EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Thursday night, GMC Hoops headed back over to East Brunswick High School after being at the Middlesex County College Summer League to take in some of the games from the final 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, North Brunswick took on Immaculata in a contest that went to overtime before the Raiders prevailed. Nearby, on Main Court B, East Brunswick and Piscataway, went at it in a GMC Red Division matchup that was a tale of two different halves. Then, in the Lower Gym, Monroe was taking on Freehold Boro in a battle of two of the best teams in the camp this year.
In the 8:30 PM round of games, GMC Hoops got another look at Edison and Sayreville as the Bombers faced off against the Eagles on Main Gym A. Meanwhile, over on Main Gym B, Perth Amboy battled Highland Park in a contest that went back and forth for much of the time before the Panthers pulled away with a 22-8 run to win. Finally, on the Lower Gym, Bound Brook battled South Brunswick in a game that pitted David versus Goliath in terms of school sizes.
North Brunswick Goes Overtime To Knock Off Immaculata, 49-45
Besides the wild ending to the Piscataway and East Brunswick game, this was the most exciting game of the night. North Brunswick, a team that finished below .500 matched up against the defending two time Non-Public A State Champions, Immaculata in a downybrook that needed an extra session to decide it. The Spartans, which won the Somerset County Tournament this past season, took a 28-25 lead only to have North Brunswick clamp down defensively with a 20-17 showing in the second half to force overtime. In the extra period, the Raiders scored all four points for the 49-45 victory.
NBTHS took the early lead when Tait Pirkle took the outlet pass, and drove in for a short jumper from the left side for a 2-0 lead at the 18:44 mark. Immaculata came back down on its next possession for a layup to tie things up at the 18:00 mark. The Raiders went ahead again on a lob pass underneath for a layup that made the score, 4-2 at the 17:29 mark. The game, which had eight lead changes and two ties alone in the first half, continued to seesaw back and forth as the Spartans netted a pair of free throws at the 16:21 mark for a 4-4 tie. Immaculata then took the lead with a pair of foul shots at the 15:22 mark that made the score, 6-4. Soon to be sophomore, Dion Rogers stepped up to the line, and made one of two for a 6-5 Immaculata lead with 14:58 to go in the half. On its very next possession, Immaculata went up by three with a field goal at the 14:37 mark that made the score, 8-5. North Brunswick made one of two at the line for a 8-6 Spartan edge, but the Somerville based school went up by four on a layup from the left side at the 12:45 mark.
Trailing 10-6, North Brunswick responded with a three pointer from Rogers on the left wing following a pass by Pirkle to close within one at the 12:23 mark. In a game that saw neither team lead by more than seven points, the Raiders took the lead again on a pair of foul shots with 10:15 to play in the half. Immaculata replied with two charity shots of its own at the 9:43 mark to go back in front, 12-11, but Rogers got a layup off a backdoor cut to go back ahead, 13-12 with 7:40 to go in the period. Immaculata wrestled the lead back with a field goal at the 7:12 mark that made the score, 14-13. The Spartans then got a stop on the defensive end, and came back down the floor for a score in the paint that increased their lead to three at 16-13 with 6:41 left before the intermission. Immaculata continued to go back and forth with North Brunswick with a tightly played rest of the half, but still managed to get a 12-10 edge for a 28-25 lead at the half after Pirkle made two free throws with one second left.
After watching some of the other action from the EB Team Camp, the site returned to pick up the action with 16:21 remaining in regulation, and the score tied at 28-28. North Brunswick, which tied the contest up with the only three points of the second half up to this juncture, went to take the lead, but Immaculata drew a charge at the 15:40 mark to prevent the score. The Raiders did go ahead eventual with a field goal, and then the Spartans turned the ball over at the 14:26 mark. Both teams then exchanged scores for a 32-30 North Brunswick lead, and the Raiders again went to go for more when they were stopped by another offensive foul drawn by Immaculata at the 12:14 mark. Over the next 2:16 only Immaculata scored to tie the game at 32-32 with 9:58 remaining in regulation. The Spartans then went ahead 34-32 with a field goal at the 9:48 mark. At this point, North Brunswick took control of the game with an 11-2 run over the next 6:03 to take what seemed to be a commanding, 43-36 lead with 3:45 left.
