EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Wednesday, GMC Hoops got into the team camps that were going on around the area this week by traveling out to East Brunswick High School to take in several games from the third night of action at the 2008 East Brunswick Team Camp. It was the first time in three years that EBHS was having such a camp. This year, a number of teams from around the Greater Middlesex Conference were competing including: East Brunswick, Carteret, J.P. Stevens, Monroe, Piscataway, and South Brunswick. The web site saw five contests including two involving J.P. Stevens and South Brunswick. The Hawks won both of their contests while the Vikings split theirs. Carteret, Monroe, Piscataway, and East Brunswick were also in action as well.
Stevens Breezes Past Carteret, 63-44
After watching South Brunswick battle East Brunswick in a nip and tuck game that went down to the final shot, GMC Hoops went over into the other side of the main gym to watch J.P. Stevens in action against Carteret in one of the 7:30 PM games. Up to this point in the team camp at EB, it had been a tough week for the Hawks including a very bitter loss to Monroe in overtime on Tuesday night. In that defeat to the Falcons, JPS held a 12 point lead with about two minutes remaining, but Monroe rallied with four straight three pointers to tie and force overtime. Then, in the overtime, MTHS pulled out the victory by shutting Stevens down.
Wednesday night would be a better night for the Hawks, which are looking to continue its climb up the ranks of the GMC Elite in Boys Basketball after finishing second in the GMC Red Division with an 11-3 record and a 20-6 mark overall as well as reaching the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament Quarterfinals for the first time since 1994. J.P. Stevens would win both of the games it was scheduled to play, and it all started with an impressive victory over Robert “Double-Double” Jackson, and the rest of the Carteret Ramblers. In the game, JPS would jump out to a 33-19 lead at halftime, and never relinquish it with a 30-25 showing in the second half for a 63-44 victory.
In the first half, the web site saw the first 9 minutes or so before going over to watch some of the matchup between South Brunswick and Monroe. In those nine minutes, the Hawks jumped out to a 16-7 lead. Stevens opened up the scoring with a bucket for a 2-0 advantage, but Carteret would take the lead back with a three point play by Tarik Owens at the 16:16 mark for a 3-2 score. On a subsquent Hawk possession, soon to be senior, Myles Reuben dialed long distance for a three pointer that propelled his team back into the lead at 5-3 with 15:30 remaining in the opening half. Forty-three seconds later, Tahir Swinton, who has raised the level of his game a notch so far in this off-season, got into the act with a nice drive along the left side for a layup that made the score, 7-3 at the 14:47 mark.
Stevens had a chance to bolster its lead, but Owens saved the day for the time being by drawing a charge for the Ramblers at the 14:20 mark. Carteret tried to cash in on the forced turnover, but it couldn’t thanks to the play of Swinton, who swiped a steal, and drove in for a layup that made the score 9-3 in favor of the Hawks with 13:39 left. Seventeen seconds later though, the Ramblers would get on the board again thanks to the surprising long range shooting of soon to be junior Shaquille Jackson, who has been better known for his interior play during his young career. The younger Jackson took a jumper from the left side, and it was true to trim the deficit to four again at 9-5 with 13:22 remaining before the intermission. The elder Jackson then followed that up with a score of his own at the 12:57 mark that closed the gap to two at 9-7 in favor of JPS.
However, that would be as close as Carteret would get for the duration of the contest as the Hawks embarked on a decisive 7-0 spurt over the next 2:04 that included a three pointer by Nick Pol from the right wing for a 14-7 JPS lead at the 11:27 mark, and a nice entry pass by Swinton for a score that made it 16-7 with 10:53 left. Following that burst, Stevens outscored the Ramblers by a 17-12 margin for the rest of the half for a 33-19 lead at the brief break. During the halftime, GMC Hoops went over to watch more of the South Brunswick and Monroe game, but would return to action with 12:22 to play, and Stevens now in front, 41-29. Following the arrival, the Hawks got a score from soon to be senior, Kenny Bland, who made a steal, and drive up court for a layup that made it 43-29. The Ramblers would reply though with four unanswered points incluidng a drive for a layup by Robert Jackson, who appeared to have gotten away with a bit of a travel on the play at the 10:04 mark.
