SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–The third full week of the 2009-10 came to a close with eight games on the schedule including one crossover, and seven divisional matchups. J.P. Stevens, New Brunswick, and Sayreville all had byes. There was no real surprise in the crossover matchup as Spotswood handled South Amboy (69-41) to keep the GMC Blue undefeated in crossovers while the GMC Gold remained winless.
The biggest surprise of the night was Old Bridge knocking off second ranked East Brunswick. These two teams appeared to be going in opposite directions after EB defeated Freehold Boro in overtime on Wednesday while the Knights lost at South Brunswick. However, after the Bears jumped out to a 21-12 first quarter lead, Old Bridge outscored them in each of the final three periods by a combined margin of 50-30 to notch the 62-51 victory. Tyler Abad led a balanced scoring attack with a game high 14 points on a field goal, two threes, and six free throws while Julian Dailey and Jimmy Gaffigan added 10 points each. Joe Ross led EB with a team high 11 points.
Woodbridge broke into the win column by defeating a Perth Amboy team that has now lost five of its last seven after defeating Piscataway in its opener. Keith Hughes and Kyle Pearson both registered double-doubles while Kyle Anderson also scored in double figures to lead the Barrons to a 63-52 victory over the Panthers. The Barrons, which have played the likes of Old Bridge, St. Joseph’s, Sayreville, East Brunswick, and Piscataway to start the season, went on a decisive 16-0 run from the end of the first period to the middle of the second to turn a 16-11 deficit into a 27-16 lead. Woodbridge, which limited Amboy to 33 percent shooting, was never really threatened after that. Victor Verdecia led Amboy with a team high 17 points. See more details on this game in the blog.
Elsewhere in the GMC Red, St. Joseph’s and Piscataway continued to roll along with easy wins. The Falcons got 17 points from Steve Rennard and 11 points from Quenton DeCosey to defeat South Brunswick, 66-35. Meanwhile, Piscataway outscored Edison by a margin of 25-9 over the middle two periods for a 47-33 victory. Sophomore Jelani Jackson led the way with a team high 10 points while Greg Grippo continues to be a bright spot for the Eagles with a game high 16 points. With the win, P-Way won its third straight as its youngsters continue to improve. Moving on to the GMC White, Cardinal McCarrick, Colonia, and Monroe has some big games on Friday night.
First, the Eagles hosted North Brunswick in a big divisional showdown. The Raiders came in undefeated in division play while Cardy Mac was 2-2. However, McCarrick came up with a big win at home in South Amboy with a 60-52 decision as St. Patrick’s transfer and sophomore Dana Raysor game up with a game high 25 points along with 9 rebounds while Mo Isaac chipped in with 18 points, 9 boards, and 5 blocked shots in the win. Monroe went into Carteret, and won big over a Ramblers team that had been undefeated at home coming in. The Falcons turned in its best defensive performance of the season to date by limiting Carteret to just 42 points while forcing 20 turnovers. Kenny Pace (14 points), Timmy Brix (13 points), and Danny Brix (13 points) led a balanced scoring attack. Xavier Fuller led CHS with 14 points while D.J. Hamlet chipped in with 11.
Finally, Colonia broke into the win column after starting out 0-5 against a schedule that included the likes of NJ Hoops Top 50 teams such as Monroe, St. Anthony’s, and Ridge. The Patriots defeated South Plainfield by a score of 59-40 as they jumped out to a 16-6 first quarter lead, and outscored the Tigers in each of the four periods. C.J. Gray led the Pats with 23 points while Matt Wagner chipped in with 15. Matt Cooper led SPHS in a losing cause with a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Colonia is too good to stay down too long. Expect this game to be a starting point for a turnaround by the Pats, which lost four of its five games by a combined total of just 16 points.