NEPTUNE, NJ–On Monday night, GMC Hoops traveled down to the Hoop Group Headquarters, formerly known as Rebounds to take in the eighth and final night of action from the 2009 Hoop Group Headquarters High School Boys Fall League. This is the fourth straight year that the site is covering this league. Six teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference are competing in this league, and the site was able to see five of them in some sort of action. South Amboy was in our featured game at 9:00 PM against Lacey. Check out the results of the three games covered by the site with the rest of the contests, and the final standings.
This was the Showcase Games round, where matchups are determined by the league director based on performance during the fall. The web site saw five contests involving teams from the Shore Conference versus the Greater Middlesex Conference including winless East Brunswick taking on Shore Regional in a contest between two of the top teams in Division B, and Monsignor Donovan facing off against South Brunswick in a game from Division A at 8:00 PM. Then, at 9:00 PM, GMC Hoops saw three more games including Spotswood versus Asbury Park in Division A, South River against Brick Township from Division B, and an overtime thriller between South Amboy and Lacey.
East Brunswick Nearly Shuts Out Shore Regional In Second Half For Victory, 32-17
In its final game of the fall in the 2009 Hoop Group Headquarters Fall League, the East Brunswick Bears were looking to put the finishing touches on a fine season. Coming into this game, EB had won four straight after starting the league at 1-2. On this night, the Group IV Bears were taking on the Group I Shore Regional Blue Devils. This game would turn out to be a defensive struggle in which EBHS would emerge the victor. After scoring in the single digits in the first half, and trailing by seven at the break, East Brunswick nearly completely shut down Shore Regional with a 24-2 showing in the final 20 minutes of play to come away with its fifth straight victory, 32-17.
When GMC Hoops arrived to watch, Shore Regional had taken a 15-8 lead at halftime. However, over the first 6:42 of the second half, the Bears scored seven unanswered points to tie the game up at 15-15 with 13:18 to go. Both teams exchanged turnovers at the 13:09 and 12:30 marks respectively before EB made it a 9-0 run when Kevin McHenry found Mike Summerer for a bank shot from the left side that made the score, 17-15 at the 11:58 mark. Summerer had a chance to put the Bears up even more, but after swiping a steal, he was unable to score at the 10:24 mark.
Undaunted, the Bears continued to shut down the Blue Devils while expanding its decisive run, and increasing its lead. Carl Thomore scored on a layin off an inbounds play with 10:03 remaining for a 11-0 run, and a 19-15 lead. Joe Ross then added a three point from the top of the key at the 9:23 mark for a 14-0 run, and a 22-15 lead. Thomore, McHenry and Ross then combined for great teamwork that resulted in a layup at the 6:05 mark for a 24-15 lead. Almost exactly a minute and a half later, Dan Sclafani swiped a steal and handed out an assist on a layup by John Genco to cap the 18-0 rampage for a 26-15 lead with 4:37 remaining.
On the ensuing possession, Shore Regional got its only points of the half on a layup at the 4:22 mark to close the gap to 26-17. EB came right back down the floor though as Sclafani passed to Genco again for a layup as the latter was fouled. Even though the bonus free throw was missed, the Bears were back up by double digits, 28-17 with four minutes to play. Genco then made one of two from the line at the 1:09 mark, and then snagged a pass from Sclafani, faked, and scored a layup for a 31-17 lead with 36.5 seconds remaining. The Bears added another point down the stretch to close out the 32-17 victory. With the win, East Brunswick closed out the fall at 6-2 overall while Shore Regional dropped to 6-2.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Brunswick (6-2) | 8 | 24 | 32 |
| Shore Regional (6-2) | 15 | 2 | 17 |
Monsignor Donovan Pulls Away From South Brunswick In Second Half For Win, 60-50
While East Brunswick was rolling to its fifth straight win to end the fall at the Hoop Group Headquarters, South Brunswick was taking on Monsignor Donovan in a battle of two 1-6 teams. Both of these teams had put up fine showings in defeat recently as the Vikings lost to Asbury Park by two (53-51) after trailing by 16 in the second half on October 26th while Monsignor Donovan took Marlboro to overtime before losing by six (51-45) a week earlier on October 19th.
