SOMERVILLE, NJ–In addition to covering the four games involving teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference, GMC Hoops also saw action in four non-conference games. Below are capsules on each:
Mendham vs. Ridge
In this battle of nearby neighbors from Somerset and Morris County, Ridge scored 3 of the first 4 points over a span of 4:45. Mendham then reeled off five straight over the next 3:46 to take a 6-3 lead at the 11:29 mark of the first half. Ridge then outscored Mendham by a margin of 7-5 over the remainder of the half to close the gap to 11-10 at the intermission.
Mendham opened the second half with a pair of free throws at the 19:29 mark and a three point play a couple minutes later for a 16-10 lead with about 16:30 to play. Over the next 3:00, Ridge scored five points to pull within one before Mendham drilled a jumper at the 12:59 mark for an 18-15 lead. The Red Devils from Basking Ridge then scored four more unanswered points including a jumper by Chris Feringa and a layup by Jeremy McCavera for a 19-18 lead with 11:08 to play.
Mendham responded with a 7-3 spurt over the next six minutes or so before McCavera drew a foul for Ridge and made both FTs for a 25-24 Minutemen lead. Mendham then added another score for a 27-24 lead before a timeout was called with 4:41 to play. Following the stoppage, Ridge pulled within two at 29-27 on a three pointer from the top of the key at the 2:08 mark after Mendham made two foul shots.
The Minutemen converted a clutch play with a little over 43 seconds to go in regulation when they scored on a layup while being fouled for a 32-27 lead. Mendham then made 4 of 6 from the line down the stretch to wrap up the 36-29 win.
Somerville vs. Hillsborough
In this battle between two old Mid-State Conference Raritan Division foes, Somerville jumped out to a 6-5 lead over the first few minutes of the contest, and increased it to 13-8 midway through the first half before closing the period on a 10-5 spurt including two free throws at the 10 second mark for a 24-13 lead.
After a lull over the first two and a half minutes of the second half before Somerville scored on a layup at the 17:26 mark. Hillsborough responded by scoring the next four points including a bank shot by Ethan Griffin prior to a timeout at the 16:24 mark. Following the stoppage, the Raiders added a three from the left wing to close the gap to 26-20 and then put in another score to pull within four with 15 minutes to play.
Somerville got some breathing room when it scored on a putback with 3:24 to play, but Hillsborough responded with a follow of its own and then got to the foul line for one more for a 28-25 Ville lead with 12:30 to play. The Pioneers added another score for a five point lead before the Raiders put together a 7-2 run including a three pointer and then a jumper by Griffin at the 7:41 mark for a 32-32 tie.
From that point on, the game was nip and tuck. Following a couple free throws by Somerville to retake the lead at the 6:38 mark, Griffin sank another jumper to tie the game at 34-34. A little over two and a half minutes later, Hillsborough went ahead, 36-34 thanks to another score by Griffin. Somerville would score the next three for a 37-36 edge, but Hillsborough netted two free throws to go back in front 38-37 with two minutes to play.
The Pioneers managed to go back in front on a layup with 59 seconds to go, but the Raiders pulled out the 40-39 win on a jumper from the left baseline at the buzzer.
Summit vs. Bernards
If this were football, it would be a pretty good game in the Mid-State 38 conference. Bernards jumped out to a 9-2 lead by the 17:27 mark thanks to a conventional three point play and a basket while being fouled (missed bonus FT). Summit would battle back though.
Over the next 6:01, the Hilltoppers scored six of the game’s next 9 points to pull within 12-8 at the 11:26 mark. Summit then outscored Bernards by a 6-5 margin over the next three minutes to narrow the deficit to 17-14 with 8:30 to play in the first half. The Hilltoppers then completed a 16-9 turnaround by scoring 4 of 5 points over a 3:30 span to tie the contest at 18-18 with five minutes left in the opening stanza.
Both teams exchanged a couple scores over the next several minutes for a 22-22 tie before. Bernards sank a three from the left wing with about a minute and a half to play and added a pair of free throws at the 41 second mark for a 27-22 lead. Summit then scored on a layup with 8.9 seconds left in the half to pull within three and almost tied it on a trey from the left wing with time running out, but trailed at the half, 27-24.
Summit opened the half with 4 of the first 6 points to pull within one at 29-28 with 17:28 to play, but Bernards got an easy layup after the Hilltoppers missed a chance to score at the other end. The Mountaineers bucket sparked a 13-2 tear over a span of 4:28 and was capped by two threes including one at 13 minute mark for a 42-30 lead. Bernards didn’t let up on the gas either.
Instead, the Mountaineers put together a 16-9 run for the next 11 minutes to take a 58-39 lead before Summit made a pair of free throws in the final minute to round out the 58-41 Bernards victory.
Watchung Hills vs. Immaculata
In this clash of Skyland Conference Delaware Division rivals, Immaculata scored the first three points including one of two from the line at the 17:24 mark. Watchung Hills responded with the next six points over a 2:40 span including a steal for a layup to take a 6-3 lead at the 14:44 mark.
The Warriors from Warren then added 8 of the next 12 points including a rare four point play after being fouled on a three pointer at the 8:52 mark for a 14-7 lead. Both teams scored five points each over the next 8:21 before a timeout was called with 31.63 seconds left in the first half and Watchung Hills still leading by seven at 19-12.
The Warriors then scored on a putback just before the buzzer to take a 21-12 lead at the intermission. Then Watchung Hills scored on a layin off a steal to open the second half scoring at the 19:24 mark for a 23-12 lead. WHRHS went up by 14 at 26-12 on a three pointer with about 17:30 to play. Watchung Hills eventually increased the lead to 31-14 at the 10:30 mark on a 5-2 run that included a three from the right wing.
Immaculata then attempted to chip away at the lead with a 7-3 spurt over a span of 5:42 to close the gap to 34-21 with 4:48 remaining. The Spartans wouldn’t get any closer as Watchung Hills ended the game on an 8-2 run including two threes in the final minute and a half for the 42-23 victory.