NEPTUNE, NJ—GMC Hoops tried to get itself off the mat by traveling out to Rebounds in Neptune on Monday night to watch games in the sixth week of action in the 2007 Rebounds Fall League. All four teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference were in action with South Brunswick starting things off with a 7:00 PM game against Point Pleasant. At 8:00 PM, South Amboy faced off against the G-Force Stallions from Union County with St. Joseph’s sophomores Rob Gomulka and Mark Radil in action as well as freshman Kareem Jackson of Jonathan Dayton Regional in Springfield while Cardinal McCarrick looked to remain undefeated against a Red Bank Catholic squad that entered play with only one loss. Finally, in the nightcap round of games, East Brunswick faced off against a fellow Central Jersey Group IV school in Marlboro from the rough and tumble Class A North Division of the Shore Conference. Overall, it was a split night for the GMC as South Amboy and South Brunswick won while McCarrick, which was without the services of Julio Rosario due to an injury suffered on Sunday night at TBSA, was knocked off by Red Bank Catholic, and Marlboro capped a game ending 14-4 rally with a three point shot that banked in off the glass as time expired for a 42-41 victory over EB. The latest standings have also been posted on the HoopGroup web site, and are analyzed following the summaries of the aforementioned games.
Guvs Roll Past G-Force Stallions For Fourth Win Of Fall, 65-43
Losers of two of their last three at Rebounds, the South Amboy Guvs were looking to turn things around with a victory when they faced off against the G-Force Stallions AAU squad from Union County. The G-Force Stallions are coached by Bob Gomulka and Robin Radil, whose sons, Rob Gomulka and Mark Radil played for the St. Joseph’s Green Freshmen team last year, and also played for one of the two St. Joseph’s squads during the summer at the 2007 Colonia JV Summer League. The Guvs led late in the first half by a 27-13 margin before the Stallions finished the half with a late flurry to close the gap at the break. Scoring six of the last eight points of the half, G-Force trimmed the deficit to just ten at 29-19. Gomulka highlighted the late run with a three point play as he was fouled on a layup, and made the bonus free throw to follow an earlier Stallion score to make it 27-18 at the 51.7 second mark.
Larry Lenahan got South Amboy’s final points of the first half with a baseline drive at the 36.4 second mark to make it 29-18, and then the Stallions ended the first half with one of two at the line for a 29-19 halftime score. In the second half, South Amboy scored 36 of the 60 points registered by the two teams in the second half to pull away for the win. The Guvs opened things up with a 10-2 spurt over the first 2:10 of the second for a commanding 39-21 lead. Lenahan helped ignite the run with a layup that followed an earlier score to make it 33-19 at the 19:16 mark. Joey Charmello then capped the run with an offensive rebound and reverse layup on the follow for the eighteen point lead with 17:50 to play. Mark Radil tried to get the Stallions going with a jumper from the right side for a score that made it 39-23 at the 17:25 mark. However, Lenahan promptly responded with a layup as he was fouled, but missed an opportunity to get the traditional three point play for a 41-23 advantage at the 16:33 mark. Twenty seconds after that, the G-Force Stallions called for time.
Following the timeout, the Guvs went back to work as Steve Poltrictzky continued his yeoman-like effort this fall with a rebound and nice outlet pass to Charmello for a layup to make it a twenty point game at 43-23 with exactly fifteen minutes remaining in the contest. G-Force brought the deficit back down under twenty when their big man made an offensive rebound and putback off two misses by Kareem Jackson to make the score, 43-25 at the 14:13 mark. However, G-Force couldn’t get any closer as South Amboy reeled off six straight points including layups by Poltrictzky at the 14:05 and 13:40 marks respectively, and a steal for a layup by Charmello to cap the run, and make the score, 49-25 with 13:25 remaining. The Stallions managed to put a halt to the spurt with a basket, but Lenahan continued the Guv onslaught with a drive through the middle for a layup that made it 51-27 at the 12:55 mark.
