East Brunswick trailed 29-20 late in the first half, but rallied with a 16-8 surge over the next eight plus minutes to pull within one heading into the fourth. Then, the Bears got a huge three late in regulation by senior guard, Danny Leung to tie the game, and force overtime at 51-51. Both teams scored seven points to force a second overtime. In the final extra session, EB led 61-58 with about a minute to go when the Falcons put together the decisive 8-2 run to win the contest. Marques Townes sparked the key rally with a steal for a layup, and then the Falcons went to the line to put the game away.

St. Joe’s found a way to win without having the services of Kentucky bound big man, Karl Towns, who fouled out of the game. For the game, St. Joe’s shot 49 percent versus 38 percent for EB. The Bears shot 33 percent from three, and outscored the Falcons by a 21-3 margin in points scored from beyond the arc. East Brunswick shot 82 percent from the line while Joes was 74 percent, but the four time defending champs outscored the Bears by a 23-14 margin in points from the charity stripe. Leung led all scorers with 24 points on 6 of 11 shooting overall including 5 of 8 from three while also making 7 of 8 from the line.

Rob Ukawuba chipped in for the Bears with 20 points. Towns, who earned tournament MVP honors, finished with 21 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the floor and 7 of 10 from the line. Wade Baldwin also finished with 21 points including 11 of 14 from the line. Townes ended up with 6 of 12 shooting from the floor and 5 of 7 from the free throw stripe. With the victory, St. Joseph’s became the first school since Perth Amboy in the early to mid 1970s (1972-75) to win four consecutive conference/county crowns.

It was an historic night at East Brunswick High School as the top seeded Bears of EB won their first sectional championship since 1986. In front of a packed house that was standing room only and overflowing, the Bears pulled away from a 35-30 edge late in the third period with a 19-6 tear over nearly eight minutes to take a commanding 54-36 lead en route to a 59-49 victory over seventh seeded Trenton in the Central Jersey Group IV Championship. Rob Ukawuba, who scored a game high 22 points, sparked the key run with a basket at the 2:44 mark followed by a putback by Dan Leung (15 points) with 47 seconds left in the third to make the score 39-30.

Then, Leung and Gary Baumer added threes in the fourth to help cap the run for a 16 point lead. The Bears also got 9 points from Princeton bound point guard, Amir Bell while Baumer added 6 and Jake Krantz chipped in with 4 points and 7 rebounds. Adedamola Adedokun came off the bench to round out the EB scoring with 3 points and 5 rebounds. Rasheed Wallace led Trenton in a losing cause with 18 points while Shaquan Worthy added 17 for the Tornadoes. The last time East Brunswick won a sectional championship was in 1986 over Franklin at Bridgewater East High School, which is now the middle school. Current EB athletic director, Frank Noppenberger was the head coach, and standout players were Keith Motusesky and Greg Berliner.

It was the first final that went to overtime in 20 years, and the first ever MCT/GMCT Championship ever to be decided in double overtime. If you thought nothing could top the first two matchups between these two fierce rivals, think again. East Brunswick trailed 29-20 late in the first half, but rallied with a 16-8 surge over the next eight plus minutes to pull within one heading into the fourth. Then, the Bears got a huge three late in regulation by senior guard, Danny Leung to tie the game, and force overtime at 51-51. Both teams scored seven points to force a second overtime.

In the final extra session, EB led 61-58 with about a minute to go when the Falcons put together the decisive 8-2 run to win the contest. Marques Townes sparked the key rally with a steal for a layup, and then the Falcons went to the line to put the game away. For the game, St. Joe’s shot 49 percent versus 38 percent for EB. The Bears shot 33 percent from three, and outscored the Falcons by a 21-3 margin in points scored from beyond the arc. East Brunswick shot 82 percent from the line while Joes was 74 percent, but the four time defending champs outscored the Bears by a 23-14 margin in points from the charity stripe.

Leung led all scorers with 24 points on 6 of 11 shooting overall including 5 of 8 from three while also making 7 of 8 from the line. Rob Ukawuba chipped in for the Bears with 20 points. Towns, who earned tournament MVP honors, finished with 21 points on 7 of 12 shooting from the floor and 7 of 10 from the line. Wade Baldwin also finished with 21 points including 11 of 14 from the line. Townes ended up with 6 of 12 shooting from the floor and 5 of 7 from the free throw stripe.

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

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

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

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

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–In the closest race ever for the GMC Hoops Trophy, seven teams are still alive in the quest for the elusive trophy including three time defending champion, St. Joseph’s. Currently, there are eight teams that have records of 4-2 or better with six of them still alive in the state playoffs. Old Bridge and Bishop Ahr were eliminated from contention after losing in the opening round of their respective state tournaments.