The Vikings entered the contest with losses in six straight games after winning its opener over Freehold Township-White. Meanwhile, Monsignor Donovan had lost three straight after defeating St. Patrick’s (44-40) on October 12th. GMC Hoops saw bits and pieces of the action from this game while watching EB take on Shore Regional. With 4:18 to play in the first half, Monsignor Donovan was leading 18-17, but less than a minute later, South Brunswick took the lead back at 19-18. Then, the Griffins scored six unanswered points despite missing a couple foul shots at the 42 second mark for a 24-19 lead. However, the Vikes rallied to end the half with two free throws at the 36.1 mark, a steal for a layup by Josh Varughese with 22.2 seconds left in the half, and another layup with two seconds to go for a 25-24 edge at the intermission.
In the second half, however, Monsignor Donovan took control. Mon Don went on a 27-21 run over the first 16 minutes of the period to take a 51-46 lead with four minutes to go. The Griffins then added a field goal at the 3:30 mark for a 53-46 lead. South Brunswick got a field goal to close within five again with 3:05 to play, but then Monsignor Donovan got a basket, and a foul for a three point play with 2:48 to go for a 56-48 lead. The Griffins then added two foul shots at the 51.4 second mark, and another two free throws at the 43.5 second mark for a 60-48 lead. After Mon Don missed a one and one with 19.9 seconds remaining, the Vikings closed out the scoring with two offensive rebounds and a follow to round out the final, 60-50 score.
With the victory, Mon Don closed out its season at 2-6 while South Brunswick finished up at 1-7.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monsignor Donovan (2-6) | 24 | 36 | 60 |
| South Brunswick (1-7) | 25 | 25 | 50 |
South River Edges Brick Township, 46-45
In the first of several games involving GMC teams at 9:00 PM, South River, a Group I school was taking on Brick Township, a Group IV school. This game was a nip and tuck affair, but the Rams finally were able to get on the board with a win to round out the fall. The Green Dragons scored 6 of the first 10 points over a span of 5:31, and then added another field goal before the 12:03 mark for an 8-4 lead. South River had an opportunity to get closer, but committed a turnover by stepping out of bounds at the 10:32 mark, and the score remained 8-4.
Over the next 1:12 both teams exchanged scores for a 10-6 Brick Township lead at the 9:20 mark. The Green Dragons had a chance to go up by more, but the Rams drew a charge with 8:53 to go in the half. South River made another big play on defense as Nick Boyler swiped a steal for a layup to close the gap to 10-8 at the 7:38 mark. Brandon Walsh then got a layup off of a steal as well to knot the game at 10-10 with 7:15 left in the first half. The Rams, which outscored Brick by a margin of 14-7 over the final 9:20 of the half, went ahead with two free throws at the 3:53 mark, and then got an offensive rebound for a putback to take a 20-17 lead with 3:32 to go in the period.
South River was able to have that lead hold up for the balance of the first half. However, at the start of the second half, Brick got three points to even the game up at 20-20 before the Rams got an offensive rebound and follow off a Walsh miss to go up 22-20 at the 19:09 mark. The Rams made it a 6-2 run with another field goal, and then another offensive rebound and follow off a missed three pointer for a 26-22 lead at the 17:08 mark. The Green Dragons responded though with six unanswered points in the form of two three pointers for a 28-26 lead at the 16:28 mark. Over the next 7:58, South River stayed close with a 10-9 showing that made the score 37-36 in favor of Brick Township at the 8:30 mark.