First, the Raiders scored four straight points to go back out in front, 36-34 at the 8:44 mark. Then, after Immaculata tied it with 6:46 left, North Brunswick scored a field goal at the 6:31 mark for a 38-36 lead. NBTHS added another score for a 40-36 edge at the 4:17 mark, and then a three pointer with under four minutes to play for the seven point advantage. However, the Spartans, to their credit, didn’t quit. Immaculata rallied with a 9-2 spurt over the final 3:45 to knot the game up as it went into overtime after a last second shot by Rogers fell short. In the extra session, it was all North Brunswick. Neither team scored for about the first 56 seconds to play before Immaculata tried to call timeout in order to avoid a turnover at the 1:04 mark. What the Spartans didn’t realize was that they were out of timeouts, and a technical foul was assessed. Pirkle then made both foul shots for a 47-45 lead. The soon to be junior had a chance to put the game away for North Brunswick, but missed a one and one with 16 seconds remaining. However, soon to be sophomore Dillon Salva came up with a huge play by blocking a shot with five seconds left, and then Pirkle sealed the victory by swiping a steal, and drawing a foul that resulted in two free throws for the 49-45 final score.
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Brunswick | 25 | 20 | 4 | 49 |
| Immaculata | 28 | 17 | 0 | 45 |
East Brunswick Hangs On To Be Determined P-Way After Fast Start, 51-47
One of the big matchups, and more riveting games to watch on this final night of the East Brunswick Team Camp was the contest between the hometown Bears and their Red Division rival, Piscataway Chiefs. It was a tale of two completely different halves in this one as EB jumped out to a commanding 32-8 halftime lead only to have it almost disintegrate entirely as Piscataway’s pressure, and never give up attitude helped the Chiefs rally to the tune of a 39-19 surge in the game’s final twenty minutes to make things interesting at the end. However, East Brunswick was able to prevail with a somewhat slim, 51-47 victory. The amazing thing about the first half was that P-Way jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first 3:36 of the contest before the Bears went on a 32-2 rampage over the last 16:24 of the half to take the 24 point lead.
Piscataway got on the board first with a layup from Brandon Williamson at the 19:15 mark for a 2-0 lead. A little more than a half minute later, the Chiefs were back on the board with an offensive rebound and putback at the 18:43 mark for a 4-0 lead. Meanwhile, East Brunswick was still struggling to get itself started as it was called for traveling at the 17:38 mark. P-Way then ended its early burst when Justin Kirkland drive to his right into the paint for a layup off an inbounds play for a 6-0 lead with 16:24 remaining in the first half. For the next ten minutes or so, Piscataway didn’t score a point while East Brunswick got rolling in a big way. Mauro Tucci got the Bears finally on the board with two foul shots at the 15:43 mark. Kevin Lantz then added a breakaway layup for a 6-4 Chief lead at the 15:25 mark. Justin Rosa then got into the act with a jumper from the left baseline off an inbounds play to tie the game at 6-6 with 14:34 remaining in the first half.
The Bears weren’t through by a long shot. Tucci grabbed a rebound, and drove upcourt where he drew a foul, and made one of two at the line for a 7-6 Bears lead at the 13:38 mark. East Brunswick then added another score for a 9-6 lead with 11:09 left in the half, and thirty-five seconds later, added another two points as P-Way called for time with 10:34 to go before the intermission. Twenty-three seconds after the timeout was called, John Genco converted a fast break layup from the right side for a 13-6 lead at the 10:11 mark. Like a snowball coming down a hill, EB kept gaining momentum as it got four more points including two free throws at the 8:05 mark for a 17-6 lead. Carl Thomore got going for the Bears as he grabbed one of two offensive rebounds off misses by Genco, who later drove and kicked for a jumper, and a 19-8 lead after Piscataway had finally ended EB’s 17-0 onslaught.
