BOUND BROOK, NJ–On Tuesday night, GMC Hoops again ventured over to Bound Brook High School to take in the opening round of the playoffs from its summer league. The site arrived in time to see final two games of the Quarterfinal quadrupleheader including Hunterdon Central and New Brunswick, and Bound Brook versus Rutgers Prep. Take a look at the results from the other quarterfinal games played on this day.
Hunterdon Central Rallies From Behind To Knock Off New Brunswick, 28-24
For the third time this summer, and second time in two days, the Zebras of New Brunswick played the Red Devils of Hunterdon Central. These two foes, which have played each other over the years in holiday tournaments at Hunterdon Central and Ewing, have become quite familiar with each other this summer. In the prior two meetings entering this contest, New Brunswick won both by scores of 43-38 on July 20th, and 41-31 on July 27th. However, this game would be much different. With the second seeded Zebras playing without soon to be junior, Jaquan Cook, and limited to just six players, they were vulnerable to the upset. New Brunswick jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the first 13:24, and it looked as if the Zebras were going to continue on the roll that they’ve been on for much of the summer.
It wasn’t to be though as Hunterdon Central chipped away at the deficit by clamping down on defense, and dictating tempo on offense. The result was a come from behind, 28-24 upset of the Zebras to advance to the Final Four of the tourney on Wednesday night. For the game, New Brunswick struggled from the field by going just 8 of 36 for 22.2 percent including 1 of 6 from three point range. At the line, New Brunswick fared better by making 7 of 14. Taking out Simuel Williams (16 points on 5 of 10 shooting including 1 of 2 from three, and 5 of 6 from the line along with 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist) contribution from the offense though told a significant story. The Zebras were just 3 of 26 from the field and 2 of 8 from the charity stripe.
On the other side of the ledger, Hunterdon Central was 10 of 19 overall from the floor for 52.6 percent including 1 of 5 from three point range. The Red Devils were also 7 of 13 from the foul line. HCHS was able to control the tempo, and take good shots despite 19 turnovers in the contest. New Brunswick committed 12. In other statistical areas, rebounds were even at 16-16, but the Zebras had a decided edge on the offensive glass, 10-3. New Brunswick also had more steals (11-3), but the Devils had edges in assists (8-6) and blocks (2-1). Neither team drew a charge in the game. Each team won a half with New Brunswick leading 14-11 at halftime, but Hunterdon Central winning the game with a 17-10 showing in the final 20 minutes.
Over the first 4:47 of the contest, the Zebras scored the first five of seven points including a three pointer by Williams to take the early lead. Hunterdon Central drew within one on a drive through the middle for a layup while being fouled at the 14:17 mark. Williams then made one of two from the line at the 13:06 mark for a 6-4 NBHS lead. Thirty-two seconds later, New Brunswick went up by four when Nigel Scott (2 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a rebound) swiped a steal, and handed out an assist on a Williams layup at the 12:34 mark as Red Devils head coach, Brian Glennon, called for time. Following the timeout, things didn’t get much better for Hunterdon Central. Scott got another steal that led to a foul on Williams with just under eleven minutes to go in the half, and then John Simpson (2 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals) scored on a layup at the 9:55 mark for a 10-4 lead.
Almost a minute later, the Red Devils put an end to the 5-0 NB run with a pair of free throws at the 8:58 mark to close to within four again at 10-6, but Williams got those points back on two free throws of his own with 7:40 to play before halftime. Then, the soon to be senior guard added an offensive rebound and follow that drew a foul and produced two more foul shots at the 6:36 mark for a 14-6 lead. Hunterdon Central then got a layup underneath at the 4:54 mark, and another field goal while the Zebras sputtered at the foul line by going 0 of 2 with 3:20 to play in the half. NBHS had another chance to go up further when Simpson stepped to the line at the 1:27 mark, but he misfired on both foul shots, and the score remained 14-10. The Devils, which compete in the Delaware West Division of the Skyland Conference, then closed out the first half scoring with a one of two showing from the foul line for a 14-11 score at the intermission.
In the first half, New Brunswick was 4 of 19 from the floor for 21 percent including 1 of 2 from beyond the arc. Conversely, Hunterdon Central was 4 of 9 from the field including 0 of 2 from three. The Devils were 3 of 5 from the line while the Zebras were 5 of 10, and New Brunswick forced more turnovers. Williams led the way in the first 20 minutes for New Brunswick with 2 of 5 shooting from the floor including a three pointer, and 5 of 6 free throws while also collecting 4 rebounds and an assist. In the second half, New Brunswick struggled even more, especially with Williams limited to just six points. The rest of the Zebra offense was just 1 of 12 in the final 20 minutes of action. Meanwhile, Hunterdon Central made 6 of 10 shots despite 10 turnovers.