Leading by only ten points at 43-33, Stevens then scored 7 of the next 10 points over a 3:22 span for a more commanding lead. First Bland made a nice dump off pass to Mike Reuben, the younger brother of Myles Reuben for a layup that made the score at 48-33 after an earlier three by the Hawks. Double-Double Jackson would respond with a layup off a nice entry pass from the baseline for a 48-35 Hawk lead at the 8:40 mark. Swinton then followed that up with a nice drive through the middle for a 50-35 lead lead with 7:14 to play. Robert Jackson would make one of two foul shots at the 6:42 mark for a 50-36 JPS edge, but Stevens would close out the game with a 13-8 showing the rest of the way for a 63-44 win.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| J.P. Stevens | 33 | 30 | 63 |
| Carteret | 19 | 25 | 44 |
Stevens Notches 2nd Win Of Night By Rolling Past Bound Brook, 60-42
During the course of the second game that J.P. Stevens said on this night, soon to be senior, Nick Pol commented that GMC Hoops had brought good luck to the fortunes of the Hawks. Throughout the early part of the week, the North Edison squad had struggled with its new identity of being the hunted rather than being the hunter like it had been this past season. However, on this night, there would be a return to the status quo of the 2007-08 season as the Hawks showed the flare that it had during perhaps its best season since the glory days of Tony Newsom, Rocky Pravato, and George Bowen. The Hawks jumped out to a 32-16 lead at the half, and never looked back in a 60-42 victory over Bound Brook in the final game of the night at East Brunswick.
After over a minute and a half of no scoring by both teams, J.P. Stevens got on the board first when Kenny Bland scored on a baseline jumper from the left side for a 2-0 lead at the 18:22 mark. On Bound Brook’s next possession, Jordan Hawkins evened things up when he drew a foul on a three point attempt, and netted two of three from the line for a 2-2 tie at the eighteen minute mark. Stevens would take the lead right back though when Bland scored once more on an offensive rebound and follow for a 4-2 advantage at the 17:15 mark. However, over the next 59 seconds, the Crusaders would have perhaps their best run of the game with five unanswered points for a 7-4 lead. Highlighting the run was a three pointer from the left wing for a 7-4 lead at the 16:16 mark.
Little more than a minute afterward, Nick Pol got on the board when he was fouled on a three, and made two of three at the line to make the score, 7-6. About forty-five seconds later, Tahir Swinton, who showed some real aggressive play on the offensive end by taking the ball hard to the basket all night, scored on a nice drive, and double pump for a layup that put the Hawks in front again, 8-7 at the 14:14 mark. Myles Reuben then followed up with a rebound and drive for a coast to coast layup that gave JPS a three point, 10-7 lead at the 13:12 mark. Following a Bound Brook timeout moments later, Bland went back to work again with a putback off of his own miss for a 12-7 lead at the 12:25 mark, and then he scored again on an offensive rebound and follow off a long carom of a jumper by Rueben for a 14-9 lead at the 11:00 mark.
Stevens was hoping to have an even bigger lead, but Bound Brook managed to put a temporary halt to the Hawks run by drawing a charge on Myles Reuben at the midway point of the first half. A little more than a minute later though, Swinton got back into the act by grabbing a loose ball, and driving up the left side of the floor for a layup that got a bit of a kind roll for a 16-9 edge at the 8:51 mark. Following a free throw by the Crusaders, the Hawks got a layup from a player, who was fouled, but missed the bonus free throw for an 18-10 lead with 7:30 to go in the first half. Swinton then followed that up with a drive and spin on the right side for another bucket that helped the Hawks double the output of the Crusaders, 20-10 at the 6:50 mark. Bound Brook, which has begun to really take huge strides as a program after over a decade of mediocrity, went on a 4-0 mini-run to close the gap to 20-14.
