ELIZABETH, NJ–On Wednesday afternoon, GMC Hoops made its first trip of the summer to the Dunn Center in Elizabeth to see action from the Monday/Wednesday Division. The site happened to catch the only two teams from the GMC in this particular division: Metuchen and Piscataway, which were both playing simultaneously on adjacent courts. In one game, the Bulldogs of Metuchen were taking on one of two Elizabeth squads, and the other contest involved Piscataway battling Governor Livingston of Berkeley Heights.
Elizabeth A Rolls Past Metuchen, 67-44
GMC Hoops arrived at about 5:30 PM so it didn’t get much of a chance to see either game. The contest between Elizabeth A and Metuchen was already well into the third quarter. By the time the site picked up the action, there was 2:43 to go in the third with Elizabeth well out in front 48-24. Metuchen’s soon to be junior guard, Mike Crusco, connected on a three pointer at the 1:15 mark, and then made one of two at the line with 1:08 to go in the frame for a 48-28 Elizabeth A lead. The Minutemen, which were knocked out in the Quarterfinal round of the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV bracket by Columbia of Maplewood, a team that lost to Piscataway at home in the semifinal round, then ended the third period scoring with two free throws as time expired for a 50-28 lead.
In the fourth, Elizabeth A started out with a 6-5 showing over the first few minutes to take a 56-33 lead with 5:20 remaining. Then, after a timeout at the 5:14 mark, Nick Callas drove to the basket from the left side, and drew a foul that resulted in a pair of free throws by the soon to be senior for a 56-35 Minutemen lead with 5:06 to play. Elizabeth then connected on a jumper from the right wing to go back up by twenty-three at 58-35 with 4:08 to go. The Minutemen continued to paid their lead with three more points coming in the form of a field goal, and then one of two from the charity strip with 3:02 left for a 61-37 advantage. Crusco stepped up to the line, and got two points back for Metuchen with a pair of foul shots at the 2:10 mark, but it was too little, too late as Elizabeth A closed the game with a 6-5 run for a 67-44 win.
Piscataway Rallies To Win In Overtime, 59-57
This contest was already well into the fourth quarter by the time the site arrived for the action. Governor Livingston, a team that qualified for the Central Jersey Group II State Tournament, and defeated Metuchen twice this past season including a 63-61 victory in the opening round of the tourney back in March, held a 43-37 lead with exactly eight minutes to go. A minute later, Piscataway got a field goal to pull within four at 43-39. On a subsequent Highlander possession, the Berkeley Heights school got a three point play with 6:15 left in regulation to go ahead by seven, 46-39. Quickly responding, Piscataway got a basket from Edison transfer, Anthony Green, who drove in from the right side for a layup that pulled the Chiefs to within five at 46-41 with 5:59 remaining in regulation.
Governor Livingston answered back on its next possession with a field goal at the 5:25 mark to go back up by seven, 48-41. The contest continued to go back and forth as Piscataway got a layup a little more than a half minute later to close the gap to five again at 48-43 with 4:52 to play in the second half. The Highlanders then took their biggest lead since the site arrived when it connected on a three pointer with 4:23 to play for a 51-43 lead. Piscataway made matters worse by committing a turnover at the 4:05 mark, but the Chiefs got things going again with an offensive rebound and putback for a 51-45 Governor Livingston lead at the 3:27 mark. At this point, Dennis Wells, the P-Way coach, got his players to pick up full court, and pressure the Highlanders. This produced turnovers and opportunities such as the one that Green took advantage of as he made a nice drive a dish to the right side for a layup, and a 51-47 Highlander lead with 2:23 left in regulation.
Governor Livingston then sank a field goal to go back up by six before Green made one of two at the line for a 53-48 score with 1:49 to go. Following a timeout by the Highlanders at the 1:12 mark that avoided a turnover, the Chiefs came up with a steal for a layup as Wells called for time with 55 seconds remaining, and the score, 53-50. P-Way then tied things up as Green made one of two from the line, and on the missed second foul shot, the Chiefs grabbed the offensive board, and put in the follow to knot the game at 53-53. Governor Livingston then took the lead on a field goal at the 35 second mark, and could have put the game away when the Chiefs missed the front end of a one and one, but the Highlanders let P-Way tie up the ball for an alternate possession that went in the Chiefs favor.
Moments later, Green tied the contest up at 55-55 with 11 seconds to go. Piscataway had a chance to even win the game when it got a steal, but the long shot attempt taken as time ran out was off the mark, and the two teams went to overtime. Right away in the extra session, the Chiefs took the lead when it got a layup off the tip to make the score, 57-55 at the 2:54 mark. Justin Kirkland got into the act with a key offensive rebound and putback with 2:17 to go for a 59-55 lead. Governor Livingston cut the deficit in half when it made a nice baseline drive, and a nice bounce pass for a layup that made the score, 59-57 with 1:31 left. Kirkland had a chance to put the game away when grabbed another offensive rebound off a missed one and one, and drew a foul, but he missed both foul shot attempts with 25 seconds to go, and the Highlanders still had a shot. Governor Livingston then drew a foul, but missed the front end of a one and one, and Piscataway got the rebound to pull out the 59-57 victory.
GMC Hoops plans to be back out at Elizabeth next week for more action.