UNION, NJ–On Tuesday night, GMC Hoops made its third and final trip up to Kean University to take in the seventh night of games in the first annual Kean Pre-Summer League. The site was hoping to catch Piscataway in the last round of games being held at 8:00 PM. However, an hour and twenty minutes before game time, P-Way informed Kean assistant coach, Tom Wagenblast, that the Chiefs would not be able to play on this day due to its commitment to the Linden Team Camp. The Chiefs were scheduled to play DD Hoops.
Nevertheless, the site stayed, and was treated to two of the best games in the league this season. One of those contests was between Roselle and West Milford while the other was between Verona and Westfield. The Blue Devils from Westfield were the 12th and final team to join the league. Each game went down to the wire with the deciding score occurring in the waning seconds, or at the buzzer.
Roselle Overcomes Early Deficit To Defeat West Milford On 3 Pt. Play At Buzzer, 41-40
After being caught dumbfounded by the fact that Piscataway cancelled its game with DD Hoops, and not being able to see any GMC teams in action on this night, GMC Hoops settled in to watch both of the two games left during the 8:00 PM hour. By this time, West Milford of the North Jersey Tri-County League, jumped out to a 20-10 lead with 6:20 to go in the first half against Roselle of the Union County Conference. However, the Running Rams, which is looking to improve on its 6-18 campaign in 2009-10 including an opening round loss to Willingboro in the Central Jersey Group II State Tournament, battled back with six straight points over the next 1:20 to trail by just four with exactly five minutes to go in the first half.
Roselle, which reached the CJ Group II Semifinals in 2009 before losing to eventual champion, Manasquan, and defeated Weequahic in the 2008 CJ Group II Championship, fell behind by six again as West Milford got a free throw at the 4:17 and 1:30 marks to lead 22-16. The Running Rams battled back again though with a 7-2 run including two foul shots at the 1.4 second mark to pull within a point at the intermission, 24-23. Roselle outscored West Milford by a 13-4 margin over the final 6:20 in the half to draw within a point at the break.
In the second half, Roselle scored two of the first three points over the initial 4:35 of the period to tie things up at 25-25, but West Milford got a field goal at the 15:05 mark for a 27-25 lead. The Highlanders, which have had standout players such as Justin Sofman (Rutgers and Monmouth), went scoreless for 6:53 as Roselle got a three pointer at the 14:59 mark for its first lead since the site’s arrival at 28-27, and then two free throws for a 30-27 lead at the 13:02 mark. West Milford finally broke the drought with a three pointer at the 8:12 mark for a 30-30 tie in a game that saw neither team have a lead bigger than three points over the final 15:25 while there were three lead changes and six ties.
Following a timeout with 6:48 left, West Milford got on the board with a field goal for a 32-30 lead. Neither team would score for the next 2:40 before Roselle came up with a tying field goal with 2:39 to play. The Highlanders, which reached the semifinals of the North Jersey Section I Group III tourney this past season, wrestled control back with a layup moments later for a 34-32 lead with 2:25 remaining in regulation. The Running Rams continued to stay within striking distance by tying the game again at 34-34 with a minute and a half to go. With Roselle applying full court pressure, West Milford broke it to score an easy layup for a 36-34 lead with 1:19 to go. The game was tied up again moments later as the Rams netted two free throws at the 1:12 mark for a 36-36 tie. Once again, West Milford executed well against the full court pressure of Roselle, and it resulted in another layup for a 38-36 lead with 55 seconds remaining.
