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Cell Phone Footage–2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout

Here are video highlights from the 2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout. I captured highlights from action in seven of the games I saw last weekend. Two of the contests involved Piscataway while another involved Plainfield. While the overall quality is not as good as it is with my digital camcorder since I used my cell phone, the action captured was very good. Hope you enjoy!

2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout–Analysis

ALLENTOWN, NJ–For the second straight summer, and third since the site came into existence, GMC Hoops covered the Summer Prime Time Shootout. This was the biggest Summer Prime Time ever with 72 games over three days involving 36 different teams. Sixteen contests were played on Friday while 28 were played on both Saturday and Sunday. The site saw 20 of those games including two that involved teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference. There were only two teams from the GMC competing this year as Piscataway and St. Joseph’s represented the conference in this event. Monroe was scheduled to play originally, but backed out since a number of key players were on vacation for the week.

There were a number of conferences represented in this event. Not only from the state of New Jersey, but also from Connecticut, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania. While the two teams from the GMC were a combined 2-6, they were both very competitive. St. Joseph’s had a 14 point lead at one point against Shabazz of Newark, and led 29-28 at the half before the Bulldogs rallied with a 35-18 showing in the second half to win 63-47. Meanwhile, P-Way lost three games by a combined total of 15 points including a 39-38 loss to Nazareth of New York, a 57-51 loss to Ridge, and a 39-31 defeat at the hands of Timber Creek.

There was also other talent from around Central Jersey that made an impact on GMC Hoops including Desmond Hubert of New Egypt, Jarrod Davis of Lakewood, and Ishaq Pitt of Ridge. In a losing effort against Rancocas Valley on Friday, Hubert had six blocked shots and two dunks in the time that GMC Hoops watched the action. On Sunday night, Jarrod Davis put on an explosive display in the first half of Lakewood’s 57-45 victory over Trenton Catholic. None of the Iron Mikes were able to stop Davis, who scored 24 points in the final 15:57 of the first half including five threes, three field goals, and 3 of 5 shooting from the foul line. His effort forced TCA head coach, Fred Falchi to call four timeouts within a span of 3:02 of the first half. Finally, back on Friday, Ishaq Pitt stood out for Ridge with 10 of 19 shooting from the floor, and 2 of 5 effort from the line for 22 points along with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in the Red Devils 40-39 loss to Ewing. Over the final 5:45 of the game, Pitt factored in all 11 of Ridge’s points including 7 points and 2 assists.

Plainfield also impressed by defeating Timber Creek (41-36) and Piscataway, and losing to Hyde of Connecticut in double-overtime by one (43-42). Despite losing the likes of Isiah Epps and Anthony Baskerville, the Cardinals still have the likes of Tyrone Johnson and Mike Price to pick up the scoring slack. There is also plenty of good competition coming from South Jersey in the form of Cherry Hill West, which surprised Lakewood on Friday night (69-57), Rancocas Valley, a team that defeated both Princeton and New Egypt, Paul VI (went 2-0 on the first day), Washington Township, and Timber Creek. Hoops in South Jersey often gets underrated, but if you look at the last two teams to win Group IV, both came from Burlington County and South as Rancocas Valley and Lenape won in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

170 Games This Summer For GMC Hoops

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–After missing much of the 2008-09 season, GMC Hoops got back to the action this Spring and Summer. Since April, the site has seen 170 games in action from 10 different summer leagues, and 6 team camps. The site saw 25 of the 29 teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference as well as teams from all around the state of New Jersey and other states including: Connecticut, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Summer Prime Time Shootout–August 9, 2009

ALLENTOWN, NJ–On Sunday night, GMC Hoops headed down the New Jersey Turnpike again after work to Allentown High School for the third and final day of action in the three day Summer Prime Time Shootout. On this third day, the site saw four of the 28 games were played, and got results of three others. See all 7 of the results obtained as well as capsules on these contests in the blog. The site had two featured matchups including a contest between Lakewood and Trenton Catholic, and a nightcap game between Timber Creek and Piscataway. GMC Hoops wrapped up its summer coverage with these two games.

Davis Erupts To Lead Lakewood Past Trenton Catholic, 57-45

The first of two games covered by the site involved two teams from outside the Greater Middlesex Conference. Trenton Catholic, which was coming off a superb season that included a Non-Public B South Championship over Cardinal McCarrick, and from the Burlington County Scholastic League, was taking on a Lakewood team that qualified for the Central Jersey Group III state playoffs, where the Piners lost in the Quarterfinals to Freehold Boro. Lakewood played on Friday night, and lost to Cherry Hill West in somewhat of a surprise (69-57), and then defeated Burlington Township (52-46).

