SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–On Tuesday, there were nine games on the schedule throughout the Greater Middlesex Conference including two non-conference games, and seven divisional games. South Brunswick had a bye from play while New Brunswick and Sayreville took on teams outside Middlesex County. Coming into Tuesday night action, the GMC had lost three of its last four non-conference matchups after a 31-21 start. However, the Zebras and Bombers made sure that trend was put to a halt.
Both New Brunswick and Sayreville came up with victories against foes from the Union County Conference and the Skyland Conference. The Zebras remained undefeated in their new gym with a 38-37 victory over Westfield while the Bombers rolled past North Plainfield by a score of 70-45. Sophomore forward Milton Pittman netted one of two foul shots with 4.5 seconds left to proper the Zebras past the Blue Devils. Jaquan Cook registered a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds as he scored in double figures for the tenth straight game to start the season. Pittman added 9 points while Nigel Scott and Simuel Williams each added 8 points. Scott came up with the steal as time expired to seal the victory. After an 0-3 start, New Brunswick has won 6 of its last 7 including five straight.
Sayreville got 15 points and 15 rebounds along with three blocked shots from junior forward, Darryl Stephenson in the victory over the Canucks. Senior guard, Jarrell Smith chipped in with 12 points including 9 on three points while junior Mark Keir added 11 points. Syd Holt contributed with 10 points as well as 7 rebounds. The Bombers outscored North Plainfield by a 15-6 margin in the first quarter, and a 19-4 margin in the third to come away with the rare easy win. With the Bombers win, the GMC has won 6 of its last 8 over the Skyland after an 0-4 start to even up at 6-6. The two non-conference wins puts the conference back to ten games over .500 at 34-24 against opponents from non-conference schools. The GMC White is now 9-7 in non-conference games.
Moving on to the divisional matchups, Monroe got itself some more breathing room in the GMC White by getting a 64-61 decision over Cardinal McCarrick. The Falcons jumped out to a 23-5 first quarter lead only to have the Eagles rally back with a 24-4 showing in the second to take a 29-27 advantage into the locker room at halftime. McCarrick maintained that two point lead at 36-34 with 4:36 to go in the third before Monroe took control with an 11-3 spurt that included a couple of key threes for a 45-39 lead into the fourth. The Purple birds then got a 8-5 start to the period for a 19-8 tear over a span of 8:15 to go up 53-44 with 4:21 left. The Eagles fought back though with a 9-0 run that included a three point play and a layup by Moe Isaac, a layup by Jeremy Cruz, and a steal for a layup by Craig Thomas to tie things up at 53-53 with 2:10 to play.
However, Monroe pulled out the win as Ahmid Williams came right back down the floor for a layup that sparked a decisive 9-3 run that also included a three pointer by Zach Batchelor, and a pair of free throws from Danny Brix and Timmy Brix for a 62-56 lead with 35.5 seconds left. McCarrick tried to rally with a 5-1 run that included a three pointer and an off balanced shot by Dana Raysor to close the gap to two again with 11 seconds left, but Thomas’ three point attempt hit iron as Monroe won, 64-61. Coupled with North Brunswick’s loss to Colonia, the Falcons now have a game and a half lead in the White Division while McCarrick falls to two games back at 3-3. One of the big surprises of the night was Colonia’s victory over North Brunswick. The Patriots jumped out to an 18-6 lead, and never looked back in a 64-32 rout of the Raiders.
Junior guard, Matt Wagner led the way with a game high 22 points on 9 of 14 shooting while fellow junior and teammate, C.J. Gray chipped in with 14 points as the two combined to outscore the entire Raiders squad. Nobody scored in double figures for NBTHS, which trailed 40-12 at halftime. Mark Gibson had a team high 9 points in the loss for the Raiders. North Brunswick, which began the season with six wins in its first seven contests, has now lost three in a row including two in divisional play to sink to 6-4 overall and 3-2 in the White. After an 0-5 start, Colonia has now won two straight. Another surprise was South Plainfield’s victory on the road at Carteret. The Ramblers had started the season with two wins at home over McCarrick (57-53) and Sayreville (50-47 2OT), but now has lost two straight in its gym with the 49-39 defeat. Junior forward, Denzel Mensah was the only player to score in double figures with a game high 12 points for South Plainfield, which won its first divisional game. The Tigers outscored the Ramblers by a combined margin of 23-5 in the first and fourth quarters for the victory. Both teams are now 3-5 overall on the season.
There weren’t many surprises in the GMC Red on Tuesday night. East Brunswick, St. Joseph’s, and Piscataway all won as expected although the Chiefs needed a 22-10 showing in the third period to propel themselves past Old Bridge (71-61). The biggest surprise came when the Edison Eagles defeated Woodbridge. The Barrons led pretty much throughout until the 3:30 mark of the fourth quarter in its 50-47 loss to Edison. Greg Grippo continues to standout for EHS with a game high 18 points while Marques Kelly, a senior forward, added 9 points. Keith Hughes got a team high 17 points while Kyle Pearson chipped in with 10 points to lead Woodbridge in defeat. After going winless in December, Edison has split its last four games to go 2-7 on the year. Woodbridge, which knocked off Perth Amboy on Friday night, fell to 1-8 on the season.
Eleven players got into the scoring column for East Brunswick including sophomore guard Joe Ross, who scored a game high 14 points in a 59-42 victory over Perth Amboy. Carl Thomore chipped in with 13 points while Robert Ukawuba, a freshman forward, added 8 points. Victor Verdecia led Amboy with a team high 12 points while Kearny Canela broke out of a recent slump with 12. EB outscored Perth Amboy in every quarter as the Bears connected on 20 field goals, five three pointers, and six foul shots while the Panthers made 11 field goals, 4 threes, and 11 free throws. St. Joseph’s got a 20 point performance from senior guard, Steve Rennard, who now has 1,178 points for his career, in a 63-20 victory over J.P. Stevens. Leading 20-10 at halftime, the Falcons rolled past the Hawks with a 43-10 surge in the second half. Piscataway got a team high 17 points from senior guard, Rahman Ruff, and another double-double effort from senior forward, Wayne Newsome (15 points and 10 rebounds) in the 71-61 victory over Old Bridge while Femi Adeleye led the Knights with a game high 20 points including six three pointers.
St. Joseph’s remains undefeated in New Jersey and GMC play while East Brunswick and Piscataway keep pace with 4-1 marks in divisional play. The Chiefs will have a chance to take control of the division with games at St. Joseph’s and East Brunswick on Thursday and Saturday while the Bears and the Falcons don’t play each other until January 26th. Old Bridge continues to remain to be a formidable foe for teams in the GMC Red. However, after a 4-0 start, the Knights have lost four of its last five games. OBHS will look to get back on track with games against Perth Amboy and J.P. Stevens to finish out the week. After defeating Piscataway on opening night, the Panthers have lost six of its last eight.