with 7:22 to go.

Devonte Smith then added another offensive rebound and jumper at the 6:10 mark for a 44-40 lead. The Chiefs scored four of the next seven points for a 48-43 lead with 3:52 remaining. Raysor, who had his struggles scoring in this game, didn’t get his first field goal until the 2:52 mark of the second half when he scored as he was fouled to draw McCarrick within three at 48-45. Sharpe then fed Devonte Smith for a layup, and a 50-45 lead with 1:20 to go, but Raysor passed to Gorman for a three pointer that closed the gap to two at 50-48 with 1:08 to go. Raysor then tied the game at 50-50 with a drive for a layin as he was fouled at the 58.6 second mark, but failed to make the bonus free throw that would have put the Eagles in front. Sharpe responded right away with a layup for a 52-50 P-Way lead with 48.8 seconds to go. Singh then made two free throws at the 24.6 second mark for a 54-50 lead.

Townes then scored a layup, and the Eagles forced a five second call before taking a timeout with 18.5 seconds to play, and Piscataway clinging to a 54-52 lead. However, McCarrick wasn’t able to score as Singh forced a turnover that eventually led to a one of two trip to the line for Sharpe to give the Chiefs a 55-52 lead with three seconds left, and then Townes last second shot was off the mark as time expired. With the victory, Piscataway improved to 8-3 on the summer, and advanced to play second seeded Rahway in the final on Friday. Cardinal McCarrick ended its summer at RHS with a 10-2 overall mark.

GMC Hoops was back out at Rahway on Friday for the Championship Game between Rahway and Piscataway.

Rahway and Piscataway got first round byes along with Cardinal McCarrick and Perth Amboy as a reward for their fine efforts during the regular season. Both McCarrick and Rahway ended the regular season at 9-1 while Amboy lost to McCarrick in the regular season finale, and finished 8-2. P-Way ended up at 6-3 to earn the fourth seed. Rahway defeated JFK in the quarterfinals, and then shutdown Woodbridge in the semifinals while Piscataway defeated fifth seeded Roselle before upsetting Cardy Mac. The Chiefs and Eagles played in each in a regular season game that went to overtime before McCarrick won.

There were 13 teams in the league with tweleve qualifying for the playoffs. Dunellen, which was winless on the summer, didn’t make the post-season. Nine of the teams were from the Greater Middlesex Conference including: Cardinal McCarrick, Dunellen, Edison, J.F. Kennedy, Perth Amboy, Piscataway, South Plainfield, St. Joseph’s, Woodbridge. St. Joseph’s didn’t have its varsity squad in the league, but the youngsters including Jalen Gilmore, Jake Dadika, Greg Patton, Tom Cicalese, Brian Kirkpatrick, Salman Hasan, Mike Cintron gave a fine representation of themselves. McCarrick and Piscataway were the top GMC teams in the league with Woodbridge and Amboy not too far behind.

Both McCarrick and Piscataway didn’t have their full rosters at every game, but still looked to be contenders in the conference for this coming year. McCarrick has a solid nucleus returning despite the losses of Craig Thomas and Mo Isaac to graduation. Dana Raysor, who played seldomly at Rahway, leads a group that has the likes of Jeremy Cruz, Mohammed Ali, Jumanne McDaniel, Charlie Gorman, Will Thomas, John Appiah, Mike Lewis, and Robert Nunez among others along with newcomer Marques Townes. Gorman and Townes played key roles for McCarrick in come from behind wins over Piscataway and Perth Amboy as well as a quarterfinal round win over St. Joseph’s in the playoffs. The Eagles also played at Linden as well as the East Brunswick Team Camp.

P-Way has a talented junior class coming in led by the likes of Tajae Sharpe along with Tyjohn Young, Temi Adebayo, Jelani Jackson, Vik Singh, and Greg Davis. They also have incoming seniors such as Brian Wong along with players such as Donovan Kirkland, Devonte Smith, and Kendall Marks that were a part of a JV team that lost only two games, and reached the finals of the East Brunswick JV tournament this past season. The Chiefs also got a transfer in Galen Smith coming in from Cardinal McCarrick. Woodbridge did impress this summer with plenty of young talent coming back including incoming juniors such as Keith Hughes, Kyle Pearson, Kyle Anderson, and Anthony Nyers along with incoming sophomore Duquan Bailey.

