NEPTUNE, NJ–On Monday night, GMC Hoops traveled down to Rebounds for the first time this summer to take in the sixth night of action from the 2009 Hoop Group Headquarters High School Boys Summer League. This league has 34 teams in it. Many of which are from the Shore Conference. One team from the GMC is competing, and that is Spotswood. On this night, the site took in three games. Two of which occurred simultaneously on different courts. In the first two games, Southern Regional overcame a 12-0 first half deficit to defeat Neptune, 38-37 while Marlboro broke away from an early 10-10 tie to take a 37-20 halftime lead, and go on to victory, 55-39 over Academy Charter. In the nightcap, a short handed Spotswood team that was without the services of Cody Pace and Mike Liming, gave all Asbury Park could handle in taking a 25-20 first half lead, but finally gave way in this up-tempo game as the Bishops surged to a 33-23 second half showing, and a 53-48 win.
Marlboro Uses Strong First Half Finish To Pull Away From Academy Charter, 55-39
In the first of three contests, the site saw on the night, GMC Hoops got to see Academy Charter of Lake Como take on Marlboro in a classic game of small versus big. The Panthers of Academy Charter still managed to qualify for the 2009 Central Jersey Group I State Tournament after losing so much from that sectional championship team of 2008. This past season, the Panthers drew the eleventh seed in the state tourney, and promptly lost to Keyport in the opening round, 56-42. Meanwhile, the Marlboro Mustangs last made the state tournament in 2005. Playing in the rough and tumble Shore Conference’s Class A North Division with the likes of CBA, Colts Neck, Freehold Township, Middletown North, and Middletown South, the Mustangs often struggle.
This past season, Marlboro went 9-13 overall, and 4-10 in divisional play, which avoided the cellar to Manalapan, which went 6-17 overall, and 1-13 in division. In 2007-08, the Mustangs finished tied for last in the division with a 7-19 record overall, and 3-11 mark in divisional play. In 2006-07, Marlboro went only 8-15 with a 2-12 mark in divisional play. So, over the past three seasons, the Mustangs have gone 24-47 including a 9-33 mark in Class A North. However, playing against such tough competition has its advantages as Marlboro has played above .500 outside of its division. Playing quality competition helps Marlboro do well against teams in crossovers and non-conference play. This contest was a prime example.
After both teams battled for the first five or six minutes of the contest, Marlboro outscored Academy Charter by a 27-10 margin to take a 37-20 lead at the break. In the second half, the Panthers opened things up with a three pointer before Marlboro got a field goal at the 19:43 mark for a 39-23 lead. Over the next 3:58, the Mustangs got four more points for a 6-0 run before Academy Charter got a bucket on a layin that had a fortuitous bounce for a 43-25. The Panthers then scored with a nice up and under move to close within 16 at 43-27 with inside fifteen minutes to go. Over the next 4:13, Academy Charter scored another four points to reduce the deficit to a dozen at 43-31 with 10:45 remaining. Marlboro was then forced to take a timeout as the Panthers were suddenly on a 10-0 run following a score at the 10:21 mark. However, Academy Charter wouldn’t be able to get any closer.
Over a span of 4:22, the Mustangs scored six of the next eight points to take a 49-35 lead. The Panthers would close to within ten again thanks to a one handed jam that capped a 4-0 run at the 4:12 mark, but Marlboro closed out the game with the final six points including one of two from the line, and a layup with 1:21 left for the 55-39 victory.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marlboro | 37 | 18 | 55 |
| Academy Charter | 20 | 19 | 39 |
Southern Regional Uses Size And Determination To Overcome Slow Start And Knock Off Neptune, 38-37
In a battle between two Shore Conference teams, Neptune of the Class B North Division took on Southern Regional of the Class A South Division. The Rams of Southern Regional out of Manahawkin finished 12-14 overall this past season including a 7-7 mark in divisional play. Despite the up and down season, the Rams still managed to qualify for the state tournament before losing to Lenape in the opening round of the South Jersey Group IV bracket. Lenape went on to win the sectional as well as the state title before defeating Neptune in the Quarterfinals of the Tournament of Champions.