Both teams exchanged scores as G-Force got two offensive rebounds including one off a miss by Radil for a follow to make the score, 53-29 as South Amboy called a timeout with 11:05 to play. Following the stoppage, Charmello found Poltrictzky, who then drove down the right side of the key for a layup to make it 55-29 at the 10:30 mark. Gomulka continued to play hard despite his team’s dire predicament as the sophomore knocked in a three pointer from the right side to make the score, 55-32 at the 10:10 mark. The Guvs countered though with another 6-0 run highlighted by a Mark Simko drive along the right side for a layup to make it 59-32 at the 6:50 mark, and then Lenahan grabbed a rebound on the defensive end, and proceeded to go coast to coast for a layup to make the score, 61-32 at the 5:54 mark. Gomulka put a halt to the run with an offensive rebound and follow for a South Amboy 61-34 lead with 4:22 to play. Over the subsequent 1:06, the Guvs scored four of the next six points including an offensive rebound and layup on the follow by Charmello as he was fouled. However, the sophomore missed the bonus free throw, and the score remained, 65-36 at the 3:16 mark.
The G-Force Stallions then proceeded to finish the game strong with a 7-0 spurt including a three pointer at the 2:43 mark, and two foul shots at the 1:12 mark by Gomulka to round out the final 65-43 score. With the win, South Amboy raises its record to 4-2 on the fall while G-Force drops to 1-5. The Guvs, which have beaten the likes of East Brunswick, Monsignor Donovan, Henry Hudson, and G-Force while losing to two Class A North teams from the Shore Conference in Ocean Township and Middletown South, will be back in action next Monday, October 29th at 9:00 PM, when they take on Howell, which is 5-1 including a win over East Brunswick back on October 1st. Meanwhile, the G-Force Stallions will face off against undefeated Middletown South at 7:00 PM.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Amboy (4-2) | 29 | 36 | 65 |
| G-Force Stallions (1-5) | 19 | 24 | 43 |
Red Bank Catholic Surges In Second Half To Upset McCarrick, 45-36
With Julio Rosario sidelined after an injury he suffered at the TBSA Fall League on Sunday night, the Cardinal McCarrick Eagles were somewhat limited, but with Mike Burwell, and a supporting cast consisting of Branten Widgeon, Wil Snider, Alvin Baptiste-Ousley, and Tom Costello, Cardy Mac was still favored to edge Red Bank Catholic going into the game. To their credit, the Caseys had been playing well entering the game with only one loss on the fall, and that was to currently undefeated Neptune during Week #2 on September 24th. RBC had defeated the likes of St. John Vianney, Lincroft, Toms River East, and Freehold Township. Meanwhile, McCarrick, which was unbeaten at 5-0 entering the contest, defeated South Brunswick on opening night, St. John Vianney, St. Rose in Week #3 on October 1st, Manasquan, and Point Pleasant. The first half saw McCarrick control things as expected by limiting RBC to just 14 first half points as the Eagles garnered an eight point advantage, 22-14 at the intermission. The South Amboy school had a chance to take a double digit lead into the brief break, but Burwell missed a last second shot, and Costello couldn’t make the follow so it remained a single digit lead for Cardy Mac entering the second half.
The second period began with neither team scoring over the first 1:36 as the score remained, 22-14 with 18:24 to play. Burwell did break the ice though with layup at the 17:00 mark to make it a ten point game at 24-14. The senior standout, who is among the favorites for GMC Hoops Player of the Year in 2007-08, then made one of two at the foul line for a 25-14 advantage with 16:20 remaining. Red Bank Catholic then scored to close the gap to single digits again at 25-16 at the 13:25 mark. The Eagles then reeled off six straight points for a 31-16 lead before the Caseys made one of two at the line for a 31-17 score midway through the second half. From that point until the end of the game, RBC outscored McCarrick by a 28-5 margin as the Eagles could only muster a Burwell scoop shot at the 6:50 mark, one of two free throws by Widgeon at the 54.4 mark, and an offensive rebound and follow by Widgeon off a missed three pointer by Burwell at the 13.8 second mark. Of the final 9:59 of the game, Cardinal McCarrick was scoreless for 3:09 before Burwell’s field goal, and then for another 5:56 before Widgeon made his free throw with under a minute remaining.
