Rosario Fires In 21 Points To Lead Tigers To Opening Day Victory In OT, 70-64
SAYREVILLE, NJ–Last year, the South Plainfield Tigers, which went 4-18 overall, only won one GMC White Division game. On opening night, the Tigers made notice that they’re going to be better this upcoming season. Senior guard, Bryant Rosario scored a game high 21 points on seven field goals including a three pointer along with six foul shots to propel SPHS to an opening night upset of Sayreville, 70-64 in overtime at the Bomb Shelter.
Senior forward, Denzel Mensah chipped in with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and an assist for the winners. Rosario also pulled down 7 boards as the team collected 40 rebounds on the game. Football standout, Brendan Wilson contributed with 8 points on two field goals including a three pointer, and three free throws while also picking up two rebounds and two steals. Junior guard, Ryan Marcoux added 7 points on two field goals and three foul shots while also collecting five rebounds and a steal. Colin Wilson also pitched in with six points on two field goals and two foul shots while also pulling down four rebounds.
The Tigers had ten different players break into the scoring column while Sayreville only had 8. The Bombers were led by sophomore guard, Joe Saitta, who scored a team high 18 points on seven field goals including four three pointers. Fellow sophomore guard, Danny Wojcik added 11 points on four field goals including three from beyond the arc while senior big man, Daryl Stephenson chipped in with 10 points on four field goals and two free throws. For the game, the Tigers made 24 field goals including three treys while also making 19 foul shots. Meanwhile, the Bombers made 22 field goals including 11 threes while netting nine from the charity stripe.
The Bombers, ranked fifth in the GMC Hoops Pre-Season Top Ten, jumped out to an 17-9 first quarter lead only to be outscored by a margin of 37-23 in the middle to periods to trail by six at 46-40 entering the fourth. Sayreville responded with an 18-12 showing in the final period of regulation to force the extra session tied at 58-58. However, the Tigers pulled out the victory with a 12-6 showing in the overtime to win by six. Sayreville outscored South Plainfield by a margin of 33-9 from beyond the arc, but the Tigers got the edge at the foul line by 10. SPHS also had seven team steals in the contest.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Plainfield (1-0) | 9 | 19 | 18 | 12 | 12 | 70 |
| Sayreville (0-1) | 17 | 15 | 8 | 18 | 6 | 64 |
Note: Sorry for the delay on this. Didn’t get a chance to get around to it until now. Still worth mentioning this great win for the Tigers. Special thanks to Bob Conway, the head coach of SPHS, for providing this information.