EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Monday night, GMC Hoops still had some basketball to cover despite the fact that the 2009 Rebounds Spring League was officially over. After covering some action at the 2009 Raritan Bay Summer League, the site headed over to East Brunswick High School to take in some of the games from the first night of action in the 2009 E.B. Team Camp.
There were three games that the site covered. Two involved teams from the GMC while one consisted of teams outside the conference. Over on Main Court A, Monroe was taking on Sayreville in a battle of two GMC White rivals while on Main Court B, Bound Brook, from the Skyland Conference’s Valley Division was battling Freehold Boro of the Class B North Division of the Shore Conference. Finally, in the Lower Gym, East Brunswick was facing off against Edison in a game between two GMC Red opponents.
Freehold Boro Breezes Past Bound Brook, 51-33
In a non-conference matchup, the Crusaders of Bound Brook, which made considerable progress as a program since the beginning of this decade, took on the Colonials of Freehold Boro. Both teams qualified for the NJSIAA state tournament this past season with Bound Brook reaching the Quarterfinal round of the Central Jersey Group I Tournament before losing to Point Pleasant Beach, and Freehold Boro advanced to the Semifinals of the Central Jersey Group III tourney before losing to eventual sectional and state champion, Neptune.
Although the Crusaders were down a bit this past season with a 13-14 overall record, and failed to win the Valley Division crown of the Skyland for the first time in several years, they’ve made remarkable progress under energetic head coach, Anthony Melesurgo. Over the past four seasons, Bound Brook has gone 56-48 overall with state tourney berths in each season. Meanwhile, Freehold Boro, has gradually turned things back around with a state tourney berth in 2008 as well as their appearance this season. Over the past several years, the Colonials have gone from 6-16 in 2006-07 to 21-6 in 2008-09. Over the past four seasons, Freehold Boro has gone 55-39 overall.
This summer, the Colonials appear to be on their way to doing much better in 2009-10. With Neptune graduating some of its key players including D.J. Guthridge, Freehold Boro will be looking to take the mantle in Class B North down the Shore. In the game against Bound Brook, the Colonials jumped out to a 15-4 lead over the first 9:05 of the game. Freehold Boro then added a field goal at the 9:07 mark to take a 17-4 lead as their supporters cheered loudly. Over the next 22:44, Freehold Boro added to their lead with a 27-20 showing, and made the score, 44-24 with 7:23 left. The Crusaders then made things a bit more respectable with a 9-5 run over the next 4:53 to trim the deficit to fifteen at 48-33 with 2:30 to go, but the Colonials finished things off with a fastbreak, and dish left for a layup that made the score, 50-33 at the 1:59 mark, and then capped the 51-33 victory with one of two free throws at the 1:38 mark.
Monroe Prevails Over Sayreville In Physical And Emotional Contest, 39-26
Upon arriving at East Brunswick High School, GMC Hoops ran into a Monroe parent, who informed the site on how things were going early on in the matchup between Monroe and Sayreville. His comments made the comparison between the game, and the WWE. Despite Monroe having control of the game throughout, Sayreville played hard. Consequently, it was a physical game that often forced emotions to heat up to their boiling point. Over the first twelve minutes of the contest, the Falcons built up an 18-6 lead. The Purple Birds then got two free throws from Kenny Pace for a 20-6 lead at the 6:49 mark. Sayreville’s Darryl Stephenson pounded the offensive glass for a putback attempt that resulted in two free throws that brought the deficit down to a dozen with 5:44 to go before halftime.
Then, things got a bit ugly. With 3:39 to go in the first half, Monroe was coming down for a score when Timmy Brix was fouled hard into the bleachers. This sparked emotions on both sides, especially those of Monroe teammate, Travis Dufner, but cooler heads ultimately prevailed, and the game resumed with Brix showing true grit by going to the line, and making both free throws after appearing to be hurt on the play. Sayreville would get a free throw to pull within thirteen at 22-9, but then Monroe closed the half out with a three pointer from the right wing for a 25-9 haltime lead. In the second half, things were a lot more competitive with Sayreville garnering a 17-14 edge, but Monroe would still prevail.
