EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Wednesday night, GMC Hoops headed back over to East Brunswick High School after being at the Raritan Bay Summer League to take in some of the games from the third night of action in the 2009 E.B. Team Camp. On this night, the site managed to get in the final six games of the evening at EBHS.
The six contests involved all the schools participating in the camp including nine teams from the GMC and three from outside the conference. At 7:30 PM, over on Main Court A, East Brunswick and Perth Amboy battled in a game that saw the Bears come from behind for the win. Nearby, on Main Court B, Freehold Boro and South Brunswick, went at it in a Shore vs. GMC matchup. Then, in the Lower Gym, Monroe was taking on Highland Park, which was without the services of football standout, Nate Smith.
In the 8:30 PM round of games, GMC Hoops got its first look at North Brunswick this summer as the Raiders battled neighborhood rival Edison on Main Gym A. Meanwhile, over on Main Gym B, Immaculata went at it with Bound Brook in a renewal of rivalries going back to both schools days in the Mountain Valley Conference. Finally, on the Lower Gym, Sayreville took on Piscataway in a rematch of the 2009 GMCT Elite Eight.
Rosa and Summerer Spark EB Comeback Win Over Amboy, 54-49
This would end up being the marquee game of the night on Wednesday as the Bears battled the Panthers in a summer league revival of their annual Red Division rivalry. Perth Amboy came out fast by jumping out to a 26-14 halftime lead, but East Brunswick rallied in the second half behind Justin Rosa and Mike Summerer with a 40-23 surge to come away with a 54-49 victory. When GMC Hoops arrived at EBHS, it walked into the Main Gym A to see Perth Amboy already leading by a score of 21-10 with 3:36 to go in the first half. Then, junior Mike Weber drove through the middle for a layin that made the score, 21-12 at the 3:15 mark. Perth Amboy then got a jumper from the right wing to go back up on top 23-12 with 2:57 left. Over the final three minutes or so of the first half, Perth Amboy outscored EB by a 5-2 margin to take the 26-14 lead going into the intermission.
In the second half, however, things would get very interesting. When the site returned from watching Freehold Boro play South Brunswick, and Monroe take on Highland Park, Perth Ambooy had increased its lead with an 11-10 run during a very high scoring first five minutes of the second period to take a 37-24 lead. East Brunswick then responded with a field goal at the 13:30 mark that made the score, 37-26 at the 13:30 mark. Mike Summerer began to play a more pivotal role in the game when he took a pass from Kevin Lantz for a layin while being fouled to convert a traditional three point play that pulled EB to within single digits at 37-29 with 10:33 left. Fifty seconds later, the Bears had the ball again, and gave a nice entry pass to Lantz, who bounce passed to Summerer on the kick, and then the freshman connected on a bank shot from the right side for a 37-31 Amboy lead with 9:43 to go.
Several seconds later, Perth Amboy called for time. Following the timeout, East Brunswick was fouled, and went to the line. The Bears made the first free throw, and then after a Panther lane violation, converted the second to close to within four at 37-33 with 8:41 remaining. Perth Amboy would get its first field goal in seven minutes to go back up by six, but then Weber fed sophomore John Genco for a layup, and a 39-35 with 7:20 mark. East Brunswick then closed to within one over the next 1:49 with three points, but Amboy’s Kearny Canela came up with a three point play for a 42-38 edge with 5:31 to play. Enter EB sophomore guard, Justin Rosa, who sank a three pointer from the top of the key to put the Bears back down by one again at 42-41 with 4:15 to play. East Brunswick then got the ball back, and took the lead when Summerer connected on a jumper from the left elbow for a 43-42 score at the 3:49 mark.
Twenty-five seconds later, Rosa continued the onslaught with a jumper from the right wing for a 46-42 with 3:14 to go. After Perth Amboy called timeout with 3:11 left, Summerer made another big play on offense that capped the 24-5 second half surge with a tap in off an Anthony Gudzak miss to put the Bears up by six, 48-42 with 2:40 left. The Panthers finally put a halt to East Brunswick’s rally with a three pointer at the 1:52 mark to close the gap again to three at 48-45 as EB called for time. Following the timeout, the Bears scored four more points incluidng a Gudzak offensive rebound and follow off a Lantz miss for a 52-45 lead with 1:21 left. Perth Amboy tried to comeback with four of the final six points, but it wasn’t enough as East Brunswick came away with the five point, 54-49 win. Both teams were in action on Thursday as EB took on Piscataway while Perth Amboy played Sayreville and Highland Park.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Brunswick | 14 | 40 | 54 |
| Perth Amboy | 26 | 23 | 49 |
Freehold Boro Dominates In Victory Over South Brunswick, 60-26
In the most lopsided game of the night, the Colonials from the Class B North Division of the Shore Conference, jumped out to a 28-14 lead, and never really looked back in a 60-26 win. When GMC Hoops arrived at EBHS, Freehold Boro was already ahead by a 22-12 margin with 3:22 left in the first half. Nearly a minute, and a half later, the largely raucous contingent of Freehold Boro fans in attendance had reason to cheer again with a layin at the two minute mark for a 24-12 lead. The Colonials then scored four of the last six points of the half to make it a 6-2 run over the final 3:22 for the double digit halftime lead. GMC Hoops went away from the action for a little bit to take in the battle between East Brunswick and Perth Amboy as well as the game between Monroe and Highland Park. However, when the site returned to the action, it found the game was completely in Freehold Boro’s control.
