EDISON, NJ–On Tuesday night, GMC Hoops, traveled over to the Physical Education Center on the main campus of Middlesex County College to take in the final round of games at the MCC Summer League. During this particular 8:00 PM hour, there were three games, and two of them involved teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference. On Court #1, Perth Amboy Tech, undefeated at 6-0 coming into this night, was taking on Bishop Ahr, which had their JV squad for next year. BGA, and there coach, Rocky Prodoscimo have been bringing their youngsters to MCC each year for the past several years. Simultaneously on Court #2, South River was doing battle with Timothy Christian one in a game that will most likely become a crossover matchup when TCS joins the GMC in a few years. Finally, on Court #3, South Hunterdon was taking on Timothy Christian II in a non-conference matchup.
Amboy Tech Cruises Past Ahr, 61-41
One of the big stories of the 2008 Middlesex County College Summer League has been the Perth Amboy Tech Patriots. With the likes of both Anthony Patterson and Joey Castro returning next season, the Pats coached by Artie Wachtel should be in the running to win the Gold Division although Dunellen looks pretty solid with the Francisco brothers, Jonard Hall, and Reggie Thorpe all returning for the Destroyers.
So far this summer, Patterson and Castro have helped spearhead Amboy Tech to a 6-0 start entering play on Tuesday. Patterson, who has also been busy playing AAU ball with the G-Force Stallions this off-season, put in a decent effort against East Brunswick in the Showcase Games round to wrap up the 2008 Rebounds Spring League back in early June. On this night, Perth Amboy Tech was facing off against Bishop Ahr, which has brought its future JV squad to MCC every summer for the past several years. The Junior Trojans, coached by the fiery Rocky Prodoscimo, were still looking to get their first win of the summer.
GMC Hoops arrived at the gym with 4:17 to go in the first half, and the Patriots already on top by a score of 23-13. Amboy Tech then made one of two free throws about a minute later at the 3:23 mark for a 24-13. Twenty-three seconds later, Patterson swiped a steal in the BGA backcourt on the left side, and drove in for a layup that made the score, 26-13 with three minutes to go before halftime.
The Junior Trojans then tried to get back into the game with a one of two effort at the line, and on the missed second foul shot, Widdoss grabbed the offensive board, attempted to put it back in, but missed, and then repeated the feat with success on the second try for an unconventional three point play that made the score, 26-16 at the 2:20 mark.
Nearly a minute later, Patterson began to heat up with a three pointer for a 29-16 lead at the 1:30 mark. Kilgore tried to give Ahr a response with a layup that closed the gap to 29-18 with a minute left, but on a subsequent Patriot possession, Patterson struck again from long range in the left corner for a 32-18 advantage with 32 seconds to go before the intermission.
The Junior Trojans would then close out their half with the final points of the period as Widdoss grabbed another offensive board, and put it back in for a 32-20 Amboy Tech lead, but Perth Amboy Tech would end the half with a score of its own for a 34-20 edge at the brief break. After watching action from the two other games that were happening at the same time, GMC Hoops returned to this game with 11:33 to go in the contest, and Amboy Tech leading by a 53-27 margin.
Over the first 8:27 of the second half, the Patriots compiled a 19-7 tear for the 26 point advantage. Fifty-two seconds after the site’s return to the action, and a Bishop Ahr score, Amboy Tech scored again for a 21-9 surge on a jumper from the right wing that made the score, 55-29 at the 10:41 mark. On the very next Ahr possession, the Junior Trojans got back on the scoreboard with a field goal on a short jumper with 10:30 to go. BGA had a chance to get closer after getting a stop on the defensive end, but Perth Amboy Tech drew a charge at the exact midway point of the second half. Neither team would score for the next 1:19 before the Patriots got on the board with a one of two showing from the free throw line for a 56-31 lead.
Bishop Ahr then responded with a score at the 8:05 mark for a 56-33 PAVT advantage, but Amboy Tech came right back with a score of its own on a layup for a 58-33 edge at the 7:07 mark. Kilgore then attacked the offensive boards with an offensive rebound and follow for a 58-35 Patriot lead with 5:53 to go. A little more than a minute later, Perth Amboy Tech scored again on a nice drive through the middle for a layup, and a 60-35 lead at the 4:49 mark. Sixteen seconds later, Widdoss swiped a steal for a layup that closed the gap to 60-37 at the 4:33 mark. From that point until the end of the game, the reserves on both teams got in the contest, and Ahr outscored Amboy Tech by a 4-1 margin to round out the final, 61-41 score. With the victory, Perth Amby Vo-Tech raised its record to a still unblemished 7-0 while Ahr remained winless at 0-7.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Amboy Tech (7-0) | 34 | 27 | 61 |
| Bishop Ahr (0-7) | 20 | 21 | 41 |
Timothy Christian I Survives South River, 22-20
This would be the closest matchup of the three nightcap contests. In a battle that saw 6 lead changes and a tie as well as neither team having a lead bigger than five points, both Timothy Christian I and South River combined for just 42 points including only 15 in the second half. Nevertheless, there was still plenty of drama down the stretch as Timothy Christian I only managed to score a single point over the last 3:46 of the game while South River pulled to within a bucket, and also had a couple chances to tie in the waning moments before TCS I pulled out the 22-20 victory. The win kept the Tigers within striking distance of the league leaders, Perth Amboy Tech and North Brunswick, which were still undefeated.