Meanwhile, things came together for Red Bank Catholic, which is better known for its solid girls basketball programs, which has been a perennial state powerhouse for many years. Over a span of 7:27, the Caseys turned what had been a fifteen point deficit into a two point lead with a 19-2 surge that consisted of three trifectas at the 8:49, 5:51, and 2:32 marks, a conventional three point play at the 5:25 mark, three field goals, and a one of two showing at the foul line. During the entire second half, it seemed the Red Bank Catholic forced McCarrick to score from the perimeter, and not get too many easy chances for scores. In addition, the Eagles weren’t able to get points from its interior players, or anyone else other than Widgeon and Burwell. After McCarrick had built up its fifteen point lead at the halfway point of the second half, RBC reeled off six unanswered points to pull within nine at 31-22 with 8:06 to play. Then, after Burwell’s scoop shot made it a double-digit lead again at 33-22 with 6:50 remaining, the Caseys ran amok with 13 consecutive points over a span of 4:18 to take the stunning two point lead at 35-33 with 2:32 left. Rattled by the turn of events, the shorthanded Eagles called for time at the 2:22 mark.
Following the timeout, the Eagles had a chance to square the game at 35-35, but Alvin Baptiste-Ousley failed to convert on both of his free throw attempts at the 1:45 mark, and Red Bank Catholic remained in front by two. Speaking of free throws, RBC went 7 of 9 over the final ten minutes of the game while the Eagles went just 1 of 4 over the final 1:45. After the missed free throws by Baptiste-Ousley, Cardy Mac had another chance to tie, but Red Bank Catholic managed to get hold of a loose ball, and called timeout to preserve possession and the tenuous two point lead with 1:22 to play. On the next offensive possession, the Caseys set up for their fourth three pointer during this game ending explosion to make the score, 38-33 at the 1:08 mark. Widgeon managed to stop the hemorrhaging for a brief moment with one of two free throws at the 54.4 mark for a 38-34 RBC lead, but the Red Bank school replied quickly with one of two foul shots of their own at the 38.3 second mark, and two more foul shots at the 26.8 second mark for a 41-34 lead. Widgeon did his part to make it a two possession game again with an offensive rebound and follow to make the score, 41-36 with only 13.8 left.
The Caseys then sealed the deal with two charity shots at the 7.3 second mark for a 43-36 advantage, and then closed out the game with a steal off an errant pass by Wil Snider for a layup that made the final 45-36 score. The win gave Red Bank Catholic the same 5-1 record as McCarrick, and also earned them a tiebreaker over the Eagles for second place in Division A behind undefeated Neptune. The Caseys will be back in action next Monday night, October 29th, when they face another strong contender in Asbury Park at 7:00 PM. Meanwhile, McCarrick will look to rebound, and get ready for the Showcase round of games on November 5th, when it takes on Toms River East at 8:00 PM next Monday.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Bank Catholic (5-1) | 14 | 31 | 45 |
| Cardinal McCarrick (5-1) | 22 | 14 | 36 |
Bears Lose A Heartbreaker On Last Second Shot, 42-41
The final game of the night involving a GMC team pitted two Group IV schools as East Brunswick took on Marlboro from the fabled Class A North Division of the Shore Conference. The Bears have actually played quite well as of late with three wins in its last four games after losing opening night to South Amboy. The only loss suffered by the Bears during that stretch was to Howell, 34-29 on October 1st. EB defeated the likes of G-Force Stallions, Keyport, which along with Howell are the two 5-1 teams in Division B, and another Group IV school from Ocean County in Southern Regional of Manahawkin. Meanwhile, Marlboro entered the game with a 1-4 record. The Mustangs only win came against division rival Howell on opening night. Since that time, both of those teams have gone in opposite directions.
Like the game against Howell on October 1st, East Brunswick trailed for a portion of the first half, fought back to within a bucket at the half, started the second half strong for a lead, and then faded down the stretch for the defeat. However, this defeat would be more stinging as a Marlboro player got the ball as time was running out, and hoisted a long three that banked in off the center of the backboard as the buzzer sounded for the 42-41 victory. The Mustangs led at the half, 20-18 after leading for the first 7:06 of the first half. Once EB caught up, there were a total of four lead changes and three ties in the final twelve minutes before the intermission. In the second half, the Bears jumped out to a 37-28 lead with a 19-8 showing over the first 13:00 of the period, but then wilted down the stretch as the offense went into reverse. Over the final seven minutes of the game, East Brunswick could only manage a turnaround jumper at the 6:43 mark for a 39-28 lead, and a pair of free throws at the 2:49 mark that ended a 6-0 burst by Marlboro to make the score, 41-34. Senior Mike Mello had a chance to seal the win with seven seconds to play, but missed the front end of a one and one. To further complicate matters, the scoreboard clock didn’t run for several seconds after Mello missed the one and one, which helped set up the game winning shot for Marlboro.