Swinton then put an end to that little uprising when he brought the ball slowly upcourt to lull the Bound Brook defense to sleep, and then utilized his first step to blow by the defenders into the key for a driving layup that increased Stevens margin to eight again at 22-14 with 4:36 to go before the intermission. A little more than a half minute after that, Swinton made another key play when the soon to be senior guard, swiped a steal, and passed the ball upcourt to Bland, who had difficulty getting his hands on the ball at first, but finally got the handle, and scored for a 24-14 lead with 3:04 to go in the half. The Hawks then closed out the opening half with 8 of the final 10 points including three pointers by both Kyle Heron from the left wing, and another by Reuben for a 32-16 lead going into the brief intermission.
In the second half, Bound Brook, which was fired up thanks in part to the motivation from its head coach, Anthony Melesurgo, came out of the gates strong with five straight points to close to within eleven at 32-21, but the Hawks wouldn’t let them get any closer. JPS replied with four unanswered of its own including a pair of free throws by Pol that made the score, 36-21 at the 16:27 mark. The Crusaders then scored four of the next five points to pull within a dozen at 37-25 before Bland prevented another score with a block that Reuben picked up and took to the house for the one handed slam that made it 39-25 at the 14:10 mark. Bound Brook fought hard to stay in the game with a 10-8 showing over the next 8:17 to get within ten, but Swinton squashed that with a nice drive for a layup that made it 47-35 at the 5:53 mark. The Hawks then finished off the game when Swinton first dished to Reuben for a three pointer from the left corner for a 52-38 lead at the 2:50 mark, and then Pol swiped a steal for a layup to make the score, 54-38 with 2:08 to play.
J.P. Stevens then outscored Bound Brook by a 6 to 4 margin the rest of the way including a nice move by Pol to close out the 60-42 victory. Both the Hawks and the Crusaders were going to be in action on the final day at the East Brunswick Team Camp on Thursday.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| J.P. Stevens | 32 | 28 | 60 |
| Bound Brook | 16 | 26 | 42 |
South Brunswick Downs East Brunswick On Buzzer Beater, 49-47
It was an old fashioned GMC Red Showdown to kickoff the web site’s coverage of Wednesday night’s action at the 2008 East Brunswick Team Camp as South Brunswick engaged East Brunswick in a back and forth duel that came down to a last second shot. GMC Hoops joined the action at the half with both teams tied up at 25-25. In the second half, East Brunswick scored first with a drive and spin move for a layup that made the score, 27-25 with 18:42 to go. The Vikings then responded by scoring the next four points including a layup by Kory Sanders that prompted long time EB head coach, Bo Henning to call for time at the 16:28 mark with SBHS ahead, 29-27.
Nearly a minute later, Dustin Schuld got East Brunswick going again with a three point play to push the Bears back in front, 30-29 with 15:30 to go in the contest. South Brunswick then retorted with a drive for a layup that made the score, 31-30 with 15:05 to play. Over a minute would pass before the next score as EB would go back out in front on two free throws by junior forward, Mike Kvidahl for a 32-31 lead at the 13:45 mark. In just the second half alone, there would be 12 lead changes and 5 ties. The Bears would then add an offensive rebound and putback for a 34-31 lead at the 12:35 mark before the Vikings responded with 7 of the next 8 points including a jumper at the 6:35 mark to take a 38-35 lead. Nearly two minutes later, the game was knotted again with a three pointer that made the score 38-38 with 4:40 to play.
The contest would continue to teeter back and forth as the Vikes put together some fine passing and teamwork on the fast break for a Jean Paul Isaacs layup that propelled them into the lead again at 40-38 with 3:56 left. Nearly forty seconds later, East Brunswick knotted the game up again at 40-40 with a basket at the 3:20 mark. Both teams would exchange leads again as the Bears went ahead with a layup for a 42-40 lead with 1:50 to go only to have the Vikings take the lead right back with first a one of two showing at the foul line, and then an offensive rebound on the missed second shot that led to a three pointer for a 44-42 score at the 1:36 mark. The Bears replied promptly with a three of their own to go back ahead 45-44 before the Vikes made one of two again at the line for a 45-45 tie with 1:06 to go in regulation.
