ELIZABETH, NJ–On Wednesday, July 23rd, GMC Hoops headed out over to the Dunn Center in Elizabeth to take in the opening round of the playoffs in the 2008 Elizabeth Summer League. Three teams from the GMC were covered by the site in this round of playoff action: Middlesex, Sayreville, and St. Joseph’s with the latter two playing against each other. The Blue Jays have been one of the surprises in this league with their trademark teamwork, and solid defense. Mike Colacci has really stepped up his game offensively, and figures to be a key cog in the Blue Jay offense come December. The Jays, the top seed in the Monday/Wednesday Division, and the second seed overall, were matched up against New Dorp while the Bombers of Sayreville got entangled with the Falcons of St. Joe’s in the nightcap.
New Dorp Ends Middlesex’s Super Summer
GMC Hoops managed to catch the final 26:30 of this contest between New Dorp of Staten Island and Middlesex. The site picked up the action with New Dorp in front by a 20-13 score with 6:30 to go in the first half. A little more than a minute later, Middlesex connected on a field goal to pull within five at 20-15 with 5:22 to go before the intermission. Colacci then drained a three pointer from the left side for a 20-18 New Dorp edge at the 4:30 mark. Neither team would score over the next two minutes and twelve seconds before New Dorp drove in for a right handed layup from the left side that drew a foul, and produced a one of two showing from the line for a 21-18 score at the 2:18 mark.
Almost forty seconds later, Middlesex turned the ball over as soon to be senior guard, Mike Perone was called for a carry at the 1:40 mark. On the next New Dorp possession, Colacci seemingly forced a turnover, but the officials conferred and overturned the call, which gave the ball back to New Dorp. Overcoming the setback, the Blue Jays managed to tie the game up on a three pointer by Perone from the left wing for a 21-21 score at the 42 second mark. However, the tie would be short lived as New Dorp ended the first half with the final four points including two foul shots at the 18 second mark, and after grabbing the carom off a missed three pointer by Perone, a New Dorp player proceeded to go the length of the floor for a score as time expired to make the score, 25-21 at halftime.
The second half started out much like the first half had ended with New Dorp scoring the first five points including a three point play at the 5:22 mark for a 30-21 lead. A little over a minute later, the Staten Island school drained a three pointer from the top of the key to make it a 12-0 tear since the tie at the 42 second mark of the second quarter, and a 33-21 lead with 4:16 to play in the third. Following a Blue Jay timeout with 4:13 to go in the period, Rob Mendito found Chris Farley for a layup, and a 33-23 New Dorp lead at the 3:55 mark. On its next possession, New Dorp grabbed an offensive rebound, and put it back in for a 35-23 lead with 3:23 left in the third. Perone then found Colacci for a three pointer from the right corner to close the gap to single digits at 35-26 with 2:32 remaining in the frame. New Dorp then failed to convert on two free throw attempts at the 1:55 mark, and neither team scored the rest of the way for a 35-26 New Dorp lead entering the fourth.
In the fourth, New Dorp went to work right away with a score for a 37-26 lead at the 7:24 mark, and then followed that up with a jumper from the right wing that made it 39-26 with 6:31 remaining. Sparky Stockton finally got Middlesex going with a jumper from the foul line to close the gap to 39-28 at the 5:22 mark. New Dorp then went up by a dozen on a one of two showing from the foul line that made the score, 40-28 with 4:28 remaining. The Blue Jays had a chance to pull closer again, but Mendito misfired on two free throws at the 3:32 mark, and then Mike Fincher failed to put in the follow after grabbing the offensive board. New Dorp would then go up by as many as 14 with a minute and a half remaining, and despite a 5-0 run the Jays to close the game, the Staten Island school would advance with a 42-33 victory.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Dorp (7-3) | 16 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 42 |
| Middlesex (8-2) | 11 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 33 |
St. Joseph’s Overcomes Slow Start To Down Sayreville, 64-47
In the nightcap, it was a GMC Crossover affair as the Bombers of Sayreville took on the Falcons of St. Joseph’s with the winner to take on Elizabeth, which defeated Metuchen earlier in the afternoon. The Bombers got off to a fast start in this one, but St. Joe’s eventually caught up, and surpassed them in a 64-47 victory to advance to the semifinal round. It was quite a high scoring affair considering that there was a running clock, particularly in the first half with both teams combining to score 67 points. The Falcons got the lion’s share of those points as it took a five point lead into the intermission, and then pulled away in the second half to the tune of a 28-16 showing for a 64-47 victory.
The first quarter saw Sayreville get on the board first with a field goal before Nikko Vastola passed to Matt Wagner on the left wing for a three pointer, and a 3-2 Falcon lead at the 9:15 mark. The Bomers then embarked on a 7-0 run over the next 1:55 including a three pointer at the 7:20 mark for a 9-3 lead. The Falcons began to chip away though. Following a timeout at the 5:35 mark, St. Joseph’s closed the gap as Slay Sudah dished to Morgan for a layup from the left side that made the score, 11-7 at the 5:16 mark. The bucket sparked a 7-0 run over a span of 1:16 that was capped by a three pointer from soon to be junior, Eric Peterson for a 12-11 lead at exactly the four minute mark.