Trenton Catholic got off to a fast start, but succumbed to a strong surge by the Piners, which closed the half with a 33-13 showing to take a 34-26 lead at the intermission. Then, in the second half, Lakewood increased its lead to nine with an 11-10 showing over a 11:00 span before the Iron Mikes responded with a 5-2 spurt to close within six at 47-41 with 4:45 left. However, the Piners prevailed with a 10-4 game ending run that included two dunks to wrap up the 57-45 victory. The star of the game particularly in the first half was Lakewood’s Jarrod Davis, who put on a shooting display that not only spurred the Piner rally, but also coerced TCA’s head coach, Fred Falchi, to call four timeouts over a span of 3:02. Davis ended up scoring a total of 24 first half points on five three pointers, three field goals, and 3 of 5 from the foul line.

Over the first 4:03 though, it appeared as if the Iron Mikes of Trenton Catholic Academy was going to run Lakewood out of the gym. TCA scored 13 of the first 14 points of the contest when GMC Hoops walked into the gym. However, right away, Davis went to work with a three pointer from the left side to make it 13-4. Trenton Catholic added a bucket to go back up by double digits at 15-4, but Davis struck again for a three pointer to make it 15-7, and then added a field goal to close the gap to 15-9. The Iron Mikes then scored five points in a row to go back up by eleven at 20-9 with 11:51 to go in the first half. Over the next 1:05 though, the momentum began to change as Davis struck for two more three pointers while a teammate added a dunk to pull the Piners to within five at 22-17 as TCA called for time at the 10:46 mark.

A little over a minute after that, Lakewood continued to gain momentum with another score to close to within three at 22-19 as Trenton Catholic called another timeout at the 9:37 mark. Following the stoppage, Davis picked up right where he left off with a free throw, and then a steal for a layup while being fouled to convert a traditional three point play, and give Lakewood a 23-22 lead with 8:31 left in the half as TCA called for time again. The timeouts still weren’t the tonic as Davis struck again for a three pointer from the left side for a 26-22 lead at the 7:44 mark as the Iron Mikes called their fourth and final timeout of the half. After the stoppage, the Piners ended the opening period with an 8-4 spurt including a layup and one of two free throws by Davis to take a 34-26 lead into the intermission. Trenton Catholic did its best to stay competitive, but a late spurt by Lakewood put the game away in the second half.

Over the first eleven minutes of the second half, the Piners were only able to increase their lead by a point with an 11-10 showing that made the score, 45-36. The Iron Mikes then scored five of the next seven points over a span of 4:15 to close the gap to six at 47-41 with 4:45 left. However, that would be as close as TCA would get as Lakewood closed the game with a 10-4 spurt that included two dunks for a 57-45 victory.

Timber Creek Surges In Second Half To Defeat P-Way, 39-31

After watching the ending to the contest between Lakewood and Trenton Catholic, GMC Hoops caught up with one of the two teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference that was in action at the Shootout as Piscataway took on Timber Creek of South Jersey. Competing in the Patriot Division of the Olympic Conference, the Chargers of Timber Creek went 17-11 in 2008-09 including a 7-3 mark in divisional play. Timber Creek defeated Patriot Division rival, Winslow Township in the opening round of the South Jersey Group III Tournament before losing to another division foe in Shawnee in the Quarterfinals.

Piscataway, on the other hand, won the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament as well as appeared in the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Championship for the second straight year. It also won its second consecutive GMC Hoops Trophy. However, the Chiefs are only going to have three players returning this year including Wayne Newsome and Malcolm Griggs. “We’re very young,” said Newsome after the game. However, these Chiefs have played competitively all summer long. They’ve just about been in every game. Despite losing all four of their contests here at the Summer Prime Time Shootout, and not making the playoffs at both the Elizabeth and Bound Brook Summer Leagues, the Chiefs were just about in every game.

This contest would be no exception. The Chiefs, which lost three of the four games played at the Summer Prime Time by a combined total of just 15 points, went toe to toe with Timber Creek. The game was tied early on at 5-5 when the site picked up the action with 11 minutes to go in the first half. Even after the Chargers took the lead with a 5-0 run that included one of two from the free throw line at the 9:56 mark, a field goal at the 9:04 mark, and another bucket with eight minutes left in the half, P-Way was resilient. Piscataway responded with eight unanswered points that included a steal and assist by Julius Nadarajah on a basket at the 7:06 mark, two free throws by Justin Kirkland at the 4:48 mark, and then a pull-up jumper that got a kind bounce at the 3:21 mark. Timber Creek ended the 8-0 run with a fast break layup at the 1:57 mark to close within one, and had a chance to take the lead after Nadarajah missed two foul shots with 42.69 left. However, the Chiefs went back up by three before the Chargers got an offensive rebound and put in the follow to end the first half scoring, and trail 15-14 at the intermission.

