READING, PA–On Friday, GMC Hoops traveled down to Albright College in Reading to take in some of the action from the first day at the 2010 Hoop Group Elite Team Camp. St. Joseph’s was the only team from the Greater Middlesex Conference that participated in this camp along with a number of other teams from around New Jersey including St. Patrick’s, Lakewood, Point Pleasant Beach, Union, Scotch Plains-Fanwood, and Pope John among others.
The Falcons were the focal point of our coverage with summaries on their games against Theodore Roosevelt of Washington D.C. in the first round of the winners bracket from the American Division, and versus Cumberland Valley in the consolation bracket. However, the site does have analysis and results on this event as well. Sixty-four teams competed in this two day event across two divisions in tournament style play.
Theodore Roosevelt Of DC Hangs On To Edge St. Joe’s, 46-42
Last year, the Falcons won their first two games at Eastern with victories over a team from Turkey in the opening round, and a defeat of Bishop Ireton from Maryland in the second round before slipping against eventual finalist, Pennington in the quarterfinals. This year though was a bit different for the Green Birds as they lost several seniors from this past season including Penn bound Steve Rennard. Despite the fact that the Falcons lost a great deal of talent and experience from this past season’s GMCT Champion, Quenton DeCosey is still returning along with reserves such as Slay Sudah, Brandon Dolan, Kevin Mayce, and Ace Sudah along with incoming sophomores James Ziemba and Jimbo Long. So, expect the Falcons to still be in at least the GMC top five entering 2010-11.
The Falcons had a tough matchup in the first round with a taller and longer squad in Theodore Roosevelt from the Washington D.C. area. Although they arrived late, the Roughriders were ready to go for their opening round matchup with St. Joe’s. Roosevelt, which competes in the Western Division of the DCIAA, went 9-11 last season. Two years ago, Theodore Roosevelt played for the Washington D.C. city championship after winning the DCIAA by downing long time powerhouse, Dunbar, to play for its first city wide title since 1972. The Falcons had trouble with the taller and athletic Roughriders, but battled to the very end before bowing out 46-42. For the game, Theodore Roosevelt went 19 of 50 from the field for 38 percent including two of eight from three point range while St. Joseph’s went 15 of 56 from the floor for only 27 percent including a 4 of 22 effort from three point range.
At the free throw line, St. Joe’s was better than its opponent, and that along with its defense, kept it in the game. The Falcons were 8 of 12 from the line while Roosevelt was only 6 of 17 from the charity stripe. The Green Birds also committed 16 turnovers, but the Roughriders only got seven points off those turnovers while St. Joe’s scored 11 points off of 15 TRHS turnovers. In other statistical areas, St. Joseph’s had a slight rebounding edge (36-35) including a 13-11 edge on the offensive glass. Neither team was able to cash in on their second chance opportunities as the Falcons only had three second chance points versus four for the Roughriders. Theodore Roosevelt also had more assists (10-7) and blocks (6-4) while St. Joseph’s had more steals (6-5). The Roughriders had a lead as big as nine midway through the second half before the Falcons rallied with a 15-9 spurt to pull within three with 1:30 to play, but couldn’t get any closer.
Despite shooting 3 of 27 from the floor including an 0 of 8 showing from three, soon to be junior, Quenton DeCosey went five of six at the line for a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds. He also collected three assists, three blocks, and two steals. Nevertheless, DeCosey appeared bothered by Roosevelt’s defenders, which made him work for everything he got, and thoroughly thwarted him for much of the game. Jimbo Long tried to pick up the slack offensively as he was more assertive offensively, but he also struggled by making 3 of 10 from the floor including two of six from three for 9 points along with 3 blocks, 3 steals, an assist, and a block. Brandon Dolan (5 points and 4 rebounds) and Kevin Mayce (4 points, 2 rebounds, an assist, and a steal) helped round out the rest of the scoring.