Over the first 8:22 of the second half, the Colonials outscored the Vikings by a 13-4 margin to take a 41-18 lead at the 11:38 mark. Fourteen seconds later, Freehold Boro got on the board again with an offensive rebound and follow for a 43-18 advantage with 11:24 to play. A little more than two minutes went by before another score, but it would be the Colonials getting on board again with a field goal for a 17-4 tear, and a 45-18 lead at the 9:09 mark. The Monmouth County squad then scored four of the next seven points over the next 2:48 for a 49-21 lead at the 6:21 mark, and then played even with South Brunswick over the next 3:37. During the late stretch, Freehold Boro connected on a three pointer from the right side for a 54-26 lead at the 2:44 mark.
From there, the Colonials scored the final six points of the contest to register its third victory of the camp with GMC Hoops in attendance, 60-26 over the Vikings. Both teams were in action again on Thursday with Freehold Boro taking on Monroe, and South Brunswick battling Bound Brook in non-conference competition.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freehold Boro | 28 | 32 | 60 |
| South Brunswick | 14 | 12 | 26 |
Highland Park Gives Monroe Some Fight, But Falcons Still Win Easily, 64-44
In the early days of GMC Hoops, these two teams were rivals in the GMC Blue Division. As a matter of fact, these two squads got entangled in the Round of 16 in the 2002 GMCT with the Owls prevailing to advance to a Quarterfinal round matchup with then second seeded New Brunswick. Back in those days, current Monroe JV and assistant coach, Matt Gigliello played for the Falcons along with the likes of Chris Felix, Marcello Henriques, Tom Woolfolk, Mario Zygadlo, and Eric and Jim Gaston. Meanwhile, for Highland Park, there were the likes of Amir White, Tarell Greene, Tim Stark, and Devren Hunt. Things have changed considerably since those days. Monroe, which was a Group II school at the time, is now Group IV, and Highland Park has gone from Central Jersey Group I Champion, to a program still trying to rebuild.
The Purple Birds have had a solid week so far at EB with a hard fought win over Sayreville on Monday night. Meanwhile, Highland Park was defeated on Tuesday night by Bound Brook. The Owls were coming into the matchup without the services of Nate Smith, a football standout, who played in the contest against the Crusaders the night before. The Purple Birds rolled to an easy victory thanks to their 35-16 showing in the first half, but the second half was played much more evenly as Monroe only outscored Highland Park by a 29-28 margin in the 64-44 win. GMC Hoops picked up the action in the second half when the Owls went to work right away with an offensive rebound that led to a jumper from the right wing for a 35-18 Monroe advantage with 19:43 to play.
On a subsequent possession, Monroe got on the board as freshman Victor Sorrento grabbed an offensive rebound off of a miss by Danny Brix. The youngster then ship passed back to Danny Brix, who then fed Travis Dufner for a layin, and a 37-18 lead with 18:58 to go in the contest. A little more than a minute later, Highland Park got on the board again with a nice spin around move against Dufner in the left low block for a layup, and a 37-20 lead with 17:51 remaining. Moments later though, freshman guard, Ahmid Williams answered for the Purple Birds with a three pointer from the left wing that made the score, 40-20 at the 17:38 mark. Following a timeout at the 16:36 mark, Highland Park made one of two from the foul line for a 40-21 lead with 16 minutes remaining before Dufner helped Monroe again double the Owls output with a jump hook for a 42-21 lead at the 15:34 mark.