The Barrons along with Edison are moving down to the GMC White this year so they will be tested against the likes of McCarrick, Monroe, Sayreville, North Brunswick, and New Brunswick. Meanwhile, Perth Amboy is staying in the Red, and with an incoming senior class that has always had a lot of potential, and an incoming sophomore class that has a lot of promise, the Panthers could make a step up in 2010-11. Victor Verdecia, Kearny Canela, Yoelbin Sanchez, and Chael Hernandez return along with Hamilton Capellan while Jonathan Rodriguez will be leading the rest of the solid group of sophomores. Amboy also played in the Colonia JV Summer League, East Brunswick Team Camp, and Kean Ironman Challenge.

J.F. Kennedy made a solid run in the playoffs with an upset victory over seventh seeded South Plainfield in the opening round, and a near upset against Rahway in the quarterfinals. The Mustangs have the likes of Daishon Robinson, Nick Spoganetz, Josh Kamenas, A.J. Pichalski, and Jordan Toczynski returning while the likes of Vik Pawar are coming up from the JV. Spoganetz has become more of a scoring threat this summer as he will need to take on some of the scoring load left behind by Rasheed Howard and Joe Marciano while Kamenas has become more confident and assertive offensively. JFK also competed in the E.B. Team Camp. Speaking of South Plainfield, the Tigers were 4-4 going into the finale of the regular season before losing to A.L. Johnson, and then falling to Kennedy in the first round of the playoffs.

SPHS does have some bright spots though including Denzel Mensah, Sharif Ross, Joe Skwiat, and Ray Perez. It will be tough in the White, but the Tigers have made some good steps to improve this summer by playing in this league. South Plainfield also participated in the Rutgers Team Camp. Edison will have to deal with the loss of another transfer as Greg Grippo is now with Rutgers Prep along with the loss of seniors such as Yamir Caroo. On top of that, the Eagles are moving into the more competitive White Division. Look for the likes of Kevin Luckenbach and Brian Cohen as well as others to step up. Dunellen lost two key veterans in Jonard Hall and Luke Francisco to graduation, but Sean Gibney, Jeff Puckett, and Dylan Hoski have learned a great deal from their tour with the DHS varsity last year. The Gold has changed a great deal in this offseason, but expect Dunellen to be among the contenders for division honors.

This year, there were 14 teams that competed across two divisions that played on two different nights of the week at Linden. Six teams played in the Monday/Wednesday Division while eight played in the Tuesday/Thursday Division. The Greater Middlesex Conference was well represented this year with the most teams ever at LHS since GMC Hoops started covering this league back in the summer of 2003. Five teams including: Cardinal McCarrick, Colonia, East Brunswick, New Brunswick, and St. Joseph’s competed in the league. Colonia and New Brunswick played in the Monday/Wednesday Division while Cardinal McCarrick, East Brunswick, and St. Joseph’s played in the Tuesday/Thursday Division. McCarrick and St. Joe’s also did extra work by putting teams in other Union County Summer Leagues with the Eagles playing in Rahway while St. Joseph’s played in Elizabeth.

Other teams that competed in this league were three from the Skyland Conference in Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, and Immaculata, two from the Union County Conference in Linden and St. Patrick’s, one from the Shore Conference in Point Pleasant Beach, one from the PSAL in New York, and one from the North Jersey Tri-County League. GMC Hoops didn’t get up to Linden as much as it would have liked, but still managed to come up five times, and saw six games involving GMC teams.

The site saw St. Joseph’s three times against great competition in Hillsborough, Linden, and St. Patrick’s. The Falcons were 2-1 in those games including a victory over Linden in the semifinals (61-58). Quenton DeCosey led the way for the Falcons with an average of 15.7 points per game along with 9.7 rebounds per contest. He also averaged 2.0 assists, 2.0 blocks, and 1.3 steals per contest. DeCosey shot 15 of 35 overall in the three games for 43 percent including 6 of 14 from beyond the arc for the same percentage. He also was 11 of 19 from the free throw line for 58 percent. Jimbo Long chipped in with 10.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.7 apg, and 1.0 spg. Long shot 13 of 16 from the line for 81 percent. Kevin Mayce played in two of the games that were covered, and averaged 11.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 1.0 apg. Mayce shot 9 of 18 from the floor and a perfect 4 of 4 from the line.

As a team, St. Joe’s averaged 52.3 points per game in the three contests they played while giving up 55.7 per contest. The Falcons shot 52 of 130 from the field for 40 percent including 16 of 46 from three point range for 35 percent. St. Joseph’s also went 37 of 55 from the charity stripe for 67 percent. Meanwhile, Falcon opponents were limited to 67 of 164 for 41 percent including 14 of 47 from three for 30 percent. Colonia and New Brunswick both went 1-1 in the two games covered by GMC Hoops with the Patriots defeating the Zebras back on July 21st while losing to Linden on July 7th. NBHS defeated Point Pleasant Beach the same day. GMC Hoops only saw East Brunswick once, and that was in the semifinals of the post-season tournament while it didn’t see McCarrick at all.