The game was played in two 16 minute halves so it was a 32 minute game as supposed to the usual forty minutes that are played in summer league contests. Teddy Roosevelt got on the board first with a three pointer from the left wing for a 3-0 edge at the 13:02. Long tied the game up at 3-3 with a three of his own before Roosevelt went ahead with a jumper, and then a one of two showing from the line at the 12:34 mark for a 6-3 lead. A little over a minute later, the Roughriders scored a basket while being fouled for a traditional three point play at the 11:31 mark for a 9-3 advantage. On the Falcons next possession, Long drew a foul, and hit the first of two foul shots. He missed the second, but Dolan was able to get the offensive rebound. Unfortunately, St. Joe’s was unable to take advantage of the second opportunity as Theodore Roosevelt still led by a 9-4 margin at the 11:18 mark.
St. Joseph’s pulled within three when DeCosey followed his own miss, and drew a foul that resulted in two foul shots at the 10:31 mark for a 9-6 score. Nearly two minutes later, Falcons head coach, Dave Turco went big by putting in Ziemba (2 points and 6 rebounds), and the soon to be sophomore went to work early by going to the line, and making one of two for a 9-7 Roughrider lead at the 8:32 mark. The Green Birds then tied the game at 9-9 up as Dolan scored on a layup off a steal for the team’s first field goal in 4:30 before Theodore Roosevelt called for time with 8:06 to go in the first half. St. Joe’s actually took the lead when DeCosey drove in for a layup from the left wing for an 11-9 edge at the 7:30 mark. However, Roosevelt quickly tied things up with a basket while being fouled at the 7:06 mark for an 11-11 tie.
St. Joe’s went back in front at 14-11 on a three from the right wing off a pass by DeCosey with 5:29 to play in the half. A little over a minute later, Greg Patton (2 points and 2 rebounds) got his only points of the game with a rebound and a drive upcourt for a layup, and a 16-11 lead with 4:14 to go in the half. Teddy Roosevelt got back on the board to pull within three, and had a chance to close the gap to one, but missed both free throws at the 3:24 mark, and the score remained 16-13 in favor of the Falcons. The Roughriders did eventually draw within one on an offensive rebound and follow at the 1:50 mark for a 16-15 score. DeCosey made two foul shots at the 1:33 mark for an 18-15 lead, but TRHS closed within one again with a transition layup for a 18-17 score at the 1:19 mark.
Ziemba made one of two from the line at the 1:15 mark for a 19-17 lead, but Theodore Roosevelt closed out the half with the final five points including a three pointer on its very next trip down the floor for a 20-19 advantage with exactly a minute to go in the half. Then, the Roughriders got a basket and a foul with 21 seconds to go in the period, but missed the bonus free throw for a conventional three point play, and the score ended up 22-19 going into the intermission. In the second half, Roosevelt started out with a 12-6 spurt over the initial 7:50 for its largest lead of the game, and held off the late charge by the Falcons to win the game. Roosevelt began the second half with a 4-2 run over the first 3:05 including a layup for a 26-21 lead at the 12:55 mark. Long accounted for the only Falcon points with a steal for a layup.
TRHS had a chance to go up even further, but their foul shooting again prevented them by missing two charity shots at the 12:12 mark. However, the Roughriders were able to briefly increase its lead with a pump fake and short shot over DeCosey for a 28-21 lead with 11:45 to play. DeCosey responded though with an offensive rebound and follow prior to a Falcons timeout at the 11:12 mark. Theodore Roosevelt went on a 6-2 run following the stoppage for a 34-25 lead. Nick Straughn (2 of 2 FGs for 4 points adn a rebound), who was just getting back into the swing of things after experiencing an injury during the spring, accounted for the only scoring during the 3:02 stretch with a layup. St. Joe’s began to battle back as DeCosey swiped a steal, passed to Mayce, who dished to Dolan for a three from the left wing, and a 34-28 Roosevelt lead at the 6:35 mark.
DeCosey then added a layup, and drew a foul on a subsequent trip that resulted in one of two from the foul line, and a 36-31 Roughrider lead. The Falcons continued to face an uphill battle though as Roosevelt scored for a 38-31 lead before Mayce came up with a steal for a layup that pulled St. Joe’s within five again at 38-33. Theodore Roosevelt then made one of two at the line for a 39-33 score at the 4:21 mark before Slay Sudah (2 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists) got into the act with a strong drive from the right side for a layup that closed the gap to 39-35 with 3:19 left. Roosevelt then got a score to go back up by six before Mayce connected on a jumper from Sudah at the 2:15 mark for a 41-37 score. The Roughriders went up by six again, but Sudah continued to try to keep his team in the contest by passing to Long for a three from the right wing that cut the deficit in half at 43-40 with 1:30 to play.
