Plenty of Exciting Action at the JV Level So Far This Season
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ—Passing the midpoint of the 2016-17 Greater Middlesex Conference boys basketball season, it is time to take a look back at some of the JV games that GMC Hoops has managed to see so far this season. The site has taken in quite a few games, 10 as aa matter of fact, and many of them were very close. Let’s take a brief look at the JV games seen so far this year by GMC Hoops:
South Brunswick at St. Joseph’s–February 4, 2017
Prior to the start of the GMC Red Division Showdwon between top ranked St. Joseph’s and third ranked South Brunswick, the JV programs from the two schools went at it. Early on, the JV Falcons dominated led by Matthew Cruz and Ryan Granito.
St. Joseph’s led by 40 points at one point in the contest, but South Brunswick battled back led by the likes of freshman Devin Strickland. The Junior Vikings would chip away at the deficit and got it down to just 12 points.
South Brunswick wouldn’t get any closer though as St. Joe’s finished the game on a 20-12 run for the 79-59 victory. The Junior Falcons, which defeated East Brunswick back on January 24th (68-60), are now 2-0 when GMC Hoops while South Brunswick, which defeated Monroe (40-31) on December 20th, is 1-1.
Perth Amboy Tech at Timothy Christian—January 18, 2017
Led by Kyle Clemons, Josh Brown, and Jarrett Johnson, the JV Tigers of Timothy Christian amassed a 41-34 lead over the first 28 minutes of the contest, but Amboy Tech hung in until the very end. The Junior Patriots finished the game on a 10-3 tear and had a chance to tie in the closing seconds. However, Amboy Tech misfired on several free throws with five seconds left, and Timothy Christian was able to hang on for the 44-41 victory. Highlights from the last 10 minutes of action coming soon.
St. Joseph’s at East Brunswick—January 17, 2017
St. Joseph’s had a 61-53 lead with 4:30 to play, and didn’t let EB get any closer than five points en route to a 68-60 victory. Both teams scored 7 points over the final four and a half minutes. It was the third time that GMC Hoops covered East Brunswick’s JV this year, and the Junior Bears are 2-1 in those three games. View the footage from the final four minutes of action in this contest.
East Brunswick at Bishop Ahr—January 9, 2017
In this GMC crossover, the JV Bears broke away from a 30-29 deadlock with a 10-6 run that included a three pointer by Max Tischhasuer with 6:11 remaining for a 40-35 lead. Ahr’s JV squad rallied back with a 7-2 run that included a score from Kobe Walker to tie the score at 42-42 with three minutes to play in regulation. However, EB ended the game by scoring 6 of the last 9 points including two FTs by Christian Kuan, and one of two from the line by Seth Warner for a 48-45 victory. View the highlights from the last 12 minutes of this contest.
East Brunswick vs. North Brunswick—Brunswick Classic—December 29, 2017
The JV Bears managed to force overtime by getting a score with 9.2 seconds to go in regulation, and then rallied from a 35-32 deficit by scoring the last 9 points for a 41-35 victory. Christian Kuan tied the game at 35-35 with 1:18 to go in the extra session on a three pointer from the left corner, and then netted several free throws down the stretch for the six point victory. View the highlights from the last 5:58 of regulation and overtime in this contest.
Bishop Ahr at Carteret—December 23, 2016
The Junior Trojans of Bishop Ahr trailed 39-35 with about 2:30 remaining when they converted a traditional three point play to pull within one. Both teams then went back and forth for the next couple minutes with nobody scoring. Then, with 13.6 seconds to play, Carteret’s JV Ramblers were at the line leading 39-38. Carteret missed the front end of a one and one, which Ahr rebounded, and went the length of the floor for a layup and a 40-39 lead with about five or six seconds to play. Carteret’s JV then came right back down the floor and got a three point shot off just in time, and it banked in for a 42-40 win. View footage from the ending of this game.
Piscataway at Old Bridge—December 22, 2016
Prior to a very competitive varsity contest, the JV teams from both Piscataway and Old Bridge put on quite a show themselves in a fast paced back and forth battle that the Junior Chiefs eventually won, 70-60. Trailing 23-19 at the half, P-Way outscored Old Bridge 51-37 in the second half as both teams combined for nearly 90 points over the final 16 minutes. View some highlights from the action.
South River at Metuchen—December 21, 2016
GMC Hoops happened to catch the last 2:30 of regulation and the overtime in this one. Both teams didn’t seem to want to win this game as one team couldn’t take advantage of the miscues from the other. Finally, in the extra session, Metuchen broke away from a 38-38 tie at the start of overtime with a bank shot by Will Hronich to open the extra session. The Junior Bulldogs never trailed again as Ryan Grice made 6 of 8 free throws while Jack Bradley swiped several key steals in overtime to help seal the 48-39 victory. View highlights from the last 6:30 of action.
South Brunswick at Monroe—December 20, 2016
Tied at 29-29 with 7:38 to play, South Brunswick closed the game on an 11-2 spurt to come away with a hard fought, 40-31 victory. View highlights from the last 7:30 of action.
Sayreville at North Brunswick—GMC Hoops JV Game of the Week—Opening Night—December 16, 2016
Prior to the varsity boys season opener between North Brunswick and Sayreville, the JV teams went at it in the GMC Hoops Game of the Week, and it was quite a thriller as well. After a first half and early third period that saw tremendous swings in momentum, the JV Bombers of Sayreville and the JV Raiders of North Brunswick went at it down to the wire. Sayreville trailed 59-55 early on in the fourth quarter when Eric Sokolowski scored to spark a decisive 11-5 spurt for a 66-64 win.
Leading the way for the JV Bombers was James Reick with a team high 18 points on six threes. I-Be Allah led the JV Raiders in defeat with a game high 32 points including 16 in the second quarter and 9 in the third when North Brunswick turned a 26-11 deficit into a 49-48 lead. Read the story and game notes as well as view highlights, photos, and slideshow from the action.