Here are highlights from the action in 10th seeded J.F. Kennedy’s upset win over 7th seeded Bishop Ahr in the First Round, or Round of 16 in the 2017 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.
GMC Hoops managed to get over to Bishop Ahr to see what should have been the second game of a doubleheader between the 7th seeded Trojans and 10th seeded J.F. Kennedy.
After a competitive first period, and opening four minutes of the second, the Mustangs, which lost to Bishop Ahr by a margin of 60-34 on January 21st, gradually began to pull away to an upset victory. Kennedy started the game by scoring the first six points including a free throw by Tamaj Coleman and a three pointer by Bendji Pierre.
Bishop Ahr would rally though with the next 9 points including a three pointer by Alex Santiago and a pair of free throws by Deontae Crawford for a three point lead late in the first. J.F. Kennedy would retake the lead going into the second as Pierre was fouled on a three pointer for a rare four point play, and 10-9 edge.
The Trojans opened the second with the first four points for a 13-10 lead before Kennedy rallied with the next five points including a score by football standout, Kyle Heaney for a 15-13 lead. From that point on, Kennedy never trailed as the Mustangs ended the half with 11 of the last 19 points including a three and a jumper by David Morales and a jumper by Rohan Chakke for a 26-21 halftime lead.
Kennedy then opened the third quarter with 11 of the first 16 points including Pete Obertan’s first points of the game, a coast to coast layup by Tamaj Coleman, and a score by Kobie Wells for a 37-27 lead with 2:27 remaining in the third. The Mustangs then scored 8 of the last 13 points including a jumper by Obertan after he blocked a shot at the other end for a 45-32 lead heading into the fourth.
Ahr had a chance to get back into the game when JFK was assessed a technical foul with 5:47 remaining. Having the potential to get perhaps a six or seven point play to get back into the contest, the Trojans made one of two technical free throws, one of two foul shots for the accompanying personal foul, and another one of two from the charity stripe after drawing another foul for a 47-37 Mustangs lead with 5:26 left.
The Trojans would get no closer after that as the Mustangs put the game away with an 11-3 run that included a score by Wells at the 3:29 mark, a putback by Carlton Sears at the 2:14 mark, and several free throws for a 58-40 lead with a minute and a half remaining. Ahr finished the game with a 9-5 run that included a couple scores by Kieran Hodder and a three from Alex Guketlov, but JFK won the game, 63-49.
Wells finished with a game high 18 points on five field goals and eight made free throws. Pierre chipped in with 13 including 7 in the first quarter. Obertan finished with 8 points all coming in the final 14:34 of the contest. Sean Kudelka was a bright spot in defeat for Bishop Ahr with a team high 14 points along with 10 rebounds for a double-double, 4 assists, and 4 steals.
Crawford was limited to single digits in scoring, but his effort on the boards was very noteworthy with 20 rebounds for the Trojans. Hodder and Santiago also scored 9 in a losing cause for Ahr. Kennedy advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011, and will face second seeded South Brunswick on Sunday at 2:00 PM at New Brunswick High School.