However, East Brunswick resumed its rampage though by getting the final 13 points of the half including a Tucci drive to the right side for a layin while being fouled for a conventional three point play, and a 26-8 lead, another layup by Tucci off an assist by Rosa on the break at the 2:34 mark for a 28-8 lead, and then two free throws by Rosa with one minute left in the half for a 32-8 advantage at the break. In the second half, P-Way showed that despite its lack of experience, it had plenty of determination with a near monumental rally. Over the first 7:55 of the period, the Chiefs scored 10 of the first 13 points to cut the lead virtually in half at 35-18. Piscataway then added another field goal at the 11:52 mark to pull within 15 at 35-20, and capped the 14-3 tear with another field goal as the Bears called for time with 11:23 to go. Following the timeout, East Brunswick put together a clutch play as Rosa came up with a steal, and handed out an assist on a three point play by Mike Summerer at the 10:58 mark for a 38-22 lead. Piscataway scored four more points to chip into the lead some more before Rosa and Summerer joined forces again with a pick and roll play that led to two free throws at the 8:21 mark for a 40-26 edge.
The Chiefs wouldn’t go away though with a field goal, but the Bears handled the enusing full court pressure well, and it led to another Tucci layup at the 6:37 mark for a 42-28 lead. P-Way continued to peck away though with four more points before Thomore got a layup while being fouled, but missed the bonus free throw for a 44-32 lead at the 4:45 mark. The Bears added another score before Piscataway got a basket while being fouled at the 4:45 mark. The Chiefs had caught a break when East Brunswick was called for a lane violation on the bonus free throw, but the second attempt was no good as well so the score remained, 46-35 at the 3:24 mark. EB got a field goal, but gave up another four points including a three point play by the Chiefs on a nice floater while being fouled for a 48-39 score with just under a minute to play. P-Way continued charging with another score on an offensive rebound and putback at the 40.6 second mark to close the gap to seven at 48-41.
Following a Chief timeout, Piscataway scored four of the next six points over just a 27.9 second span to pull within five at 50-45 with 12.7 seconds remaining. After an East Brunswick timeout, the Bears took the ball out of bounds underneath their own basket, Summerer tried to inbound the ball, and passed to his left for Tucci, but Tucci caught the ball inbounds, and went out of bounds according to the officials with 11.8 seconds to play. The Chiefs then capitalized again with a layup, and called for time with 7.3 seconds left, and the Bears now only leading by three, 50-47. However, P-Way was unable to get any closer as EB got the ball inbounds this time, drew a foul, and made one of two from the line with 4.2 seconds left to seal the 51-47 win.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Brunswick | 32 | 19 | 51 |
| Piscataway | 8 | 39 | 47 |
Monroe Keeps Freehold Boro In Check For 49-41 Victory
While North Brunswick was battling Immaculata, and East Brunswick was facing off against Piscataway in the Main Gym, Freehold Boro and Monroe were duking it out for which team would be the class of this year’s EB Team Camp. Unfortunately, due to the overtime game between the Raiders and Spartans, and Piscataway’s almost improbable comeback against EB, the site didn’t get much of a chance to see a lot of action from this game. It didn’t managed to see a good chunk of the final six minutes of the first half. GMC Hoops sat down with Freehold Boro leading by a slim, 16-13 margin at the 6:13 mark. However, the Colonials were assessed a technical foul for having too many players on the floor, and that resulted in two free throws from Timmy Brix for a 16-15 Freehold Boro lead at the 5:42 mark.