Over the next 4:11, South River outscored Brick 4-3 to knot the game at 39-39 with 4:19 left, but the Green Dragons went back up in front, 41-39 as timeout was called with 3:27 to play. Brick then got a score to go up by four before Walsh got a layin while being fouled for a conventional three point play, and a 43-42 lead at the 1:19 mark. Walsh then had a chance to give the Rams the lead, but after getting the rebound, and driving upcourt, he missed the layup with one minute left. The Green Dragons then got a basket while being fouled themselves, but missed the bonus free throw at the 41.4 second mark. South River got another score to pull within one as timeout was called with 13.8 seconds left, and then the Rams pulled out the 46-45 win with a bucket in the waning moments.
With the victory, South River ended the fall on a positive note with a 1-7 record while Brick Township ended its fall season at 2-6.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| South River (1-7) | 20 | 26 | 46 |
| Brick Township (2-6) | 17 | 28 | 45 |
Strong First Half Propels Chargers Past Asbury Park, 50-42
While South River was getting its first win on the fall, Spotswood was trying to get its second win of the season, and its first after losing six straight. The Chargers, which are looking to contend for a Blue Division crown as well as make noise in the 2010 GMCT, were taking on Asbury Park in a Showcase contest. Spotswood had opened the fall with a dominating win over Shore Regional, but since then, hit some rocky times with a number of close losses. The team had to deal with not having Cody Pace in the lineup due to commitments to baseball while James Pareti and Tyler Osofsky were recovering from injuries suffered during AAU ball, and had been out three weeks.
As a matter of fact, it was the first time all fall that Pace, James Pareti, and Osofsky were in the lineup together. Add to that the fact that the likes of Mike Liming, Garrett Walters, Shawn Weeks, and Steve Manahan were all playing football, and you had quite a depleted squad for the Chargers. However, the team remained competitive losing six games by a total of 12 points. Meanwhile, the Bishops, which are the defending Central Jersey Group I Champions, were also a depleted squad due to football, and had just won their first game of the fall recently by two over South Brunswick on October 26th.
The Chargers had a strong first half in this one, and that was good enough for the 50-42 victory. Spotswood outscored Asbury Park by a 31-23 margin in the first half before the defenses took over somewhat in the second half. SHS started out the game with a 5-2 run over the first minute and a half. Then added another 5-2 run over the next 1:55 including a three pointer from James Pareti for a 10-4 lead at the 16:35 mark. Despite the very up tempo pace, Spotswood was able to maintain control with a rainbow jumper at the 15:46 mark, and one of two from the line at the 15:19 mark. After an Asbury Park turnover at the 13:24 mark, the Bishops got a stop on the defensive end, and quickly came back down for a three pointer from the right corner at the 13:12 mark for a 13-9 Spotswood lead.
Nearly two minutes passed before another score, and that came way of three offensive rebounds that resulted in a foul, and two free throws for Spotswood to make the score 15-9 at the 11:22 mark. Osofsky then handed out an assist on a jumper midway through the half for a 17-9 lead. Both teams then exchanged 14 points the rest of the way for a 31-23 Charger lead at the intermission. In the second half, Asbury Park fought back to make a game of it early on, but SHS held on for the victory. Over the first 12:30 of the second half, the Bishops outscored the Chargers by a margin of 13-8 to close the gap to three at 39-36 with 7:30 remaining in regulation.
However, Osofsky helped the Chargers keep the Bishops at arm’s length by being a factor in all seven unanswered points over a span of 4:05 to make the score 46-36 with 3:25 to go. First, Osofsky connected on a three pointer from the right wing at the 6:15 mark, then he made a nice entry pass for an assist on another score at the 4:20 mark, and finally, he took a skip pass from Pace, faked and drove from the right wing for a layup to complete the run for the double digit lead. From there, Asbury Park could get no closer than eight points the rest of the way as Spotswood came away with the 50-42 win. With the victory, the Chargers closed out the fall season with a 2-6 record while the Bishops finished up at 1-7.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotswood (2-6) | 31 | 19 | 50 |
| Asbury Park (1-7) | 23 | 19 | 42 |
Guvs Come From Behind And Work Overtime To Get First Win, 60-52
While South River and Spotswood were racking up wins during the 9:00 PM hour, South Amboy was fighting to get its first win of the fall, and get some much needed momentum going into the first few practices after Thanksgiving. In their Showcase Game, the Guvs were taking on Lacey in a rematch of a contest played in week one that was won by the Lions on a 23-0 first half surge after trailing early on 9-2. Since that time, the Governors, which were playing without the services of Joe Charmello, who is resting up for the regular season after sustaining an injury in the loss to Lacey, have struggled to be competitive.