Down the stretch they came as EB got a layup for a 47-45 advantage, and then SB had another one of two showing at the 33 second mark to pull within one again at 47-46. Five seconds later, the Vikings swiped a steal, and went in for a score, but East Brunswick blocked the shot, and the scoreboard still read, 47-46 in favor of the Bears with 28 seconds to go. EBHS had an opportunity to stretch the lead to three, but missed the front end of a one and one with 10 seconds left. Although the Bears got the offensive rebound, they eventually turned it over back to the Vikings, which promptly proceeded to come down the floor, and sink a desperation shot from about 30 feet to win at the buzzer, 49-47. Both the Bears and the Vikings would have one more game to play on this night with EB taking on Piscataway and SB battling Monroe at 7:30 PM.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Brunswick | 25 | 24 | 49 |
| East Brunswick | 25 | 22 | 47 |
Monroe Edges South Brunswick In Another Thriller, 48-47
It was another nailbiter for the Vikings, but this time they would fall short as Monroe downed them by one, 48-47. After watching some of the contest between J.P. Stevens and Carteret, GMC Hoops joined the action in this one with about 11:45 remaining in the first half with Monroe leading by two, 11-9. The game would be as nip and tuck as the Vikings first matchup against East Brunswick. A little more than a minute later, the Falcons would get on the board again as they generated a fast break following a rebound off a missed shot by SBHS’ Jean Paul Isaacs, and the break culminated with a Blake Bascom layup at the 10:33 mark for a 13-9 lead. Isaacs would eventually redeem himself down the other end for a short shot down low at the 10:11 mark for a 13-11 lead. Moments later, Monroe would reply with a field goal at exactly the midway point of the first half for a 15-11 lead.
On a subsequent possession though, South Brunswick would draw again to within two thanks to a nice dish for a jumper in the key that made the score, 15-13 at the 9:18 mark. The Vikings then tied the game up a little more than 30 seconds later with a basket that made it 15-15 at the 8:46 mark. SB had an opportunity to take the lead as the player, who got the score was fouled on the play, but he missed the bonus free throw for the conventional three point play, and the score remained tied at 15-15. The Vikes then came up with a nice defensive stop thanks to a player drawing a charge at the 8:29 mark. About a minute and fifteen seconds later, Mike Walp, the younger brother of Falcon inspirational player, Ryan Walp, grabbed an offensive rebound and attempted to put it back in, and drew a foul that resulted in one of two from the line for a 16-15 lead with 7:12 to go before halftime.
On the next Viking possession, South Brunswick wrestled the lead right back with a layup that made the score, 17-16 at the 6:40 mark. Monroe promptly responded though with a field goal for an 18-17 lead with 6:19 left in the half. Up to this point, there had been three lead changes and a tie in just a 5:26 span. There were a lot more as well that the site didn’t witness. The Vikes eventually took a 28-26 lead at the break thanks to an 11-8 showing over the remaining balance of the first period. Then, in the second half, Monroe went back to work as Ken Pace Jr. opened the scoring at the 19 minute mark with one of two from the foul line for a 28-27 score. GMC Hoops then went over to watch more of the contest between J.P. Stevens and Carteret for a while, but would return with about four minutes to play.
During the 15 minutes or so that the web site was away, the game continued to be taut and tenuous with South Brunswick only garnering a slight 13-12 edge for a still very slim, 41-39 lead at the 3:57 mark. The Vikings tried to get some much needed breathing room, but couldn’t as Danny Brix came up with a rebound for Monroe, and passed off to his older brother Tim, who then drove and kicked out to the left side for a jumper that was good, and the game was square once again at 41-41 with 3:30 to play in regulation. A little more than a minute later, Monroe would take the lead as Travis Dufner swiped a steal that ultimately led to an offensive rebound and putback by Pace as he was fouled for a three point play that made it 44-41 with 2:24 to go in the contest. Shortly afterward, South Brunswick made one of two free throws at the 1:50 mark to close the gap to two again at 44-42.