The second half began as the first half ended with Hunterdon Central, which was in the midst of a key 14-0 run that spanned 10:54, picked up right where it left off with a foul line jumper that got a fortuitous bounce for a 14-13 New Brunswick lead at the 18:43 mark. A little while later, the Red Devils tied the game up at 14-14 with a one of two showing from the foul line with 18:01 to go. HCHS then took its first lead of the game on a layup at the 17:02 mark for a 16-14 score. Continuing to roll, the Devils made it a 13-0 run on its only three pointer of the game at the 16:19 mark. The school from Flemington then capped the run by making one of two at the line after being fouled on a reverse layup for a 20-14 advantage with 15:38 remaining. New Brunswick tried to get back into the game by forcing a steal and going up tempo, but its attempt at a layup was vehemently blocked by Hunterdon Central at the 14:11 mark.
On the ensuing inbounds though, the Zebras finally broke through as Williams connected on a jumper to give New Brunswick its first points in 12:36 for a 20-16 Devils lead. Sparking a personal 6-0 run, Williams drove in from the left wing for a layup, and then got a steal for another score to knot the game up at 20-20 with 11:17 left. Hunterdon Central retook the lead though on a layin at the 11:04 mark, but the Zebras responded a little more than a minute later as Simpson picked up a steal that led to an offensive rebound and follow by Scott for a 22-22 tie at the 9:45 mark. Both teams then went on a scoring drought for exactly eight minutes. After a Hunterdon Central timeout at the 4:29 mark, and a New Brunswick timeout at the 2:29 mark, the Zebras made it a 10-2 spurt with a nice drive to the basket that drew a foul, and resulted in two free throws for a 24-22 lead with 1:45 left.
However, the lead would be short lived as the Red Devils took the ball out, and broke New Brunswick’s full court pressure for an easy layup that tied the game at 24-24 with 1:33 left. HCHS then took the lead for good with another layup at the 1:04 mark. Following a Hunterdon Central timeout, the contentious battle took a serious turn as Simpson got entangled with a Red Devils player, and was ejected for hitting him. The Devils then made one of two from the line at the 26 second mark for a 27-24 lead. Forced to foul, New Brunswick made Hunterdon Central go back to the line again moments later for another one of two showing that made the score, 28-24 with 22 seconds to play. The Zebras had one more chance to tie, but when Scott went 0 of 2 at the line, and Williams missed a three pointer after getting the offensive rebound with 16 seconds to play, the Red Devils emerged with the four point upset.
Despite going without a field goal over the final 9:45 in the loss, New Brunswick had a good summer to build upon for the upcoming 2009-10 regular season. The Zebras will have to find ways of getting more scoring from other players than Williams and Cook if it is going to compete in the rugged GMC White. With the win, Hunterdon Central improved to 5-5 on the summer, and advanced to play Bound Brook in the semifinals after the Crusaders downed Rutgers Prep in the other quarterfinal. New Brunswick concluded its summer at 8-2.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunterdon Central (5-5) | 11 | 17 | 28 |
| New Brunswick (8-2) | 14 | 10 | 24 |
Bound Brook Advances By Defeating Rutgers Prep, 50-39
In the finale, the hometown Crusaders of Bound Brook faced off against Rutgers Prep. It was the second time this summer that GMC Hoops saw the Argonauts in action. The last time the site saw Rutgers Prep, it was against St. Joseph’s in the Linden Team Camp. This time, however, it was a much better look. Playing shorthanded, Rutgers Prep utilized a triangle and two defense to contain the likes of Bound Brook’s Denzel Sanders, but after the Argos got to within four of the lead midway through the second half, Bound Brook finished the contest with an 18-11 run to emerge victorious, 50-39. For the game, third seeded Bound Brook went 16 of 38 from the field for 42.1 percent including 5 of 18 from long distance for 27.8 percent. The Crusaders were solid at the line by making 13 of 18 shots for 72.2 percent while making only 12 turnovers. On the other side of the ledger, sixth seeded Rutgers Prep struggled from the floor by going 14 of 45 for 31.1 percent including 3 of 13 from three point range for 23.1 percent. At the line, the Argonauts made 8 of 12 while committing 15 turnovers.