After watching Trenton and Shabazz go at it in the first half of their contest, the site returned to pick up the action with Timber Creek leading P-Way by a 25-22 score. The Chargers had outscored the Chiefs by an 11-7 margin over the first 8:52 of the second half. The South Jersey school then added a score down low at the 9:30 mark for a 27-22 lead. Piscataway finally got going again when Kirkland was fouled on a layup attempt that produced one of two from the foul line for a 27-23 Charger lead at the 7:53 mark. However, Timber Creek promptly responded on its next possession with the first of two critical three point plays for a 30-23 lead at the 7:09 mark. The second conventional trifecta came at the 5:40 mark for a 33-24 lead. Brandon Williamson helped P-Way close the gap to seven on a jumper with 5:17 to play, but the Chiefs couldn’t get any close as they were outscored 6-5 the rest of the way in the 39-31 loss.

GMC Hoops thanks Jeff Hewitson and his staff at the Summer Prime Time Shootout for their assistance and hospitality over the three days of this event.

Summer Prime Time Shootout–August 8, 2009

ALLENTOWN, NJ–On Saturday night, GMC Hoops headed down the New Jersey Turnpike after work to Allentown High School for the second day of action in the three day Summer Prime Time Shootout. On this second day, the site saw four of the 28 games were played, and got results of four others. See all 8 of the results obtained as well as capsules on these contests in the blog. The site had two featured matchups including a contest between Piscataway and Nazareth of Brooklyn, and a nightcap game between Plainfield and Hyde of Connecticut. There was a GMC connection in the latter game as Plainfield head coach, Jeff Lubreski, was the former head coach at South Plainfield.

Nazareth Shuts Down Piscataway In Second Half To Win, 39-38

In an 8:00 PM game, GMC Hoops just got down to Allentown in time to see the Piscataway Chiefs in action against Nazareth of New York’s Catholic League. Competing in the Class A South Division of the CHSAA, the Kingsmen went 11-14 overall in 2008-09 including an 8-9 mark in league play. The Kingsmen, which used to compete in the Elizabeth Summer League, had won five of six during a stretch in January of this past season. The school competes against the likes of Monsignor McClancy, which lost to St. Joseph’s of Metuchen this past season, 64-49. During the season Nazareth played McClancy twice, losing on January 10th (59-55), and winning on January 30th (61-56). McClancy finished the season at 19-7 overall including a 12-5 mark in league. Bishop Ford won the league with a 15-2 record while recording a 20-6 mark overall. The Kingsmen lost to Ford twice by scores of 84-56 on December 9th, and 81-64 on December 20th.

The first half was rather high scoring as both teams combined for 51 points. However, in the second half, the defenses took over, particularly Nazareth’s. The Kingsmen outscored the Chiefs by only a 15-11 margin in the second half to get the 39-38 victory. It was the first time this summer that GMC Hoops saw Wayne Newsome in action as he didn’t disappoint. Over the first four minutes of the contest, Newsome scored all 9 of P-Way’s points to give his team a seven point lead. Newsome later added a two handed jam for a 17-14 lead while Justin Kirkland added a couple scores to help the Chiefs maintain the slim three point lead at the break. Nazareth got things going early with a steal for a layup at the 19:47 mark for a 2-0 lead. Newsome then took control as he scored the game’s next nine points.

First, the soon to be senior forward, and one of only several returning players from last year’s GMCT Championship team, tied the game with a layup of his own at the 19:35 mark. He then added a reverse layup for a 4-2 lead with just under 19 minutes to play in the first half. Newsome added a one of two showing from the foul line for a 5-2 lead with 18:09 to go in the half. After a lull in the scoring of over a minute, Newsome got out ahead of everyone on a fast break for a layup, and a 7-2 lead at the 17:00 mark. He then capped his personal scoring spurt with two free throws for a 9-2 lead with 16:00 left in the first half. Nazareth would respond though with a 6-4 run that was ignited by a layup at the 15:07 mark before Kirkland got on the board with an offensive rebound and follow to put the Chiefs back up by five at 15-10 with 10:10 to play in the first half.

Over the next 3:05, the Kingsmen scored four unanswered points to pull within one at 15-14 with 7:05 to go in the half, but Newsome responded with his two handed jam at the 6:35 mark for a 17-14 lead. Nazareth continued to fight back though with four of the next six points over a span of just 46 seconds for a 19-18 Piscataway lead with 5:49 to go before halftime. The Brooklyn school then took the lead with another 4-2 run before P-Way responded with four straight points including a bank shot by Kirkland in the left low block for a 25-22 lead at the 1:47 mark. Kirkland then took a pass from Brandon Williamson for a layup while being fouled at the 48.64 mark, but he missed the bonus foul shot, and the Chiefs only led by three, 27-24 going into the brief intermission. In the second half, Nazareth took the lead by scoring 10 of the first 14 points over a span of 10:30.

