NEPTUNE, NJ–Last Monday night, the first day of action took place at the 2011 Hoop Group Headquarters Fall League. GMC Hoops took the long 40 mile drive down to Neptune to take in the action including both opening night games involving the GMC teams in the league. Each contest happened during the 9:00 PM hour as Perth Amboy battled Barnegat on the Celtics Court while Metuchen squared off against St. Rose on the Sixers Court.
Perth Amboy Hangs On To Defeat Barnegat, 49-48
One of the two GMC teams in this league, Perth Amboy opened its fall league campaign with a matchup against Barnegat from Ocean County. Â The Panthers played competitively during the summer at both the East Brunswick Team Camp and the Rahway Summer League. Â Amboy reached the quarterfinals at Rahway before losing to Red Division rival, J.P. Stevens.
Over the first three minutes of the game, the Bengals got off to a fast start with a 7-2 spurt that included a layin off a drive through the middle at the 17:45 mark, and then a three pointer from the left wing at the 16:59 mark. Â Perth Amboy, which opened the game with two free throws for a 2-0 lead, didn’t get its first field goal until the 14:54 mark on a three pointer from the left side for a 7-5 Barnegat lead.
The three ignited a 8-0 run that included a steal for a breakaway layup at the 14:05 mark, and then a three pointer following three offensive rebounds after a steal for a 10-7 lead with 13:47 to go in the first half. Â There was a lull in the scoring of over two minutes before David Rogers got the Panthers on the board again with a putback at the 11:34 mark, and then a layup in transition at the 11:18 mark for a 12-0 tear and a 14-7 lead as the Bengals called for time.
Following the timeout, Barnegat made a game of it with a surge of its own. Â Over the next 11:13, the Bengals outscored the Panthers by a margin of 19-9 to take a 26-23 lead. Â Amboy was able to wrestle the lead back going into the break with the final four points of the half including a three pointer from the left corner with 5.4 seconds left for a 27-26 edge at the intermission.
Amboy started the second half with the first three points including a drive through the middle for a high arching floater that bounced in for a 30-26 lead at the 17:30 mark. Â Barnegat would battle back with a three point play at the 16:30 mark, and then after a number of scoring chances that they couldn’t convert, the Bengals drew a foul at the 14:45 mark, and made one of two from the line to tie the game at 30-30.
Barnegat then went out in front with a three pointer for a 33-30 score at the 14 minute mark, and then got a steal for a layup at the 12:57 mark for a five point lead. Â The Panthers fought back though with a three of their own, and then a breakaway layup for a 35-35 tie when the officials called for time after a Bengals played was injured at the 12:07 mark.
Shortly before the midway point of the second half, Perth Amboy went back out in front after the Panthers cashed in on a couple of offensive rebounds with a jumper that banked in from the right wing at the 10:15 mark. Â Amboy then added a three pointer for a 40-35 lead with 9:25 to go as Barnegat called for time. Â
The Bengals chipped into the lead for a bit, but the Panthers maintained a 47-44 advantage after the Ocean County team was called for traveling with three minutes to play.  Barnegat then trapped Amboy along the  left sideline, and forced a turnover.  Then, the Bengals swooped in for a layin while being fouled, but missed a free throw that would have tied the game with two minutes left.
Perth Amboy got some much needed breathing room thanks to a wide open jumper from the right side with 55.3 seconds left for a 49-46 lead. Â Barnegat wouldn’t got away by converting a layup with 33 seconds left to pull back within one at 49-48. Â The Bengals weren’t able to tie or go ahead despite having a last second chance to score. Â Rogers, who missed a dunk seconds earlier, redeemed himself by poking away the ball from a Barnegat player as time ran out.
St. Rose Rolls Past Metuchen, 74-27
The other GMC team in the Hoop Group Headquarters Fall League this year is Metuchen. Â The Bulldogs are a young team with a new coach. Â Former assistant, Jon Korellis took over the program this summer after Rich Stoner stepped down earlier this year. Â With the likes of Brian Eustace and Hunter Clarke, the Bulldogs are a team of the future.
This past season, Metuchen had 18 players come out as freshman. Â While they lost the likes of the talented backcourt of Mike Crusco and Elijah Sellers, the Bulldogs have a promising future. Â Entering this league was a good first step in developing the young talent against very tough competition from the Shore Conference.
The Bulldogs opened up the fall league season against St. Rose of Belmar on Monday night. Â The Purple Roses, a consistent contender in Non-Public B South every year, moved up to Non-Public A South along with Holy Cross of Delran. Â St. Rose competes in many if not all of the Hoop Group Headquarters off-season high school leagues and team camps.
St. Rose got off to a strong start with a 15-6 lead over the first eight plus minutes of the game. Â The Roses then added a three pointer from the right wing at the 11:20 mark, and then another basket a short time later for a 20-6 lead when Metuchen called for time about midway through the first half. Â The Purple Roses had too much experience, strength and size for the Bulldogs.
Over the next four minutes, St. Rose scored 11 unanswered points including a bucket at the 6:36 mark for a commanding 31-8 lead. Â After the Roses scored four more points, Metuchen ended the barrage with a jumper from the right side at the 4:45 mark for a 35-10 St. Rose advantage. Â The Purple Roses then closed the first half with the final ten points for a 47-10 lead at the intermission.
Metuchen played with passion and for respectability at the beginning of the second half.  Over the first 8:53, the Bulldogs scored 9 of the first 12 points including a jumper from the right side by Eustace to close the gap to 50-19, but St. Rose responded with  a three pointer at the 11:07 mark to take a 53-19 advantage before the Bulldogs called for time.
Following the timeout, St. Rose added another three points before Metuchen got a bucket to close the gap to 56-21 with 8:21 left. Â From there, the Roses outscored the Bulldogs by an 18-6 margin to close out the 74-27 victory. Â Metuchen was much more competitive in the second half as the Bulldogs were only outscored by a 27-17 margin.