In other statistical areas, Bound Brook outrebounded Rutgers Prep overall with a 25-24 edge, but the Argos won the war on the offensive glass with a 10-5 showing. However, the Crusaders had advantages in assists (12-9), steals (8-7), blocks (5-1), and charges (1-0). BBHS outscored Rutgers Prep in both halves. Leading the way for the winners was Sanders, who had a team high 16 points on 4 of 6 shooting including a perfect 2 of 2 from three while making all six of his foul shot attempts. Sanders also added 4 blocks, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Sanders pretty much did all of his damage in the first half as he was held without a field goal in the second by a Rutgers Prep team that used different defenses in the final 20 minutes. Teammate Al Perkins chipped in with 7 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist. Bound Brook started out strong with a 12-5 effort over the first 7:38 before Rutgers Prep closed the half with a 10-9 effort. The Argonauts were just 4 of 21 from the floor in the first half while Bound Brook was 8 of 22.
The Crusaders got on the board first before Rutgers Prep struck back with a three pointer at the 17:25 mark for a one point lead. However, over the next 5:03, the Argos would be outscored by a 10-2 margin. Sanders connected on a three pointer, and then followed that with two free throws at the 16:05 mark to give The Brook a 7-3 lead. Rutgers Prep drew within two again when a turnaround jumper in the right low block drew a foul, and produced two free throws at the 14:35 mark. But, Bound Brook would score the next five points including a three pointer from the right wing by Sanders to take the seven point lead at the 12:22 mark. After missing two foul shots at the 11:05 mark, Rutgers Prep made two from the foul line for a 12-7 Bound Brook lead at the 10:07 mark. The Argonauts then got a fast break layup to pull within three before the Crusaders were called for traveling at the 8:29 mark.
Bound Brook regrouped though with four unanswered points over the next 1:30 including an offensive rebound and putback of his own miss by Sanders at the 6:59 mark for a 16-9 lead as Rutgers Prep called for time. Following the timeout, the Argos scored four of the next six points including two free throws at the 5:42 mark for a 18-13 Brook lead. Sanders accounted for the Crusaders two points with a layup. Then, he made a three pointer from the right wing at the 4:39 mark for a 21-13 lead. Rutgers Prep scored the final points of the half as BBHS took a six point, 21-15 lead into the brief intermission. In the second half, the Argonauts started out strong with a 13-11 showing over the first 6:08 to pull within four before Bound Brook pulled away. Rutgers Prep opened the second half scoring with a nice pass for a layup at the 19:06 mark before Mike Schieferstein connected on a three pointer from the right wing for his only points of the game to give the Crusaders a 24-17 lead with 18:45 left.
After an Argonauts score that closed the gap to five, Sanders handed out an assist on a three point play to increase the lead to eight at 27-19 with 17:47 remaining. Rutgers Prep added another score before Bound Brook got three straight points including a one of two showing from the line by Perkins with 16:10 to go for a 30-21 advantage. Over the next 2:18 though, the Argos rallied with 7 of the next 9 points including a three pointer from the top of the key at the 13:52 mark to pull within four at 32-28. Sanders then made his first of two trips to the line in the second half, and made both to put the Crusaders back up by six, 34-28. Rutgers Prep got a bucket to close to within four again before BBHS came up with a three pointer from the left corner for a 37-30 lead as the Argonauts called timeout with 11:23 left. At that point, the team from Somerset tinkered with its defense going with a triangle and two, but despite causing some difficulty for The Brook, the Argos weren’t able to get closer.
Following a Rutgers Prep layup, Perkins grabbed an offensive rebound, and put it back in for a 39-32 lead with 9:15 left. The Crusaders then scored four of the next six points including two free throws at the 6:25 mark for a 43-34 lead. Then, after a timeout at the 5:10 mark, Bound Brook went up by double digits as Schieferstein swiped a steal, and Perkins handed out an assist on a layup at the 3:45 mark for a 45-34 score. From there, both teams scored five points to round out the 50-39 Bound Brook victory. With the win, Bound Brook improved to 7-2 on the summer, and advanced to play Hunterdon Central in the semifinals after the seventh seeded Red Devils upset second seeded New Brunswick in the other quarterfinal. Rutgers Prep concluded its summer at 5-4.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bound Brook (7-2) | 21 | 29 | 50 |
| Rutgers Prep (5-4) | 15 | 24 | 39 |
GMC Hoops thanks Bound Brook head coach, Anthony Melesurgo for his help during the season.