Speaking of Neptune, the Scarlet Fliers finished strong at Rebounds in the spring by defeating Toms River East and Monroe in the Showcase Games. The Monmouth County school that has been a fixture in the Shore Conference as well as the state tournament for many years, is still looking to be competitive with the likes of Jamal Hubbard and Eugene Hicks returning for the 2009-10 season. This contest actually started out as if it were going to be a blowout for Neptune. Despite the fact that Southern Regional was attacking the offensive glass for rebounds, the Scarlet Fliers still managed to hold them without a field goal for the first 8:17 of the contest while taking a 12-0 lead. Hubbard got Neptune going with a layup for the 2-0 lead at the 19:00 mark. Hicks followed that up with a field goal at the 18:40 mark for a 4-0 lead, and then Neptune got another field goal at the 18:18 mark for a 6-0 lead. Following a Rams turnover with 17:18 left in the opening half, Hubbard connected for a three pointer from the left wing at the 17:03 mark to make the score, 9-0 in favor of Neptune.
After a Southern Regional timeout at the 16:37 mark, Hubbard went back to week as he got an offensive rebound, and scored on the follow with a reverse layup that made the score, 11-0 with 13:56 to play in the half. Hicks then capped the spurt with a one of two effort at the foul line that made the score, 12-0 with 12:27 remaining before halftime. The Rams finally got going with its field goal and points of the game on a layup down low in the right block at the 11:43 mark. They followed that up with a jumper from the left wing that made the score 12-4 with 10:45 to go in the half. Southern Regional had a chance to cut even futher into the Neptune lead, but Hubbard drew a charge with 10:03 to go in the half. The soon to be senior left the game a short time later, and that presented an opportunity for the Rams to get back into the contest. Southern Regional connected on a three pointer to pull within five, but Neptune got an offensive rebound, and made a hook shot on the follow for a 14-7 lead with 8:19 to go in the first half.
Undaunted though, Southern Regional continued to fight back with a traditional three point play at the 7:45 mark for a 14-10 Scarlet Flier lead. The Rams then drew a foul that resulted in one of two from the line for a 14-11 score at the 7:07 mark, and then knifed in from the left wing for a layup that capped a 13-2 rally, and closed the gap to just one at 14-13 with 4:26 to go in the half. Neptune kept Southern Regional at arm’s length though by scoring the next four points including a layup at the 3:23 mark, and a floater at the 1:28 mark for an 18-13 edge. However, the Rams quickly got those points back with a runner that trickled in at the 56 second mark, and a layup off a nice outlet pass upcourt to pull within one again at 18-17 with 40.2 seconds to play before halftime. However, the Scarlet Fliers held the lead going into the brief intermission as they scored the final points of the period on a layup for a 20-17 edge. In the second half though, Southern Regional continued to persist, and as a result, came away the victory with a 21-17 showing in the final 20 minutes.
Jamal Hubbard returned to action at the start of the second half for Neptune, and immediately made an impact as he scored a layup underneath with just 14 seconds gone by in the period for a 22-17 lead. His teammates then followed that up with a fast break layup that increased the Scarlet Flier advantage to 24-17 at the 19:10 mark. Southern Regional got on the board with a layup on its next possession to close the gap to five again at 24-19 with 18:42 to play. The Rams kept Neptune scoreless for a little more than two minutes while adding another basket at the 17:07 mark to close within three once more at 24-21. Southern Regional had a chance to get even closer, but Hicks came up with a fine block on a reverse layup attempt at the 16:15 mark. The Ocean County school did tie things up though at 24-24 with a three pointer from the left wing at the 14:50 mark.
Neptune finally got on the board over being held scoreless for over 5 minutes with three of the next five points including one of two from the line at the 13:15 mark for a 27-26 lead. The Scarlet Fliers then added a three pointer from the left side at the 11:47 mark for a 30-26 lead. Southern Regional wouldn’t go away though as the Rams came up with another offensive rebound for a short hook on the follow to pull within two at 30-28 with 11:16 left. Exactly a minute later, and after a timeout, the Scarlet Fliers managed to get possession of the ball again by forcing a 5 second call on the inbounds. Neither team got on the board again until the 8:51 mark when Neptune grabbed an offensive rebound, and drew a foul on the follow that produced one of two from the line for a 31-28 lead. Southern Regional pulled within one again when one of its players was fouled on a layup attempt that resulted in two free throws for a 31-30 lead at the 7:25 mark.