Unfortunately, the Falcons were unable to get any closer. Teddy Roosevelt got a rare two free throws with 1:23 to play for a 45-40 lead, and then another free throw late to seal the 46-42 victory to advance to the second round of the winners bracket to face the Potomac School of Virgina while St. Joseph’s faced off against Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania in the consolation bracket.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theodore Roosevelt (1-0) | 22 | 24 | 46 |
| St. Joseph’s (0-1) | 19 | 23 | 42 |
St. Joseph’s Survives Late Run To Defeat Cumberland Valley, 57-51
The second game of the day for St. Joe’s took place at 2:30 PM against Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania over at Reading Senior High School. Both of these teams lost their opening round games in the American Division tourney at the HG Elite Team Camp as the Falcons lost to the Roughriders of Theodore Roosevelt from Washington D.C. while Cumberland Valley lost its opener to the Potomac School of Virginia. The Falcons played better offensively in the contest, but still had some difficulties as Cumberland Valley hung tough throughout, especially in a high scoring second half that saw a five point lead with less than three minutes to go evaporated to a one point deficit after a 6-0 Cumberland Valley run made the score, 51-50 with just under two minutes to play.
However, St. Joseph’s found a way to win as Quenton DeCosey got a layup for a 52-51 lead at the 1:35 mark, and handed out an assist on a Kevin Mayce layup for a 54-51 lead with 1:14 left en route to a 7-0 finish, and a 57-51 victory. For the game, St. Joe’s made 24 of 49 shots overall for 49 percent while limiting Cumberland Valley to 21 of 54 shots for 39 percent. The Eagles, which went 5-14 last season in the Commonwealth Division of the Mid-Penn League, kept hanging around in this contest thanks to a 12-0 edge from beyond the arc as they made 4 of 14 shots from three. The Falcons also only made 9 of 17 from the foul line while Cumberland Valley made 5 of 11. In other statistical areas, St. Joseph’s had a 30-23 edge on the boards including a 10-8 advantage on the offensive glass. However, the Eagles had more blocks (3-1) and second chance points (6-4). The Falcons had more assists (15-8) and charges (1-0), but Cumberland Valley had more steals (12-7), and fewer turnovers (13-16).
St. Joe’s was able to take better advantage of its opponents turnovers by scoring 15 points off of Eagle miscues while Cumberland Valley scored 12 points off of St. Joseph’s mistakes. DeCosey turned in another double-double performance (his third of the summer in games covered by GMC Hoops). He again had some struggles from the floor making 6 of 16 shots, but scored 15 points, collected 10 rebounds, and handed out two assists. Kevin Mayce had a greater presence in this game, and when he does well, the Falcons tend to do well in the win column so far this summer. The soon to be senior made 7 of 10 shots for 14 points along with 6 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and the game’s only charge. Jimbo Long also chipped in again with 4 of 8 shooting from the floor and 3 of 6 from the foul line for 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Nick Straughn (5 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals) and Slay Sudah (4 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal) helped round out the scoring for the Green Birds, which advanced to play another game at 7:10 PM.
The Falcons jumped out to an early 7-4 lead as Mayce connected on two of his first three shots while Slay Sudah converted a traditional three point play at the 13:26 mark. Ace Sudah (2 points and a steal) got his only points of the game when he swiped a steal for a layup, and a 9-4 lead, but Cumberland Valley fought back with a 4-0 run before St. Joe’s called for time at the 11:32 mark, and the score 9-8 in its favor. The Eagles had a chance to go ahead, but they missed two free throws at the 10:26 mark, but they would get redeemed by forcing a steal, and then scoring on a follow while being fouled for a three point play, and an 11-9 lead. Straughn then made one of two at the line for an 11-10 Eagle lead at the 9:02 mark. Cumberland Valley then connected on a three pointer from the left wing at the eight minute mark for a 14-10 lead, but Mayce prevented the Eagles from going up by more when he drew a charge at the 6:54 mark.