On the ensuing possession, Monroe took an 18-16 lead thanks to a three pointer from the right wing by Kenny Pace with 5:30 to play in the half. Blake Bascom then added one of two from the line with 4:31 to go before halftime. Freehold Boro then got its first score in nearly two and a half minutes on a drive into the pain for a dump off pass and score underneath for a 19-18 Monroe lead with 3:47 to go in the period. The Purple Birds then went up by four on a three pointer at the 3:19 mark that made the score, 22-18. Freehold Boro quickly replied with a score at the three minute mark for a 22-20 lead. Timmy Brix then made two foul shots at the 2:34 mark for a 24-20 Falcon edge, and then the Colonials scored the final two points of the half for a 24-22 Monroe lead at the break.
In the second half, the Falcons took charge with a 25-19 showing over the final twenty minutes for the eight point win. Over the first 12:31, Monroe outscored Freehold Boro by a 15-7 margin for a 39-29 lead. The Colonials were only able to cut the deficit to seven with a 12-9 showing over the next 7:04 for a Falcon, 48-41 lead with 25 seconds left. Ahmid Williams then sealed the victory with one of two from the line for the 49-41 final score.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe | 24 | 25 | 49 |
| Freehold Boro | 22 | 19 | 41 |
Milewski Helps Bombers Pull Away From Eagles, 41-23
In a game that started late due to the overtime classic between North Brunswick and Immaculata, Sayreville battled Edison in a crossover game involving teams from the GMC Red and White Divisions. After watching Perth Amboy and Highland Park go at it as well as South Brunswick and Bound Brook, the site managed to still see a good portion of this contest. GMC Hoops joined the action with Sayreville already leading 16-7 with 6:17 to go in the first half. After an injury timeout at the 6:12 mark, Edison got a three pointer with 5:35 to cut the Sayreville deficit to six at 16-10. The Eagles then made one of two from the foul line to pull within five at 16-11 with 4:20 to go in the half.
On the missed second free throw, Edison grabbed the offensive rebound, drove through the middle, and had a shot attempt blocked by Dave Milewski, who was called for a foul. The Eagles then made another one of two from the line for a 16-12 Bomber lead. Edison had an opportunity to get closer, but committed a turnover at the 2:10 mark. Sayreville then closed out the first half with a field goal, and three offensive rebounds for a putback attempt that resulted in one of two at the line, and a 19-12 lead at the intermission. In the second half, the Bombers outscored Edison by a two to one margin for the victory.
Sayreville started the half with four points including two free throws by Milewski at the 15:39 mark for a 7-0 run, and a 23-12 lead. Edison was then assessed a technical at the fourteen minute mark that produced one of two from the line by Milewski for a 24-12 lead. Nearly two minutes later, the Bombers were on the board again as Mark Keir found Milewski for a layup that followed another field goal for a 12-0 run, and a 28-12 advantage with 12:19 to play. Edison finally came up with an answer on a floater from the left side that banked in while being fouled for a three point play, and a 28-15 lead at the 11:30 mark. The Eagles wouldn’t get any closer though as Sayreville put the game away with eight unanswered points over the next 3:50 for a 36-15 lead at the 7:40 mark.
Edison tried to make the game more respectable by first swiping a steal off of Keir for a fast break layup, and a foul. Then, after missing the bonus free throw at the 6:43 mark, the Eagles got a three pointer from the right side for a 36-20 Sayreville lead with just inside five minutes to go. The Bombers finished off the victory with one of two free throws by Darryl Stephenson after he was fouled on a layup attempt set up by Keir and Milewski, who both effectively broke Edison’s press, and then Milewski made one of two with 3:17 left to make the score 38-20 in what ultimately turned out to be a 41-23 Bomber win.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sayreville | 19 | 22 | 41 |
| Edison | 12 | 11 | 23 |
Late Surge Propels Amboy Past Highland Park, 52-39
In a back and fourth game that saw six lead changes and five ties over the first 10:00 of the first half, Perth Amboy was able to pull away from a fierce fight with Highland Park, which was again without the services of Nate Smith. GMC Hoops was so preoccupied with the contest between North Brunswick and Immaculata, which went to overtime that it was only able to take brief glances at much of the action in the first half between these two teams. Nevertheless, there were four lead changes and four ties including a 6-6 tie at the 12:48 mark, and an 8-8 tie at the 12:29 mark. Perth Amboy then took the lead with a jumper from the right corner for a 10-8 advantage at the 12:12 mark.