With its win over Hunterdon Central in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV State Tournament, East Brunswick is ahead of the back with a 6-1 record in the seven games seen by GMC Hoops this year. The Bears have tallied 11 points in the standings, which is three ahead of its nearest competitors: Dunellen, St. Joseph’s, and North Brunswick. The Destroyers, Falcons, and Raiders all have eight points with GMC Hoops planning to see Dunellen this evening against Ridgefield in the North Jersey Section 2 Group I state tournament at The Faber.

North Brunswick managed to get into a three way tie for second thanks to a double-overtime win over Old Bridge on Monday night. Spotswood got itself within striking distance thanks to a come from behind win over Blue Division rival Carteret in the Central Jersey Group II Quarterfinals on Wednesday night. The Chargers have given themselves another chance to enhance their position in the standings with the win over the Ramblers since GMC Hoops plans to see Spotswood in action on Friday night at Lakewood against the top seeded Piners in the semifinal round. South River also has an outside shot for the trophy, but will need to defeat Bound Brook tonight for starters, and get a lot of help.

The GMC Hoops Trophy has been issued every year since 2003 to the team that performs the best when GMC Hoops is in attendance at its games. Teams win based on a simple points system: Two points for a win, and minus a point for a loss. View the past winners of the trophy.

Third Quarter

4:34–EB–Baumer hits three for a 42-21 lead.

3:14–HC–on a 7-3 run including a layup from right side for a 45-28 EB lead.

3:00–EB–basket for a 47-28 lead.

1:32–HC–timeout–EB up 47-28.

57.0–EB–Jake Krantz scores on follow for a 49-28 lead.

0.0–EB–Gary Baumer fires in three from top of the key for a 52-29 lead.

Fourth Quarter

7:30–EB–turnover.

7:15–EB–Rob Ukawuba–steal for layup and a 54-29 lead.

7:00–EB–kicks ball out of bounds.

6:29–EB–Ukawuba hits foul line jumper for 56-29 lead.

6:22–OFF–injury timeout–Baumer shaken up after jumping on to an HC player to contest a jumpshot.  HC–tries to inbound the ball, but can’t–calls timeout.

6:14–EB–Danny Leung hustles to save ball from going out, and gets steal–ball ends up in Ukauwba’s hands for layup from right side for a 58-29 lead.

6:00–HC–loses ball out of bounds.

5:32–HC–three pointer for a 58-32 EB lead.

5:00–OFF–mass substitutions by both teams.

4:35–HC–turnover.

4:27–EB–Ethan Folz fouled–makes both FTs for a 60-32 lead.

3:11–EB–Alex Johnson–layup for a 62-34 lead.

2:30–EB–Johnson–layup for a 64-34 lead.

2:16–HC–fouled–makes both FTs for a 64-36 EB lead.

1:04–EB–Alex Fitzgerald fouled–makes both FTs for a 66-36 lead.

17.0–EB–Pat McMullen scores the basket as he is fouled–missed bonus FT for a 68-36 lead.

2.0–HC–fouled–makes both FTs for a 68-38 EB lead.

0.0–EB–runs out clock for the 68-38 win.

First Half

1:23–arrive–EB leads 29-13

1:00–EB leads 31-15

0:48–IMMAC–three point play for a 31-18 EB lead.

0:00–after EB turns the ball over–IMMAC misses three pointer from the left corner as time runs out.

Third Quarter

7:50–IMMAC–layup from right low block for an EB 31-20 lead.

7:40–EB–turnover.

7:33–IMMAC–Julien Alexis–fouled on shot–tweaked an ankle–hs to leave the game–#24–comes in and makes 1 of 2 FTs for a 31-21 EB lead.

7:26–IMMAC–deflects ball out of bounds.

7:12–EB–Matt Ross hits back iron on three attempt–ball goes out of bounds–IMMAC ball.

6:53–IMMAC fouled on drive to the basket–misses both FTs.

6:37–EB–Ross takes kickout by Joey Genco, and hits three from just to the left of the top of the key for a 34-21 lead.

6:15–IMMAC–layin off inbounds for a 34-23 EB lead.

5:36–EB–Ross fouled on three attempt–makes all three FTs for a 37-23 lead.

5:20–EB–Genco deflects pass out of bounds.

5:14–EB–John McHenry gets on floor for loose ball and ties up IMMAC player for jump ball–EB possession.