After watching a bit of the contest between Middle Township and Cherokee, the site picked up the action with the Kingsmen back out in front thanks to a 10-4 spurt for a 34-31 score at the 9:30 mark. Nazareth then added a layup for a 36-31 lead with nine minutes remaining. The Chiefs had a chance to get closer, but Kirkland missed two free throws at the 8:18 mark before picking himself up with a layup while being fouled for a three point play, and a 36-34 score with 7:07 left. Over the next 4:38, the Chiefs outscored the Kingsmen by a 4-0 margin to go back out in front, 38-36 with 2:29 left. Nazareth closed the gap to one by making one of two at the line before Kirkland misfired on another two foul shots at the one minute mark. Seconds later, Nazareth took the lead for good on a layup for the 39-38 victory.

Hyde Edges Plainfield In Double-Overtime, 43-42

The nightcap featured two very good teams as Hyde of Connecticut traveled down to the Shootout to take on Plainfield. The Cardinals did lose a lot to graduation after a very successful campaign under first year head coach, Jeff Lubreski, but the Cardinals showed with the likes of Mike Price and Tyrone Johnson, that they will still be very competitive. Hyde jumped out to a 23-17 lead with under a minute to go in the first half before Plainfield got two foul shots at the 13.7 second mark for a 23-19 Hyde lead at the break.

In the second half, Hyde started out strong with 8 of the first 12 points for a 31-23 lead, but the Cards responded with 14 unanswered points to take a 37-31 lead with about three minutes left. Hyde replied though with a 9-3 run to close out regulation, and force overtime with a 40-40 tie. After a scoreless first extra session period, Plainfield took the lead on a field goal before Hyde pulled out the 43-42 win with a three pointer at the 27.5 second mark. Hyde led originally 23-17 with 46.3 seconds to go in the first half. Plainfield got two free throws with 13.7 seconds left before the break, and Hyde misfired on both foul shots to keep the score at 23-19 going into the intermission. After watching Monsignor McClancy of Brooklyn take on Elizabeth in the other nightcap, GMC Hoops returned to see Hyde increase its lead to eight with 13:42 to play in regulation.

Plainfield then went to work. The Cards put together its best run of the game by scoring the next 14 points over a span of about 10 minutes to take a six point lead. Johnson ignited the rally with a steal for a layup at the 11:20 mark, and then the Cardinals got another steal for a layup at the 10:50 mark. Price got into the act with a steal for a layup himself for a 6-0 burst, and a 31-29 Hyde lead as the Connecticut team called for time with 10:36 remaining in the second half. Hyde had a chance to stem the tide a bit, but missed both free throws at the 9:36 mark before Plainfield tied it on a layup with 9:04 to go in regulation. A minute later, the Cards went ahead with a steal that drew an intentional foul, and resulted in one of two from the charity stripe for a 32-31 score. The Cardinals then added five more points for a 37-31 lead before Hyde rallied with a 5-1 run that included a field goal and a three pointer to make the score, 38-36 with 2:57 left in the period.

Following a Plainfield timeout, Hyde tied the game up at 38-38 with a score before the Cards went back out in front with a layup at the 1:02 mark. After Hyde had called timeout, it knotted the game again at 40-40 with a jumper at the 42.6 second mark. The Cardinals had a chance to pull out the game in regulation when it called for time with 8.3 seconds left to set up a final play, but the last second shot after the timeout hit the front of the rim, and the two teams went to overtime. The second session was scoreless although the Cards had their chances. Price missed on a three point attempt from the left corner, and then after a steal, the Cardinals last second shot hit the rim as time expired. In the second extra period, Plainfield went ahead by two on a field goal, but Hyde took the lead with 27.5 seconds to go on a three pointer. Following a timeout with 12.1 seconds to play, Plainfield was unable to get a last second shot off after Hyde missed the front end of a one and one as the Connecticut team came away with the 43-42 victory.

GMC Hoops came back out to Allentown on Sunday night for four more contests. Summaries on that action will be up soon.

