Purple Birds Notch Tenth Win Of The Season As Timmy Brix Leads Way With Double-Double
MONROE, NJ–At the beginning of the month, there was a bit of doubt whether or not, the Monroe Falcons could live up to the pre-season expectations. Several weeks later, the Purple Birds find themselves in complete control of first place in the GMC White, and in the midst of a six game winning streak. The Falcons jumped out to a 14-7 first quarter lead, and then after Colonia pulled to within four at halftime on a 17-14 second quarter showing, they pulled away with a 30-24 edge in the second half for the hard fought, 58-48 victory.
Monroe got a double-double performance from Timmy Brix, who made 7 of 11 shots from the floor including 2 of 3 from long range for a game high 16 points along with 10 rebounds, an assist, and a charge. Kenny Pace chipped in with 15 points as he shot 6 of 13 from the field including a three pointer while making two free throws. Pace also collected 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Danny Brix also picked up 15 points on 5 of 10 shooting from the floor, and 5 of 6 from the line while picking up 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Ahmid Williams chipped in with 8 points for the winners while swiping 6 steals, handing out 5 assists, and grabbing 2 rebounds. Blake Bascom rounded out the scoring for Monroe with a 2 of 4 effort for 4 points, a rebound, assist, and a steal.
C.J. Gray and Matt Wagner led Colonia in a losing cause with 9 points each while Greg Jones and Justin Williams each added 8. Monroe connected on 23 of 50 shots overall from the floor including 3 of 14 from three point land while Colonia was 20 of 44 from the floor including 4 of 11 from beyond the arc. The Falcons benefited from a key difference in the game: foul shooting. The Purple Birds made 9 of 13 from the charity stripe while the Patriots were only 2 of 4. Monroe also did a slightly better job of taking care of the basketball with only 12 turnovers. Colonia didn’t do a bad job either though by only making 15.
Things didn’t start off well for the Pats. They only made 3 of 10 shots from the floor in the opening quarter. Monroe fared a bit better going 6 of 14, and broke away from a 6-6 tie with an 8-1 spurt over the final 5:36 of the stanza for the seven point lead. Colonia responded in the second with a 7 of 12 shooting effort including 2 of 3 from downtown to win its only period of the game. The Patriots limited Monroe to just 4 of 12 shooting from the field including 1 of 6 from long distance. However, the Purple Birds managed to stay in front by sinking all five of their foul shot attempts. Both teams had balanced scoring with Monroe getting eight points from Pace, seven from Timmy Brix, and six from Ahmid Williams while Colonia got six from Justin Williams and Matt Wagner, and five from Dave Cole.
The third quarter saw both teams going back and forth and trading baskets. The lead was no bigger than six and no fewer than three. The Falcons were 8 of 17 in the period while Colonia was 7 of 14. Both teams did a solid job of handling the basketball by only making two turnovers. Colonia got to within three on a jumper by Nyaer Jackson, but Timmy Brix responded with a layup off a nice feed ahead upcourt by Mike Mahmoud for a 44-39 lead heading into the fourth. In the fourth, Colonia closed to within four again on a three pointer from the top of the key by Wagner, but Timmy Brix responded with a trey from the left corner off an inbounds play at the 4:55 mark for a 49-42 Monroe lead.
Over the next 2:18, the Falcons scored four of the next six points to increase the lead to nine. Danny Brix and Kenny Pace both scored on layups for a 53-44 advantage with 2:37 remaining. Greg Jones, who made 4 of 9 shots and grabbed 4 rebounds, connected on a jumper to pull the Pats within seven, but Danny Brix put the Purple Birds back up by nine with two foul shots at the 2:19 mark. The younger Brix then helped wrap up the 58-48 victory with a layup off an assist from Pace for a 57-46 advantage with a minute remaining. It’s hard to believe that Colonia is 2-8 this season. However, between the always tough White Division schedule in addition to non-conference games against St. Anthony’s, Ridge, and Rutgers Prep, the Pats have had it tough. In all fairness though, CHS took a big hit to graduation not only with the loss of J.J. D’Amico (Middlesex C.C.), but also Nnamdi Usuwa (Stockton) and Mike Nweme, which depleted the front line.
Colonia and their coach, Chris Chiera aren’t making any excuses though. They have competed very well in spite of the losses. Five of the eight defeats have been by six points or less with this one by just ten. They have a solid group of juniors in Cole, C.J. Gray, and Wagner. The trio of guards gives Colonia quite a bit of scoring punch from the perimeter. Williams has had big shoes to fill, but in both games that I’ve seen the Patriots in, he has played well. Meanwhile, Monroe has gotten its act together. The emphasis on defense in recent weeks has paid off with a nice winning streak. Keep in mind, the Falcons have been without their big man, Travis Dufner so things could get even better for them. Timmy Brix is playing big by rebounding, scoring, and handling the ball while Blake Bascom’s athleticism helps fill some of the void left by Dufner.