COLONIA, NJ–On Friday night, GMC Hoops traveled over to the Colonia High School to check out action from the 2008 Colonia JV Summer League. Once again, the scheduling gods at Colonia provided another dose of Cardinal McCarrick II and Colonia III teams although this time they were both playing in games versus other teams. The web site happened to catch the final two games of the quadrupleheader on Friday night with McCarrick II taking on J.F. Kennedy in the first one, and Colonia III battling Edison in the finale of the evening.
Cardiac Kids Of McCarrick II Come Up Short In Comeback Bid
It was the third time this summer that GMC Hoops visited the Colonia JV Summer League, and all three times the site took in a game that involved Cardinal McCarrick II, one of only two freshmen teams in the league. Although the web site only saw the final three minutes of this one, they were all entertaining and action packed. A hard fought battle all the way until the very end, this game saw the Little Eagles of McCarrick II pull to within three late before JFK came away with the 40-37 victory to improve to 3-3 on the summer while Cardinal McCarrick II fell to 2-5.
Upon arriving, GMC Hoops sat down to see J.F. Kennedy was in front by a score of 38-29. Twenty-nine seconds later though, Cardy Mac II was on the board with a field goal to pull within seven at 38-31 with 2:31 remaining. The Little Eagles then scored again with just inside two minutes to play on a layup from the right side for a 38-33 JFK edge. Neither team would score for well over a minute until McCarrick II big man, Robert Nunez, who was a key contributor in the two Little Eagle wins last week over Colonia II and Colonia III, grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back in to make the score, 38-35 with 37.5 seconds remaining.
On the very next possession, JFK, despite the pleas of its coach and former Kennedy standout, Eliot Solop, went in for an ill-advised layup with about 25 seconds to go. However, the Little Eagles were unable to take advantage by turning the ball over on the inbounds with 18.1 to play. Jordan Toczynski, the younger brother of recent JFK graduate, Jonathan Toczynski, had a chance to put the game away for the Junior Mustangs, but misfired on the front end of a one and one at the 14.87 second mark. Once again with a chance to pull closer, or even tie, McCarrick II couldn’t get the ball in the basket as Mike Lewis, the son of McCarrick varsity coach, Joe Lewis, missed a three point attempt from the left wing with 8.3 seconds to play.
Kennedy then got the rebound, and drew a foul with 6.92 seconds to go. A Junior Mustang then went to the line, and got the first free throw attempt to roll in, and then swished the second one for a 40-35 lead. Lewis then made another three point attempt from beyond the arc that hit iron only to be rebounded and putback in by a teammate as time expired for the 40-37 final score.
Edison Breezes By Colonia III, 48-11
In the nightcap, GMC Hoops got an opportunity to see Edison’s JV squad for the first time as well as get another look at Colonia’s freshmen. Brian O’Lone, the Colonia JV coach, and varsity assistant, is very excited about some of the young talent coming up. One of the young players on the Colonia roster is a 6’1″ or 6’2″ big man that can rebound, stay on his feet, and score with a nice sky hook. Unfortunately, he was not in attendance, but Jordan McDaniel, the younger brother of former Colonia girls standout, Tiffany McDaniel, was playing on this night.
The Little Pats had a tough road to climb against a much taller, more experienced, and more physically mature Edison squad, which entered play with a 3-2 mark on the summer. The first several minutes started out fairly close with both teams drawing even. However, the Junior Eagles embarked on a decisive 15-0 run over approximately 11 minutes to take a 19-4 lead, and went on to win easily 48-11. Colonia III was held to only seven points in the first half, and four in the second, and didn’t score a single point for nearly 26:30. However, it is very important to point out that the Little Pats fought valiantly, and more importantly, gained some valuable experience that may pay off during the course of their regular season, and defintiely later on when they’re up at the varsity level playing for head coach, Chris Chiera.
With the game tied at 4-4, Edison went ahead with a bucket at around the 16 minute mark. The Junior Eagles then followed that with another score at about the 15 minute mark for an 8-4 lead. Two and a half minutes later, Edison got three more points to take an 11-4 lead at approximately the 12:30 mark. Nearly a minute later, the Junior Eagles were on the move once more with a bucket for a 15-4 advantage with 11:40 to play in the first half. Over the next six minutes or so, the baskets would become few and far between for EHS, but it still got a bucket at the 8:13 mark, and then an offensive rebound and putback for a 19-4 lead with 5:54 to go.
Following a timeout at the 5:49 mark, Colonia III finally got on the board for the first time in over 12 minutes with a jumper from the left wing that was a three pointer that trimmed the deficit to 12 at 19-7 with 5:07 to go before halftime. Unfortunately, the young Colonia squad couldn’t build on that short lived momentum, and Edison went back to work with an offensive rebound and putback at the 4:54 mark, and then a layup off a loose ball at the 2:24 mark for a 23-7 lead. The Junior Eagles then finished off the first half with a layin at the 34.2 second mark, and an offensive rebound and follow as time expired for a 27-7 halftime lead. Edison then picked up right where it left off with a tap in at the 19:22 mark, and then another layup at the 18:51 mark for a 31-7 lead.
EHS kept pouring it on to running the fast break even after amassing such a huge lead. The Junior Eagles tallied six more points for an 18-0 surge, and a 37-7 lead with 10:23 remaining in the contest. McDaniel would eventually put an end to the misery for Colonia III with a bank shot at the 8:57 mark to give the Little Pats their first field goal in 16:10. However, the damage had been done as Edison rolled to a 48-11 victory to improve to 4-2 on the summer while Colonia III dropped to 1-5.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edison (4-2) | 27 | 21 | 48 |
| Colonia III (1-5) | 7 | 4 | 11 |