Regardless, the Bears have made some strides since losing on opening night to South Amboy. EB has a very young squad with the exception of Mello and Stolzenberg, the only two returning players from last year’s successful season that culminated with East Brunswick’s second straight Elite Eight appearance in the GMCT. Coach Bo Henning, who was in attendance, wasn’t concerned about how the game ended. Rather, he is looking to see how the kids were coming along, and felt that they were making progress although they still had a long way to go yet. The game began with the Mustangs from the interior of Monmouth County scoring the first five points on two foul shots at the 18:31 mark, and a three pointer at the 17:52 mark. The Bears finally got on the scoreboard with an offensive rebound and putback off of a Stolzenberg miss at the 16:11 mark to make it 5-2. Marlboro then made one of two at the free throw line for a 6-2 lead at the 15:33 mark before Alex Mayo dished to Scott Stolzenberg for a foul line jumper that made it 6-4 at the 13:33 mark.
Both teams would exchange scores in the succeeding 39 seconds for an 8-6 Marlboro lead before Mello made one of two at the charity stripe for an 8-7 Mustang edge, and then the senior stepped up to the line again after taking in a pass from Mayo for a layup attempt that he was fouled on to make a pair of foul shots for the Bears first lead at 9-8 with 11:15 to play in the half. East Brunswick then got a steal from one of its newcomers that was converted into a layup to make the score, 11-8 at the 9:44 mark. Marlboro retaliated with a fast break layup nearly forty-five seconds later to pull within one again at 11-10 with a little more than nine minutes remaining before the intermission. Mayo then came up with a nifty drive for a layup as he was fouled, but missed the bonus free throw for the traditional three point play, and the score stood at 13-10 with 8:45 left before the half. The Mustangs kept things interesting though by replying with a deep three point shot to knot the game at 13-13 with 5:53 left in the first half. Following an EB timeout at the 5:25 mark, Mello took in an outlet pass on the right side, drove downcourt on that same side for a layup and the foul that he converted into a three point play for a 16-13 advantage.
Using the three pointer as a key weapon throughout the contest, Marlboro connected from downtown again to square the game once more at 16-16 with a bit under four minutes to go before halftime. Mello, who had seven points and an assist in the first half, then fed Stolzenberg with a nice entry pass in the key, where the EB forward pivoted, spun, faked, and connected on a jumper to give the Bears the lead again at 18-16 with 3:08 to go before the half. Over a minute and a half would go by before another score was made by either team, and that would come when the Mustangs scored a layup underneath on the right side to tie the game again at 18-18 with 1:29 left in the first half. Mayo had an opportunity to give the Bears the lead again, but misfired on both of his foul shots, and the score remained tied at 18-18 at the 1:01 mark. Marlboro then closed out the opening half with a jumper along the right baseline for a 20-18 halftime lead. The second half was more of a tale of two different halves as East Brunswick dominated the first part with a 21-8 showing for an eleven point lead before Marlboro closed the game out with 14-2 tear for the win.
The Bears began the second half strong as Stolzenberg opened the scoring with one of two free throws for a 20-19 Marlboro lead. Then, on the missed second foul shot attempt by Stolzenberg, EB managed to battle hard on the offensive glass for four offensive boards before Mayo hustled to make a great save. Mayo’s hustle helped set up a shot in the paint by Mello that went in while the senior was fouled, and he converted that into a conventional three point play for a 22-20 lead at the 17:35 mark. The Mustangs countered with an offensive rebound and putback to tie things up again at 22-22 at the 15:53 mark, and then after a mini scoreless drought of 1:16, Marlboro took the lead on a steal and some nice passing for a fast break layup to make the score, 24-22 at the 14:37 mark. In a game that saw neither team have a lead bigger than eleven points, and had nine lead changes and seven ties, East Brunswick fought back with an offensive rebound and follow off a miss on a lob pass by Mayo off the inbounds for a 24-24 tie at the 14:08 mark, and then Mayo came up with another nice play by beating the ten second violation with a crosscourt pass to Mello on the right side, who then made a nice quick touch pass to another EB player for a layup to give the Bears the lead again at 28-26 at the 13:14 mark.