When the site returned to action after watching some of the East Brunswick and Edison contest in the Lower Gym, Monroe was still leading, 37-22 despite being outscored 13-12 over the first 15:30 of the second half. Sayreville then got two free throws at the 3:31 mark to close the gap to 37-24, but Pace responded with two foul shots of his own after being fouled on a shot attempt with 2:14 left for a 39-24 lead. The Bombers then closed the scoring out with a layup at the 58 second mark for the final, 39-26 score. This latest chapter in the rivalry between these two schools should make things interesting when they meet in the regular season come December and January.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | 25 | 14 | 39 |
| Sayreville | 9 | 17 | 26 |
East Brunswick Pulls Away From Edison With Strong Finish, 48-34
While Monroe and Sayreville as well as Freehold Boro and Bound Brook were playing in the main gym, East Brunswick was doing battle with Edison in the lower gym. In the first half, the game was surprisingly close as the Eagles fought hard to stay within single digits at 23-18 going into the intermission. Edison remained competitive for much of the first ten minutes or so of the second half as well before falling prey to their Red Division rival. Over a span of just over thirteen minutes, the Bears put away the Eagles with a 16-2 tear that turned a 28-26 battle into a commanding 44-28 lead. From there, EB cruised to a 48-34 win despite being outscored 6-4 down the final stretch.
Things didn’t start out that easily though as the Bears called for a 30 second timeout just fifteen seconds into the second half. Following the stoppage, Edison got a steal, and went in for a scored, but missed the layup attempt, and East Brunswick dodged a bullet at the 19:23 mark. Nearly a minute later, the Bears got on the board first in the new half with a baseline drive from the right side for a layup, and a 25-18 lead. EB then went up by double digits thanks to a nice kickout to the left side for a three pointer, and a 28-18 lead with 17:07 to go in the contest. Reeling a bit, Edison rebounded nicely with eight straight points over the next 2:28 to close the gap to two points. With 16:43 to go in the game, the Eagles got things rolling with a pull-up jumper at the foul line that pulled them back to within single digits at 28-20.
Continuing the rally, Edison swiped a steal off of an errant pass by sophomore Nick Gudzak. The Bears did get back defensively for the block, but the Eagles pulled in the offensive rebound, and scored on the follow to draw within six at 28-22 with 15:39 left. Fifty seconds later, Edison crept closer with a short shot underneath on the right side for a 28-24 EB lead at the 14:49 mark. The Eagles then deployed full court pressure that produced a steal for a layin that made it a two point game at 28-26 with 14:39 remaining. Unfortunately, for the Edison fans in attendance, the Eagles couldn’t get closer as East Brunswick pulled away. Following a timeout at the 14:35 mark, EB managed to hang on to its tenuous lead for almost three minutes until they got an offensive rebound and putback at the 11:55 mark for a 30-26 lead.
A little more than a half minute later, Edison called for time, but it didn’t make much difference as the Bears continued to gradually pull away. After Mauro Tucci was fouled on the floor during a spin and drive to the basket with 10:21 left, the Bears went up by six on a layup while being fouled with 9:37 left. East Brunswick had a chance to go up by seven, but missed the bonus free throw, and the score remained 32-26 in favor of the Bears. By the time GMC Hoops returned to the action with 1:38 to play, EB was in command thanks to scoring 12 of 14 points over a span of 7:59 to take a 44-28 lead. Moments later, Edison scored a basket to close the gap to 44-30 with 1:31 left. Tucci then answered by making a nice bounce pass to a cutting teammate for a layup, and a 46-30 lead with 1:20 to play. From there, the Eagles scored four of the next six points for the 48-34 EB victory.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Brunswick | 23 | 25 | 48 |
| Edison | 18 | 16 | 34 |
GMC Hoops was out for more action on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, and will return on Thursday for the final evening of games.