SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–It was another light day on the GMC schedule on Thursday as five games involving teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference were played. Two of those games were seen by GMC Hoops. South Amboy got a bye from Gold Division play while Highland Park got likewise from the Blue.
Metuchen came up with a huge victory yesterday against Kennedy. The Bulldogs did a solid job in shutting down the Mustangs Rasheed Howard, but also showed some resolve and determination in overcoming an early deficit that had them looking at a surprising 0-3 start in the GMC Blue. Mike Crusco, Evan Carberry, and Nick Callas scored in double figures while Metuchen as a team went 15 of 24 from the foul line, and committed 16 turnovers including seven over the final three periods of play.
The Bulldogs also came up with huge shots when they needed it like Crusco’s three at the end of the third for a 38-33 lead, and treys by Carberry and Callas in the fourth that helped put the game away. JFK got a little more production out of the rest of its roster than it did against Middlesex as A.J. Pichalski scored six points while Rameez Rathore added 3, but the Mustangs still only had five players score as the trio of Marciano (25 points), Howard (7 points), and Robinson (9 points) accounted for 82 percent of the offense. Read more details on this game in the blog.
The other game seen by the site was between Bishop Ahr and South River. The Rams showed some fight in this one, particularly on the defensive end as they limited the Trojans to just 60 points after BGA has averaged 75.5 points in the previous four matchups over the past two seasons. Ahr really struggled on offense at times. Missing shots badly and committing turnovers. While some credit has to be given to the Rams improvement on the defensive side of the ball, the Trojans are a better team than this. The scary thing about it is that they led by 21 at one point in the fourth, and still won by 18. If South River can improve offensively, and play better on the road, they can cause some trouble. They’ve already surpassed last year’s win total, won a holiday tourney for the first time in five years, and upset Metuchen.
On the other hand, if Ahr goes into Spotswood with a game like this, the Chargers, which only lost by five to the Trojans at BGA this past Saturday, have to feel good about their chances. Bishop Ahr has only lost one game to this point in the season, a 65-39 defeat at the hands of Franklin in the opening round of the Roselle Catholic Tournament. However, the rest of the GMC Blue may be gaining a bit of ground on last year’s division champ, and 2007-08 co-champion. See details on this contest in the blog.
In the lone other game in the GMC Blue, Spotswood put a halt to the five game winning streak by the Middlesex Blue Jays with a 50-32 victory at MHS on Thursday night. Mike Liming led all scorers with a game high 14 points for Spotswood while forward, Allen Kuiper chipped in with 12, and Cody Pace added 11. Avery Barnes had a team high 12 points for the Jays in the loss. The Chargers have rebounded quite nicely after the loss to BGA on Saturday. They soundly defeated Highland Park on Tuesday night at home, and then won a game in a tough environment on the road. The Bolts will not only need to keep pace with Ahr, but also beat the Trojans the next time around if they want to be considered among the conference elite.
The two games in the GMC Gold matched up two contenders for division honors in one while the other pitted two long time rivals. East Brunswick Tech had a 33-25 lead after three quarters against Dunellen in their early season showdown at The Faber. However, the Destroyers, showing the same resolve they had in the one point loss to Highland Park in the opening round of the Shello/Santy Tournament over the holidays, rallied with a 14-5 effort in the fourth and final period to win the game, 39-38.
Dylan Hoski, a freshman, came up with the go ahead score on a layup off a feed from sophomore guard, Sean Gibney, with 1.6 seconds remaining to give the Destroyers the win, and continued possession of first place. The bucket was the only points of the game for Hoski. Jonard Hall led the winners with a game high 19 points on six field goals and seven foul shots. Robert Brown led the way in a losing cause for E.B. Tech with 10 points and 5 rebounds while teammate Homer James chipped in with 9 points and 4 rebounds. After two less than solid efforts against Amboy Tech and P-Way Tech at home, the Tigers came to play on the road at Dunellen. A solid 32 minutes might have gotten East Brunswick Tech a huge win. Dunellen is 2-0 in divisional play, but both victories have come on last second scores. This division appears to be the most wide open its been since the 2004-05 season.
Perth Amboy Tech and Piscataway Tech reacquainted themselves with a contest in Perth Amboy on Thursday afternoon. The Patriots got a much needed win to improve to not only .500 overall, but also to 2-1 in the GMC Gold, which helps it keep pace with Dunellen. Rashad Adams led the Pats with a game high of 20 points and 15 rebounds while teammate, Malcolm Batts chipped in with 16 points and Nelson Lopez added 14 for the winners. Trailing 30-28 at the intermission, Amboy Tech outscored P-Way Tech by a 36-18 margin over the final two periods. Tafari Kerr, who tied for game high honors, led the Raiders with 20 points. The Patriots have been up and down so far this season. A bit more consistency will make them more formidable.