Colonia averaged 43 points per game while giving up 47 points per game. The Patriots shot 35 of 97 from the floor for 36 percent including 8 of 25 from three point range for 32 percent while making only 7 of 11 from the foul line. The Pats limited their opponents to 39 of 102 shooting for 38 percent including 5 of 27 from long distance for 19 percent. Jordan McDaniel and Dashon Johnson stood out for CHS with Johnson averaging 14 points per game in the two games covered by the site. Johnson made 13 of 24 shots for 54 percent. Meanwhile, the Zebras averaged 41 points per game, and yielded only 43 per contest. New Brunswick shot 39 of 90 from the floor overall for 43 percent, but only went 2 of 15 from beyond the arc while making one of seven from the free throw line. NBHS did, however, limit its foes to just 35 of 90 from the floor for 39 percent including 8 of 27 from beyond the arc.

Jaquan Cook averaged 14.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, and 1.5 bpg in the two New Brunswick contests covered by GMC Hoops. Cook shot 14 of 27 from the floor over the two games for 52 percent. Teammate Fuquan Rogers chipped in for the Zebras by averaging 9.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.0 apg, and 1.5 spg. Rogers shot 9 of 16 from the floor for NBHS in the two contests. Milton Pittman played in one of the two games covered by the site with 6 of 10 shooting against Point Beach for 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and a block. All five teams that played in this league will be tough this coming winter. Even though Colonia is moving up to the GMC Red, expect the Pats to still play well. St. Joe’s and EB will be fighting it out with Piscataway and CHS for division honors while McCarrick and New Brunswick will be competing with the likes of Monroe, Sayreville, and North Brunswick in the GMC White.

Kennedy Falls Short In Upset Bid Against Rahway, 41-39

This game turned out to be a rematch of the regular season finale between these two schools that was played on Friday night. Rahway won the game easily 53-38, but this time, the Mustangs were determined to make a game of it. GMC Hoops arrived late to this game after getting out of work at 7:30 PM. By the time the site arrived to pick up the action, Rahway was already up 13-3 with nine minutes to go in the first half. Seconds later though, A.J. Pichalski started the Mustangs on the comeback trail with an offensive rebound and follow at the 8:56 mark for a 13-5 Rahway lead. The Indians got a basket for a ten point advantage again before Nick Spoganetz lobbed to Pichalski for a layup for a 15-7 score at the 7:39 mark. Dashion Robinson then followed that up with a score as he was fouled, and after a Rahway timeout at the 7:03 mark, Robinson completed the traditional three point play for a 15-10 Indians lead.

Over the next 3:38, Rahway went back up by double digits, and actually took its biggest lead of the game on a 6-0 run including a follow off of two offensive rebounds at the 5:33 mark, a steal and a drive for a layup with 5:14 to play in the half, and then two free throws at the 3:25 mark for a 21-10 lead. Kennedy fought back with a 9-0 rally over the next 2:55 to close within two points with just over a half minute to play in the half. Robinson sparked the rally with an offensive rebound and follow off a miss on a floater by Spoganetz for a 21-12 Rahway lead with 2:46 to go in the half. Robinson then scrapped for a loose ball on the next Indian possession, and alertly called timeout with 2:28 to play in the half. Following the stoppage, JFK took advantage of the turnover as Josh Kamenas drove to the basket and banked a shot in for a 21-14 Rahway lead with 2:15 to go in the half.

Kamenas followed that up with a turn around jumper from the left low block for a 21-16 Indians lead at the 1:32 mark. Robinson added one of two from the line with 1:01 to go in the half, and then Kamenas got an offensive rebound and follow off a miss by Pichalski for a 21-19 RHS lead with 30.7 seconds left before intermission. Kennedy then got a bad break when Rahway set up for a final play of the first half. An Indians player lost control of an offensive rebound, but the ball fell through the hoop for a 23-19 lead at the break. Rahway started the second half with a field goal before Kamenas made one of two free throws at the 18:27 mark for a 25-20 Indians lead.