4:40–EB–Tyler McNamara gets offensive rebound off miss by Ross, kicks out to Genco, who passes to McHenry for three from left  side of the key, and a 40-23 lead.

4:19–EB–Genco steal leads to layup attempt and foul on Ross–makes both FTs for a 42-23 lead.

4:05–EB–ties up IMMAC underneath–jump ball–IMMAC possession.

4:01–IMMAC–scores on layin off inboundsfor a 42-25 EB lead.

3:44–EB–Ross drives in for floater, and a 44-25 lead.

3:33–IMMAC–misses shot–ball goes out of bounds–EB ball.

3:22–EB–nice entry pass to #21 for layin and a 46-25 lead.

2:53–EB–turnover.

2:44–EB–Nick Gudali deflects ball out of bounds.

2:29–EB–Alex Fitzgerald gets steal, but travels.

1:56–EB–Fitzgerald gets rebound off IMMAC miss, protects the ball, dribbles it out, and upcourt before dishing left to Gudali for three pointer, and a 49-25 lead.

1:16–IMMAC–three pointer from right side of the key for a 49-28 EB lead.

0:54–IMMAC–scores on putback for a 49-30 EB lead.

0:29–IMMAC–nice entry pass for layup from right low block for a 49-32 EB lead.

0:22–IMMAC–deflects ball out of bounds.

0:02–EB–McHenry tries to get a shot off before the buzzer, but IMMAC blocks shot.  EB still leads 49-32 going into fourth.

Fourth Quarter

7:49–IMMAC–scores on layin on the follow for a 49-34 EB lead.

7:41–EB–timeout.

6:52–EB–calls 30 sec timeout–avoids 5 sec call on inbounds along baseline.

6:34–EB–McNamara scores on layup from right low block for a 51-34 lead.

6:20–IMMAC–turnover.

6:07–EB–breaks pass, and Fitzgerald goes in for layup from left side for a 53-34 lead.

5:35–EB–Gudali gets deflection off inbounds, and hits short shot for a 55-34 lead.

5:11–IMMAC–hits foul line jumper for a 55-36 EB lead.

5:00–EB–Ross with nice pass upcourt to  #32 for layin, and  a 57-36 lead.

4:42–EB–traveling.

4:34–IMMAC–turnover.

4:19–IMMAC–fouled on floor–calls timeout.

3:59–EB–full timeout after Matt Ross swipes steal, and goes the rest of the way for a layup, and a 59-36 lead.

3:29–IMMAC–turnover.

3:22–EB–offensive foul.

3:08–IMMAC–layup underneath for a 59-38 EB lead.

2:54–EB–three pointer from left wing for a 62-38 lead.

2:42–EB–fouled on floor.

2:15–IMMAC–layup and the foul–misses bonus FT fora 62-40 EB lead.

0:50–EB–Brian Schuld splashes three from top of the key after Junior Bears clawed for offensive rebound.  EB leads 65-40.

0:29–IMMAC–hits short hook from right side for a 65-42 EB lead.

0:05–EB–traveling.

0:00–IMMAC–hits backiron on three attempt from 35 feet…EB wins 65-42.

Skyland/GMC Challenge

At Bound Brook

Colonia vs. Warren Hills, 5:00 PM

Cardinal McCarrick vs. Bound Brook, 7:00 PM

At East Brunswick

Timothy Christian vs. Voorhees, 2:00 PM

Piscataway vs. Montgomery, 4:00 PM

Bridgewater vs. East Brunswick, 6:00 PM

At Franklin

South Brunswick vs. Hillsborough, 12:45 PM

North Brunswick vs. Franklin, 2:30 PM

At Immaculata

Bishop Ahr vs. Pingry, 3:00 PM

Woodbridge vs. Immaculata, 5:00 PM

At North Plainfield

J.F. Kennedy vs. North Plainfield, 1:00 PM

At Middlesex

South Hunterdon vs. Middlesex, 12:00 PM

At Monroe

Hunterdon Central vs. Monroe, 7:00 PM

At North Hunterdon

Edison vs. North Hunterdon, 1:30 PM

At Perth Amboy

Delaware Valley vs. Perth Amboy, 1:00 PM

At Phillipsburg

Old Bridge vs. Phillipsburg, 2:30 PM

At Somerville

Carteret vs. Somerville, 2:00 PM

At South Amboy

Manville vs. South Amboy, 11:30 AM

At Spotswood

Bernards vs. Spotswood, 1:30 PM

At Ridge

New Brunswick vs. Ridge, 2:30 PM

At Watchung

Sayreville vs. Watchung Hills, 7:00 PM