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Raritan Bay Summer League–May 29, 2008

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–On Thursday night, GMC Hoops stopped over again at South Amboy Middle/High School to take in the final night of action in week two of the 2008 Raritan Bay Summer League. Once again, the site came down for the final two games of the evening, but still managed to get the results of the first two games. In the first game played at 5:30 PM, Colts edged South Amboy in a nailbiter from the 3rd and 4th Grade Division, 23-20 while in the second game played at 6:30 PM, Monroe handed South Amboy a 31-24 defeat in a contest from the 5th and 6th Grade Division. Soon to be South Amboy graduate, Steve Poltrictzky was doing the scoreboard at the scorer’s table so the site had an opportunity to talk to him, and see how he was doing.

For those of you who may not be aware, Poltrictzky played on the baseball team also at South Amboy High School. During the season, the South Amboy senior did quite well on the baseball diamond hitting over .500 as the Guvs qualified for the state tournament. Despite losing 16-1 in its opening round game, South Amboy did a nice job getting back to the states in light of the fact that this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Poltrictzky also added that his fellow partner in crime, Larry Lenahan, who is attending Centenary in the fall, is spending this summer on becoming a major business mogul in South Amboy with two jobs including a landscaping business his uncle gave to him. So, Lenahan, who was a fixture as well at the scorers table in the Raritan Bay Summer League these past few years will not be back this summer. Returning to the action, GMC Hoops entered the gym with 14:15 to go in the second of the the game between Sayreville and Roselle from the 7th and 8th Grade, and stayed for the rest of the night including the High School Division nightcap between the same two schools: Sayreville and Roselle.

Sayreville Bombers Defeat Roselle Thanks To Strong First Half, 33-25

In the first half, Sayreville jumped out to a 20-10 lead going into the intermission, and then withstood a second half charge from Roselle to eke out a eight point, 33-25 victory in play from the 7th and 8th Grade Division. Over the first 5:45 of the second half, Roselle closed to within seven thanks to a 5-2 run that made the score, 22-15 with 14:15 left in regulation. The Runnin’ Rams attempted to use its quickness along with some pressure to try and climb back into the matchup. Almost two minutes later, Roselle got another field goal that made it a five point game at 22-17 with 12:25 left, and had an opportunity moments later to get even closer. With 12:18 to go in the game, Roselle was able to draw a foul on a scoring attempt, but misfired on the two charity shot attempts, and Sayreville remained in front by a five point margin. A little more than a half minute after that, Roselle got a stop on the defensive end, grabbed the rebound, and made an outlet pass upcourt to an open man, but the pass was too far, and went out of bounds with 10:40 to play.

Despite these two missed chances, the Runnin’ Rams still managed to pull within two on a three pointer from the top of the key that made it 22-20 with 9:22 left. Following a Sayreville timeout several seconds later, the Bombers replied with a trey of its own from the left side that pushed its advantage back up to five points at 25-20 with 6:39 left. The Bombers then had a chance to get more points, but the same player, who hit the three, missed a front end of a one and one with 4:53 left, and despite getting the offensive rebound, Sayreville turned the ball over. The turnover came in the form of a Roselle steal that was converted into points on a layup at the 4:19 mark to close the gap to three at 25-22. Roselle then made another layin almost exactly a minute later to pull within one at 25-24 with 3:18 to go. On its next offensive possession, Sayreville scored a layup of its own to go back up by three at 27-24 with 3:06 remaining.

The Runnin’ Rams could not get any closer as they could only manage to get a point on one of two from the foul line with 1:46 to play that made it a two point game at 27-25. Sayreville then closed out the game with six straight points including two free throws at the 55 second mark, a layup at the 28.6 second mark, and a final score on a layup with just under three seconds left to close out the 33-25 victory, and even its record on the summer at 1-1. Roselle falls to 0-2.

Sayreville Overcomes Early Deficit To Stun Roselle, 37-36 In High School Division

Raritan Bay Summer League–May 28, 2008

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–On Wednesday night, GMC Hoops again traveled out to the 2008 Raritan Bay Summer League at the air conditioned South Amboy Middle/High School for the final two games of the evening. This marked the fourth night of action overall, and the second night of the second week of games on the season schedule. It was a full docket of contests with matchups starting at 5:30 PM. As of this time, the web site is still waiting for results from the 5:30 PM and 6:30 PM games. In the first game at 5:30 PM, a late entry to the league, Colts Neck rolled to a 25-10 victory over St. Stan’s of Sayreville in action from the 3rd and 4th Grade Divisions, and then in the second game at 6;30 PM, Monroe edged the Scarlet Nets by a 31-25 margin in a game from the 5th and 6th Grade Division. Like the previous three nights so far this summer, GMC Hoops arrived during the course of the third game of the evening, which on Wednesday was between Monroe and St. Stan’s of Sayreville from the 7th and 8th Grade Division. Following that, the web site got a little bit of high school action as the G-Force Stallions took on North Brunswick in the nightcap.

Monroe Roars Past St. Stan’s, 60-24

Unfortunately, this game wasn’t much of a contest as Mario Danza came up with 12 points in the second half, and 18 for the game while teammate Ryan Stolte added 14 points on 7 field goals including 12 in the opening half to lead Monroe to a lopsided 60-24 victory over St. Stan’s. The Purple Birds, which were also paced by the perimeter shooting of Chris Germano and D.J. Mascali, who came off the bench in the second half to net some threes, jumped out to a commanding 35-6 lead at the intermission. Then, in the final period of play, St. Stan’s played much more respectably and competitively despite being outscored 25-18.

Arriving with about a minute to go in the first half, Monroe was already leading by a score of 31-6. Moments later, the Purple Birdies came up with a field goal that made the score, 33-6 with about 45 seconds to go before the brief break. Stolte then capped the first half scoring with a layup that made it 35-6. He then had an opportunity to get another basket, and pad the already exorbitant lead when he intercepted a pass at his own foul line, and raced past everyone upcourt for a layup attempt that just missed with a second to go. In the first period of play, Stolte had 12 points on 6 field goals, Germano added 6 points on three field goals, and Danza chipped in with 6 points on 2 field goals, and 2 of 4 from the foul line to combine for over 60 percent of Monroe’s scoring in the half. As a team, Monroe made 16 field goals, and clicked on 3 of 6 at the charity stripe for its points while St. Stan’s just made 3 field goals from the floor, and was 0 of 7 from the foul line.

In the second half, Monroe picked up right where it left off with a 16-3 tear over the first 4:27 for an insurmountable 51-9 advantage. Anthony Gurrierro got things going within the first 57 seconds of the half with a nice pass ahead to Eigerd on the break for a layup that made it 37-6. A little more than a minute later, Gurrierro was at it again with another assist on a Danza layup that followed an earlier score for a 6-0 run, and a 41-6 lead with exactly 18:00 left to play. The Falcons then scored another basket before Danza got a steal, and rambled up the left side for a layup that made it a 10-3 run to start the half, and made the score, 45-9. St. Stan’s had gotten on the board earlier with a three pointer for its first points of the second half. Following a St. Stan’s timeout at the 17:22 mark, Monroe put together some nice passing on the left side that was capped off by a great kickout by Stolte to Germano for a three pointer that made the score, 48-9 with 16:32 left.