Forty-eight seconds later, Timmy Brix picked up a steal, and drove hard to the basket, where his shot was blocked by a Highland Park player. Dufner then got the offensive rebound, and gave a behind the back pass to Brix for a layup, and a 44-21 lead with 14:52 to go. A little over a minute later, sophomore, Mike Walp, grabbed an offensive rebound off a Danny Brix miss, and scored on the follow to cap an 11-5 start, and make the score, 46-21 at the 13:40 mark. Highland Park showed some determination, and heart by fighting back the rest of the way with a 23-18 showing to round out the final, 64-44 score. Both teams were in action on Thursday as the Falcons faced off against Freehold Boro in a battle of two of the top teams in the camp while Highland Park took on Perth Amboy.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | 35 | 29 | 64 |
| Highland Park | 16 | 28 | 44 |
Salva Lifts North Brunswick Past Edison, 42-31
This game marked the first time that GMC Hoops saw North Brunswick in action this summer while it was the third straight night the site saw Edison. Once more, the Eagles showed some fight, particularly in the first half, but then gave way to a decisive run in the second half as North Brunswick came away with the victory. Freshman Dillon Salva played a key role in the win with several key baskets midway through the second half. The web site first joined the action with the score, 12-8 in favor of the Raiders, which lost the likes of forward Mike Cole and Ricky Harris to graduation this month. Edison then got a field goal at the 5:27 mark to pull within two at 12-10 before North Brunswick scored six straight points including a basket at the 4:30 mark, a score at the 3:46 mark, and a bucket at the 3:11 mark to take an 18-10 lead.
Following an Edison timeout with 3:03 to go before the intermission, the Eagles stormed back with five unanswered points of their own to close within three at 18-15 before the Raiders closed the first half scoring out with one of two free throws in the final minute to make the score 19-15 entering the brief break. When the second half resumed, freshman Dion Rogers got into the act with a steal and a feed to another player, who was fouled. The result was two free throws, and a 21-15 lead at the 18:33 mark. Over two minutes later, Edison responded with some nice penetration that picked up a foul, and produced two free throws for a 21-17 North Brunswick edge with 16:11 to play. A short time later, Edison got a steal off an errant pass for a layup that closed the gap to two at 21-19 with 15:30 to go.
Unfortunately, the Eagles wouldn’t get closer. Over the next 2:11, the Raiders scored four points in a row to take a 25-19 lead, and then after an Edison block on a hard driving layin attempt by sophomore Tait Pirkle at the 12:49 mark, North Brunswick picked up two more points at the line with 12:04 to go for a 27-19 lead. Edison made one of two from the line with 11:10 to play to cut the deficit to seven at 27-20, but then Salva got into the act with a layin on the right low block for a 29-20 lead at the 10:45 mark. After the Eagles scored three straight points to pull within six, Salva came back with another layin from the right low block for a 31-23 lead at the 8:42 mark. Edison would score four of the next five points to creep within five, but Pirkle and Salva would join forces to keep the Eagles at arm’s length when Pirkle drove, and kicked the ball out to Salva for a short jumper from the right baseline to make the score, 34-27 with 7:13 to play.
From there, Edison couldn’t get any closer as the Raiders outscored the Eagles by an 8-4 margin the rest of the way for the 42-31 victory. Both teams were in action on Thursday as well with North Brunswick taking on Immaculata while Edison battled both Bound Brook and Sayreville.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Brunswick | 19 | 23 | 42 |
| Edison | 15 | 16 | 31 |
Immaculata Cruises Past Bound Brook, 53-39
This contest matched up to old foes from the Mountain Valley Conference as Immaculata of Somerville took on the Crusaders of Bound Brook. These two teams from Somerset County have since broken their annual get togethers in football and basketball as well as in other sports, but have since migrated to the Skyland Conference where Immaculata competes in the Delaware East Division while Bound Brook plays in the smaller Valley Division. This was the first time that GMC Hoops saw Immaculata play at this camp, and the Spartans didn’t disappoint. The Somerville based school, which has won two consecutive Non-Public A State Championships, and made two straight berths in the semifinal round of the Tournament of Champions, jumped out to a 28-16 lead over the first 18:43 of the contest.
Then, Immaculata went back to work with a field goal moments later for a 30-16 lead with exactly a minute to go in the first half. The Spartans, which have gone a combined 48-13 in the past two seasons including a 21-9 mark in 2007-08, and a 27-4 mark this past season, then got a basket and a foul for a three point play with eight seconds left that drew the ire of Bound Brook head coach, Anthony Melesurgo, who wanted a charge called. The Somerville based school, which led at the half, 33-16, scored four of the first six points of the second half in a span of 3:27 for a 37-18 lead. On the next Bound Brook possession, the Crusaders got the ball downcourt for a breakaway layup, and drew a foul as well when the Spartans tried to hustle and stop the score. The result was a three point play that made the score, 37-21 with 15:46 left.