Rahway then went up by seven at 27-20 on an offensive rebound and follow with 17:51 to play in the first half. Over the next 4:29, the Mustangs scored eight unanswered points to take their first lead of the game. Jordan Toczynski started the rally with an offensive rebound and follow off a missed jumper by Pichalski at the 17:20 mark for a 27-22 Rahway lead. JFK got a basket and a foul, and then on the missed bonus free throw, Robinson got the offensive board and put in the follow for a 27-26 Rahway lead at the 15:50 mark. Over a lull in the scoring for almost two and a half minutes, J.F. Kennedy took the lead as Kamenas dribbled and dish to Pichalski for a layup, and a 28-27 score with 13:22 remaining. The lead didn’t last long though as Rahway came right back down and nailed a three pointer for a 30-28 lead with 13:11 to play.

A little less than a minute and a half later, Rahway struck again for a three pointer to take a 33-28 lead with 11:49 to play, but Kennedy fought back with an 8-1 spurt to take a two point lead with just over six and a half minutes to go. Kamenas started the rally with a field goal at the 11:22 mark for a 33-30 Rahway lead. Robinson followed that up with two free throws at the 10:48 mark for a 33-32 RHS lead. The Indians made one of two from the line for a 34-32 edge with 9:26 to go, but Kennedy then scored the next four including a bank shot by Robinson at the 7:43 mark, and an offensive rebound and follow of a Spoganetz miss by Vik Pawar for a 36-34 edge with 6:34 to play.

Once again, the Indians responded quickly with a baseline jumper on its next possession to tie the game up at 36-36 with 6:20 left. Rahway then had a chance to take the lead, but Pawar drew a charge with 5:32 to go. Nevertheless, Rahway did take the lead after getting an offensive rebound and drawing a foul that resulted in a one of two showing from the line for a 37-36 edge at the 4:57 mark. Kennedy had a chance to get the go ahead score, but missed a layup underneath with 3:49 to go. Following a Mustangs timeout with 3:11 to go, Rahway went up by three with two free throws that made the score, 39-36. On the next JFK possession, Robinson got an offensive rebound of a Kamenas miss, drew a foul, and made one of two from the line for a 39-37 Rahway lead with 2:43 left.

Kennedy then had a chance to tie, but committed a backcourt violation with 1:28 left. Rahway got a big score on a drive for a layup that made the score, 41-37 with 1:16 to go. The Indians had a chance to put the game away, but missed the front end of a one and one with 41 seconds left. Spoganetz made two foul shots with 28.7 seconds to play to close the gap to two at 41-39. The Mustangs then got a break as Kamenas picked up a steal and Kennedy called for time with 21.1 seconds left. Following the timeout, JFK set up for a tying score, but Rahway forced a turnover in the closing seconds, and came away with the hard fought, 41-39 win. With the victory, Rahway improved to 10-1 on the summer, and advanced to the semifinals to play sixth seeded Woodbridge, which upset third seeded Perth Amboy in an earlier quarterfinal. J.F. Kennedy finished its summer at 3-8.

Gorman And Townes Help McCarrick Cruise Past St. Joseph’s, 48-36

In the nightcap game, top seeded Cardinal McCarrick, which got a first round bye, took on eighth seeded St. Joseph’s, which defeated Edison in its opening round game on Monday. Charlie Gorman and Marques Townes, who combined for 10 of 46 shooting in a double overtime victory over Perth Amboy in the regular season finale on Friday, played much better in this game, and as a result, the Eagles breezed. Cardy Mac jumped out to a 17-6 lead with 9:16 to go in the first half, and led 30-12 at halftime as Gorman and Townes combined to go 8 of 12 from the floor for 20 points. McCarrick, which went 11 of 16 from the floor in the game’s first 20 minutes, began the second half with a 6-1 burst for a 36-13 lead. St. Joe’s finished the game with a 23-12 surge, but couldn’t overcome the huge deficit in a 48-36 loss.

For the game Gorman scored 16 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the floor including two of four from the foul line along with one of two from the line. Gorman also collected two rebounds, two charges, and a steal. Townes ended up with 9 points along with four rebounds, and two steals. John Appiah and Chris Peralta chipped in with six points each. Appiah went one of two from the floor and four of six from the line while grabbing six boards. Peralta made two of five from the field as well as both his free throws while picking up three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Mike Lewis helped round out the scoring with a point, three rebounds, and a steal. On the other side of the ledger, Salman Hasan led the fight in a losing cause with 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting from the floor including two of four from beyond the arc.