Almost exactly a minute afterward, Mascali hit the first of a couple threes when he connected for a trifecta from the top of the key that made the score, 51-9 at the 15:33 mark. Over the next five and a half minutes or so, St. Stan’s tried to make inroads on its huge deficit with a couple baskets for a 4-0 run that made it, 51-13, but Mascali quelled that with a trey that made the score, 54-13 with 9:45 left. St. Stan’s then closed things out with an 11-6 showing to round out the final 60-24 score. In the second half, Monroe made three treys, and 8 field goals while St. Stan’s clicked on 7 of its field goal attempts, and 3 of 4 from the foul line. For the game. The Falcons made 24 field goals, 3 treys, and 3 of 6 at the line for its 60 points while, St. Stan’s made 10 field goals including a three, and 3 of 11 free throws for its 24 points. With the victory, Monroe improves to 1-1 on the summer while St. Stan’s falls to 0-2.

G-Force Stallions Even Up At .500 With Win Over North Brunswick, 58-38

After a fairly nip and tuck first half that saw North Brunswick take a 9-5 lead at one point thanks to seven unanswered points, the G-Force Stallions, which also have squads competing down in the 2008 Rebounds Spring League, took over with a 21-9 showing over the final 14:45 of the half to take a 26-18 lead en route to a 58-38 victory. The young Raiders, which were playing with only 6 guys, and also a bit younger than their counterparts, got ten points in the first half from soon to be freshman, Dillon Salva, who made two threes, and two field goals for his points. As a team, North Brunswick connected on five field goals, two threes, and 2 of 4 from the line for its 18 points. On the other hand, G-Force, which was paced by Woodbridge resident, Pablo Ozuna, who clicked on three field goals for six points, compiled its 26 points on 8 field goals, 2 threes, and 4 of 10 from the foul line.

Chipping in for G-Force was Mark Radil, who played freshman ball at St. Joseph’s. Radil added a field goal and a three pointer for 5 points while Jonathan Dayton Regional’s Kareem Jackson added a field goal, and 2 of 2 from the charity stripe for 4 points. In the second half, both teams increased their scoring output by combining for 52 points, but G-Force came up with the lion’s share to help it pull away to the 20 point win. The Stallions made 11 field goals as well as three treys, and one of two at the line for its 32 points while North Brunswick had 8 field goals including a three, and 3 of 6 from the foul line. Leading the charge in the final period of play was St. Patrick’s prospect, Seabrook, who ended up with 14 points on the night including three treys as well as a field goal for 12 second half points. For the game, the Stallions clicked for 19 field goals, 5 threes, and 5 of 12 from the foul line versus only 12 field goals, 3 treys, and 5 of 10 from the charity stripe. Salva, who has grown significantly since last summer, ended up with 2 threes and 3 treys for 12 points for the Raiders.

The game started out very competitively with a total of three lead changes and a tie over the first 6:55 of the contest. Neither team got on the board until about a minute in with G-Force took a 3-0 lead. Thirty seconds later, North Brunswick got a score that pulled it to within a point at 3-2 with 18:30 to go in the first half. The Stallions then had an opportunity to go back up by three points, but Radil misfired on a pair of foul shots at the 17:46 mark. Ozuna would pick up his teammate though with a score inside a little more than a half minute later for a 5-2 lead with 16:36 to go before the intermission. Then, the Raiders put together their most solid run of the game with seven straight points over a span of 1:51 to actually take a four point lead at 9-5. After a layup was scored at the 16:16 mark for a 5-4 G-Force lead, Salva netted a three pointer from well beyond the arc over on the left wing for a 7-5 lead with 15:28 to go before the intermission. Then, Salva scored again off a solid no look pass by Fortunato to make the score, 9-5 with 14:45 to play in the opening half.

Rallying back though, G-Force swiped a steal for an easy layup by Seabrook that made it a 4-0 run for the Stallions, and a 9-9 tie with inside 14 minutes to go in the first half. Then, following a North Brunswick timeout at the 13:55 mark, G-Force took the lead when Ozuna registered a bucket with a layin for a 6-0 run, and a 11-9 score at the 13:05 mark. Exactly a minute later, Ozuna struck again with a short shot from the right low block that made it an 8-0 run for a 13-9 advantage with 12:05 to go before the intermission. North Brunswick would get a three pointer from Salva again that closed the gap to one at 13-12, but Radil answered for G-Force with a trey from the left wing for a four point, 16-12 lead with 11:16 left in the first half. The Raiders got a bucket to trim the deficit in half before Bethea got one point back for G-Force with a one of two showing at the foul line that made it 17-14 at the 9:40 mark. Adding to their lead, the Stallions scored four more points to make it a 5-0 run, and a 21-14 lead before Salva connected on a short baseline jumper for a 21-16 score with 4:52 remaining before the brief break.

Nearly two full minutes went by before another score as Jackson netted his two free throws to increase G-Force’s advantage to seven at 23-16 with under three minutes to go in the half. North Brunswick then got its final points of the half on two free throws from Baldini that made the score, 23-18 at the two minute mark, but then G-Force closed out the half with three points to take an eight point lead into the short intermission. In the second half, the Stallions picked up right where it left off at the very end of the first period with a strong 21-7 surge over an 8:54 span following a half opening score by North Brunswick that blew the game open. Keying the surge was a 10-2 spurt highlighted by all three second half treys by Seabrook for a twenty point, 47-27 lead with 10:31 remaining.

North Brunswick was the first to strike in the second half with a steal for a layup from the right side at the 19:25 mark by Fortunato that made the score, 26-20. However, G-Force came right back with the next four points including an assist by Jackson on a layup by Davis as he was fouled, but he missed the bonus free throw, and the score remained 28-20 with 18:50 left in the game. Davis then followed that up with another score nearly two minutes later on a floater at the 17:05 mark that made it a ten point lead for G-Force, 30-20. Salva then got his only two points of the second half, and his final ones of the game on a baseline drive from the left side, and pivot for a turnaround jumper that closed the gap again to eight at 30-22 with 16:02 left. Seabrook then hit his first three pointer that pushed G-Force’s advantage back up to eleven at 33-22 before McIntosh netted one of two from the line for North Brunswick that made it a ten point game once more at 33-23 with 14:25 left.

G-Force then went on its binge that was fed by Seabrook’s propensity to make the perimeter shot, and that essentially blew the game wide open. Seabrook netted a three from the left wing following a score down low by McIntosh for a 40-25 lead with just under thirteen minutes to play. Tomasso then got into the act with a layup for a 42-25 lead that prompted head coach, Tom Salva to call for time with 12:35 left. The Stallions then scored six of the next nine points including another three by Seabrook with 10:31 to play, and a scoop shot by Radil at the 9:14 mark for a 49-28 lead. From there, G-Force was never threatened as it evened its record on the summer at 1-1 while North Brunswick dropped to 0-1.