Summer Prime Time Shootout–August 7, 2009

ALLENTOWN, NJ–On Friday afternoon, GMC Hoops endured the traffic on the New Jersey Turnpike that was headed for mostly Jersey Shore destinations to arrive at Allentown High School for the first day of action in the three day Summer Prime Time Shootout. On this first day, the site saw 12 of the 16 games were played after arriving after 3:00 PM. See all 12 of the results obtained as well as capsules on these contests in the blog. The site’s featured matchup of the day was between Ridge and Ewing. There was somewhat of a GMC connection in this contest as Ridge is now coached by former St. Joseph’s head coach, Mark Taylor while Ewing replaced Monroe in the event after the Purple Birds decided not to play since four of their starters were going to be on vacation.

Ewing Prevails Over Ridge In Close One, 40-39

In a game that saw 11 lead changes and 2 ties while neither team had a lead bigger than 9 points, Ewing went on a 16-2 run to start the second half for a 34-28 lead with 8:42 to play, and after the game went back and forth down the stretch, prevailed by a final score of 40-39. The Ridge Red Devils, which played earlier in the day against New Egypt, and its prized big man, Desmond Hubert, went on a 10-1 run over a span of 5:59 for a 21-12 first half lead, and led 26-18 at the intermission. However, Ewing outscored the Skyland Conference’s Delaware West Division Champs, and two time Somerset County finalists by a margin of 22-13 in the second half as the Red Devils struggled from the field for much of the first 11 plus minutes of the period. Ishaq Pitt, who will be entering his second year at Ridge after being Our Savior New American in Long island, put in a solid performance to lead the Devils.

In the game, the 6′3″ 200 lb, point guard/small forward, went 10 of 19 overall from the floor, and 2 of 5 from the foul line for a team high 22 points along with 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Pitt accounted for 56.4 percent of Ridge’s offense. For the game, the Devils went 17 of 52 from the field for 32.7 percent including just 3 of 18 from three point range for a paltry 16.7 percent. Outside of Pitt, Ridge was only 7 of 33 from the floor for 21.2 percent. Meanwhile at the line, the Red Devils only had Pitt’s 2 of 5 effort to show. On the other side of the ledger, the Blue Devils of Ewing went 16 of 42 for 38.1 percent including 2 of 5 from long distance while going 6 of 9 from the foul line.

In other statistical areas, Ewing outrebounded Ridge by a 29-26 margin although offensive rebounding was even at 10-10. Ridge had more steals (9-4) and assists (11-9) while committing fewer turnovers (13-16). Ewing had more blocks (1-0). Each team won a half with the Red Devils winning the first 20 minutes by a 26-18 margin, and the Blue Devils winning the last 20 minutes by a 22-13 margin. The game went back and forth early on before Ridge put together its best run of the game to round out the first half. Then, the pendulum swung back in Ewing’s favor with the Blue Devils big second half run. Ridge then rallied to go ahead, but after the two teams went back and forth again, Ewing pulled out the close win. Ridge opened the game with a basket before Ewing scored the next three points for a 3-2 lead. Pitt put the Red Devils back on top with a bucket while being fouled, but he missed the bonus free throw for a 4-3 score at the 15:25 mark.

The Blue Devils responded though with the next four points including a coast to coast layup for a 7-4 lead at the 13:20 mark. Ridge had a chance to get closer when Pitt grabbed an offensive rebound, and drew a foul on the follow, but came up empty in two attempts at the line with 11:25 to go in the half. The Red Devils would pick Pitt up with a 7-1 run that included a jumper by Nick Cefalo, a three pointer by Andrew Madlinger, and a jumper by Pitt for a 9-8 lead at the 8:52 mark. After Ewing tied things up again at 11-11 with 8:30 left in the half, Ridge scored five of the next six points on a three pointer by Cefalo, and a layup by Pitt for a 16-12 lead at the 5:52 mark. The Red Devils then added five more points including a layup and foul for a three point play by Pitt at the 2:53 mark for a 21-12 lead. In a span of 10:27, Ridge had outscored Ewing by a margin of 17-5.

However, the game would soon turn against Ridge as the Blue Devils first closed the half with a 6-5 showing to trim the deficit to eight at the intermission, 26-18. Pitt scored 13 points in the first 20 minutes on 6 of 10 shooting and 1 of 2 from the line while grabbing 5 rebounds, and collecting an assist and a steal. Then, in the second half, Ewing got off to a strong start with a 16-2 tear for a six point lead. The Blue Devils got out of the gates early with the first seven points including a steal off Pitt for a layup and a foul to make a three point play, and close the gap to one, 26-25 with 15:30 to play. After Ridge got its first points of the half, Ewing connected on its second and final three pointer of the game to tie things up at 28-28 with 13:32 to go in the contest. The Blue Devils, which hail from the Patriot Division of the Colonial Valley Conference, then took the layup on a layup nearly two minutes later.