Cardinal McCarrick went 16 of 35 from the floor for 46 percent including 2 of 6 from long distance while making 14 of 20 from the foul line. St. Joseph’s went 15 of 43 from the field including 3 of 13 from downtown, but only went one of two from the foul line. In other statistical areas, the Eagles won the turnover battle with 10-16 edge while scoring 15 points off St. Joe’s turnovers. Cardy Mac also had the edge in overall rebounding (23-20), but the Falcons drew even on the offensive boards (10-10) and had more second chance points (11-2). McCarrick had more assists (9-7), steals (9-5), blocks (3-0), and charges (2-0). The Eagles started the game by scoring the first six points including a drive for a layup by Gorman at the 17:51 mark.

St. Joe’s pulled within two on a couple of scores before Townes made one of two from the line at the 15:31 mark for a 7-4 lead. Mike Lewis got his only point of the contest when he swiped a steal, drove to the basket, and drew a foul on a layup attempt with 14:32 left in the first half that produced one of two from the line for an 8-4 lead. On the next St. Joe’s possession, Gorman picked up a steal and drove in for a layup that made the score, 10-4 at the 14:15 mark. Appiah followed up by going to the line for one of two, and an 11-4 lead. Over the next 3:38, McCarrick scored six of the next eight points including a score by Peralta, who dribbled in, spun, and hit a turnaround jumper at the 9:16 mark for a 17-6 lead. A little over a minute later, Albert Myers III put the Falcons on the board with a score underneath for a 17-8 Eagles lead at the 7:59 mark.

The next 3:43 saw Cardinal McCarrick increase its lead to 23-10 with 4:16 to go in the first half as Gorman made a three pointer, and one of two from the line in a 6-2 run. After a St. Joe’s score, Gorman made another three on a shot from the left wing for a 26-12 advantage at the 1:45 mark. McCarrick then closed the half with the final four points as Townes connected on a bank shot, and then picked up a steal for a layup that gave the Eagles a 30-12 lead at the intermission. The South Amboy school limited St. Joe’s to just 6 of 15 from the floor, and forced 12 turnovers, which they converted into 12 points. The first 4:53 of the second half brought more of the same as McCarrick scored six of the first seven points for a 36-13 lead with a little over fifteen minutes remaining. Peralta highlighted the run with two free throws.

St. Joseph’s, which also got contributions from Jalen Gilmore, Tom Cicalese, Mike Cintron, and Jake Dadika among others, made things more respectable with a 23-12 finish, but McCarrick advanced with the 48-36 win. With the victory, the Eagles improved to 10-1 on the summer, and will take on fourth seeded Piscataway in the semifinals. The Chiefs moved on after defeating fifth seeded Roselle in the quarterfinals. St. Joe’s finished its summer at Rahway with a 4-7 mark.

GMC Hoops plans to be back out at Rahway on Thursday for the semifinals.

A.L. Johnson Registers Upset Of South Plainfield On Eve Of Playoffs, 42-35

The site managed to catch much of the action from the second half of the game between A.L. Johnson and South Plainfield. The Tigers had entered the contest with a record of 4-3 while A.L. Johnson was looking for its second win of the summer at Rahway. We picked up the action in this contest with 14:16 remaining and the Crusaders in front by a score of 24-16. The Tigers got a point on a subsequent possession by making one of two from the line at the 13:30 mark for a 24-17 score. Johnson Regional, which is based in Clark, got that point back with one of two from the line for a 25-17 lead at the 12:55 mark.

The Crusaders then scored seven of the next nine points for an 8-2 run and a 32-19 lead. First, after an SPHS score, they got a field goal at the 12:26 mark to take a 27-19 advantage. Then, thirty seconds later, Johnson went up by double digits with a three pointer from the left side at the 11:56 mark for a 30-19 lead. Finally, A.L. Johnson capped the run with a layup from the right side at the 11:07 mark for a thirteen point lead. On the ropes, South Plainfield fought back with nine unanswered points over the next 5:19 to pull within four. Denzel Mensah started the run with one of two from the foul line at the 10:17 mark for a 32-20 score. Following a Crusader turnover at the 9:50 mark, Ray Perez found Joe Skwiat for a three pointer from the right side to close the gap to nine at 32-23 with 9:33 left.

SP had some other chances to score and get closer too. With eight minutes remaining, Mensah grabbed a rebound, and passed upcourt to Perez, who missed a layup attempt. Skwiat was there to pick up his teammate with an offensive rebound and follow attempt that drew a foul, and produced one of two from the line for a 32-24 score. On the missed second foul shot, Mensah got the offensive board, and passed back to Skwiat for a layup attempt that just rolled out with 7:55 remaining. The Tigers defense began to tighten though, and a blocked shot sparked a fast break that was capped by a Mensah layin for a 32-26 Johnson lead at the 7:37 mark. There was a lull in the scoring for nearly two minutes until Skwiat deflected a pass that was stolen, and that created another scoring opportunity in the form of a layup attempt that drew a foul. SPHS converted the two free throws to cap the 9-0 run for a 32-28 Crusader lead with 5:48 to go.