Raritan Bay Summer League–May 27, 2008

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–On Tuesday night, the day after Memorial Day, action resumed at the 2008 Raritan Bay Summer League with a full slate of four games starting at 5:30 PM to begin the second week of the schedule. In the first game, St. Stan’s edged Monroe in the only game from the 3rd and 4th Grade Division, 16-15. Then, in the second contest, Parlin’s 7th and 8th Grade team defeated Roselle’s 5th and 6th Grade squad, 45-26.

GMC Hoops arrived for the third and fourth games of the evening as the site has done each night so far this summer. In that third game, Matawan was taking on Roselle in a battle from the 7th and 8th Grade Division while in the nightcap, it was the Battle of Sayreville as the Sayreville Stars dueled with the Sayreville Bombers for the town’s bragging rights. As always, Greg Machos received the finest hospitality that the Raritan Bay Summer League has to offer thanks to the great work of both Tom Reilly and Gary Lange, who both go to great lengths to make sure GMC Hoops has what it needs to cover the games played there.

Roselle Uses Pressure Defense To Key Crucial Second Half Spurt In 40-32 Victory

Leading by only one at 11-10 to go in the first half, Roselle outscored Matawan by a 7-1 margin to close out the first half for an 18-11 halftime lead. Then following two free throws by the Huskies at the 18:47 mark of the second half, the Runnin’ Rams utilized full court pressure to create mayhem and miscues for Matawan that resulted in a game deciding 13-0 spurt over a 3:53 span to take a commanding 31-13 lead, and ultimately a 40-32 victory.

When, GMC Hoops entered the gym at South Amboy Middle/High School, the game between Roselle and Matawan had already been underway for a bit. With 7:41 to go in the first half, the Runnin’ Rams of Roselle was up by a slim one point margin, 11-10. The score remained that way when there was a tie up that resulted in a jump ball, and alternate possession to Roselle with 6:11 left in the half. Almost a minute later, Roselle extended its lead to three points on a feed inside for a layup that made the score, 13-10 at the 5:15 mark. Roselle would eventually turn the ball over at the 4:20 mark, but Matawan, which called for a timeout still trailing by three with 3:42 left in the half, turned the ball over itself following the timeout with 3:36 to go before the brief intermission. Roselle then promptly took advantage with a layup to push its lead up to five at 15-10 with 3:20 to go in the period. About a minute and fifteen seconds later, Roselle made one of two at the foul line for a six point lead at 16-10.

Matawan would get its only points in the final 7:41 of the first half when it had a player step to the line, and make one of two from the charity stripe with 1:15 to go in the half for a 16-11 Roselle lead. However, the Runnin’ Rams got the final points of the first half on a nice move in traffic for a scoop shot that made the score, 18-11 at the break. At the start of the second half, Matawan closed to within five by scoring first with a pair of foul shots just 13 seconds into the new period that made the score, 18-13. Unfortunately, for Huskies followers, that would be as close as the squad would get for the rest of the game. The reason for that was the fact the Roselle stepped it up on the defensive end by applying some full court pressure. Pressuring Matawan in its own backcourt created confusion and chaos that resulted in a number of turnovers, which Roselle was very happy to convert into some form of points. Simply put, Roselle registered 13 unanswered points in a span of 3:53 that turned a somewhat close game into one on the verge of a blowout.

After missing two free throws at the 17:56 mark of the second half, Roselle got a score down low a little less than a minute later, which enabled the Rams to deploy its pressure defense. Moments after taking a 20-13 lead, the full court press created a steal that was quickly converted into a layup for a 22-13 lead at the 16:49 mark. On the very next inbounds, Roselle forced another miscue, and that resulted in another steal that led to a jumper from the left side for a 24-13 advantage with 16:35 remaining in the game. Following a Matawan timeout with 16:04 to play, the Runnin’ Rams went back to work with another steal that set up a three pointer from the top of the key for a 27-13 edge with 15:18 left. Over the next 24 seconds Roselle forced two more turnovers by Matawan that promptly ended up as points for a 31-13 lead. At that point, the press rule went into effect, and Matawan was able to gain some life, which started the team back on the road to a recovery that almost culminated with a comeback.

Starting slowly by just chipping away at the large deficit, Matawan got a bucket to end the 13-0 Roselle tear with about 14 minutes to play to close to within 16 at 31-15. Neither team would score for 2:16 before the Huskies got on the board again for a 4-0 run that prompted the Runnin’ Rams coaching staff to call for time at the 11:44 mark with the score still showing Roselle ahead, 31-17. Following the timeout, Matawan would get on the board at the 10:49 mark with a nice pass from about midcourt setting up a score down low for a 6-0 run that made it 31-19. Neither team scored for the next 3:39 before Matawan reaped the benefits of a long rebound off a three point attempt, and turned it into second chance points with a fadeaway jumper from the left side for a 31-21 lead at the 7:10 mark. The Huskies had a couple chances to pull even closer, but failed to convert, and when Roselle scored at the 4:57 mark to put an end to the 8-0 Matawan run for a 33-21 lead, hopes for a comeback were significantly dimmed.

Matawan would get to within eight points on a couple of occasions, and almost made a three to get within five, but Roselle refused to let them get any closer with a 7-4 run for a 40-29 lead at the 1:04 mark of the second half. The Runnin’ Rams yielded three points to Matawan down the stretch, but still came away with the 40-32 victory to even its record to 1-1 after losing 45-26 to Parlin in an earlier game on Tuesday.

Sayreville Stars Use Second Half Surge To Earn Town Bragging Rights

In the battle for the unofficial Mayor’s Trophy of Sayreville, the Sayreville Stars pulled away from a 19-8 halftime lead with a 33-13 showing in the second half for a convincing 52-21 victory despite having one of its best players, Danny Wojcik sitting the bench. Leading by only seven at 22-15 with 16:16 to go in the game, the Stars embarked on a decisive 17-0 surge that spanned 11:55 for an insurmountable, 39-15 lead. The Stars had closed out the first half with an 8-0 run to take the double digit lead into the brief intermission before the Bombers rallied with 7 of the first 10 points of the second half to make things interesting.

The Sayreville Stars went to work right away in this one by scoring the first five points on a layup just 50 seconds into the contest, one of two free throws by Danny Wojcik at the 17:50 mark for a 3-0 lead, and then an offensive rebound and follow in the key for a short jumper that made it 5-0 at the 16:47 mark. After the Sayreville Bombers got a steal for a breakaway layup that produced their first points of the game, the Sayreville Stars made it 7 of the first 9 points in the contest as Wojcik, the younger brother of coach and former Sayreville standout Tim Wojcik as well as another older brother and Ramapo College standout, John Wojcik, made a nice pass for an assist on a layup that made the score, 7-2 with 15:52 to play in the first half. The Bombers wouldn’t go away though. Making two steals for layups, the Bombers went on a 4-2 run that closed the gap to 9-6 with 12:31 to go before the intermission.