Ewing didn’t stop there either. Leading now 30-28 with 11:33 to play, the Blue Devils added an offensive rebound and follow at the 9:36 mark, and then an offensive rebound and putback at the 8:42 mark to cap the 16-2 tear for a 34-28 lead. Waking up after falling behind, Pitt and his Ridge teammates fought to get back in the game. Pitt factored in all of Ridge’s final 11 points of the game with 7 points and 2 assists. He first got Ridge to within four again on a layup at the 5:45 mark to end a scoring drought by the Red Devils that lasted for 8:30. Pitt then handed out an assist on a layup with 4:37 to go that closed the gap to two at 34-32. Ewing scored a basket before Ridge called for time trailing by four, 36-32 with 3:28 left. After the timeout, Pitt went back to work with a basket while being fouled for a three point play that pulled the Red Devils to within one, 36-35 at the 3:14 mark.

Ridge then took a 37-36 lead as Pitt handed out an assist on a short jumper with 2:20 to go. Ewing promptly replied on its next possession with a layup at the 2:02 mark for a 38-37 lead. Neither team scored for over a minute until Pitt grabbed an offensive board, and put in the follow for a 39-38 lead with 43 seconds left. The Blue Devils would prevail in this battle of Devils as they got a layup with 16 seconds to go, and Ridge turned the ball over in the final seconds for the 40-39 Ewing victory.

GMC Hoops came back out to Allentown on both Saturday and Sunday nights for four more contests each night. Summaries on that action will be up soon.

2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout–Capsules–August 9th

ALLENTOWN, NJ–On Sunday, GMC Hoops saw the final four games from the second day of the 2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout. In addition, the site got results from three another games including two involving St. Joseph’s, and one involving Piscataway. This is the second straight year the site is covering the event, and third time ever. Below are brief capsules of each of the seven games.

Game #1–Trenton Catholic Academy vs. Lakewood

The Iron Mikes, which won the Non-Public B South State Tournament this past March over Cardinal McCarrick, jumped out to a 13-1 lead before Lakewood’s Jarrod Davis began putting on a show. Davis, a soon to be junior, scored 21 points over a 13 minute span to spark a 33-13 surge by the Piners over the final 15:57 of the opening half. Davis started things off with two threes and a field goal over a 4:06 span before TCA responded with five straight points for a 20-9 lead. Davis then netted two more threes while a teammate slammed home a dunk to close the gap to 22-17 at the 10:46 mark as TCA coach, Fred Falchi called for time. Falchi ended up calling four timeouts in a span of 3:02 as his team couldn’t stop Davis, who added a traditional three point play, a free throw, and a three pointer during the span. Leading 34-26 at the break, the Piners ended up winning the contest 57-45 as they outscored the Iron Mikes with a 23-19 showing in the second half including a 10-4 run that was highlighted two dunks to end the game after Trenton Catholic pulled to within six with 4:45 left.

Game #2–Burlington Township vs. Middletown North

Burlington Township lost its third game of the weekend in a landslide to Middletown North. After competing very well in its previous two defeats to Ewing (45-40) and Lakewood (52-46) on Friday, the Falcons were routed by the Shore Conference school on Sunday evening. With 7:53 remaining, the Lions, which went 9-14 overall last season including a 5-9 mark in the always rugged Class A North Division of the Shore, led 53-26. The Lions then closed the game with a 10-8 showing including a layup at the 7:00 mark to wrap up the 63-34 romp.

Game #3–St. Joseph’s vs. Hyde (CT)

The Falcons suffered their first setback of the weekend with a defeat to a Hyde of Connecticut that was very good. Hyde defeated Plainfield in double overtime on Saturday after falling prey to a 14-0 second half tear.

Game #4–St. Joseph’s vs. Newark Shabazz

In a game that matched up to pre-season Top 20 squads, Shabazz of Newark, which won the North Jersey Section 2 Group III Championship by defeating Watchung Conference rival and defending sectional champion, Scotch Plains, fell behind by 14 points before rallying to get the 63-47 victory. Trailing 29-28 at the half, Shabazz outscored the Falcons by a 35-18 margin in the final 20 minutes. Daevon Boardingham paced the Bulldogs with 20 points and 13 rebounds including 14 and 9 respectively in the second half. Steve Rennard led St. Joe’s with 16 points including two threes. St. Joseph’s finished the event with a 2-2 record.

Game #5–Piscataway vs. Plainfield

The Piscataway Chiefs lost their third game of the weekend with a defeat again at the hands of its neighborhood rival, Plainfield. The Cardinals defeated P-Way for the third time since January. The other two victories came in the 2009 Prime Time Shootout, and in the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Championship.

