Falcons Get Off To Fast Start, And Then Hang On To Beat McCarrick
MONROE, NJ–In what was a game filled with wild twists and turns, the Monroe Falcons claimed sole possession of first place with a 64-61 victory over Cardinal McCarrick at Monroe Township High School on Tuesday night. The Purple Birds jumped out to a 23-5 first quarter lead only to see the Eagles rally right back with a 24-4 surge in the second for a 29-27 lead at the intermission. Cardy Mac then led 36-34 with 4:36 to go in the third quarter when the Falcons went on a 11-3 spurt including threes by Kenny Pace (13 points) and Timmy Brix (15 points) for a 45-39 lead.
The Falcons then led 53-44 with 4:21 to go in the game before the Eagles rallied with nine unanswered points including a three point play by Mo Isaac (16 points) at the 4:04 mark, a driving layup by Jeremy Cruz (12 points), a layup by Isaac off a pass from Craig Thomas (12 points), and then a steal for a layup by Thomas to tie the score at 53-53. However, it didn’t stay tied for long as Ahmid Williams (6 points) went coast to coast for a layup to give Monroe a 55-53 lead with 2:03 left. On a subsequent possession, the Falcons got a three pointer from the right corner by Zach Batchelor off a kickout by Williams for a 58-53 lead with about 1:20 to play.
The Eagles then got it back to within a basket at 58-56, but the Brothers Brix helped keep the Eagles at a distance as Danny made two foul shots at the 50.3 second mark followed by two free throws from Timmy at the 35.5 second mark for a 62-56 lead. McCarrick, which is again at .500 in the GMC White after the loss, pulled to within two again at 63-61 on a three pointer, and then an off-balanced two point shot from the left side of the court by Dana Raysor with 11 seconds left. Unfortunately, McCarrick couldn’t pull this one out as Craig Thomas’ three point attempt hit iron as time ran out.
The win propelled Monroe to a 5-1 mark in division play while the Eagles fell to 3-3 in the White. All three of McCarrick’s losses have been by four points or less including a 57-53 defeat at Carteret on December 21st, and a 58-57 loss to Sayreville last Wednesday. Outside of the GMC White, the Eagles are undefeated including wins over Piscataway (62-50), Orange (61-52), Lincoln of Jersey City (62-59), and Hillside (72-71). Considering McCarrick had a lot of turnover from last year, and doesn’t seem to be as deep as in the past, the Eagles are playing very well. This game seemed to be a microcosm of Monroe’s season. Filled with twists and turns and ups and downs although there have been more ups than downs.
The Falcons have played in six games decided by six points or less although the game against South Plainfield on January 6th wasn’t as close as the score indicated. In that game against the Tigers, the Purple Birds had a 36-18 lead after three quarters before SPHS surged in the fourth with a 26-14 showing to make it a close one at the end. Much like Blue Division favorite, Bishop Ahr, Monroe has played with fire, but the difference here is that the Purple Birds have been burned. With the White being as competitive as it has been over the past several years, teams can’t afford not to be ready to play on a night in and night out basis. South Plainfield proved once more against Carteret on Tuesday night that anything can happen in this division. In past years, the Falcons have been the hunter, but this year, they are the hunted.
Through Tuesday nights games, there have been 21 regular season games played in the White. Of those 21 contests, 11 have been decided by single digits with eight of them being decided by five points or less. Looking at the division standings, Monroe has some separation at the moment, but there are five teams separated by only a half game, six separated by one, and seven separated by two. See the video highlights of this game in the blog. A more detailed summary is forthcoming.