Baskets became more harder to come by down the stretch as neither team scored for nearly two minutes before a timeout was called at the 5:31 mark. Following the stoppage, the Rams took their first lead of the game on a nice entry pass underneath for a layup in the left low block that made the score, 32-31 with 4:46 to play. Nearly two and a half minutes later, Neptune, which hadn’t scored in 6:29, finally got on the board as Hubbard netted one of two from the line to tie the game up at 32-32 with 2:22 to go. Over a minute went by before another score as Southern Regional took the lead back with a baseline drive along the left side for a layup, and a 34-32 score with 1:05 to play. The Rams then got a stop on the defensive end, and turned it into points on an offensive rebound and putback for its largest lead of the game, 36-32 with 40 seconds to go. Neptune got within two again moments later by hitting two foul shots, and calling timeout with 32.8 left on the clock.
Neptune managed to tie up Southern Regional on the next possession, but the Rams kept the ball. However, the Scarlet Fliers then forced a steal, and took a 37-36 lead on a three pointer from the right wing with 22 seconds left. Unfazed by the dramatic turn of events in such a short time, the Rams battled back for a shot attempt underneath that drew a foul, and produced two free throws with 5.6 seconds left, and gave them the lead at 38-37. The Scarlet Fliers then had two chances to score, but missed as time expired with Southern Regional emerging victorious, 38-37.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Regional | 17 | 21 | 38 |
| Neptune | 20 | 17 | 37 |
Asbury Park Rallies In Second Half To Beat Spotswood, 53-48
In the 9:15 PM finale, the Spotswood Chargers took on the Bishops from Asbury Park. This was a rematch of a game played last fall in the 2008 Rebounds Fall League that Spotswood won by a final score of 49-47. Both teams have a good deal returning from highly successful campaigns. The Bishops, which reached the Final Four of the Central Jersey Group I Tournament in each of the last three seasons, finally won the sectional championship while Spotswood reached the Central Jersey Group II semifinals before losing to Blue Division rival, Middlesex.
GMC Hoops had already seen Asbury Park a few times this spring and summer at the Rebounds Spring League and the Linden Team Camp. The Bishops handled both Bridgewater and Piscataway quite well at Linden while losing to Monroe at Rebounds. It was an up-tempo game, which I honestly felt would work against Spotswood, but the Chargers, which were without the services of Cody Pace and Mike Liming, still managed to keep up with the Bishops. Tyler Osofsky did a great job leading the way with 23 points on the night while soon to be junior, Garrett Walters showed that he has improved a great deal and is ready to fill some of the void left behind by Pat Dwyer and Ross Gerhart.
The Chargers took the early 2-0 lead at the 19:52 mark on a layup from the right side by Osofsky, who scored nine points in the first 20 minutes. In a very frenetic start with both teams going back and forth, Asbury Park tied the game up at 2-2 with a steal for a layup with 19:08 to go in the half. Spotswood went back out in front 4-2 as Osofsky pulled down two offensive rebounds, and put in the follow with 18:30 to go in the half. The Bishops would tie the game again on a layup, but Walters stepped to the line to put the Chargers back out in front with two foul shots that made the score, 6-4 at the 17:27 mark. In a game that saw 11 lead changes and 8 ties while neither team had a lead bigger than eight points, Asbury Park tied the game up again at 6-6 with a layup at the 16:16 mark. Eleven seconds later though, Spotswood was back out in front thanks to a three pointer at the 16:05 mark that made the score, 9-6.
Neither team would score for a little over a minute and a half until the Bishops ended the lull with a lob down low for a layin that closed the gap to 9-8 at the 14:33 mark. The Chargers went back up by three by getting an offensive rebound that led to a jumper by James Pareti at the 12:15 mark. Osofsky then blocked a shot at the other end with 12:11 to go in the half, and Asbury Park was held scoreless for over four minutes as the Chargers went up by six on a three pointer from the left wing for a 14-8 lead at the 10:53 mark. The Bishops got off the schneid though with two quick layups to pull within two again at 14-12 with 10:28 to play in the half. A little more than a minute after that, Asbury Park tied the game up with two free throws at the 9:25 mark. Nearly a minute went by before another score that came from Spotswood as the Chargers grabbed the offensive board off an Osofsky missed three, and put it the follow for a 16-14 lead at the 8:32 mark.