Game #6–Trenton vs. Shabazz

The Tornadoes and Bulldogs put on an entertaining show in the nightcap of the final day of action at the 2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout. Shabazz led 12-10 with 7:10 remaining in the first half, but Trenton responded with four straight points for a 14-12 lead before the Bulldogs retaliated with a three for a 15-14 lead at the 4:51 mark. It was just a sampling of the competitiveness between the two schools as they exchanged leads six times in the final 7:10 of the half before Trenton used a 4-0 run to take a 20-17 lead, and led 20-18 at the intermission. In the second half, however, the Tornadoes maintained its lead with a 32-25 showing over the first 17:09 of the period for a 52-43 lead. Trenton added two free throws at the 2:33 mark for a 54-43 lead, and despite a technical foul in the final minute, won the game by a final score of 54-45.

Game #7–Piscataway vs. Timber Creek

Piscataway finished the Summer Prime Time Shootout with an 0-4 mark thanks to a 39-31 defeat at the hands of Timber Creek. With Wayne Newsome sitting out the contest, the younger Chiefs battled hard to gain a 15-14 lead at the break, but the Chargers pulled out the win with a 25-16 showing in the second half. The Chiefs had trailed 10-5 early after a 5-0 Timber Creek run in just 3:30, but they rallied with a 10-4 showing over the final 7:06 including a steal and an assist by Julius Nadarajah on a layup, and two free throws by Justin Kirkland at the 4:48 mark for an 11-10 lead. In the second half though, Timber Creek started strong with an 11-7 showing over the first 8:52 for a 25-22 lead. A little more than a minute and a half later, the Chargers got another score on a bucket down low for a 27-22 lead at the 9:30 mark. Two three point plays by Timber Creek at the 7:09 and 5:40 marks helped put the game away. Although Piscataway lost all four of its games, it only lost three of them by a combined margin of 15 points.

GMC Hoops plans to have summaries from several of the games it saw over the three days at the Prime Time Shootout soon.

2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout–Capsules–August 8th

ALLENTOWN, NJ–On Saturday, GMC Hoops saw the final four games from the second day of the 2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout. In addition, the site got results from four another games including two involving St. Joseph’s, and one involving Piscataway. This is the second straight year the site is covering the event, and third time ever. Below are brief capsules of each of the eight games.

Game #1–St. Joseph’s vs. The Hun School

The Falcons started their appearance at the Summer Prime Time Shootout on a positive note with a victory over The Hun School from Princeton, and the Mid-Atlantic Prep League. St. Joseph’s defeated Hun by a score of 47-41 in a game played on Saturday afternoon. In 2008-09, the Raiders of Hun went 11-12 overall including a loss to Cardinal McCarrick in the Joe Silver Holiday Tournament in Hillside. Hun was 5-4 in league play.

Game #2–St. Joseph’s vs. Cherokee

The Falcons went 2-0 on the day after beating a Cherokee team from the Olympic Conference in double overtime by a score of 42-40. Last season, the Chiefs went 20-6 overall including a 7-3 record in league play. Cherokee advanced to the semifinals of the South Jersey Group IV Tournament, where it lost to eventual Group IV Champion and Tournament of Champions semifinalist, Lenape.

Game #3–Ridge vs. Piscataway

In a rematch of their Len Sepanak Holiday Tournament Championship game, Ridge bested the younger Piscataway Chiefs by a score of 57-51. The Red Devils, which lost in their second game at the Summer Prime Time Shootout to Ewing on Friday afternoon, headed into the late summer event with a 29-7 record including an appearance in the Championship Game of the morning session of the Ironman Challenge before losing to state and national powerhouse, St. Anthony’s while the Chiefs were scheduled to take on Nazareth of the New York City Catholic League later on in the evening.

Game #4–Plainfield vs. Timber Creek

The Cardinals have lost a great deal with the departures of Isiah Epps and Anthony Baskerville, but they still have Mike Price and Tyrone Johnson returning. The North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Champions, and state semifinalists took on Timber Creek from South Jersey and the Olympic Conference. In a tightly played game, Plainfield edged Timber Creek, 41-36. The Chargers went 17-11 overall last season including a 7-3 mark in league play, and lost in the South Jersey Group III State Tournament Quarterfinals to Shawnee (60-53).

Game #5–Piscataway vs. Nazareth (NY)

Behind the efforts of soon to be senior Wayne Newsome, Piscataway jumped out to an early 9-2 lead, but Nazareth, a team from the New York City Catholic League, which played in the Elizabeth Summer League a number of years ago, cut the deficit to three by halftime (27-24), and then locked down on defense with a 15-11 showing in the final 20 minutes for a 39-38 victory over the Chiefs. The Kingsmen, which went 11-14 overall in 2008-09 including 8-9 in league play, competes against the likes of Bishop Ford, and Monsignor McClancy, another team playing in this event.