Following an A.L. Johnson timeout with 5:04 to go, the Tigers had another chance to score when they stole an errant inbounds pass. However, they were unable to get any points out of it as the Crusaders came up with a blocked shot at the 4:30 mark. Johnson then ended a scoring drought of 7:29 by making one of two from the charity stripe for a 33-28 lead with 3:38 to go. The Crusaders also got the offensive rebound, but put up a bad shot instead of running some time off the clock. South Plainfield couldn’t take advantage though as Mensah was called for traveling with 3:05 to play. Johnson Regional then put together some nice passing and execution that culminated in a layup and a 35-28 lead with 2:38 left.

The Clark school then added a couple more points with one of two free throws at the 1:49 mark, and then after an offensive rebound, another one of two from the charity stripe with 1:28 remaining for a 37-28 lead. The Tigers didn’t give up yet though. After an SPHS timeout at the 1:24 mark, the Tigers scored five of the next six points including a three pointer from the right wing by Perez with 30 seconds to go for a 38-33 Johnson lead. South Plainfield then quickly fouled to force the Crusaders to go to the line. The tactic seemed to work as A.L. Johnson missed two free throws with 29.1 seconds left, but it got the offensive rebound, and drew another foul that produced two free throws for a 40-33 lead with 27.4 seconds left. Both teams scored two points each down the stretch as Skwiat put together a baseline drive from the left side for a layin to close out the scoring.

With the 42-35 victory, Johnson, seeded 11th in the playoffs, finished the regular season at 2-8, and took on sixth seeded Woodbridge in the opening round of the playoffs while South Plainfield, seeded seventh, ended the regular season at 4-4. The Tigers took on tenth seeded J.F. Kennedy in the opening round on Monday.

Gorman Overcomes Shooting Woes To Lift McCarrick Past Amboy In 2 OTs, 49-47

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Rahway Downs Kennedy, 53-38

In the third game of the night, some geographic rivals went at it as J.F. Kennedy looked to finish its regular season on a high note when it took on Rahway. The Indians were battling Cardinal McCarrick and Perth Amboy for top playoff seeds, and were most likely going to get a bye in the first round while Kennedy was going to have to play in the opening round scheduled to take place on Monday. RHS caused all kinds of problems for JFK as it forced 24 turnovers by the Mustangs. The Indians took advantage by scoring 16 points off those turnovers while attacking the offensive glass for 19 boards that were converted into 15 second chance points. Rahway took a 29-15 halftime lead, and didn’t let Kennedy get any closer than 11 points in the second half en route to a 53-38 win.

For the game, the Indians connected on 21 of 62 shots for 34 percent including 7 of 16 from three point range while making all four attempts at the foul line. Meanwhile, JFK was 15 of 40 from the floor for 38 percent including 3 of 14 from long distance while clicking on only 5 of 10 from the charity stripe. Rahway won the turnover battle (16-24) and had more rebounds (38-29) including a 19-9 advantage on the offensive glass. The Mustangs had more charges (2-0) while Rahway had more steals (13-7). Assists (10-10) and blocks (4-4) were even. Leading the way for Kennedy in a losing cause was Nick Spoganetz with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a block. Daishon Robinson chipped in with 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block while Josh Kamenas contributed with 6 points on 3 of 4 shooting along with 9 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal.

A.J. Pichalski helped round out the scoring with 4 points, 5 rebounds, and a steal while Jordan Toczynski (4 assists, 3 rebounds, and a charge) also played, but didn’t score. Right away, the Mustangs were on their heels as Rahway jumped out to an 11-0 lead highlighted by two free throws at the 19:35 mark, and a three pointer from the right wing at the 16:24 mark. The Indians had already picked up seven points off of three Kennedy turnovers. JFK didn’t get its first points of the game until the 15:37 mark when Robinson made one of two from the line for an 11-1 score. After an RHS score, J.F. Kennedy got its first field goal of the game on a baseline drive by Kamenas for a layup that made the score 13-3 in favor of Rahway at the 14:38 mark. The Indians got another score to go up by a dozen before Robinson put in a layup and Spoganetz netted one of two from the foul line at the 11:13 mark for a 15-6 Rahway lead.