However, this time, the Guvs came to play although early on, it looked much like the way things have looked all fall for South Amboy. Lacey took a 35-21 lead at halftime much in the same way it did in its first meeting with the Guvs. South Amboy took an 6-0 lead with two free throws at the 18:21 mark, a Mike Geant blocked shot at the 17:49 mark, and a layup at the 16:35 mark. However, the Lions roared back (no pun intended) with a 21-6 blitz over the next 9:13 to take a 21-12 lead with 7:22 to go in the first half. The run consisted of the following:
- A steal for a layup at the 15:40 mark to close the gap to 6-2
- Three field goals in a span of 2:46 for an 8-4 run to pull with 10-8 at the 12:54 mark
- Four of the next six points in a span of 1:47 to tie the game at 12-12
- Nine straight points over the next 3:45 to take a 21-12 lead with 7:22 to go in the half
Lacey added another score for a 23-6 run, and an eleven point lead before Matt Regan swiped a steal, and passed to Luke O’Connor, who was fouled, and made two free throws for a 23-14 score with 6:13 to go in the half. Lacey then resumed its onslaught with a layup at the 5:22 mark, a reverse layup at the 4:42 mark, and a short baseline jumper from the right side for a 29-15 lead with 3:22 to go in the half. Dustin Devoe got a three pointer to close the gap to 29-18, but Geant missed two free throws at the 58.1 second mark as Lacey lead 31-18. The Lions then scored four of the final seven points of the half for a 35-21 lead at the intermission.
In the second half, the Guvs showed some fortitude and determination with a 31-17 showing in the period to force overtime. South Amboy started the half modestly with a 12-11 showing over the first 5:12 to chip into the lead at 46-33. Geant then made one of two from the line after the Guvs had scored six of the next ten points for a 50-40 score at the 7:41 mark. South Amboy then added another field goal before Lacey called for time at the 6:10 mark with the score, 50-42. The Governors then added one of two from the line, and on the second miss, Devoe grabbed the offensive rebound, and drew another foul that produced another one of two showing for a 52-46 score with 2:57 to go in regulation.
The Guvs continued to peck away with a layup at the 1:41 mark that made the score, 52-48 in favor of Lacey. O’Connor then pulled South Amboy to within one at 52-51 on a three pointer from Regan at the 41.9 mark. Regan then made one of two technical free throws to tie the game at 52-52 with 25.7 seconds left as the Lions called for time. Lacey had a chance to win in regulation, but missed the shot. After gaining a second chance with five seconds left, the Lions failed to score. The Governors got the ball back with three seconds to go in regulation, but O’Connor’s last second heave just missed as time expired. We were going to overtime. In the extra session, South Amboy scored all eight points to pull out the win.
With 1:41 remaining, the Guvs got a three pointer for a 55-52 lead. Devoe then got fouled on an offensive rebound off his own miss, and netted two foul shots for a 57-52 lead with 35.7 seconds to go. Regan then closed out the win with a pair of foul shots at the 27.2 second mark, and a one of two showing at the charity strip to seal the 60-52 win. With the victory, South Amboy closed out the fall at 1-7 while Lacey ended its season also at 1-7.
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Amboy (1-7) | 21 | 31 | 8 | 60 |
| Lacey (1-7) | 35 | 17 | 0 | 52 |
GMC Hoops would like to take this opportunity to thank Joe Stein and his staff at Hoop Group for helping us get all the information on this league to you.