Game #6–Cherokee vs. Middle Township

The Cherokee Chiefs ended up 0-2 on the day with another tough luck loss. This time it was to Middle Township of the National Division in the Cape Atlantic League of South Jersey. The Panthers, which finished 20-7 overall including a 13-3 mark in league play, had a 26-25 lead early in the second half, but the Chiefs rallied by scoring five of the next eight points including a three pointer, and a field goal for a 30-29 lead at the 15:26 mark. Cherokee increased that lead with a three pointer while Middle Township got a layup that made the score, 33-31 with 12:20 left. However, the Panthers took control of the game with a 4-0 run, and then added two free throws at the 7:07 mark for a 37-34 edge. Cherokee got within two on a score with 46.3 seconds remaining, but Middle Township sealed the 44-40 victory with a steal for a breakaway layup at the 11.8 second mark.

Game #7–Plainfield vs. Hyde (CT)

This contest was quite an entertaining one as the Cardinals went to two overtimes before losing to Hyde by a point. The Connecticut school led 23-17 with 46.3 to go in the first half before Plainfield netted two free throws at the 13.7 second mark for a 23-19 halftime score. Hyde opened the second half with an 8-4 spurt for a 31-23 lead before Plainfield put together their best effort of the game with a 14-0 tear over a span of 10:45 to lead 37-31 with 2:57 remaining in regulation. Against the ropes, Hyde rallied with a 9-3 run including a three pointer, a field goal, and then a jumper to tie it at 40-40 with 42.6 seconds left. Neither team was able to score down the stretch, and the contest went to overtime where the scoring drought continued. However, in the second extra session, Hyde emerged victorious with three point with 27.5 seconds left for a 43-42 win after Plainfield opened the period with a field goal for a 42-40 lead.

Game #8–Monsignor McClancy vs. Elizabeth

In the final game of the evening on the West Court, Monsignor McClancy of the New York City Catholic League, took on Elizabeth. The Minutemen got off to a fast start with a 27-14 surge over the first 14:34 of the contest. McClancy made one of two from the line at both the 3:18 and 50.3 second marks, but they were bookends to a 4-0 run by Elizabeth for a 31-18 score. The Minutemen of Union County then scored the final points of the half for a 33-18 lead. In the second half, McClancy wasn’t able to put a dent into its deficit with a 19-17 run over the first 17:34 of the half, and then Elizabeth closed out the scoring with a layup for the 52-37 victory.

GMC Hoops was back out at Allentown High School for the final day of action on Sunday.

2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout–Some Results–August 9th

ALLENTOWN, NJ–On Sunday night, GMC Hoops traveled down to Allentown High School in Monmouth County to take in some of the action from the final day of the 2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout. Over three days, a total of 72 games were played that involved 36 different teams in two separate gyms. The site saw four contests played on this second day, and got results of three others. Below are the results from those 7 contests:

Summer Prime Time Shootout–Day Three–August 9, 2009

• Hyde (CT) over St. Joseph’s
• Newark Shabazz 63–St. Joseph’s 47
• Plainfield over Piscataway
• Lakewood 57–Trenton Catholic 45
• Middletown North 63–Burlington Township 34
• Timber Creek 39–Piscataway 31
• Trenton 54–Newark Shabazz 45

GMC Hoops will be wrapping up its summer coverage this week. Capsules on all 7 of these games along with a detailed summaries on Lakewood’s win over Trenton Catholic, and Timber Creek’s victory over Piscataway will be forthcoming. The site thanks Jeff Hewitson and his staff for their help and hospitality these past three days.

2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout–Some Results–August 8th

ALLENTOWN, NJ–On Saturday night, GMC Hoops traveled down to Allentown High School in Monmouth County to take in some of the action from the second day of the 2009 Summer Prime Time Shootout. Over three days, a total of 72 games will be played that will involve 36 different teams in two separate gyms. The site saw four contests played on this second day, and got results of four others. Below are the results from those 8 contests:

Summer Prime Time Shootout–Day Two–August 8, 2009

• St. Joseph’s 47–Hun 41
• St. Joseph’s 42–Cherokee 40 2OT
• Ridge 57–Piscataway 51
• Plainfield 41–Timber Creek 36
• Nazareth (NY) 39–Piscataway 38
• Middle Township 44–Cherokee 40
• Hyde (CT) 43–Plainfield 42 2OT
• Elizabeth 52–Monsignor McClancy (NY) 37

GMC Hoops will be back down in Allentown on Sunday night for the final two pairs of contests, and will post them here. Capsules on all 8 of these games along with a detailed summary on Nazareth’s win over Piscataway, and Hyde’s victory over Plainfield will be forthcoming.