Following that exchange of six points, neither team scored for a span of about 10:49 in what was the longest scoring drought by two teams so far this summer at Raritan Bay. It wasn’t until the 1:42 mark of the first half that finally one of the teams broke through. Nevertheless, GMC Hoops was entertained by Gary Lange’s son as well as 8th Grade Class Vice Presidential candidate, Kyle Krzyzanowski, who also happens to be the son of retiring head coach, George Krzyzanowski, and brother of Centenary bound Colin Krzyzanowski, at the scorers table. The Sayreville Stars were the team to break the scoring drought with a steal for an easy layup that made the score, 11-6. Moments later, the Bombers came up with their first points in a while on a field goal that made it 11-8, but the Stars got the two points back with a bucket that made it 13-8 with 1:07 left before the intermission.

The Stars’ basket sparked a final 8-0 assault that closed out the first half for a 19-8 lead at the break. Capping the run was a frantic last second drive through traffic upcourt for a layup that gave the Sayreville Stars the 11 point halftime lead. In the second half, the Bombers came out scratching and clawing with 7 of the first 10 points over a span of just 3:44. Highlighting the early run was a three pointer that banked in at the 18:01 mark that made the score, 22-13, and a jumper from the left side for a 22-15 Sayreville Stars lead at the 16:16 mark. However, the Bombers would not get any closer as the Stars went on their 17-0 rampage that spanned nearly 12 minutes for the commanding 39-15 lead. The Bombers would not score again until there was 4:21 left in the game on a layup from the right wing that made it a 39-17 Stars lead. The winners then closed out the contest with a 13-4 run that rounded out the final 52-21 score.

With the victory, the Sayreville Stars improved to 1-0 while the Sayreville Bombers fell to 0-1. On Wednesday night, there will again be a full slate of games starting at 5:30 PM including one from the 3rd and 4th Grade Divisions as well as one from the High School Division. GMC Hoops plans to be there to cover the final two games of the night.

Raritan Bay Summer League–May 22, 2008

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–On Thursday night, the first week of action concluded at the 2008 Raritan Bay Summer League over in South Amboy with a full schedule of games starting at 5:30 PM. After a scheduling snafu postponed action at the last minute on Wednesday night, four games were played on Thursday at the air conditioned South Amboy Middle/High School. In the first game held at 5:30 PM, South Amboy defeated the Scarlet Nets by a score of 30-18 in a contest from the 5th and 6th Grade Division. Then, at 6:30 PM, South Amboy edge Monroe by a score of 19-10 in a game from the 3rd and 4th Grade Division.

Like Tuesday, GMC Hoops came down for the final two games of the evening including the first contest covered by the site for the High School Division. At 7:30 PM, the Monmouth Breakers AAU team with players mostly in Monmouth County, and consisting of a large contingent of players from Middletown North, took on Sayreville in the High School game of the night. The Breakers played earlier in the week in the season opener against G-Force, and won 47-31. Meanwhile, Sayreville was yet to play this season. As a matter of fact, many of the high school teams will not be competing until the summer since they prefer to have their coach from the regular season coaching them. However, once play begins be assured that there will be a lot of great action from this division for the first time since the inaugural season of GMC Hoops coverage of this league in 2004. In the nightcap, Metuchen took on St. Stan’s of Sayreville in a 7th and 8th Grade Division contest.

Breakers Roll To Second Straight Win To Start Summer, 64-26

Greg Machos was very happy to finally catch some of the high school action from this league. The nice thing about the Raritan Bay Summer League this season is that it is starting so early. It gives GMC Hoops a chance to come down, and take in some of the action over here since there aren’t many opportunities to do so once the real summer league season kicks in during the middle of June. On top of that, when we do come over to take in some games, very rarely do we get the opportunity to see a high school matchup. So, when the Monmouth Breakers took on Sayreville in the 7:30 PM game, it was a rare treat for the web site.

The Breakers have a number of talented players. Most notably from a local, or GMC perspective, the Monroe tandem of Alex Vizcaino and Matt Gorham. Both of these players are quite familiar with the Raritan Bay Summer League since they competed here a couple years ago as 7th Graders going into 8th Grade along with teammates such as Kayshon Stroughn. During the regular season, Vizcaino played a pivotal role in Monroe’s victory over Woodbridge in the GMC Hoops Freshmen Game of the Week. In that February 1st matchup against the Little Barrons, Vizcaino came up with a game high 16 points on 5 of 9 shooting from the floor, and 3 of 4 from the line while also collecting 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds over the final two periods of play.

Moving along with the Breakers roster, Cory Soanes is perhaps the most talented player on the team. Roughly a 5′9″ guard, Soanes is highly touted, and will be playing basketball at St. Anthony’s next season. In addition to Soanes, Kyle Rean, the son of head coach, Ric Rean, comes from Matawan along with Brian Dailey while five other players come from Middletown North. The group of players from Middletown include: Chris Anderson, who clicked on two long range jumpers toward the end of the contest, his brother Matt Anderson, Tom DeGrushe, Rob Esser, and John Martens. As mentioned earlier at the top of this article, the Monmouth Breakers began their season on opening night with a game against G-Force, which is coached by Kareem Jackson. In a contest that was described by both Tom Reilly and Gary Lange of the Raritan Bay Summer League as a really well played contest, the Breakers were too much for G-Force in a 61-47 victory.

In this particular contest, Sayreville didn’t offer as much opposition as G-Force did. In the first half, the Breakers rolled out to a 25-11 lead. Then, after GMC Hoops arrived for the start of the second half, the Breakers continued to dominate with a 39-15 showing in the final period to win convincingly, 64-26. Over the first four minutes of the second half, the Monmouth Breakers scored the first eight points for a 33-11 lead. Highlighting the run was a field goal at the 19:50 mark for a 27-11 lead, a fast break opportunity that culminated with a short jumper by Soanes at the 17:27 mark to make the score, 29-11, a steal for a layup by Soanes with 17:07 to go in the contest, and then another steal by Soanes that led to another field goal by the St. Anthony’s prospect for a 22 point lead with 16:12 remaining in the contest.

Sayreville finally got on the board in the second half with a field goal at exactly the 16 minute mark to pull within twenty again at 33-13. The bucket sparked a 9-9 standoff between the two teams over the next 4:49 that made the score, 42-20 in favor of the Breakers with 11:11 left in the game. Following a timeout, the Monmouth based AAU squad finished off Sayreville with a 20-2 surge over the next 8:36 for an insurmountable 62-22 lead with only 2:35 to go. Highlighting the outburst was a one of two showing from the foul line by Dailey at the 6:16 mark, an offensive rebound and putback by Rean at the 4:49 mark, an assist by Vizcaino on a jumper by Chris Anderson at the 3:00 mark, and finally a long bomb of a three pointer from the right wing by Anderson at the 2:35 mark for the forty point advantage. Sayreville then closed things out with four of the final six points to round out the 64-26 rout. The Breakers are now 2-0 on the summer while Sayreville fell to 0-1.