RHS got a score for a 17-6 lead before Kennedy replied with two free throws at the 7:44 mark for a 17-8 score. Over the next 2:35, the Indians went on a 6-2 run thanks to two three pointers from the right wing for a 23-10 advantage. The Mustangs had a chance to cut into the deficit, but after drawing a foul on a nice baseline drive and pump fake, Spoganetz came up empty on two free throw attempts at the 2:16 mark. Rahway then went up by 16 on a kickout to the left wing for a three pointer, and a 26-10 edge with 1:30 to go in the half. JFK ended the half on a positive note with a 5-3 run including a three point play by Pichalski at the 24.7 mark for a 29-15 Indians lead at the intermission. Rahway was only 10 of 32 from the floor, but made 5 of 8 three point attempts, and scored 9 points off of turnovers.

Meanwhile, Kennedy, which rallied from 21 down to defeat A.L. Johnson last week, was only 5 of 14 from the floor, and had no three pointers while committing 13 miscues. The second half started out with some promise for the Mustangs as Spoganetz connected on a three pointer from the right side at the 18:25 mark for a 29-18 Rahway lead. The Mustangs couldn’t get closer though as the Indians put together a 9-7 run over the next 5:40 for a 38-25 lead with 12:45 remaining. Rahway made it an 11-7 run with a layup at the 12:06 mark for a 40-25 advantage. The Mustangs tried to chip away at the deficit with a score, but then missed two free throws at the 9:50 mark, and still trailed by 13 at 40-27. Rahway got a score to go back up by 15 when Spoganetz went to the line. He missed both foul shots, but Robinson picked up his teammate with an offensive rebound and follow at the 7:17 mark for a 42-29 RHS lead.

Rahway scored seven of the nine eight points for its biggest lead of the game before Kamenas scored and Robinson followed up with a steal and drive for a layup to pull the Mustangs within fourteen at 49-35 with 4:11 to play. After another Indians score, Robinson kicked out to Spoganetz for a three pointer to close within 51-38 with 1:53 remaining, but JFK didn’t have enough time to get close as Rahway won 53-38. With the victory, RHS finished the regular season with a 9-1 record overall, and earned the second seed in the upcoming playoffs. The Indians earned a bye while Kennedy, which got the 10th seed, play against seventh seeded South Plainfield in the opening round with a possible rematch against Rahway looming in the quarterfinals on Tuesday. The Mustangs fell to 2-7 on the summer.

Union Catholic Edges St. Joseph’s On FT At 5.6, 41-40

The very last game of the regular season at Rahway didn’t disappoint as Union Catholic and St. Joseph’s were entangled in a close affair that went down to the final seconds. The Falcons took a 26-24 halftime lead, but only scored 14 points in the second half as the Vikings rallied to win on a free throw with 5.6 seconds left. St. Joe’s, which has been playing with a mostly younger squad at Rahway, has still played very competitively, and this game was just another example. Incoming sophomores such as Tom Cicalese (3 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals), Brian Fitzpatrick (2 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist), and Salman Hasan (4 points, a rebound and an assist made contributions along with incoming freshman, Mike Cintron didn’t score, but grabbed five rebounds. Jalen Gilmore, part of a very talented incoming junior class, helped lead the rest of the Falcons, which went 11 of 30 from the floor including 4 of 8 from beyond the arc, and made 5 of 10 from the line.

For the game, St. Joseph’s as a team shot 15 of 45 including 4 of 15 from three point range. The Falcons shot themselves in the foot though by going only 6 of 18 from the line. Meanwhile, Union Catholic went 16 of 45 from the floor including 3 of 12 from long distance while making 6 of 11 from the charity stripe. The Vikings won the turnover battle (11-14), and scored more points off turnovers (8-5). St. Joe’s won the rebounding battle (31-26) including a 14-10 edge on the offensive glass, but UCHS made those extra opportunities count with an 8-2 edge in second chance points. In other statistical areas, Union Catholic had more blocks (4-1), but St. Joe’s had more steals (9-5) while assists were even (7-7).

The game was a back and forth tug of war with both teams combining for 12 lead changes and two changes while neither squad had a lead no bigger than six points. The two teams exchanged leads four times in the first 7:21. St. Joseph’s took a 6-5 lead on a three pointer from the right side at the 13 minute mark only to have Union Catholic wrestle it away with two free throws at the 12:39 mark for a 7-6 edge. The Falcons took control for the rest of the half though thanks to a 9-2 run over the next 4:16 for a 15-9 lead. St. Joe’s scored six of eight points over a span of 3:01 to take a 12-9 lead at the 9:38 mark. Then, after a Union Catholic timeout at the 9:29 mark, the Falcons capped the run with a three pointer that banked in from the left side at the 8:23 mark.

