Perez Earns MVP Honors With 20 Points To Lead Amboy Tech To Title, 42-31
EDISON, NJ–It was a rough day to be outside on Thursday as the severe heat wave began to make life miserable for many in Central Jersey as well as the rest of the country. With some 32 states under some sort of heat advisory, 141 million people were impacted by the extremely high heat and humidity.
Undaunted loyal fans and parents of both Perth Amboy Tech and Roselle Park braved the elements and endured sweltering conditions in the Middlesex County College Gymnasium to support their teams as they squared off in the Championship Game of the 2011 MCC Summer League.
They were treated to a fine first half as both teams combined for four lead changes and two ties in the first 20 minutes while neither had a lead bigger than four points. However, in the second half, Amboy Tech looked like the better conditioned team as it went on a decisive 15-0 tear over a span of 7:06 that turned a slim 19-18 edge into a commanding 34-18 lead with 12:04 remaining.
Roselle Park showed some fight as they took advantage of Amboy Tech’s loss of concentration with a 13-4 tear over a span of 10:32 to pull within seven at 38-31. During the stretch, the Patriots only managed a field goal and 2 of 4 from the foul line while the Panthers connected on three of their four treys on the game. However, by then it was too little, too late as the Patriots claimed the title of the league for the first time ever with a 42-31 victory.
Soon to be junior guard, Kelvin Perez led the charge for Perth Amboy Tech. With 20 points including the team’s only two threes as well as five rebounds, three steals, and an assist, Perez earned MVP honors. Malcolm Batts chipped in with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists while Rashad Adams, who didn’t enter the game until the 12:40 mark of the first half, and didn’t score until the 18:35 mark of the second half, contributed with 5 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Wilfredo Nieves also chipped in with 2 points and 4 rebounds.
For the game, Amboy Tech, which was the second seed in this tournament, and defeated Sayreville and Bishop Ahr to reach the final, compiled its 42 points on 17 field goals including two threes and 6 of 13 from the foul line while Roselle Park tallied up its 31 points on 11 field goals including four treys, but only made 5 of 13 from the foul line. The Panthers had more steals (10-5) and second chance points as well as points scored from beyond the arc (12-6), but the Patriots had more points off turnovers (10-5).
The Pats led for 33:01 of the game including the entire second half while Roselle Park held the lead for just 6:10. The game was only tied for 43 seconds. Trailing 16-14 with 2:26 to go in the first half, Amboy Tech scored the final five points of the opening period, and then after giving up a score to Roselle Park at the 19:48 mark, the Patriots scored 15 uanswered points for a 20-2 surge over a span of 10:22 to break open what had been a close game. In the first half, the Patriots scored its 19 points on eight field goals including two threes as well as 1 of 2 from the foul line while the Panthers got its 16 points on six field goals including a three and made 3 of 5 from the foul line.
Perez scored 8 of his points in the first half including both of his threes. The first trey came at a critical juncture. After jumping out to a 7-3 lead, the Patriots gave way to an 8-0 spurt by Roselle Park over a span of 6:55 for an 11-7 lead with 7:36 to go in the first half. Less than a half minute later, Perez sank a high arching three from the left corner to close the gap to 11-10 at the 7:10 mark. His second three capped the 5-0 run to end the first half when he hit another high arching trey from the top of the key with under a minute to go in the opening half for a 19-16 advantage at the intermission.
During the pivotal stretch of the early second half, Perez led the way with 8 points on four layups while handing out an assist on another score. Batts chipped in with a floater at the 15:24 mark, and then two free throws at the 13:11 mark. Adams scored the other three points while dishing out two assists of his own during the tear. Only five players got on the board for Amboy Tech, but with Perez and Batts accounting for 76 percent of the Patriot scoring, it was enough.
Roselle Park, which defeated top seeded East Brunswick in the semifinals after defeating Timothy Christian in the opening round, finished the summer at 7-4 while Amboy Tech ended the season with a 10-2 mark. GMC Hoops thanks MCC men’s coach, Chris Tarver, and his staff at Middlesex C.C. for their cooperation this summer.