Metuchen Notches First Win Of Summer, 40-18

In the final game of the night, Metuchen took on St. Stan’s of Sayreville in action from the 7th and 8th Grade Division. Entering the game, Metuchen was 0-1 after losing on opening night to Parlin by one point while St. Stan’s was playing in its first game of the summer. Like the game before it, this contest was not really that close. Metuchen, which was without the services of big man, Dorian Miller, jumped out to a 12-3 lead in the first 8:48 of the game, and never really looked back as it lead 22-9 at the half, and cruised to a 40-18 victory.

At the start of the game, St. Stan’s got on the board first with a jumper from the right side that got a kind bounce at the 18:46 mark for a 2-0 lead. Aaron Lewis, who picked up the slack for the Bulldogs in Miller’s absence, responded right away on the very next possession with a drive from the right wing for a floater that tied the game at 2-2 with 18:33 to go in the first half. A little more than a half minute later, St. Stan’s took its final lead of the game with one of two from the foul line that made the score, 3-2 at the 17:55 mark. Then, Metuchen took over the contest with 10 straight points for a nine point lead. Sparking the spurt was an offensive rebound and putback at the 17:29 mark for a 4-3 lead. The same player would get the next score of the contest that was a result of hard work and hustle as an offensive rebound and save eventually turned into a foul line jumper for a 6-3 Metuchen lead with 15:01 to go in the game.

Another minute and a half, or so would pass before another score as Metuchen would get a steal, and convert it into a layup for an 8-3 lead at the 13:26 mark. About a minute after that, the Bulldogs were on the board again as nice ball movement lead to a jumper from the right wing for a 10-3 edge with 12:24 to go in the first half. Following a Buldog timeout at the 11:27 mark, Metuchen got another basket with a score in the paint for a 12-3 lead. Neither team would score for over three minutes before St. Stan’s ended its near ten minute scoring drought with a basket in the right low block while being fouled. Despite missing the bonus free throw for the traditional three point play, the Sayreville based Catholic school was now only trailing 12-5 with 8:02 to play in the first half.

Like the game against Parlin two nights earlier, scoring was at a premium for a while in the first half for Metuchen. The Bulldogs would finally end a nearly five and a half minute scoring drought with one of two from the foul line for a 13-5 lead with 5:39 to play before the intermission. Metuchen would have another opportunity to score when a player was fouled on a drive from the left side with 4:20 to go in the first half, but he misfired on the subsequent free throws so the lead remained at eight. Nearly a minute and a half later, St. Stan’s got a steal, and drove through the middle for a layup that closed the gap to six at 13-7 with 2:56 left in the first half. However, that would be the closest the Sayreville school would be for the rest of the game. Metuchen closed the opening period with a 9-2 spurt that was sparked by one of two free throws followed by an offensive rebound and putback of the missed foul shot for a 16-7 lead with 2:21 to go before halftime. The Bulldogs then scored six of the last eight points to take a 22-9 lead into the brief break.

In the second half, Metuchen doubled the output of St. Stan’s to increase its final margin of victory to 22. However, for a time in the final period of play, the game was close with St. Stan’s pulling to within an even dozen of Metuchen at 28-16 with about eight minutes left. However, the Bulldogs shut down their opponent with a 12-2 tear over the last 7:39 for the somewhat easy victory. Coming out of the intermission, Metuchen went right back to work with the first four points of the second half. Aaron Miller got both baskets including a breakaway layup off a nice rebound and outlet by a teammate at the 19:50 mark for a 24-9 lead, and then another breakaway layup some 20 seconds or so later for a 26-9 advantage with 19:31 to go in the game. Moments later, Ron Maderia, the head coach for St. Stan’s, called for time at the 19:26 mark. Following the timeout, St. Stan’s showed some resolved by storming back with four straight points of its own over a span of 3:30 including a steal for a layup that cut the deficit in half at 26-13 with 16:56 left.

Metuchen would get another score to go up by fifteen before St. Stan’s made one of two at the foul line with 15:50 remaining for a 28-14 lead. Over the next 8:11, both teams combined for only three points as Metuchen would net one of two from the charity stripe shortly after St. Stan’s got a field goal to make the score, 29-16. However, the Bulldogs would take over the rest of the game from there with 11 of the final 13 points for the 40-18 win. With the victory, Metuchen improved to .500 at 1-1 while St. Stan’s fell to 0-1. There are no games scheduled for Monday due to the Memorial Day holiday, but action will resume on Tuesday with a full slate of games starting at 5:30 PM.

Raritan Bay Summer League–May 20, 2008

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–After being delayed one day, and having another round of games scrapped due to last minute scheduling snafus, the 2008 Raritan Bay Summer League finally got underway on Tuesday night at South Amboy Middle/High School. Marking the official start to the GMC Hoops Summer League season, Raritan Bay began with a full slate of games that commenced at 5:30 PM with Milltown defeating the Scarlet Nets in the first contest of the quadrupleheader, 40-30. In the second game of the opening night schedule, the Breakers took on G-Force in the first high school game of the season, and the Breakers came away winners with a 47-31 victory. GMC Hoops then arrived for the final two games of the night including Monroe versus Matawan at 7:30 PM, and Metuchen against Parlin at 8:30 PM.

Matawan Rolls Past Monroe, 46-14

For the past two seasons at the Raritan Bay Summer League, the Monroe Falcons 7th and 8th Grade team has been one of the more dominant teams in their division. However, their opening night matchup with Matawan may have revealed that their reign could be in a bit of trouble. The Northern Monmouth County team scored 22 of the first 25 points over the opening 16:30 of the game, and only allowed three more points the rest of the half to take a 22-6 lead. Then, in the second half, the visitors from Route 34 scored 18 of the first 19 points of the second half to take a commanding 40-7 lead before the Falcons made things a bit more respectable with four of the final ten points in a 46-14 loss.

Matawan used its size advantage, and made Monroe pay for its mistakes with easy baskets. After claiming the 16 point halftime lead, Matawan opened the scoring in the second half with a steal for a layup that made it 24-6 at the 19:15 mark. About a minute and forty-five seconds later, Matawan added another field goal for a twenty point edge with 17:30 to play. Getting a stop on its next defensive series, Matawan made a 6-0 run to begin the second half with an offensive rebound and putback that made the score, 28-6 with 17:07 to go. The Falcons continued to have problems handling Matawan’s pressure, and coughed up another turnover, which turned into a fast break opportunity that was converted into a layup. Fouled on the play, Matawan failed to convert the traditional three point play by missing the bonus free throw, but the score still stood at 30-6 with 16:41 left.

Almost a minute later, Matawan was back at it again with yet another transition opportunity that they executed very well thanks to some nice passing for a layup that made it 32-6 at the 15:49 mark. Matawan would add another score while Monroe wouldn’t get on the board until the 12:02 mark of the second half on a one of two free throw shooting effort by Browne that made the score, 34-7. The visitors from Monmouth County then reeled off six more points to take an insurmountable, 40-7 lead before Stolte netted a three pointer from a left wing that made the score, 40-10 with 7:15 to go. The Falcons then added four of the next six points including a layin at the 4:12 mark, and then a pair of foul shots by Stolte at the 2:48 mark for a 42-14 Matawan advantage. The winners then closed out the game with the final four points for a 46-14 victory to go 1-0 on the season while Monroe fell to 0-1.

