Blue Jays Clutch As #10 Middlesex Moves To 3-0, Gets Bulldog Sized Monkey Off Back With OT Win
Sparky Stockton scored the first 6 points for Middlesex and John hit a pair of free throws to seal it later and lead Middlesex to its first win over Metuchen since freshman year three earth rotations ago.
Middlesex raced out to an early 13-8 first quarter victory 13-8 and seemed to be poised for a blowout if not for Metuchen center DeJuan Miller’s 7 points in the frame. The packed house allowed for endless noise from the Jays bleachers and seemed to rattle Coach Stoner’s team at times.
The second and third quarter were the momentum shifters that would allow Metuchen to claw its way back into the game. With Middlesex center Nick Fariella in foul trouble because of a hand-check violation and its subsequent technical for slamming the ball, it had backups Ryan Farley and Mike Fincher guarding Miller. Both did admirable jobs denying Metuchen the straight pass into the paint and making just about all of his points off of rebounds or drives that started beyond the key.
Claw back is what Metuchen did though, with good offensive rebounding by Miller and Preston the Bulldogs were able to tie the game with about a minute to go.
With 34.1 seconds left Fariella clunked two key free throws with the score tied at 43 to give Metuchen a chance at victory. Miller drove the lane, initiated contact and drew a foul with about 20 seconds left. Lo-and-behold, karma was on the Jays side as Miller missed both with Oklahoma chants raining down at him from the rowdy crowd. Middlesex then had a pass deflected and the referee awarded the ball to the Bulldogs with 14.4 left. Carberry passed it in to Miller who swung it around left to Preston with about 9 left on the clock. Preston drove to the right side of the court inside the 3 point line and fumbled with the ball while Middlesex guard Billy Lester kept it away from him long enough to sound the horn.
In the overtime it was all Blue Jays with Sparky Stockton recieving a dish from Lester, converting 2 free throws and making another backet before the rest of the Jays joined in with Lester making both of his foul shots and Perone making 1 of 2. With the hard fought overtime victory, Middlesex moves up to 3-0 overall and in GMC Blue play while Metuchen lost its second straight after winning its opener at Spotswood, and drops to 1-2. See the box score, three stars of the game, and team statistics in the contest.
Scorecard
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Final |
| #10 Middlesex (3-0) | 13 | 14 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 57 |
| Metuchen (1-2) | 8 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 3 | 46 |
3 Stars of the Game
DeJuan Miller – While being guarded tightly, he still managed a game high 22 points plus 10 rebounds. Pretty much a total mismatch when it comes to jump balls and his leaping ability plus his rebounding prowess led him to be a worry anywhere near the ball whether it be on offense or defense. His game picked up big time in the second half.
Stockton Brothers – As much as a cliche as it is that they always seem to be on the top 3, they always rise to the occasion and are vital to the team. Its hard to say who preformed better for the winning team, while John led Middlesex in scoring Sparky led them in rebounding started off by a whopping 7 in the first quarter helping to compensate for Fariella’s foul trouble.
Billy Lester – If Metuchen has won, this spot might be occupied by Cody Preston or Evan Carberry. One of the big reasons Metuchen didnt win was the hustle and play of senior guard Billy Lester. His final line was an unalluring 2 points but his 5 rebounds from the guard spot and his 5 assists helped tremendously in the transition game. Also in overtime the trigger shy Lester hit his only shots for the game as he nailed both clutch free throws to turn the game from a possibility at 6 points to an ending at 8 points.
Team Statistics
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| # | Middlesex | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Fouls | Blocks |
| 23 | Nick Fariella** | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 20 | Sparky Stockton | 18 | 14 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 12 | John Stockton | 21 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Billy Lester | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | Mike Perone | 8 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | Ryan Farley | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | Mike Colacci | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 14 | Kyle Paul Adams* | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 33 | Mike Fincher | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Â | Totals | 57 | 31 | 16 | 6 | 14 | 3 |
| # | Metuchen | Points | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Fouls | Blocks |
| 24 | Ahkeem Greene | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 21 | DeJuan Miller | 22 | 12 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 15 | Cody Preston** | 6 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 20 | Evan Carberry | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 23 | Mark Switzer | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | George Doukas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | J.P. O’Brien | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | James Warren | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | Vinnie Sardone | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | David Hills | 7 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | Elijah Sellers | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 12 | Nick Callas | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 32 | Mike Hallas | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 14 | Carson Keers-Flood | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Totals | 46 | 34 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 0 |
* Player Injured
** Player Disqualified