Nearly a full minute went by before either team scored, and that occurred when Marlboro made a layup to tie the game again at 28-28 with 12:15 remaining. On the very next EB possession, the Bears scored a layup to take another two point lead at 30-28. The Bear basket ignited an 11-0 run over a span of 5:22 that appeared to put Marlboro on the ropes in this particular contest. Mello followed the opening salvo with another pair of free throws at the 10:09 mark for a 32-28 advantage. The senior forward, who ended up with 15 points on three field goals and 9 of 12 shooting from the foul line along with three assists, then went to the line once more as he got an offensive rebound, and tried to score on the follow when he was fouled, and that resulted in a one of two effort at the charity stripe for a 33-28 lead with 8:22 to play. Mello then followed that up with a jumper from the left wing to make the score, 35-28 with exactly 7:30 to play in the game. The East Brunswick senior then made his final contribution on the night with a drive to his right into the key and then a pass down low for a layup that made the score, 37-28. The Bears capped the tear with a turnaround jumper in the right low block for an eleven point, 39-28 advantage at the 6:43 mark.
With a double digit lead and a running clock in effect, it seemed that the Bears were on their way to moving up to 4-2 on the fall. However, it was not to be on this night. Marlboro showed tremendous resiliency with a 6-0 run over a span of 2:54 to pull within five at 39-34 before EB got its final points of the game on a pair of free throws at the 2:49 mark to make the score, 41-34. Neither team scored for over a minute before Marlboro made a layup to make it a five point game at 41-36 with 1:45 remaining. Then, the Mustangs got a deep three pointer to go in from the right wing for a 41-39 Bear lead with ten seconds to play. Marlboro then called a timeout with nine seconds left, and after the stoppage, EB inbounded the ball to Mello, who was promptly fouled. Surprisingly, Mello missed the front end of the bonus, and while players on both sides fought for the rebound, the clock didn’t start running. Only after the play was stopped was four seconds taken off the clock. Marlboro managed to get the ball back, and was able to set up for a final play, which ended up being a three point attempt that banked in off the glass as time ran out for the 42-41 Mustang victory.
With the win, Marlboro moves up to 2-4 on the fall while East Brunswick drops to 3-3. Next Monday night, October 29th, both teams will be in action again as the Mustangs will face off against Monsignor Donovan of Ocean County at 7:00 PM while the Bears will try again to move over .500 when they take on another Ocean County school in Lacey at 8:00 PM.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro (2-4) | 20 | 22 | 42 |
| East Brunswick (3-3) | 18 | 23 | 41 |
Standings–Week Six
Below are the latest standings in the 2007 Rebounds Fall League, which has two more weeks of play left including the Showcase Games to be played on November 5th. As of this posting, there are still one undefeated team in each division: Neptune in Division A with a 6-0 record, and Middletown South in Division B with a 6-0 record. Meanwhile, there are a total of two 5-1 teams in each division with Red Bank Catholic and Cardinal McCarrick with that mark in Division A while Howell and Keyport hold that record in Division B.
By the way, since the Caseys of Red Bank Catholic upset Cardinal McCarrick, they own the tiebreaker for sole possession of second place in Division A. The only team that is winless on the fall is Southern Regional in Division B. The four GMC teams in the league: Cardinal McCarrick (5-1), East Brunswick (3-3), South Amboy (4-2), and South Brunswick (2-4) are a combined 14-10 overall in the league on the fall. In games involving teams from other conferences, those four GMC members are 12-8 against non-conference opponents.
Division A Standings
- Neptune (6-0)
- Red Bank Catholic (5-1)
- Cardinal McCarrick (5-1)
- Asbury Park (4-2)
- Lincroft (3-3)
- St. John Vianney (3-3)
- St. Rose (3-3)
- Manasquan (2-4)
- South Brunswick (2-4)
- Freehold Township (1-5)
- Point Pleasant (1-5)
- Toms River East (1-5)
Division B Standings
- Middletown South (6-0)
- Howell (5-1)
- Keyport (5-1)
- South Amboy (4-2)
- Monsignor Donovan (4-2)
- East Brunswick (3-3)
- Lacey (3-3)
- Marlboro (2-4)
- Henry Hudson (2-4)
- Ocean (1-5)
- G-Force Stallions (1-5)
- Southern Regional (0-6)
GMC Hoops plans to be back out in Neptune in a couple weeks to see the final night of action with the Showcase Games. More details on what teams will be playing against one another will become available next week after the Week #7 games have taken place on October 29th.