SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–On Wednesday afternoon, GMC Hoops completed its scrimmage schedule with its fifth over a span of twelve days. On this day, the site saw Cardinal McCarrick take on Asbury Park in a battle between two talented and scrappy programs at CMHS. The Eagles took a hit to graduation with the losses of Julio Rosario, Dominic Appiah, Branten Widgeon, Taylor Snider, Alvin Baptiste-Ousley, and Tom Costello. In addition, Cardy Mac lost Rob Olivieri, who transferred to his native Old Bridge.
However, McCarrick still has the likes of seniors Craig Thomas and Mo Isaac, who helped the Junior Eagles win the 2008 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament over long time rival, Bishop Ahr. On top of that, the Eagles have the likes of juniors Jeremy Cruz, Mike Lewis, and John Appiah along with sophomore Dana Raysor, a transfer from St. Patrick’s. The Eagles competed in the Linden Summer League, and at the Colonia JV Summer League over the summer, and then during the fall, did double duty at the Immaculata Fall League and the Hoop Group Headquarters Fall League. Cardinal McCarrick represented the GMC very well in both leagues.
The site saw just about six quarters of action from this scrimmage including both involving the JV squads. The Eagles played well for the most part by winning five of the six periods played, and garnering a 91-78 overall edge. The most decisive quarter for McCarrick was the fifth period, and final one played by both varsity squads. The Eagles broke away from a 13-12 lead with a 10-0 run that was sparked by the play of Thomas, who had a drive from the left side for a layup while being fouled at the 6:18 mark (missed the bonus free throw), and a three point play at the 5:36 mark. He also added a steal for a layup that he almost dunked, which drew some surprise from the small crowd that was there. The Eagles, which also got solid play from Appiah (good defense and going to the floor for loose balls and charge attempts), won the period 23-14.
In the fourth quarter, McCarrick, behind the efforts of Lewis, who drew a charge at the 7:09 mark and forced a steal that Isaac turned into a layup with a touchdown strike that would have made Taylor Clark smile, Thomas, and Isaac, took a 14-6 lead only to have the Bishops rally with a 7-0 run to end the period for a 14-13 score in the frame. The first period saw the Eagles jump out to a 7-4 lead only to have Asbury Park rally with one of two from the line, a layup off a steal, and a three pointer from the right side of the floor to take a 10-7 lead before Isaac get a hard fought basket to pull McCarrick within one. The Bishops then went up by three again with a layup at the 1:05 mark before Isaac scored on a putback with 29 seconds left, and Cruz, who had his struggles in this scrimmage, drove in from halfcourt for a layup with three seconds to go that gave Cardy Mac a 13-12 edge in the period.
The JV played in the next period, and Asbury Park jumped out to a 9-3 lead only to have McCarrick rally back with an 8-0 spurt that included a steal for a layup by Robert Nunez to give the Junior Eagles an 11-9 lead. The Junior Bishops would tie the game at 11-11 before McCarrick closed the frame with a 6-2 burst to take the period by a 17-13 margin. The third quarter saw the varsity teams go at it again, and the Bishops jumped out to an early 4-2 lead on a nice no look pass for a layup. McCarrick responded with a 4-0 run that included an Isaac layup at the 4:30 mark for a 6-4 edge. After Asbury Park got a free throw to pull within one, Cruz netted two from the line at the 4:10 mark for an 8-5 lead. Isaac added another basket while Raysor made his presence felt with a three pointer from the right corner that made the score 13-6 with 3:15 left.
The Bishops rallied back with an 8-4 run over the next 2:40 including a nice move for a layup with 35 seconds to go that closed the gap to 17-14. Then, Asbury Park ended the period scoring with a steal off Isaac for a layup, and a 17-16 Cardy Mac edge in the frame. During a good deal of the second, third, and fourth periods, GMC Hoops had a chance to talk with Sherlon Christie of the Asbury Park Press. He and Josh Newman run the high school hoops blog for the Shore in their version of Inside the Paint. Christie feels that CBA will be at the top in the Shore this year, but may not be as good as the top six ranking the Colts got from NJ Hoops in its season preview.
In addition, Christie adds that Lakewood could be a team to look out for in the Shore with the likes of junior Jerrod Davis, who put on quite a show at the Summer Prime Time Shootout against Trenton Catholic. He also expects Neptune to be good with the likes of Jamal Hubbard in the lineup. As far as Asbury Park goes, the Bishops did lose some to graduation, but have the likes of football players such as Jamar Small (quarterback) to help out. The Bishops should finish in the top of the Class B Central Division with St. Rose following close behind. He also thinks that Monroe has a good shot at winning the upcoming WOBM Christmas Classic. Toms River East and Manchester are teams that he figures will stand in the Falcons way.
Getting back to the scrimmage, the Eagles overall played well. Considering how scrappy and athletic Asbury Park is as well as how the Bishops get after it, McCarrick found a way to get the edge. One problem that the Eagles have is the fact that they give away turnovers right after they’ll make a nice defensive play to get the ball. Thomas and Isaac looked good for the most part. Thomas played better as the scrimmage progressed while Isaac, who looks to be the most improved player in the GMC this season, did solid early on. Mike Lewis, the son of head coach, Joe Lewis, is a scrappy player, who will do a lot of little things for McCarrick while Appiah, who also plays football, looks bigger, and really gets after it. Raysor was fairly quiet from the time we got there. He had a three in the third period, but that was it as he sat for the final two periods.
McCarrick should be in the mix again in the GMC White and the conference tournament. How well they play in the beginning will factor in how high in the standings they get. The incoming sophomore class outside of Nunez struggled last year at the freshman level, but CM has a good junior class along with the likes of Thomas, Isaac, and Raysor. The site still believes though that Monroe is the team to beat in the White Division in 2009-10. The Eagles open up their season at home against South Plainfield on Friday night. Then, they travel up to Carteret to take on the Ramblers on Monday night. Finally, Cardy Mac finishes out the opening week with a key early season test at home against New Brunswick. Over the holidays, McCarrick will again be competing in the Joe Silver Tournament in Hillside.