Monroe would come right back down the floor though as Pace grabbed a rebound, and that led to a Blish layup for a 46-42 lead with 1:41 left. Following a timeout at the 1:06 mark, Monroe failed to put the game away by missing the front end of a one and one with 53 seconds left, and South Brunswick then proceeded to pull within one on a three pointer from the right wing for a 46-45 lead with 31 seconds to go. Fouling immediately, the Vikings stopped the clocked, and forced Monroe to the line, but Pace came through to give the Falcons a three point lead again at 48-45 with 26 seconds to go. Cody McHugh would then round out the scoring with a layup for South Brunswick with four seconds left, but the Vikes ran out of time as Monroe came away with the slim, 48-47 victory.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | 26 | 22 | 48 |
| South Brunswick | 28 | 19 | 47 |
Piscataway Starts Strong And Hangs On To Beat EB
In the only glance of the evening at Piscataway, GMC Hoops took in the Chiefs’ contest versus East Brunswick in the lower level utility gym during the 7:30 PM round of games. When the web site joined the action, Piscataway had already attained a nine point, 23-14 lead with 3:13 left. Dustin Schuld of East Brunswick then got the final points of the first half on a pair of free throws at the 2:30 mark for a 23-16 Chief lead. Neither team would score the rest of the way as the Bears committed a traveling violation at the 1:48 mark, and then Schuld drew a charge on Malcolm Griggs at the 54.2 second mark. Jeff Adkins tried to put together some last second lightning for P-Way by pushing the ball upcourt in the waning moments for a fake and a jumper that hit back iron, and the Chiefs went into the intermission with a 23-16 advantage.
In the second half, East Brunswick got off and running with a field goal at the 16:30 mark to close the gap to 23-18. Over the next 4:30 though, P-Way would seize control of the game with a 14-2 tear that proved to be the difference in a 49-43 victory. The Chiefs started the decisive run with a field goal at the 16:15 mark for a 25-18 lead. Piscataway had a chance to go up further as Thomas Bennett swiped a steal, and headed the other way upcourt for a layup attempt when Mike Kvidahl stepped in, and took a charge with 15:45 remaining. The Bears then took advantage by trimming the margin down to five again with a jumper that made the score, 25-20 at the 15:26 mark. On a subsequent Chief possession, Wayne Newsome made two foul shots to push the P-Way advantage back to seven at 27-20 with just inside 15 minutes to go in the contest.
Almost fifty seconds later, the Chiefs were on the board again as Benjamin made a sharp pass to Newsome for a reverse layup, and a 29-20 score in favor of P-Way with 14:08 remaining. Thirty-seven seconds later, Piscataway was on the board once more as Adkins put together a nice nifty drive for a layup that made the score, 31-20. Moments later, on East Brunswick’s next possession, Newsome came up with a steal, and passed the ball up to Adkins, who drove in and laid the ball up off the backboard for an alleyoop slam, but put it up too high, and Newsome had to settle for a layup that made the score, 33-20 with 13:18 to play. Following an EBHS timeout at the 13:14 mark, Adkins made a pair of free throws with 12:30 remaining for a 15 point Piscataway lead, and then the soon to be senior point guard had a nice look on a pass to Bennett for a layup that capped the tear, and made the score, 37-20 at the 11:47 mark.
From there, East Brunswick would battle back with a 23-12 showing the rest of the way, but it wouldn’t be enough as the Chiefs emerged victorious with a six point victory. The two squads were both scheduled to be in action tomorrow, the final day of the team camp.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piscataway | 23 | 26 | 49 |
| East Brunswick | 16 | 27 | 43 |