Parlin Edges Metuchen In Low Scoring Barnburner, 21-20

Prior to the start of the nightcap game on opening night, GMC Hoops happened to notice some familiar faces arrive at the South Amboy Middle/High School Gym to see the Metuchen Bulldogs in action. DeJuan Miller and Phil Lewis, standouts on the Metuchen varsity team this past season came to see their younger brothers in action against Parlin. Dorian Miller, a behemoth in the middle for the younger Bulldogs was quite a force in side with just his physical presence alone. Meanwhile, Aaron Lewis showed quite a bit of hustle and quickness on the floor. Bottom line, these two along with several other players who made nice plays for Metuchen have the future of the high school program looking up. With the departure of the elder Miller, who ironically played his final game on South Amboy’s court in a opening round loss in the Central Jersey Group I State Tournament, it’s good to see the Bulldogs have some good talent down at the lower levels to compliment the likes of Cody Preston, Evan Carberry, Elijah Sellers, and the elder Lewis.

Moving on to the game, Metuchen started the game strong with 8 of the first 10 points over the first 10:08 for a six point lead only to have Parlin rally with the final eight points of the half to take a two point lead into the brief intermission. The Bulldogs took advantage of Dorian Miller’s presence down low to take a 6-2 lead in the first eight minutes, and then Miller, who missed two free throws moments earlier, capped the opening spurt with a layup at the 9:52 mark. Then, Parlin, where Sayreville War Memorial High School is actually located, began to chip away at the deficit with one of two from the line at the nine minute mark that made the score, 8-3. Neither team got on the board for nearly the next four minutes until Parlin scored a basket off a pass to the left side for a layup that closed the gap to 8-5 at the 5:07 mark.

Fifty seconds later, Parlin was knocking on the door again as a player was fouled. When he misfired on both free throw attempts, the team managed to take advantage of Miller going to the bench with his second foul by grabbing the offensive board, and putting it back in for an 8-7 Metuchen lead with 4:17 to go before the half. Nearly two minutes later, Parlin tied the game up with a one of two showing at the foul line to make the score, 8-8 with 2:22 to go until halftime. On the next Metuchen possession, a player came up with a nifty dribble move that even drew a reaction from DeJuan Miller, and set up a drive from the right sideline to draw a foul. Unfortunately, he couldn’t cash in on the fine effort because he missed two free throws, and the score remained tied at 8-8 with exactly two minutes left in the first half.

Parlin then took the lead on a drive for a layup with 22 seconds left in the half to make the score, 10-8 as both teams went to their respective sidelines for the brief break. The second half saw a bit more scoring than in the first 20 minutes, but it was still lacking in offensive firepower. Metuchen continued its scoreless drought into the second half as it ended up being a 14:07 span between baskets. With 18:30 to go in the contest, Parlin made one of two from the line for a three point, 11-8 lead. Parlin then got on the board again with a bank shot over the hands of Dorian Miller for a five point lead at 13-8 with 17:47 to go. The Bulldogs finally ended the drought with a nice drive through the key for a shot that got a kind roll for a 13-10 Parlin lead with 15:35 left. Parlin would get another bucket to go back up by five at 15-10 when Metuchen called timeout with just inside 13 minutes to play in regulation.

Over the next 5:51, the Bulldogs rallied with nine straight points including a basket at the 12:07 mark, a three pointer that banked in at the 10:33 mark following a block by Miller, a finish by Miller with 9:03 left, and then another score down low on the right low block at the 7:05 mark that made the score, 19-15. The next 4:51 saw Parlin claw right back into the lead with six straight points including two foul shots at the 5:47 mark, a jumper from the left wing with 4:05 to go, and a pair of one of two free throw efforts by the same player following fouls on drives from opposite sides of the floor that made the score, 21-19 at the 2:14 mark. Miller then got the final points for Metuchen when he grabbed an offensive board, and drew a foul on the follow that resulted in one of two charity shots with 1:46 left.

Down the stretch, the Bulldogs had numerous opportunities to pull out the win. However, they failed to capitalize. With 39 seconds left, Miller missed a shot in the left low block. Eleven seconds later, Metuchen got a stop, and Miller grabbed the board. He then threw an outlet pass upcourt that couldn’t be converted when the Bulldogs threw the ball away with 28 seconds to go. Metuchen then made another miscue with 13 seconds left, and then after getting the ball back on a steal, the Bulldogs failed to make the layup with 1.5 to go. Fortunately for the time being, the ball went out of bounds off of Parlin so Metuchen had one more chance. Following a Bulldog timeout with 1.3 left, the inbounds pass went to Miller, who then misfired on the layup attempt as time expired with Parlin winning, 21-20. With the victory, Parlin improved to 1-0 while Metuchen, which will compete on Thursday against St. Stan’s, fell to 0-1.

Rebounds Spring League–May 12, 2008

NEPTUNE, NJ–On Monday night, the second week of May, and the fourth week of action overall at the 2008 Rebounds Spring League took place at the Rebounds facility in Neptune. Once again, East Brunswick, the lone GMC combatant in this league took to the floor as they took on an AAU squad in the Mid-Jersey Heat in a 9:00 PM contest over on the Knicks Court. Meanwhile, at the same time on the Celtics Court, Toms River East, which is currently coached during the regular season by former South Brunswick head coach, Tom Carpenter, went to battle against another AAU squad in G-Force Gold, which is coached by Bob Gomulka, the father of Rob Gomulka, who played on the St. Joseph’s Junior Varsity. The last time the Bears played over on the Knicks Court, they pulled off a come from behind victory over St. John Vianney on opening night.

Toms River East Remains Undefeated With Victory Over G-Force Gold

After losing a hard fought battle in overtime against Ocean County rival, Lakewood last week, Toms River East was looking to get itself on the right track again when it took on, G-Force Gold, an AAU squad that consists of players that compete in Union and Middlesex County during the regular season. Toms River East dominated the first half with a decisive 13-0 run that turned a 9-7 deficit into a 20-9 lead before going into the locker room ahead by ten, 20-10 at the half. For the first 9:08, the game was fairly nip and tuck with both teams exchanging leads several times before the Raiders took over. In the first 2:51, G-Force Gold scored four of the first six points for a 4-2 lead at the 17:09 mark. About forty seconds later, Toms River East cut the deficit in half to one at 4-3 on one of two free throws at the 16:28 mark.

Over the next 5:36, there were a few more lead changes before G-Force Gold took an 8-7 lead only to have Toms River East scoring two of the next three points to knot things up at 9-9 with 10:52 to go before the brief break. About a minute and a half later, the Raiders took the lead for good with a basket that made the score, 11-9 at the 9:27 mark. Over the next 2:42, Toms River East increased its lead to four with a field goal that made the score, 13-9 with 6:45 to go before halftime. Thirty-five seconds after that, the Raiders scored again on a layup while being fouled, but missed the bonus free throw for a 15-9 advantage with 6:10 to go in the first half. Over the next 4:32, TRE scored five straight points to take a commanding double digit lead at 20-9 with 2:44 to go in the half. G-Force Gold then scored the final points of the first half on a one of two showing at the foul line for a 20-10 Raider edge at the intermission.

