NEPTUNE, NJ–On Monday night, GMC Hoops headed back down to the Hoop Group Headquarters to take in the fifth week of action from the Hoop Group’s 2010 Spring League. The site took in bits and pieces from three different games in the 8:00 PM and 9:00 PM hours. First the site took in the second half of the contest between two Class B Central rivals from the Shore Conference, and competitors in Division A in St. Rose and Asbury Park Black. Then, in the nightcap hour, the site took in games between G-Force Gold and Toms River East, and Southern Regional and South River.
St. Rose Hangs On To Upend Asbury Park Black, 48-37
Prior to watching South River take on Southern Regional of Manahawkin in one of the late games, GMC Hoops took in some Shore Conference action as St. Rose of Belmar battled Asbury Park Black. The Purple Roses, which have been a fixture in Non-Public B South state tournaments for many years, jumped out to a 23-16 lead at halftime against its rival from both Division A of this spring league and the Shore’s Class B Central league.
Over the first 6:12 of the second half, St. Rose increased its margin with a 9-5 showing for a 32-21 lead. The Bishops would rally though with their chaotic full court pressure that finally rattled St. Rose. Asbury Park outscored its foe by a margin of 16-10 over the next 10:33 to pull within five at 42-37 on a basket at the 3:15 mark. The Roses would withstand the storm, and pull out the win by scoring the final six points including a layup with 1:15 left to round at the final 48-37 score. Both teams were 3-2 on the season after this contest.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Rose (3-2) | 23 | 25 | 48 |
| Asbury Park Black (3-2) | 16 | 21 | 37 |
G-Force Gold Pulls Away In Second Half To Defeat Toms River East, 56-48
While GMC Hoops was watching South River take on Southern Regional of Manahawkin in the nightcap round of games at the Hoop Group Headquarters Spring League, it saw some of the action from a Division B contest between G-Force Gold and Toms River East. The Stallions, led by Roger Kilgore, Rashad Kilgore, and Rob Gomulka of Bishop Ahr, remained undefeated on the season with a ten point victory.
G-Force Gold, which has combined with its brethren of G-Force Black to turn in its best season yet at the former Rebounds, got going early with a 10-0 spurt over the first 3:14 to start the game. The Raiders, which compete in the Shore’s Class A South Division, battled back with a 10-8 run over the next 10:23 to pull within eight at 18-10 with 6:23 to go in the half. A little more than a half minute later, Roger Kilgore handed out an assist on a layup underneath at the 5:49 mark for a 20-10 lead.
Toms River East continued to fight though with a 15-3 tear over the ensuing 5:45 to actually take a 25-23 lead before the Stallions made two free throws in the waning moments of the first half to go into the brief intermission tied at 25-25. Then, in the second half, G-Force Gold went up by two with six of the first points of the period including a layup from the left side by Gomulka at the 15:50 mark for a 31-29 score. The game was still in doubt up and until the final minute of play. G-Force Gold led by only five (51-46) with 1:06 remaining before it got a much needed three pointer at the 54 second mark for a 54-46 lead en route to the 56-46 victory.
With the win, G-Force Gold improved to 5-0 on the spring while Toms River East dropped to 1-4.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| G-Force Gold (5-0) | 25 | 31 | 56 |
| Toms River East (1-4) | 25 | 23 | 48 |
South River Falls To Group IV Southern Regional Of Ocean County, 53-40
Despite the suggestions made by GMC Hoops in a recent blog post, the South River Rams showed some of the same characteristics it had shown in a loss to G-Force Black a couple weeks ago. As a result, the Rams fell to Group IV school, Southern Regional of Manahawkin in a late game from the 2010 Hoop Group Headquarters Spring League by a score of 53-40. Southern won this battle of Rams by jumping out to a 26-9 lead with 4:50 to go in the first half, and never looked back. While Southern had more size, muscle, and athleticism, South River failed to do the little things that would give it a chance to compete better.
Although South River ended the first half with a 6-0 run, and was more competitive in the second half, it couldn’t overcome the huge hole it dug itself. Southern Regional, which along with Toms River East, competes in the Class A South Division of the Shore Conference, jumped out to an early 3-0 lead on a three pointer from the left side at the 19:30 mark. The South River Rams chipped away at the deficit with a 5-4 run over the next 5:15, but Southern still led by a 7-5 margin at the 14:15 mark.
It was at this point the Southern Rams began to distance themselves from South River with an 8-0 run over a span of 2:15 that included a steal off Xavier Foster for a layin to take a 15-5 lead. Kyle Majewski prevented Southern from taking an even bigger lead when he jumped in to intercept a pass, and passed ahead to Foster for a layup attempt that drew a foul, and produced one of two from the line, and a 15-6 Southern Regional lead at the 11:55 mark. The Southern Rams would respond though with a layin at the 11:00 mark for a 17-6 lead before Foster found Majewski for a baseline drive from the left side for a layup while being fouled for a three point play, and a 17-9 lead with 9:59 left in the half.
South River would get no closer though as Southern Regional embarked on a 9-0 run over the next 5:09 including a steal off Foster for a layup for a 26-9 lead at the 4:50 mark. The South River Rams then battled back with a good finish to the half consisting of one of two free throws by Foster at the 4:35 mark. Foster struck again with a steal and drive for a layup attempt that resulted in two more free throws at the 2:40 mark. Foster made another steal and drove the right side that produced an intentional foul and one of two free throws for a 26-13 score at the 1:34 mark. Gavin Campbell then closed out the scoring with a spin, and up and under move with 48 seconds left to make the score, 26-15 in favor of Southern at the half.
Southern Regional then opened up the second half with a nice look upcourt in the form of a bounce pass for a layup at the 19:23 mark. A little over a minute later, the Southern Rams made one of two from the line, and then took the missed second foul shot, and put it back in for a 31-15 lead at the 18:10 mark. Freshman Tyler Harris got South River on the board to open the second half with a putback at the 18 minute mark for a 31-17 score before Southern responded with one of two from the line at the 17:36 mark for a 32-17 lead. The Southern Rams and South River Rams then exchanged scores over the next 1:37 for a 34-19 Southern lead with just under 16 minutes to play as South River called for time.
In the three minutes following the timeout, Southern expanded its lead to the biggest of the game at that point with a dunk, and two free throws in a 5-0 run that made the score 39-19 with 12:59 remaining. South River, led by Campbell, would again finish strong with a 21-14 showing the rest of the way to make the score more respectable. After a free throw by Southern, Foster inbounded to Campbell at the other end for a layup underneath, and a 40-21 score at the 9:21 mark. After the Southern Rams scored three points for a 43-21 advantage, the biggest of the entire contest, Campbell, who had 12 points over the final 9:21, struck for a three pointer from the right wing at the 8:13 mark for a 43-24 score.
South River then got one of two from the foul line to close the gap to 43-25 at the 8:13 mark before Campbell got two layups and a three point play over the next 5:56, and then handed out an assist on a layup by Foster with 1:03 remaining to pull his team to within 51-36. The South River Rams then outscored Southern by a 4-2 margin the rest of the way for a 53-40 lead. With the victory, Southern Regional improved to 3-2 while South River remained winless at 0-5 on the spring.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Regional (3-2) | 26 | 27 | 53 |
| South River (0-5) | 15 | 25 | 40 |