The Vikings finally got going with a three pointer at the 8:05 mark for a 15-12 Falcon edge before St. Joe’s got a couple of those points back with two free throws at the 7:26 mark for a 17-12 score, but then the Vikes rallied with four straight points to pull within one at 17-16 before the Green Birds called for time at the 5:30 mark. Following the timeout, Fitzpatrick got on the the Falcons going again by getting an offensive rebound, and passing to Hasan for a jumper from the left baseline that made the score, 19-16 with 5:10 left in the first half. St. Joseph’s added another three for a 22-16 lead before UC scored four straight points to pull within two at 22-20 with two minutes to go in the half. St. Joe’s got two free throws at the 1:44 mark to go up 24-20, but the Vikings responded with an offensive rebound and follow at the 1:28 mark, and a layup off a steal to tie things up at 24-24 with 48.5 seconds to go in the half.

St. Joe’s would take the lead going into the intermission though as Hasan scored his final points of the game on a layup underneath at the 42.6 second mark for a 26-24 score at the break. The Falcons were only 9 of 29 from the floor in the first half including 3 of 10 at the line while making 5 of 8 from the line. Meanwhile, Union Catholic was 10 of 25 from the floor including two of seven from three point land, and made 2 of 3 from the line. St. Joseph’s had eight turnovers while UCHS had five. The Vikings also scored six second chance points, and four points off turnovers in the opening period. The offenses of both teams slowed down in the second half as the two teams combined for only 31 points. The Green Birds were only 6 of 16 from the field in the second half, and made one of five from long distance while only hitting one of ten free throw attempts. Meanwhile, Union Catholic was 6 of 20 from the floor in the final 20 minutes, and also one of five from three, but made 4 of 8 at the foul line, and that was the difference.

St. Joe’s opened the scoring with a layup down low at the 19:40 mark for a 28-24 lead. Jamaad Nash, who was rather quiet for Union Catholic in this one, made one of two from the line for his first points of the game with exactly nineteen minutes to go. UCHS got a score to draw within one before the Falcons managed to take a three point lead at 30-27 with two offensive rebounds for a follow after Cicalese missed two free throws at the 16:50 mark. The Vikings closed the gap to one again with two free throws that made the score, 30-29 at the 15:30. Cicalese made one of two from the line at the 14:47 mark for a 31-29 lead, but Union Catholic then scored five of the next seven points including a jumper from the right baseline at the 12:01 mark for a 34-33 lead. Fitzpatrick then scored on a layin to put St. Joe’s in front by one, 35-34 with 10:53 remaining.

Nash (3 points and 4 rebounds) then got his only field goal of the contest for a 36-35 Viking lead at the 10:37 mark. St. Joe’s had a chance to wrestle the lead back on its next possession as Cintron was fouled, but he missed both free throws at the 9:59 mark. Nash also missed two free throws with 7:30 to play, and then Cicalese made a nifty move on a drive for a layup that put the Falcons ahead at 37-36 with 6:35 to go. A little over a minute and a half went by before the next score as the Vikes took the lead again at 38-37 on an offensive rebound and follow of a Nash miss with just under five minutes to play. Following a Falcon timeout at the 4:53 mark, St. Joseph’s went ahead again with a trey that made the score, 40-38 at the 3:42 mark. The Falcons had a chance to go up by four, but missed two foul shots at the 2:38 mark, and committed a turnover with 1:11 to go in regulation.

Union Catholic couldn’t take advantage though as the Vikings came up empty as well including a traveling call on Nash with 57.3 seconds to go. However, UCHS still managed to tie things up at 40-40 with a steal off an inbounds for a layup with 50 seconds left in regulation. Cicalese had a chance to give the Green Birds the lead, but missed two free throws at the 45.5 second mark. Cicalese did make up for it though when he swiped a steal with 35 seconds left. St. Joe’s then called timeout with 17.8 seconds left in regulation, but when they tried to set up for a final score, the Vikes swiped a steal at the 12.5 second mark, and then drew a foul with 5.6 seconds to go that produced the winning free throw. St. Joe’s tried to get a last second shot off, but couldn’t as Union Catholic won by the final of 41-40. Both teams finished the regular season at 3-6, and played in the opening round of the playoffs on July 26th St. Joseph’s, the eighth seed took on Edison while Union Catholic played fifth seeded Roselle.

GMC Hoops was back out at Rahway on Monday and Tuesday for playoff action, and will have summaries posted on that soon.