In the second half, Toms River East got on the board first with a foul shot for a 21-10 advantage at the 18:30 mark. Over the next 3:06 though, G-Force Gold made its most significant run of the game with a 9-2 spurt to pull within four at 23-19 Raider lead with 15:24 to go in the game. G-Force continued to battle with a one of two showing at the foul line with 14:02 to play for a 23-20 TRE lead. Although Toms River East managed to maintain the lead over the next 2:50, G-Force Gold continued to creep back into the game with a 3-2 run for a 25-23 Raider edge with 11:12 remaining. Finally, the AAU squad based from Union County tied the matchup again with a score at the 9:07 mark that made it 25-25. Unfortunately, the comeback took a lot of starch out of G-Force as Toms River East embarked on a crucial 10-2 tear over the next 3:56 to take a 35-27 lead with 5:11 left. Highlighting the key spurt was a layup at the 6:23 mark, another layup off a pump fake down low at the 5:26 mark, and a layin at the 5:11 mark.

G-Force Gold fought valiantly to get back into the contest, but could not get any closer than six points. The Raiders actually had leads of eight and ten points after layups scored at the 4:05 and 3:00 marks, and had enough distance between them and their opponent for the 41-35 win. With the victory, TRE, which actually won by forefeit last week despite the overtime loss to Lakewood, is now 4-0 while G-Force Gold dropped to 1-3 on the season.

East Brunswick Unable To Get Over Hump Versus Mid-Jersey Heat, 54-45

While Toms River East was staying unbeaten by defeating G-Force Gold on an adjacent court, East Brunswick was taking on the Mid-Jersey Heat on the court where the Bears got its only victory so far this spring. On opening night, the Bears came up with timely shot after timely shot in a come from behind effort that overcame an 18 point deficit versus St. John Vianney of Holmdel for a one point, 54-53 win. Unfortunately, the karma of the Knicks court didn’t help the Bears this time. The combination of the Mid-Jersey Heat’s size, quickness, and athleticism along with an up-tempo game joined forces with East Brunswick’s ineptitude at the free throw line (0 of 2 FTs on four different occasions) and from the perimeter ultimately cost the Bears the game.

For the contest, EB was 1 of 11 overall from the charity stripe for 9.1 percent while the Heat were better by going 6 of 11 for 54.5 percent. In addition, EBHS made only two three point shots the entire game including one at the 8:32 mark of the second half when Mauro Tucci drained a deep trey off an assist by teammate Dustin Schuld that closed the gap to 36-33. Meanwhile, the Mid-Jersey Heat, an AAU team, made a fortune by scoring on the inside, and converting easy basket opportunities with layups. Nevertheless, the Heat could not amass a lead bigger than eleven points while the Bears came within two and three points on several occasions. Unfortunately, East Brunswick was unable to get over the hump, and come away with the win as the Heat emerged victorious, 54-45.

The fast paced game started out ominously for both teams as neither team couldn’t put the ball in the basket for the first three plus minutes before EB had an opportunity to get on the board at the 16:56 mark. Kevin Johnson was fouled on a shot attempt in the left low block after a steal by Alec Mayo off a mishandled dribble by the Heat. However, Johnson misfired on both his free throw attempts, and the game remained scoreless. Nearly another minute passed before there was finally a score. With 16:06 to go in the first half, the Heat got fouled on a layup attempt that resulted in one of two free throws for a 1-0 lead. The first field goal of the contest didn’t occur until the 14:21 mark when Mayo grabbed a rebound, and threw an outlet pass upcourt to Johnson for a layin, and a 2-1 lead.

However, EB’s lead didn’t last long as the Mid-Jersey Heat not only took the lead back with a layin of its own at the 14:07 mark, but the score also sparked a 12-3 spurt over the next 6:32 for a 13-5 lead at the 7:35 mark. Now leading 3-2, the Heat added a one of two free throw effort for a 4-2 lead with exactly 13 minutes left in the opening half. On a subsequent Bears possession, East Brunswick shot itself in the foot with a traveling violation at the 12:17 mark. Shortly afterward, the Mid-Jersey Heat took advantage of its size advantage down low with a layup in the left low block while drawing a foul. Unable to take advantage of the traditional three point play opportunity, the Heat misfired on the bonus foul shot, and the score stood at 6-2 with 11:55 to go in the half. Forty seconds later though, the height advantage came into play again with two offensive rebounds by the Heat that led to a foul, and one of two free throws at the line for a 7-2 edge at the 11:15 mark.

On its next offensive possession, East Brunswick would get its only field goal during the run to trim the deficit to 7-4 with exactly 11 minutes to go before the brief intermission. The Mid-Jersey Heat would get a score of its own to answer the Bear bucket, and EB only got one of two at the line with 8:26 left in the half to make the score, 9-5. Then, the Heat got a layup for an 11-5 lead while East Brunswick committed a miscue by traveling in the key with just under eight minutes to go until halftime. The Mid-Jersey Heat then took advantage of the turnover by scoring a layup to finish off the run for the eight point, 13-5 lead at the 7:35 mark. Bears don’t like being cornered animals, and began to claw their way back with a three pointer on its next trip down the floor for a 13-8 Heat lead at the 7:22 mark. A little while after that, Mayo came up with a steal for a layup that made it 13-10 with 6:54 to go in the half.

The Mid-Jersey Heat then promptly called for time at the 6:50 mark, and after the timeout, quickly went back to work with a reverse layup for a five point, 15-10 lead with 6:40 remaining in the first half. EB then lost the ball out of bounds for a costly turnover at the 6:31 mark. Although the Heat didn’t take advantage of the error, they would force another turnover that they did convert to a score with a steal for a fast break layup that made it 17-10 with exactly six minutes to go in the first half. The Heat then got another basket, and then added one of two at the line to double EB’s scoring output at 20-10 with 4:09 to play in the half. A little more than a half minute after that, Nick Navara came up with a great feed into the paint that ended up as two points for a 20-12 Heat lead at the 3:30 mark. Schuld then followed suit with a drive into the key for a floater that made the score, 22-16 as the Bears outscored the Heat 6-2 over a 2:28 span.

East Brunswick had an opportunity to get even closer as a player drew a foul on a scoring chance, but misfired on both free throws, and despite getting the offensive rebound, the Bears ended up turning the ball over with about a little more than a minute to go in the half. The Mid-Jersey Heat then got a score moments later to push its lead back to eight entering the final moments of the first half. In the waning seconds of the first half, Navara swiped a steal that led to a great feed for a layup that trimmed the deficit to only six at the half, 24-18. In the second half, the Heat would resist the advances made by EB in the latter portion of the first half, and throughout the final period of play with a 30-27 showing for the nine point victory. However, things didn’t start out smoothly as East Brunswick came up with a steal that got into the hands of Mayo, who handed out an assist on a layup that opened the second half scoring to make it 24-20 at the 19:25 mark.

