SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–On Monday night, GMC Hoops took a quick trip out to take in some of the late action at the 2008 Raritan Bay Summer League including the nightcap game from the High School Division between Union Catholic and G-Force. Earlier in the evening, North Brunswick and Corpus Christi of South River went toe to toe in a double overtime thriller that North Brunswick came away with the victory by one point. Corpus Christi was down two late, and had a chance to tie with two free throws, but missed one of them. In the first game that the web site covered, there was a bit of a sampling of the action from the 5th and 6th Grade level as Metuchen took on Milltown in the 7:30 PM contest.
GMC Hoops entered the gym with 6:40 left in the game, and Milltown leading by a score of 19-13. For the next two minutes and forty seconds, neither team scored before Metuchen called for time with four minutes to go. Following the timeout, the Bulldogs got a field goal that trimmed the deficit to four at 19-15 with about three minutes to go. A short time later, Metuchen was able to produce a turnover, and convert it into a layup that closed the gap to 19-17 with 2:20 left in regulation. Metuchen then tied the game up at 19-19 with two free throws from Switzer at the 1:44 mark. On the next Milltown possession, the Bulldogs swiped a steal, and went in for a layup attempt that missed. Although it would get the offensive rebound, Metuchen came away empty handed as it missed the putback attempt at the 1:33 mark.
Milltown could not seize on the second life it had gained. On its next possession, the team from the tiny Middlesex County enclave that is near East Brunswick and Spotswood, turned the ball over with 1:21 to play. Finally, the game began to swing in Metuchen’s direction as the Bulldogs netted two foul shots with 41.1 seconds left for a 21-19 lead. After Milltown took a shot that fell short with 29.1 seconds left, and then swiped a steal off a save by Metuchen that couldn’t be converted for a score with 12.2 remaining, Metuchen put the game away. Artie Flaherty, Jr., yes the son of all time leading scorer, Artie Flaherty, passed the ball upcourt to Marquis Crawford for a layup that rounded out the final, 23-19 score.
G-Force Stallions Roll Past Union Catholic, 61-29
In the featured game of the night for GMC Hoops, Union Catholic squared off against G-Force in a High School Division contest. It was the first time this summer that GMC Hoops was taking in a contest involving Union Catholic while it was the second time the web site saw G-Force in action. Last Thursday, G-Force Gold was playing in the 2008 Rebounds Spring League over in Neptune, and lost to East Brunswick, 62-51. Earlier this season at Raritan Bay, G-Force took on North Brunswick, and won easily by the score of 58-38 on May 28th. In the first half, the game was somewhat competitive with G-Force taking a 32-20 lead at the break, but after Union Catholic had rallied with an 8-4 run to close the half following a 28-12 start by G-Force. The second half then saw G-Force pull away with a 29-9 surge for the lopsided 61-29 victory.
In the first 2:52 of the contest, G-Force took the early lead by scoring four of the first six points. Union Catholic then got a jumper in the key that knotted the score at 4-4 with 16:40 left in the first half. The Vikings then had a chance to take the lead, but then turned the ball over at the 15:16 mark. Kevin Seabrook, a prospect for St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth, drove through the middle for a layup that made the score, 6-4 with 15:03 to go in the half. Fifty-four seconds later, Union Catholic knotted the game up again on a kick out to the left wing for a jumper that tied the game again at 6-6. On it’s very next offensive possession, G-Force took the lead again on an offensive rebound and putback that made the score, 8-6 with 13:53 to play. Twenty seconds later, G-Force increased its advantage to five as Seabrook went back to work by swiping a steal, and scoring a layup as he was fouled for a three point play that made the score, 11-6 with 13:33 to go before halftime.
Almost exactly a minute later, G-Force grabbed an offensive board, and scored on the follow for a 13-6 lead at the 12:31 mark. Union Catholic then trimmed the deficit to six again, but making a free throw after missing two foul shots, but getting a reprieve on the second thanks to a G-Force lane violation with 11:37 to go in the half. The Stallions then scored five of the next seven points including a Seabrook jumper from the left wing for a three pointer that made the score, 18-9 with 9:21 to play before the intermission. G-Force then increased its lead to double figures as Tomasso scored a basket, and drew a foul, but missed the bonus free throw with 7:19 left in the half. Although Jonathan Dayton Regional standout, Kareem Jackson pulled down two offensive rebounds, the Stallions could not convert, and the score still stood at 20-9.
G-Force continued to roll by scoring 8 of the next 11 points including a basket off an assist by Jackson, and a steal for a layup by Seabrook at the 5:50 mark that made it 26-12, and then Tyron Bethea scored a layup that prompted Union Catholic to take a 30 second timeout with the score, 28-12 with 5:25 to go in the first half. Following the stoppage, Union Catholic proceeded to regroup with 8 of the final 12 points of the period to make things interesting going into the brief break. However, in the second half, G-Force came out with a vengeance as the Stallions started things off with five straight points including a jumper from the left corner by Seabrook that made the score, 37-20 with 18:15 remaining. Over the next 3:42, G-Force scored 5 of the next 7 points including a spin move in the key for a layup by Tomasso that made the score, 42-22 at the 14:33 mark. From there, the Stallions never threatened, and Pablo Ozuna of Woodbridge then closed the game out with a jumper from the left side, and a steal for a layup that rounded out the final 61-29 score.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-Force Stallions | 32 | 29 | 61 |
| Union Catholic | 20 | 9 | 29 |