After watching the Perth Amboy Tech–Bishop Ahr contest, the web site traveled over to Court #2 to take in the action from this game. At the time of arrival, there was 5:36 left in the first half and TCS I was already leading by a score of 6-5. Sixteen seconds later, Timothy Christian I called a timeout. Following the stoppage, South River outscored the Tigers by a 4-3 margin over the next 1:15 to knot the game up at 9-9. However, moments later, TCS I went back in front thanks to a field goal that made the score, 11-9 with exactly four minutes to play in the first half. Neither team would score for the next 1:19 before Timothy Christian I connected on a foul line extended jumper that increased its lead to 13-9 at the 2:41 mark.
A little more than a minute later, South River began to embark on its late first half run as Shawn Fenton was fouled on a drive that resulted in a one of two showing from the foul line for a 13-10 TCS I lead at the 1:40 mark. Michael Wilson then followed up with a field goal that closed the gap to one at 13-12 with 30 seconds remaining. Then, after a Tiger turnover with 17 seconds to play in the half, Xavier Foster made a drive, and dished to Fenton for a layup from the left low black that made the score, 14-13 at the half.
In the second half, the web site rejoined the action with 6:55 left, and Timothy Christian I clinging to a one point, 17-16 lead. Neither team would score for nearly 1:45 before TCS I got a field goal to increase its advantage to 19-16 at the 5:13 mark. On the very next Ram possession, South River turned the ball over, and eventually, the Tigers would go up by five on a drive along the left side of the key for a layup while drawing the foul. Although the TCS I player missed the bonus foul shot for the traditional three point play, the Tigers were now ahead by five at 21-16 with 3:46 to play. South River wouldn’t give up though, and clawed its way back into the contest.
Fenton got the ball rolling when he picked up a loose ball off a missed layup attempt by Brandon Walsh, and scored a layup to trim the deficit to three at 21-18 with 2:49 to play in regulation. A minute later, South River came up with a big defensive stop by drawing a charge, but couldn’t capitalize on the forced turnover as Foster missed a layin off a drive through the middle with 1:35 left. The Tigers then misfired on its scoring chance by missing a front end of a one and one at the 1:18 mark, but once again the Rams couldn’t take advantage as Foster missed a three point attempt from the right corner with about a minute to go. South River got life once again though as TCS I missed the front end of a one and one at the 48 second mark.
The Rams cashed in on its next possession with a jumper from the left baseline that made the score, 21-20 with 37 seconds left in regulation. Timothy Christian I tried to quickly go back up by three with a long pass upcourt over the top of the Ram pressure, but couldn’t scored as the Tigers missed the layup attempt with a half minute left. Wilson then had a chance to give the Rams the lead again, but missed his shot attempt, and TCS I was fouled after getting the rebound, which resulted in a one of two showing from the charity stripe for a 22-20 lead at the 18 second mark.
With one more opportunity to tie the game and force overtime, the Rams couldn’t get the job done. Wilson missed a shot, and the follow was no good with two seconds left, but South River got the ball again out of bounds. Unfortunately, to the chagrin of South River diehard fans in attendance, the inbounds play was botched, and Timothy Christian came away victorious. With the win, TCS I improved to 6-1 on the summer while South River fell to 3-4.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timothy Christian I (6-1) | 13 | 9 | 22 |
| South River (3-4) | 14 | 6 | 20 |
South Hunterdon Rolls Past Timothy Christian II, 41-23
While Perth Amboy Tech was keeping its unbeaten season going, South Hunterdon was doing battle with one of the two Timothy Christian squads participating in the league. The Eagles, which compete in the Skyland Conference’s Valley Division along with the likes of Bound Brook, jumped out to a 26-7 lead thanks to a 14-0 tear over a span of 6:28 in the latter portion of the first half. GMC Hoops picked up the action with the score still close at 9-5 with 7:30 remaining in the opening period. Twenty-one seconds later, South Hunterdon got a field goal that made the score, 11-5 at the 7:09 mark.
The basket sparked the decisive spurt that was capped by a player making both ends of the bonus with 1:25 remaining in the first half for a 23-5 edge. Timothy Christian attempted to climb back into things with a drive from the right wing for a layin that drew a foul on the floor with 1:09 left before halftime. Moments later, TCS II registered a layup to end the South Hunterdon rampage for a 23-7 score at the 1:02 mark. The Eagles then closed out the first half by getting a steal off a loose ball at half court, and then a drive and kick to the left side for a three pointer that capped the first half scoring at 26-7.
After watching some of the action from the Amboy Tech—BGA contest as well as the TCS I—South River contest, GMC Hoops returned to the action in this game with 7:26 left to play, and South Hunterdon now leading by a dozen at 32-20. The Tigers of Timothy Christian II began the second half in strong style with a 13-6 spurt over the first 12:34 to close the gap. However, South Hunterdon would get an offensive rebound, and putback off a missed layup a half minute later to increase its lead back up to 34-20, and then got a three pointer for a 37-20 lead. TCS II would get a bucket to pull within 15 at 37-22 with 2:06 to go. However, the Eagles would get the final four points of the night including a pair of free throws with 1:16 remaining to help round out the 41-23 final score.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Hunterdon (4-2) | 26 | 15 | 41 |
| Timothy Christian II (1-5) | 7 | 16 | 23 |