EDISON, NJ–On Tuesday night, GMC Hoops headed over to Middlesex County College after work to get the results from Thursday night’s action as well as the latest standings. The site ended up with much more than it bargained for as it not only got the latest results and standings, but it also got the tournament seeds and brackets as well as a glimpse at some of the action from the nightcap round of games.
There were three games taking place during the 8:00 PM hour including: South Brunswick taking on South Hunterdon over on Court #1, Perth Amboy Tech battling Highland Park on Court #2, and perhaps the most significant game of the summer thus far as North Brunswick squared off against Keyport in a battle of two unbeaten teams on Court #3. For GMC Hoops, this occasion marked the first time the site had seen South Brunswick’s JV squad and North Brunswick’s varsity all summer so it wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. Unfortunately though, it couldn’t see everything since there was some action going on at TBSA too.
South Hunterdon Edges South Brunswick, 42-40
After jotting down all the information it needed, GMC Hoops headed over to Court #1 where the matchup between South Hunterdon and South Brunswick was taking place. The Eagles of South Hunterdon, which compete against the likes of Bound Brook and Manville in the Valley Division of the Skyland Conference, had defeated Highland Park earlier this summer at MCC thanks to a second half surge. While the Eagles entered the night at 5-2 overall, South Brunswick was trying to inch back to .500 with a 3-5 mark on the summer.
The site picked up the action with only 2:18 to go in the first half, and South Hunterdon leading by a slim five point margin, 21-16. Nearly twenty seconds later, the Eagles had a chance to increase their lead to seven, but misfired on two free throws at the 2:00 mark. Forty-four seconds later, South Brunswick got on the board with an offensive rebound and a reverse layup on the follow for a 21-18 score at the 1:16 mark. On South Hunterdon’s next possession, the Eagles fared much better at the charity stripe with a pair of free throws that made the score, 23-18 at the 53 second mark. Both teams then went into the brief intermission with the same score as South Brunswick missed a shot, and couldn’t score on the follow in the waning moments of the first half.
In the second half, South Hunterdon came out the stronger of the two teams early on with six of the first eight points to increase its edge to 29-20 with 13:31 to go. However, over the final 13:31, SBHS closed the gap significantly to pull within two at the end. A run of 20-13 over that stretch gave the young Vikings a chance to tie the game at the buzzer, but the shot was no good, and the Eagles of South Hunterdon came away with the victory to provide additional momentum to obtaining fifth seed in the upcoming playoff round. With the 42-40 victory, South Hunterdon improved to 6-2 on the summer while South Brunswick fell to 3-6. The Eagles will play the Tigers of Timothy Christian II while SBHS will face off against geographic rival Franklin in the opening round of the playoffs on Thursday.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Hunterdon (6-2) | 23 | 19 | 42 |
| South Brunswick (3-6) | 18 | 22 | 40 |
Perth Amboy Tech Romps Past Highland Park
After the Patriots were stunned and knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten by East Brunswick’s JV last week, Amboy Tech head coach, Artie Wachtel was as fiery as ever on the sideline. The result was positive as the Pats came out strong to start this contest. Over the first 12:27 of the first half, Perth Amboy Vo-Tech jumped out to a 15-4 lead against Highland Park. Neither team would score for nearly the next two minutes until the Patriots got on the board with a deuce at the 5:40 mark. On its next possession, Highland Park got a score to narrow the margin to eleven again at 17-6 with 5:30 to play in the first half.
Another minute and a half would go by before there would be another score, and that would come in the form of a pair of foul shots by Perth Amboy Tech at the four minute mark for a 19-6 lead. A minute and a half after that, the Pats got a three pointer to expand its lead to 22-6 at the 2:30 mark. Highland Park would be the next team to score with a one of two showing at the foul line for a 22-7 Amboy Tech lead with 1:19 to go before halftime. Amboy Tech would come right back though with a field goal for a 24-7 lead at the 1:05 mark, and then moments later, Anthony Vidal came up with a steal for a fast break layup, and a 26-7 advantage with 49 seconds remaining in the first half. The Owls then closed out the first half with a three pointer from the top of the key for a 26-10 Amboy Tech lead at the break.
From there, Perth Amboy went on to win the game easily to improve to 8-1 on the summer at MCC, and seal the third seed in the playoffs that start on Thursday, July 17th. Amboy Tech’s first round opponent will be Bishop Ahr, which it defeated handily back on July 8th.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Amboy Tech (8-1) | 26 | 22 | 48 |
| Highland Park (3-6) | 10 | 12 | 22 |
Keyport Trips North Brunswick To Win Battle Of Unbeatens, 42-34
In the featured matchup of the night, first place was at stake as the two lone undefeated teams in the league squared off. Keyport entered the evening at 7-0 while North Brunswick was a half game better at 8-0. The Raiders, which lost twice to Keyport in last year’s MCC Summer League including a defeat in the playoffs, already sowed up the top seed for the playoffs so it really didn’t have much to lose. However, Keyport had a lot to gain with a win in terms of having some momentum going into the tournament as well as the confidence in having beaten North Brunswick. The first half saw the Red Raiders jump out to a 24-20 halftime lead, and then after the intermission, they scored four of the first six points of the second half to take a 28-22 edge at the 17:30 mark.
North Brunswick would rally back over the next 4:30 with a 5-0 run to close within one just inside 13 minutes remaining. After making one of two free throws at the line with 16:51 to play, North Brunswick scored again on a drive from the right wing for a layin, and a 28-25 Keyport lead at the 14:35 mark. Keyport had a chance to inch its lead back up a couple points, but misfired on both of its free throw attempts with 14:08 to go. The Raiders then scored on an offensive rebound and putback to pull within one at the 12:59 mark, but Keyport retook control of the contest with a 7-0 run over the next 2:30 for a 35-27 lead. Highlighting the spurt was a three pointer from the right corner that made the score, 31-27 at the 12:45 mark, and then an offensive rebound and follow at the 10:29 mark to cap the run, and give the Red Raiders an eight point advantage.
Both teams would score seven points apiece down the stretch as Keyport maintained its eight point advantage in a 42-34 victory. With the win, Keyport improved to 8-0 on the summer while North Brunswick fell to 8-1. Seeds were already determined prior to this game so the result had no effect. North Brunswick is still the top seed while Keyport is the second seed.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyport (8-0) | 24 | 18 | 42 |
| North Brunswick (8-1) | 20 | 14 | 34 |