Amboy could have went ahead even further, but committed a turnover on a subsequent possession at the 11:14 mark, and that led to a fast break by the Owls, which resulted in a foul by Amboy’s Yoelbin Sanchez, and produced two free throws and a 10-10 tie. Kearny Canela had a chance to put Amboy back on top, but was called for an offensive foul at the 9:01 mark. The Panthers then outscored the Owls by a 10-9 margin for the balance of the half to take a 20-19 lead going into the second half. In the final period of play, Amboy outscored Highland Park by a 32-20 margin to secure the hard fought, 52-39 win. Ariel Hilton and Sanchez got the Panthers going at the start of the second period as Hilton scored on a fast break layup with 19:42 left for a 22-19 lead. After the Owls scored to pull within one again, Sanchez got an offensive rebound, and was fouled on the putback attempt, which resulted in two free throws for a 24-21 lead at the 16:58 mark. Hilton then got a steal for another layup, and a 26-21 lead with 16:13 remaining.
Highland Park didn’t go away that easily though. The Owls first scored four unanswered points at the 14:45 mark for a 28-25 lead before Sanchez made a pair of foul shots at the 14:45 mark to put Amboy back on top by three, 28-25. Following the free throws though, Highland Park scored six of the next eight points to go ahead by one, 31-30 with 11:46 to go. Canela then drove for a score from the right side, and drew a foul that produced two free throws, and a 32-31 Amboy lead with 10:35 left. The Panthers had a chance to go up even further, but was called for a traveling violation with 9:49 left. Perth Amboy would still go up by more though as it scored three of the next four points for a 35-32 lead. Highland Park was unable to overcome Amboy after that despite a 30 second timeout with seven minutes to play. Over the next 4:47, the Panthers went on a decisive 11-2 run to take command of what had been a close battle.
Perth Amboy then made one of two from the line at the 1:44 mark for a 47-34 lead, and after Highland Park registered four straight points, the Panthers closed out the win with two free throws at the 1:11 mark to go ahead, 49-38 as they went on to win, 52-39.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Amboy | 20 | 32 | 52 |
| Highland Park | 19 | 20 | 39 |
Bound Brook Surprises South Brunswick, 50-40
In this game, Bound Brook jumped out to a 15-10 lead over the first 16:39 before the Vikings ended the half with a 9-0 run that included a field goal at the one minute mark, a three pointer with 31.5 seconds remaining, and a fast break layup after breaking The Brook’s press for a 19-15 lead at the intermission. However, in the second half, Bound Brook roared back with a 17-8 effort over the first 11:08 that included one of two from the line by Mike Schiferstein at the 8:52 mark for a 32-27 lead.
The Vikings then got a layup to pull within three at 32-29 with 8:06 to go, and then scored four of the next seven points including a layup at the 7:03 mark for a 35-33 Crusader advantage. Although both teams scrapped hard, South Brunswick seemed poised to take the game over as the Vikes made a nice entry pass into the left low block for a score, and a 35-35 tie with 4:42 left. However, Bound Brook got a field goal to take a 37-35 lead at the 4:05 mark, and then South Brunswick turned the ball over on its next possession to open the floodgates that would be a 13-5 game deciding run for the 50-40 victory.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bound Brook | 15 | 35 | 50 |
| South Brunswick | 19 | 21 | 40 |
GMC Hoops wants to thank everyone at East Brunswick High School for their hospitality.