SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–On the third day of action in the new year, the schedule was somewhat light with only five games on it. Three involved teams from the GMC Blue while two involved teams in the GMC Gold. Both Bishop Ahr and Dunellen got byes.
First, the biggest surprise of the night, which was South River defeating Metuchen at home, 69-63. The Rams, which began the season at 0-2 after losses to Spotswood and Jonathan Dayton, have won four of their last five with the only defeat coming at the hands of JFK on Saturday (85-64). South River got a game high 25 points from Shawn Fenton while teammates Nick Boyler and Brandon Walsh added 13 and 12 points respectively. In a relatively close game throughout, the Rams jumped out to a six point first quarter lead, but the Bulldogs stormed back to tie things up at halftime, 31-31.
In the second half though, South River outscored Metuchen by two in the third, and by four in the fourth to secure the victory. The Bulldogs had their three game winning streak (all against non-conference foes) snapped, and are now in last place in the GMC Blue at 0-2. Meanwhile, in other action around the Blue Division, Middlesex was entangled in a battle with J.F. Kennedy over in Iselin. The Mustangs got a game high 28 points from senior forward Rasheed Howard, and 14 points from senior guard, Joe Marciano, but only got six points from the rest of the team (all by Dashion Robinson) in a 55-48 defeat. The Blue Jays, on the other hand, had a more balanced attack led by Adam Wells (13 points), Terrell Mayers (12 points), and Avery Barnes (11 points). Spotswood got back to its winning ways after losing at Bishop Ahr on Saturday with an 84-43 rout over Highland Park, which has now lost three straight.
Moving on to the Gold Division, South Amboy has now won two straight after soundly defeating Perth Amboy Tech by a score of 60-40 on Tuesday. Senior guard, Joe Charmello, continues to inch his way toward the 1,000 point barrier for his career with a game high 21 points while Mike Arway (12 points) and Dustin DeVoe (10 points) also chipped in. The Guvs, which started the season with three straight losses, are now at 2-3. Amboy Tech, which got a team high 17 points from Rashad Adams and 12 points from Malcolm Batts, dropped its second straight and fell to 2-3 overall.
Finally, East Brunswick Tech has now won four straight after edging Piscataway Tech at home on Tuesday afternoon. The Tigers, which have yet to play a game on the road, improved to 4-1 overall with a 55-52 decision over the Raiders. Senior forward, Homer James led the way with a game high 21 points along with 7 steals and 3 assists while junior Robert Brown added 15 points and 9 rebounds. P-Way Tech, which got its first win of the season over West Caldwell Tech in the Perth Amboy Tech Holiday Tournament falls to 1-4 on the young season.
With South River’s win over Metuchen, and Middlesex gaining sure footing after a uncertain start, the GMC Blue looks like a fight at least when you get beyond Bishop Ahr and Spotswood. The Chargers made easy work of Highland Park at home, where they have won both their division games by an average margin of 34 points per game. Kennedy only had three players get into the scoring column in the loss against Middlesex. The Mustangs are going to need other contributors such as A.J. Pichalski, Nick Spoganetz, and Josh Kamenas if they are going to have any shot at beating the contenders in this division. The Rams win over Metuchen is surprising, but the Bulldogs have not looked good at times (scrimmage against Rutgers Prep and loss at Spotswood). However, the Bulldogs appeared to be getting their act together with three sound victories over Brearley (69-36), A.L. Johnson (75-43), and Roselle Park (57-30).
The problem with that though was the fact that those three teams have a combined record of 6-9 after Tuesday night play. In addition, those three teams were a combined 20-50 last season with Brearley only making it to the state tournament. Metuchen, which finished the season strong last year with a victory over Old Bridge in the preliminary round of the 2009 GMCT, and lost a heartbreaker in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group II playoffs against Governor Livingston, finds itself in last place in the Blue at 0-2. After appearing to have Avery Barnes out indefinitely, and losing its opener against Bishop Ahr, Middlesex has suddenly gotten on a roll with Barnes coming back and the team winning five straight. This looked like a down year to begin with, but with veterans like Adam Wells and Avery Barnes returning along with Terrell Mayers coming back this season, the Jays may be better than originally thought.
Highland Park has come crashing down to earth with three straight losses after nearly blowing a 28-4 lead against Dunellen in the opening round of the Shello/Santy Tournament. The Owls have plenty of talent and athletic ability. The question is can they play smart, disciplined, and fundamental basketball. Once they start doing that, they’ll be able to compete better against the Spotswoods, Bishop Ahrs, and Middlesexes of the world. The Chargers got back on track with the victory, and will try to keep pace with BGA before they meet again later in the season.
South Amboy looks to be a contender in the GMC Gold after soundly defeating a Perth Amboy Tech team that knocked off East Brunswick Tech on opening day. I figured the Guvs to be in at least the top three in this division, but after losing to Dunellen by a point, and handily defeating the Patriots yesterday, they’re a contender for division honors, especially if they can play well on the road. Speaking of E.B. Tech, the Tigers scratched out a three point win over P-Way Tech. While they have players such as Robert Brown and Homer James all returning this year as well as newcomer Elijah Ford, they’ve not really impressed early on within the division. East Brunswick Tech is only 1-1 in divisional play, and beat the Raiders, perhaps the worst team in the Gold, by three.