Bound Brook then added another three points for a 6-0 run in a 3:21 span to pull within a baker’s dozen at 37-24 with 13:12 remaining. Immaculata ended the charge by the Crusaders though with a layin at the 12:20 mark that made the score, 39-24. The Spartans then scored eight of the next eleven points over a 3:07 span for a 10-3 run to take a 47-27 lead as Bound Brook called for time at the 9:13 mark. Following the timeout, the Crusaders finished the game strong with a 12-6 spurt that made the score more respectable in the end, but Immaculata still came away with the 53-39 victory. Both teams were in action again on Thursday night at EBHS as the Spartans faced North Brunswick while the Crusaders took on South Brunswick.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immaculata | 33 | 20 | 53 |
| Bound Brook | 16 | 23 | 39 |
Sayreville Handles Younger Piscataway Squad, 43-24
In the finale game on the Lower Gym floor, Sayreville took on Piscataway in a very physical game that saw a total of 43 combined team fouls. Both teams brought a good number of players, which were all needed, but the Chiefs still didn’t have the likes of Wayne Newsome and Malcolm Griggs in the lineup. Piscataway had thirteen players ready to go in this matchup while Sayreville had ten. Although Piscataway’s players had the “P” chant back early on in this game, the Bombers set the tone early by drawing an early charge on Brandon Williamson at the 19:32 mark. Sophomore guard, Mark Keir then struck for a three pointer at the 18:07 mark to put Sayreville in front. Justin Kirkland tried to get P-Way going by drawing a foul, and making one of two from the line with 17:41 left in the first half, but Sayreville would break the Piscataway pressure defense on a subsequent possession for a layup opportunity that was missed, but sophomore forward, Darryl Stephenson got an offensive rebound off his own miss, and put it back in for a 5-1 lead at the 16:32 mark.
Piscataway continued to be held down offensively by Sayreville’s defense, and offensive fouls including an illegal screen at the 15:33 mark, and another player control foul at the 12:22 mark that got the P-Way fans in an uproar. Keir then netted another three pointer from the right wing for an 8-1 lead with 11:40 to play in the half. The Chiefs wouldn’t get their first field goal until the 11:18 mark when Kirkland scored a layup while being fouled, but couldn’t convert the traditional three point play for an 8-3 Bomber lead at the 11:18 mark. Nearly a minute went by before we got another score, and that would be in the form of two foul shots by Milewski for a 10-3 lead with 10:20 remaining in the first half. About a minute and forty seconds later, Piscataway kept shooting themselves in the foot as the Chiefs were called for a backcourt violation.
Meanwhile, at the other end, Sayreville pounded the offensive boards with three offensive rebound and putback attempts by Darryl Stephenson that drew a foul. The sophomore forward then made the first free throw, and missed the second, but thanks to a P-Way lane violation, got a second chance, and made the most of it for a 12-3 advantage at the 7:40 mark. In the meantime, Piscataway’s younger, and somewhat more inexperienced players, kept making mistakes as the Chiefs threw away an inbounds pass at the 6:30 mark. Sayreville then got another three pointer from the left corner on its next possession for a 15-3 lead, and Keir added two free throws at the 4:45 mark for a 17-3 lead. Stephenson then closed out the early run with one of two free throws to give Sayreville an 18-3 advantage at the 3:05 mark. Piscataway would close the half with the final five points, but missed a chance to get more by missing the front end of a one and one with 2.7 seconds remaining in the half as the Bombers went into the brief intermission with an 18-8 lead.
In the second half, Sayreville pulled away even further from Piscataway with a 25-16 showing in the final period that consisted of a 9-5 run over the first 9:23 for a 27-14 lead, then a 9-5 run over the next 8:51 for a 36-19 lead. The Bombers then added another basket before Kirkland got P-Way on the board again with an offensive board and putback at the 1:21 mark for a 38-21 Sayreville lead. The Bombers then put the exclamation point on things with a one handed jam from along the left baseline while being fouled at the 1:03 mark. Although Sayreville missed the bonus free throw, the Bomber players gave out quite a roar on the play, and still held a 40-21 lead. From there, each team scored three points apiece to round out the 43-24 Bomber victory. Both teams were in action again on Thursday as Sayreville took on Perth Amboy and Edison while Piscataway went up against division rival East Brunswick.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sayreville | 18 | 25 | 43 |
| Piscataway | 8 | 16 | 24 |
GMC Hoops was back out at EBHS on Thursday to see the final night of action, and will have summaries on those games posted soon.