After a timeout was called with 47.3 seconds to go, and West Milford called for time with 25.2 seconds left, Roselle tied the game at 38-38 with a pair of foul shots. The Highlanders then set up for a score on a field goal with 6.9 seconds left, but that was plenty of time for Roselle to come down the floor, and convert a traditional three point play for a 41-40 victory.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roselle | 23 | 18 | 41 |
| West Milford | 24 | 16 | 40 |
Verona Overcomes Late Five Point Deficit To Beat Westfield, 54-53
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While Roselle and West Milford were entangled in a thrilling game, Verona battled Westfield on an adjacent court in another exciting contest. The Blue Devils of the Union County Conference, were coming off a campaign that ended with a last second, two point loss to Bayonne in the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV opening round this past season. Westfield finished the year at 11-12 while Verona finished the season at 13-9 after falling to Boonton in the quarterfinal round of the North Jersey Section I Group I tourney. The site joined the action with seven minutes to go in the first half, and Westfield leading by a score of 16-14.
Verona then went on a 4-0 run over the next 1:30 to take an 18-16 lead with 5:30 to play in the half of a game that had nine lead changes and one tie over the final 27 minutes. Neither team had a lead bigger than six points. The Hillbillies, which compete in the Independence Division of the Super Essex Conference, then went up by four on a field goal at the 4:45 mark. Westfield drew within two again on a field goal at the 2:46 mark, fell back down by four as Verona got a spin move for a layin, and a 22-18 lead with 2:35 to play in the half. The Blue Devils then scored five straight points including two free throws at the 1:45 mark for a 23-22 lead.
The Hillbillies retook the lead at 25-23 with a three pointer from the left wing at the 1:40 mark only to have the Blue Devils wrestle the lead back with a three from the left side for a 26-25 lead at the 1:35 mark. Verona would have the lead going into the intermission as it made two foul shots with 4.9 seconds left in the half for a 27-26 score. The Hillbillies picked up right where they left off with two free throws at the 18:49 mark of the second half for a 29-26 lead. However, Westfield battled back with four straight points in the form of a drive for a layup at the 18:30 mark, and two charity shots at the 17:16 mark for a 30-29 edge. Verona struck for five unanswered to retake the lead on a three pointer from the left wing at the 16:56 mark, and a layup at the 16:07 mark for a 34-30 score.
The Essex county school then made it a 7-0 run by swiping a steal at the defensive end, and converting it into a layup at the 15:50 mark for a 36-30 lead. Westfield then had the best run of the game with an 11-0 spurt over the next 5:05 to take a five point advantage near the midway point of the half. The run started with a score followed by a charge drawn on the defensive end with 13:33 remaining. The Blue Devils then connected on a jumper from the left side off a kickout at the 13:01 mark for a 36-34 Verona lead. Less than a half minute later, Westfield took the lead with a fast break layup and a foul for a traditional three point play, and a 37-36 score at the 12:33 mark. WHS continued to go to work with a three on one opportunity that was capped with a nice touch pass for a layup, and a 39-36 edge with just under twelve minutes to play.
Following a Verona timeout at the 11:53 mark, Westfield capped the run with a pull-up jumper at the 10:45 mark for a 41-36 lead. However, over the next 4:24, the Hillbillies rallied with a 7-2 run including a three pointer from the left side at the 7:30 mark, and two foul shots with 6:21 left for a 43-43 tie. A little more than a minute later, Westfield went back in front at 46-43 with a drive for a layup while being fouled for a conventional three point play at the 5:19 mark. The Blue Devils then got one of two from the line and a jumper for a 49-43 lead, but Verona came up with a huge three point play at the 2:25 mark for a 49-46 score. The Hillbillies then drew within one before Westfield scored the next four points including two free throws with 26.8 seconds left for a 53-48 lead.
Verona didn’t give up though, and rallied back for the much deserved, hard-fought win. The Hillbillies connected for three with 15.5 seconds to go, and then after a Westfield turnover with 12.3 seconds left, Verona connected on another trey with 3.2 seconds to go. The Blue Devils called for time with 1.5 seconds remaining, but couldn’t draw up a game winning score as Verona emerged victorious, 54-53.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verona | 27 | 27 | 54 |
| Westfield | 26 | 27 | 53 |
Special thanks to Tom Wagenblast, and his staff at Kean for their hospitality and cooperation during this league’s season.