Moments later, Spotswood forced a turnover that it converted into a breakaway layup for an 18-14 lead. Asbury Park was then assessed a technical foul that was converted into a one of two showing from the foul line by Osofsky for a 19-14 lead with 7:31 left in the half. A little more than a minute later, James Pareti scored on a floater that gently rattled in to make the score, 21-14 at the 6:30 mark. The Chargers had a chance to go up even further, but despite three offensive rebounds, neither Walters or Osofsky could put the ball in with 5:34 remaining before halftime. Asbury Park would make two free throws to pull within five again at 21-16 with 4:19 to go in the half, but Spotswood got an offensive rebound and follow by Osofsky at the 3:12 mark for a 23-16 lead, and then after a Bishops field goal, Osofsky scored again on a layup for a 25-18 lead with 2:50 left. Asbury Park then closed out the first half scoring with a pretty play that consisted of a behind the back pass for a layup that made the score, 25-20 going into the intermission.
In the second half, the Bishops surged to victory with a 33-23 showing over the final 20 minutes of action. First, Asbury Park got a three pointer from the top of the key with just eleven seconds gone by in the period to pull within two again at 25-23. Then, the Bishops tied the game at 25-25 with an offensive rebound and follow at the 19:20 mark as Spotswood called for time. Following the timeout, Osofsky got going from the perimeter with a three pointer from the right wing for a 28-25 lead at the 18:57 mark, but Asbury Park came right back down the court for a three of its own to knot things up again at 28-28. The Bishops then took the lead on a layup while being fouled, but missed the bonus free throw for a 30-28 advantage at the 18:09 mark. On Spotswood’s next possession, Osofsky converted a three point play of the traditional kind to give the Chargers the lead again at 31-30 with 17:30 remaining in the contest.
On a subsequent possession, Asbury Park drew a foul, and made the first free throw to tie things up at 31-31, but then was called for a violation on the second with 16:36 remaining. Spotswood then took the lead back on a three pointer from the left wing at the 15:55 mark for a 34-31 score. The Bishops answered with a drive in the lane that drew a foul, and produced one of two from the line for a 34-32 Spotswood lead at the 15:02 mark, and then a layup at the 14:00 mark for a 34-34 tie. Asbury Park then completed the 5-0 run with another score at the 13:12 mark before Osofsky responded with a three pointer from the left wing for a 37-36 Charger lead with 13:05 to play. The pendulum continued to swing back and forth as Asbury Park made a jumper at the 12:45 mark for a 38-37 lead, and then added a three pointer for a 41-37 edge before the Chargers replied with another three from Osofsky at the 11:55 mark for a 41-40 score.
The Bishops had a chance to go up even further when a player tried to go one on one with Osofsky, and drew a foul, but missed both foul shots with 10:47 to play in regulation. The scoring drought would continue for another 3:26 before Asbury Park swiped a steal that it converted into a layup in lightning quick fashion for a 43-40 lead with 7:21 left. Spotswood pulled within one again on an offensive rebound and follow at the 5:52 mark that made the score, 43-42. However, the Chargers couldn’t overtake the Bishops. Asbury Park would score seven straight points over the next 2:11 including a quick layup at the 5:25 mark, a nice crossover move for a three pointer at the 4:33 mark, and a low into the left low block for a layup that made the score, 50-42 with 3:41 to play. Despite the odds stacking against them, the Chargers didn’t give up. Osofsky did his part to help as he got an offensive rebound off his own miss, and put in the follow to close the gap to six at 50-44 with 2:35 left as Spotswood called for time.
Following the timeout, the Chargers got a stop, and James Pareti handed out an assist on a layup to pull them even closer at 50-46 with 2:09 to go. Spotswood then got within a basket after connecting on a jumper from the right side for a 50-48 score at the 45.4 second mark. However, despite missing a one and one on its next possession, Asbury Park got a key rebound with 35.6 left, and drew a foul again that produced two free throws at the 32.5 second mark for a 52-48 lead. On the next possession, James Pareti lost the handle, and the Bishops got the ball again with 22.8 seconds to go. Asbury Park then drew another foul, and made one of two at the line to close things out for the 53-48 victory.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asbury Park | 20 | 33 | 53 |
| Spotswood | 25 | 23 | 48 |
GMC Hoops plans to pay another visit to Rebounds next week to see more games involving Spotswood.