The Falcons seized the momentum created by Mayce’s charge as DeCosey made one of two from the line after Mayce scored a layup off an assist from Albert Myers III (2 points, an assist, and a block) to close the gap to 14-13 with 4:54 to go in the half. Twenty seconds later, the Green Birds went out in front as Long made one of two from the line, and Mayce got the offensive board on the missed second shot, and put in the follow for a 16-14 lead at the 4:34 mark. Mayce got another offensive rebound and follow, and Slay Sudah made one of two from the line at the 1:20 mark for a 19-16 lead, but Cumberland Valley evened things up at 19-19 with a three pointer from the left wing at the 1:05 mark. DeCosey gave the Falcons the edge going into the brief intermission by making two foul shots at the 46 second mark for a 21-19 score.
St. Joseph’s shot 7 of 24 overall from the floor in the first half while Cumberland Valley was 8 of 29 from the floor in the opening period. The Eagles were 2 of 6 from three while the Falcons were 0 of 4. St. Joe’s made 6 of 11 foul shots while Cumberland Valley made one of five. The Eagles had the edge in turnovers (5-7), but St. Joe’s cashed in for seven points off of turnovers, and scored four second chance points. Mayce was five of eight from the floor for 10 points along with 5 rebounds in the first half. The offenses picked up dramatically in the second half as St. Joseph’s outscored Cumberland Valley by a 36-32 margin as it hit 17 of 25 shots in the final twenty minutes while the Eagles were 13 of 25. CVHS began the second half with a 4-0 run to take a 23-21 lead before Slay Sudah drove and dished to Mayce for a layin at the 14:23 mark that made the score, 23-23.
DeCosey, who scored 12 of his 15 points in the second half, got a basket while being fouled for a 25-23 edge before the Eagles fought back with four straight points for a 27-25 lead at the 13 minute mark. DeCosey then grabbed two offensive rebounds off his own misses, and put in a follow to end a 6-0 run by Cumberland Valley for a 29-27 Eagle lead at the 12:15. DeCosey then tied things up at 29-29 with a jumper off a dish by Slay Sudah at the 11:26 mark. Cumberland Valley replied with a 5-0 run including a three for a 34-29 lead before DeCosey connected on a bank shot to make the score 34-31. The Eagles then made two from the foul line at the 8:46 mark for a 36-31 advantage. On the next St. Joe’s possession, Long scored a layin as he was fouled, but missed the bonus free throw for a 36-33 lead with 8:30 remaining.
Cumberland Valley then netted two free throws at the 7:59 mark for a 38-33 lead, but the Falcons got the points back right away as Long drove and dished to James Ziemba (2 points and 2 rebounds) for a layup as he was fouled for a 38-35 Eagles lead with 7:20 to go. The Central Pennsylvania team seemed to have control of the game with a 5-0 run over the next minute or so for a 43-35 lead, but the Falcons continued to hang in there with a 6-0 burst including scores by Myers III and Long with the latter set up by a steal and assist by Straughn for a 43-41 Eagles lead at the 5:23 mark. A short time later, Straughn got another steal and drove in for a layup that tied the score at 43-43 with 4:51 left. The Falcons then scored seven of the next nine points including a nice reverse layup by Long at the 3:04 mark to cap a 15-2 tear for a 50-45 lead with two and a half minutes remaining.
However, the game continued to have dramatic shifts of momentum as Cumberland Valley remarkably scored six unanswered points in a little more than a half minute for a 51-50 lead. The rally was capped by a steal for a layup at the 1:55 mark. However, the Eagles would not score for the rest of the game as St. Joe’s rallied back for the victory. First, DeCosey, who got all six of his field goals in the second half, scored on a layup at the 1:35 mark for a 52-51 lead. Then, the soon to be junior handed out an assist on Mayce’s final field goal of the game for a 54-51 lead with 1:14 to play. The Falcons then sealed the hard fought, 57-51 win with three more points to go even in its first two games at the HG Elite Team Camp. Cumberland Valley dropped to 0-2 on the camp.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph’s (1-1) | 21 | 36 | 57 |
| Cumberland Valley (PA) (0-2) | 19 | 32 | 51 |
GMC Hoops thanks the Hoop Group for their assistance, the folks at Meg’s Cafe for their hospitality during the camp.