Following a Sayreville timeout, the Bombers turned the ball over at the 3:42 mark, but then retook the lead thanks to three offensive rebounds that resulted in a score by Rob Pizzi to make it 13-12 at the 2:26 mark. Vastola then clicked on a jumper at the 2:08 mark that put St. Joe’s in front for good at 14-13 with 2:08 left in the third. Morgan then knocked in a pair of free throws at the 1:19 mark for a 16-13 Falcon lead after one. In the second quarter, St. Joe’s went up by five early on with a layup at the 9:41 mark that made the score, 18-13. Fifty seconds later, Sayreville cashed in on two offensive rebounds with a putback to end the 6-0 burst by the Falcons for an 18-15 St. Joe’s lead with 8:51 to go in the half. The back and forth stretch continued as Vastola connected on a straight-on jumper that made the score, 20-15 at the 8:09 mark.
Peterson then struck again with a jumper to give the Falcons a seven point cushion at 22-15 with 7:10 to go in the half. Pizzi then got into the act again with a jumper from the left side that was good for three, and a 22-18 Falcon lead at the 6:45 mark. However, on a subsequent St. Joe’s possession, Vastola replied with a three pointer of his own for a 25-18 lead at the 6:19 mark. The Bombers tried to get some of those points back when Glenn Cannon made a steal, and passed upcourt to Paul DeLaCosta for a layup attempt that drew a foul, but DeLaCosta failed to make either of his two free throws at the 5:57 mark. Rob Gomulka then put St. Joseph’s ahead by nine when he got a layup while being fouled. The soon to be junior reserved would misfire on the bonus foul shot for the traditional three point play that made the score, 27-18 with 4:42 left.
Over a minute later, Slay Sudah dished to Vastola for a layup that put the Falcons ahead by double digits at 29-18 with 3:29 left in the half. On the next Bomber possession though, Pizzi closed the gap to single digits again with a field goal that made the score, 29-20 at the 3:18 mark. The Bombers then got a three point play at the 2:25 mark to pull within six at 29-23. However, Vastola got back on the board when he took a kick on the left side for a three pointer that put the Falcons up by nine at 32-23 with 1:48 to play in the half. St. Joseph’s then went back up by double digits again when Gagan Dhaliwal inbounded to Peterson for a layup that made the score, 34-23 at the 1:33 mark. Sayreville kept scratching and clawing though with a three pointer on its next possession to pull within eight at 34-26 with 1:21 left before the brief break.
Nine seconds afterward, Vastola got on the board again with two from the charity stripe that made it a ten point game at 36-26 with 1:12 to go in the half. The Bombers then closed out the half with the final five points including a DeLaCosta dish to Pizzi for a floater with 50 seconds left, and then a steal for a three pointer from the top of the key at the 37 second mark to make up the 36-31 score at the intermission. The second half started with both teams going back and forth for a bit. Peterson opened the third period scoring with a layup for a 38-31 Falcon advantage at the 9:30 mark. James DeMild replied for Sayreville with an offensive rebound and putback at the 6:21 mark to pull the Bombers to within five at 38-33. Morgan then put the Falcons back up by eight on a three pointer from the left wing for a 41-33 score at the 5:57 mark.
A short time later, Sayreville scored when DeLaCosta fed Cannon for a layup, and a 41-35 St. Joe’s lead at the 5:15 mark. The Bombers had a chance for a traditional three point play after Cannon was fouled on the play, but he missed the bonus foul shot. Sudah then canned a jumper from the left side to put St. Joe’s back up by eight at 43-35 with 4:58 to go in the third. Moments later though, Sayreville netted a triple to pull within five at 43-38. St. Joseph’s put themselves back up by seven at 45-38 when Vastola scored on a scoop shot for a layup at the 4:05 mark. The soon to be senior, who’s been playing at another level in recent days, passed to Morgan for a three pointer from the left corner for a 7-0 run, and a 50-38 lead with 1:56 to go in the third period. St. Joseph’s had a chance to go up by more entering the fourth, but Vastola failed to connected on both his free throw attempts at the 45 second mark.
The fourth quarter saw St. Joseph’s start out with the first four points over the first 1:45 to go up by a score of 54-38. Vastola grabbed a rebound, ran the break, and dished to his left to Dhaliwal for a layup, and a 52-38 lead. Vastola then clicked on a jumper for the 16 point lead with 8:15 remaining. The Falcons then outscored the Bombers by a slim 10-9 margin the rest of the way for the 64-47 win.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Josesph’s (8-2) | 16 | 20 | 14 | 14 | 64 |
| Sayreville (6-4) | 13 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 47 |