Sophomore Trio Of Hughes, Pearson, And Anderson Lead Barrons To 63-52 Victory Over Perth Amboy
WOODBRIDGE, NJ–Last year at the scrimmage between Middlesex and Woodbridge, then first year head coach of the Barrons, Antoine Patterson, spoke highly of his now sophomore class including Keith Hughes and Kyle Pearson. Both Hughes and Pearson paid their dues last season either playing limited minutes varsity, or on the JV squad. However, this year, they have made solid contributions along with another sophomore and football standout, Kyle Anderson, who was averaging 10.6 points per game prior to Friday night’s contest. Pearson came in averaging 8.3 points per game.
The Barrons post a roster that has five sophomores and a freshman (Duquan Bailey). The Team has taken its lumps early, but have played a tough schedule that has included the likes of GMC Hoops Top Ten teams: St. Joseph’s, East Brunswick, Sayreville, and Piscataway. You may even count Old Bridge in that group after the Knights knocked off second ranked EB. These sophomores don’t lack experience when it comes with dealing with adversity. The likes of Hughes, Anderson, and Anthony Nyers were all on a football team that started the season at 0-4 before running the table to qualify for the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV playoffs, and then knocking off top seeded Union in the opening round.
Hughes and Pearson put in monster efforts on Friday night while Anderson also scored in double figures to lead the Barrons to their first victory of the 2009-10 campaign, a 63-52 defeat of a Perth Amboy team that upset Piscataway in overtime on opening night, but now has GMC Hoops scratching his head. Hughes and Pearson combined to go 6 of 7 in the first quarter to help Woodbridge keep pace with Amboy as the Panthers took a 16-15 first quarter lead. Pearson had two dunks during the frame while Hughes hit the first of three treys on the night. The Barrons had taken a 9-3 lead early on before the Panthers responded with a 13-2 tear that included three field goals by freshman Hamilton Capellan, a three pointer by Victor Verdecia, and two layups by Yoelbin Sanchez to take a 16-11 lead before Hughes scored off a baseline drive, and Pearson registered his final flush of the night for a one point Perth Amboy lead going into the second.
The baskets by Hughes and Pearson sparked a decisive 16-0 run over a span of about 5:30 that bridged the end of the first period with the middle of the second. Hughes was the focal point of the key surge as he added a three point play at the 6:47 mark of the second, an offensive rebound and follow at the 5:26 mark, and a three pointer from the right side at the 5:01 mark. Nyers (4 points, 8 rebounds, and a block) then capped the run wth an offensive rebound and follow for the 27-16 lead. From there, both teams played even although Amboy showed signs of making a run at several points of the second half. The Panthers got within nine points twice in the third, and ten points midway through the fourth. However, Perth Amboy couldn’t get any closer as Pearson came up with a conventional three point play at the 4:20 mark, and then Hughes put the game away with a three from the right wing off a skip pass by Anderson for a 63-47 lead with 3:06 to go.
Hughes, is the son of former Carteret legend Keith Hughes Sr. The elder Hughes is remembered for his 40 point performance against New Brunswick in the Championship Game of the inaugural GMCT back in February 1986. He went on to play at Syracuse, and was a member of the Orangemen team that lost to Keith Smart and Indiana in that memorable 1987 NCAA Basketball Championship. Hughes eventually transferred along with Earl Duncan to Rutgers. The younger Hughes had a career night. He had 19 points within the first 10:59 of the game on 8 of 15 field goals including two threes. The lanky, 6’5″ forward, finished the night with a game high 28 points on 10 of 18 shooting including 3 of 9 from beyond the arc. Hughes also pulled down 10 boards and blocked three shots for a double-double.
Not to be outdone, Pearson registered 21 points and 15 rebounds. Despite missing seven straight shots at one point, the sophomore forward ended up going 9 of 18 overall from the floor along with a perfect 3 of 3 from the line. Anderson got his 10 points on 4 of 8 shooting including 2 of 4 from long range. The Barrons guard also handed out five assists, grabbed three rebounds, and swiped three steals. This sophomore trio accounted for 94 percent of the team’s scoring. Verdecia along with Capellan and Wancel Arias were the bright spots for Amboy. Verdecia made 7 of 16 shots including a three as well as two free throws for a team high 17 points while also collecting 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
Capellan made 4 of 8 shots for 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals, an assist, and a block while Arias had a tough fight inside with the likes of Hughes and Pearson surrounding him, but he played a nice all around game with 6 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. The only downside to Woodbridge’s win was 20 turnovers. Amboy only committed 10. However, the Barrons made their shots. Led by Hughes’ effort, WHS connected on 25 of 53 shots for 47 percent while Perth Amboy was 20 of 60 for 33 percent. The Barrons were also 5 of 15 from three while the Panthers were 4 of 15. At the line, Woodbridge was 8 of 12 while Amboy was 8 of 11. Woodbridge also dominated the boards with a 43-20 overall showing including a 12-5 edge on the offensive glass.
I was really impressed with Hughes and Pearson. They are finally maturing into the players that Patterson expected. Hughes had a couple drives along the baseline for reverse layins that combined his aggressiveness with his balance and finesse. Pearson is very athletic, and gets after it on the glass as does Nyers. Anderson has improved a bit in his shooting while Bailey made some mistakes, but still was fun to watch. The Barrons did lose today to crosstown rival, J.F. Kennedy in a crossover game, but expect them to improve in the next week with games coming up against South Brunswick, Edison, and J.P. Stevens.