A little less than a half minute later, Johnson came up with a steal and assist on a Tucci layup that pulled the Bears to within two at exactly the 19 minute mark, 24-22. A half minute later though, the Mid-Jersey Heat came up with a nice feed to the cutter for a layin from the right side, 26-22 at the 18:26 mark. The AAU team came up with a nice defensive sequence as they got a shot block on a Mayo shot attempt that was set up nicely by a Johnson steal and dish with 17:52 to play in the game. Ten seconds later, East Brunswick failed to score as an offensive rebound off a missed Mayo jumper resulted in a foul, and two missed free throws with 17:42 to go. Finally, about 50 seconds later, the Bears came up with a nice fast break play as Johnson passed off to Mayo, who dished to Tucci for a layup, and a 26-24 Heat lead with 16:54 to play in regulation. With the Bears on its heels, the Mid-Jersey Heat came up with a crucial 8-0 spurt over a 2:46 span to take a ten point, 34-24 lead with 14:08 to go.

The spurt began innocently with a layup at the 16:47 mark, ad then continued with back to back layups over a 1:22 span that made it 32-24. Over another minute would go by before the Heat handed out a nice pass underneath to a cutter off the inbounds for the double digit lead. East Brunswick compounded their now perilous situation by misfiring again on both free throw attempts at the other end with 10:48 to play, but the Bears would finally start digging themselves out of the hole when Tucci came up with a steal for a layup from the left side to put a halt to the 8-0 run, and made the score, 34-26 with 10:30 to play. Tucci then continued to put forth a solid effort by picking up a steal, and handing out an assist on a Schuld layup with 9:35 to play that made the score, 34-28. Both teams would exchange scores before Tucci’s three made it a three point game at 36-33 with 8:32 left.

Once again though, the Mid-Jersey Heat would put its opponent at arm’s length with another key 8-0 run that included layups at the 7:56 and 7:15 marks, a jumper from the left wing with 6:40 to go, and a pair of free throws that resulted from a Bear technical foul at the 5:54 mark for a 44-33 lead. But the visitors from Middlesex County continued to show the fortitude it has had all spring with 12-6 spurt over the next 4:54 to pull within five with a minute to go in the game. Following a timeout at the 5:06 mark, EB got going for its final push with a layin by Johnson at the 4:45 mark. Mayo then followed that up quickly with a steal for a layup at the 4:30 mark. Schuld then made a nice defensive play to prevent a layup at the 2:26 mark, and Mayo got yet another steal for a layup to close the gap to five at 50-45 with time running out. However, the Bears were unable to get any closer as the Heat ended the game with the final four points for the 54-45 victory.

With the victory, the Mid-Jersey Heat improved to .500 at 2-2 on the spring while East Brunswick fell to 1-3 overall. Both teams will be back in action next Monday with the Bears playing undefeated Lakewood on the Celtics court at 8:00 PM, and the Heat taking on Point Pleasant Boro on Celtics court right after at 9:00 PM.

Timothy Christian Welcome Addition To GMC Gold Come 2010 Season

Good afternoon. I continue to be very busy updating the news section of the GMC Hoops web site with the latest commitments and announcements concerning GMC players and teams. In addition, I have been out at games down at the 2008 Raritan Bay Summer League in South Amboy, and plan to be working on them soon in addition to completing the write-up on action from May 12th at the 2008 Rebounds Spring League in Neptune. However, I wanted to take this opportunity to comment on something that I read in Saturday’s Home News-Tribune.

In the Locker Room section of today’s Home News-Tribune, it was revealed that Timothy Christian School, a small private school situated on Ethel Road in Piscataway, has become a member of the Greater Middlesex Conference. Starting in the 2010 academic year, the Tigers, which have long played teams from the GMC such as Highland Park, South River, Metuchen, Spotswood, South Amboy, and Piscataway Tech, will begin competing in the conference as a member of the GMC Gold Division. Timothy Christian is filling the void left behind in the wake of the closing of St. Peter’s High School in New Brunswick. TCS has had a long tradition of turning out fine basketball players. Most notably the Waszaj brothers during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

This past season, the GMC Gold only had five members in boys basketball: Dunellen, East Brunswick Tech, Perth Amboy Tech, Piscataway Tech, and division champ, South Amboy. Next year, things will remain status quo. However, in the 2010-11 season though, TCS will become the sixth team. GMC Hoops is very happy to see Timothy Christian join the conference. TCS, a member of the Patriot Conference for several years after being an independent, is a good fit since it already plays a number of the schools in the GMC, and most importantly, it is located within the borders of Middlesex County, and is within a short ride to several of the schools in the conference including future rivals, Dunellen and Piscataway Tech. For the Tigers, joining the GMC has its benefits such as being able to compete in post season tournaments, and also getting more of the spotlight to shine on its athletes.

When the Timothy Christian Tigers play their first home game, GMC Hoops will make every attempt to be there in order to cover this historic event. Starting in the 2001-02 season, the second in the history of the web site, the site founder, Greg Machos, began an initiative to travel to every gym in the GMC, and completed that task in the 2003 season while attending several Perth Amboy Tech games after the opening of its new school in gym several years ago. The last time, GMC Hoops covered a game at Timothy Christian was in the first season of the site, 2000-01 when it lost to South River in overtime. GMC Hoops would like to be amongst the first to extend a warm welcome to the conference’s newest member, Timothy Christian.

4 Million Hits For GMC Hoops During Period Of May 2007 To April 2008

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–Over the past eight plus years of covering GMC Boys Basketball, there have been a lot of milestones crossed by GMC Hoops. However, this latest one may be the most satisfying of all. According to the latest web site statistics courtesy of Jumpline.com, GMC Hoops received over 4 million hits during the period starting on May 1, 2007, and ending on April 30, 2008. The site had a very busy month even in April with a total of 237,000 hits, which is more than what the site saw each month during the period of the summer and fall league months of June to November. Once again, Greg Machos thanks all of you for your support.

HBC Gets A New Name And Location For 2008

NEPTUNE, NJ–On Wednesday, GMC Hoops learned that the Hoop Group based at Rebounds in Monmouth County has given the HBC a new look and feel for this year’s annual event scheduled for the first weekend of summer. As of today’s press release from Matthew Quinn, the HBC, which stood for the High School Basketball Championship, is now called the Hoop Group Showcase. In addition, the event now has a new logo and location. The event will take place on June 21st and 22nd at Rutgers University. GMC Hoops plans to be there to cover some of the event. Last year, the web site traveled to Seton Hall to catch the first day of action.

2008 Linden Team Camp Still Looking For One More Team

LINDEN, NJ–On Monday, GMC Hoops received word from Linden High School assistant basketball coach, and former Rahway head coach, Marty Luc that the 2008 Linden Team Camp is still looking for one more team to compete in the third annual team camp that is scheduled to start on June 16th. Originally, Luc indicated that he had enough teams for the camp, but recently learned that a team was pulling out. So, if there are any teams that are looking to compete in a team camp, this one could be the one for you. The Linden Team Camp emerged from the shadows of Kean Team Week after that team camp was discontinued in 2005. For further information, please contact Marty Luc at either 908-403-3865, or lindenbasketball1@comcast.net.