Three Players Record Double-Doubles For Owls In Lopsided Victory Over Guvs
SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–Following the game between North Brunswick and Edison, GMC Hoops traveled up to South Amboy Middle/High School to take in the middle game of its Pre-Christmas tripleheader between the Guvs and the Highland Park Owls. Like our first game, there wasn’t much of a contest in this one. Like North Brunswick, the Owls got off to a fast start, and never really looked back in a 76-50 win. Football standout, David Webb, who scored the game winning shot in overtime against J.F. Kennedy two nights ago, led the way with 20 points and 10 rebounds while Mike Long chipped in with a double-double of his own by scoring 16 points and pulling down 10 rebounds, and Frank Husslein added 14 points and 16 rebounds.
When the site arrived, the Owls were already in front by a score of 12-4 at the 2:11 mark. Highland Park then closed out the first quarter with a 6-2 burst to take a 18-6 lead. The Owls picked up right where it left off in the first quarter with a 10-3 spurt over the first 3:05 to take a 28-9 lead as Nate Smith (8 points) scored on a layup and Webb swiped a steal for another layup to highlight the run. The Guvs would rally with a 7-4 run to close the gap to 32-16 despite a steal for a layup by Webb at the 2:53 mark. Highland Park wouldn’t let South Amboy get any closer though as the Owls finished off the first half with a 6-4 run to take a 38-20 lead into the locker room.
In the second half, it was more of the same as Highland Park started the third quarter with an 8-4 run for a 46-24 lead while South Amboy was still sputtering. The Guvs were assessed a three second violation at the 5:50 mark. On the Owls next possession, Smith scored on a layup at the 5:19 mark for a 48-24 advantage. Highland Park continued to blitz South Amboy with 11 of the next 14 points over a span of 2:34 including a steal for a layup by Webb, and one of two from the line by Smith for a 59-27 lead with 2:45 remaining in the frame. South Amboy tried to stem the tide with a 6-2 burst that included two free throws by Dan O’Connor and two layups by Joe Charmello (game high 23 points), but the Owls would have none of it by closing out the third with six unanswered points for a commanding 67-33 lead.
The fourth quarter saw the Guvs finish strong with a 17-9 showing to make things more respectable. Charmello led the way with a layup from the right wing at the 6:22 mark that made the score 69-37, a layup while being fouled at the 5:03 mark to make the score 73-41, and another layup at the 3:57 mark to make the score, 73-45. South Amboy then closed out the game with its reserves outscoring Highland Park by a 5-3 margin to close out the 76-50 Owls victory. With the win, HPHS improves to 2-1 while the Governors dropped to 0-2.