SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–It was quite a day around the Greater Middlesex Conference with eight games on the docket including one non-conference matchup. Again, there were some surprises, some great games, and solid competition. East Brunswick had a bye from GMC Red play, and took advantage of it by playing out of conference against Freehold Boro while Colonia and North Brunswick had byes.
The Bears gave the GMC a huge win on Wednesday by defeating Freehold Boro from the Class B North Division of the Shore Conference. East Brunswick got a team high 13 points from sophomore forward, Mike Summerer including eight in the overtime section to lead the way in a 72-67 victory. Joe Ross, who netted to big free throws with 2.7 seconds left, Mauro Tucci, and Carl Thomore all added 10 in the win. EB remains the only undefeated team in the GMC with a 6-0 record while the conference improved to 6-2 in head to head matchups with the Shore, and 31-21 overall against foes outside Middlesex County this season.
The main event for GMC Hoops last night was the game between Cardinal McCarrick and Sayreville. The game had it all. Clutch shots, physical play, tight officiating, swings in momentum, and a game winning shot. The game saw neither team have a lead bigger than four points while there were 15 lead changes and 7 ties. The Bombers, which have lost two overtime games, and another contest by single digits, learned from there experience by pulling out a 58-57 victory over trailing 57-54 with 27 seconds remaining. Jarrell Smith was the hero with a three pointer on Sayreville’s next possession, and then drew a foul with no time left that produced the game winning free throw. The Eagles, which were ranked third in the pre-season, dropped to 2-2 in GMC White play as their four game winning streak was snapped. See the capsule on how the game unfolded in the fourth quarter. More details on this game are also now available in the blog.
In other action in the GMC White, New Brunswick won its third straight and fourth of its last five to reach .500 for the first time this season after starting it in an 0-3 hole. The Zebras defeated Carteret by a score of 61-45 to remain an unbeaten 2-0 in their new gym. Jaquan Cook led all scorers with a game high 20 points including 16 over the final two periods when New Brunswick outscored the Ramblers by a margin of 36-24 for the victory. Sophomore Milton Pittman added 17 points and 8 rebounds in the win. Carteret, which knocked off Sayreville on Monday night at CHS, dropped to .500 as well at 3-3. The Zebras are starting to live up to the expectations that the site had for them in the pre-season. They’re a solid defensive team that will go as far as Cook will take them.
South Brunswick probably scored the biggest surprise of the night by upending an Old Bridge team that had gotten off to a solid start this season. The Knights, which led St. Joseph’s in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game, dropped their third straight as the Vikings got a game high 23 points from Kory Sanders to post a 59-41 victory. The Vikes outscored Old Bridge 40-18 in the second half after trailing by four at halftime. With the win, SBHS is now 3-1 in the GMC Red. Not bad for a team that didn’t have a lot of experience coming into the season. This win could go a long way in helping the Vikings feel more confident about themselves. Joe Hoehman, who has coached at all three levels at SBHS, is a solid coach while Nick Muha, Danny Strickland, and Jevon Tyree lead a team of talented youngsters.
St. Joseph’s remained undefeated in the GMC and in the state of New Jersey by turning in a performance that was more like the top team we tabbed in the pre-season. The Falcons got 21 points from Andrew Morgan, 17 points from Steve Rennard, and 16 points from sophomore, Quenton DeCosey to turn in a 67-48 victory over Perth Amboy in Amboy. St. Joe’s trailed at halftime, 29-24, but opened the third with a 12-0 spurt to take control of the game. Rennard now has 1,141 points on his career. The Falcons, which improved to 5-2 with the win, finish out the week with a game at home against South Brunswick on Friday night. Amboy, which opened the season with a victory over Piscataway, has since gone 2-4.
Piscataway returned to action on Wednesday night with a 65-36 decision over Woodbridge. The Chiefs, which are now 3-2 on the season, got 26 points and 5 rebounds from senior forward Wayne Newsome. P-Way, which only led 27-23 at the half, surged in the second half with a 38-13 showing for the lopsided win. Kyle Anderson led the Barrons, which are still winless, with 15 points. From the looks of it, this game appeared to be a microcosm of P-Way’s season with some struggles in the opening half followed by some brilliance in the second half. These are things you should expect from a relatively young team. However, there’s good talent there. The sophomore class, which consists of Tajae Sharpe, Greg Davis, David White, and Tyjohn Young, went 18-1 as freshmen last year and won the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament. As this team gets more experience, expect P-Way to be a factor late in the season.
The other two games on the schedule featured a matchup for Edison bragging rights, and a GMC White matchup between South Plainfield and Monroe. Despite only getting five points from sophomore, Greg Grippo, the Edison Eagles won their first game of the 2009-10 campaign over crosstown rival, J.P. Stevens (34-22). Football standout, Yamir Caroo, led the way by scoring half the team’s points (17 points) as the Eagles pulled away from a 24-18 lead with a 10-4 showing in the fourth. EHS also outdid JPS at the foul line, 11-3. This outcome wasn’t much of a surprise to me. I had seen both teams play already this season, and felt Edison was the better team of the two.
Finally, Monroe rebounded from its loss on Saturday against New Brunswick with a 50-44 victory over South Plainfield. The game wasn’t as close as the score indicated. Senior Timmy Brix registered a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds while fellow senior Kenny Pace also added 19 points as the Purple Birds outscored the Tigers in each of the first three periods including a 13-0 showing in the third for a commanding 36-18 lead. SPHS, which was led by junior guard, Bryant Rosario with 9 points on three treys, rallied in the fourth with a 26-14 including a three in the waning moments to make the score more respectable. The Falcons win was a much needed one. Hopefully, they understand now that they’re the hunted in the GMC White, and will have to come out strong every game from here on out.