SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–On Thursday night, GMC Hoops headed over to the Raritan Bay Summer League for the second time this season to take in the fourth and final night of games from the first week of action in the league. There were four games on the schedule, and the site watched the first two before heading over to Kean University to see some of the action from the Pre-Summer League being run there. Despite being held up by traffic, GMC Hoops managed to capture the final half of action between St. Stan’s and the South Amboy Ballers in a crossover game involving teams from the 5th and 6th as well as the 7th and 8th Grade Divisions. Then, in the nightcap, Monroe took on St. Ambrose from the 7th and 8th Grade Division.
Younger South Amboy Ballers Fall Short Against St. Stan’s In Crossover, 39-27
Patrick Astarita, the older brother of Sayreville Bulldogs standout, Derek Asterita, scored 11 points to lead St. Stan’s to a 39-27 victory over South Amboy. St. Stan’s, which is coached by Ron Madiera, and comes out of the Sayreville area, jumped out to a 19-15 lead against a South Amboy team that was playing up a division, and was coached by former Cardinal McCarrick JV coach, Jesse Holovacko. St. Stan’s started out the second half with six of the first eight points over a span of four minutes for a 25-17 lead.
Fifteen seconds later, South Amboy scored on a layup while being fouled to pull within six at 25-19. St. Stan’s then netted two free throws at the 14:32 mark for a 27-19 lead. The foul shots sparked a 9-0 run for the Sayreville team as they followed that with a jumper from the left wing at the 13:45 mark, a nice pass underneath for a layup at the 12:05 mark, a drive for a layup with 11:31 to go, and then a free throw for a 34-19 lead. South Amboy broke a scoreless drought of 7:38 by converting a traditional three point play with 8:07 left for a 34-22 St. Stan’s lead. Both teams then exchanged scores as St. Stan’s got a layin down low at the 7:30 mark for a 36-22 lead before South Amboy responded with an offensive rebound and follow off a missed free throw for a 36-24 score with 6:24 remaining.
The bucket sparked a 5-0 Ballers run as they added another basket while being fouled at the 5:41 mark, and then one of two from the line with 4:05 to play for a 36-27 St. Stan’s lead. South Amboy had a chance to get closer, but missed two free throws at the 3:27 mark. St. Stan’s then closed the game with the final three points for the 39-27 win. With the victory, St. Stan’s improved to 1-1 while South Amboy slipped to 1-1.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Stan’s (1-1) | 19 | 20 | 39 |
| South Amboy Ballers (1-1) | 15 | 12 | 27 |
Monroe Rebounds By Cruising Past St. Ambrose, 49-14
The nightcap of the GMC Hoops doubleheader at Raritan Bay was a battle from the 7th and 8th Grade Division, but the contest was not as close as the first one. Monroe jumped out to a 23-9 first half lead, and then outscored St. Ambrose for a 26-5 margin in the second half for an easy, 49-14 victory. The Falcons connected on 8 field goals, a three pointer, and 4 of 5 from the line in the first half while limiting St. Ambrose to just four field goals, and one of two from the line. Then, in the second half, the Purple Birds, registered 11 field goals, a three pointer, and a foul shot while limiting St. Ambrose to a field goal and a three.
For the game, Monroe made 19 field goals, two threes, and 5 of 7 from the foul line while St. Ambrose collected only five field goals, a three pointer, and one of two from the line. Tyler Salzer, Cameron Browne, Kenny Lepping, and Ryan Turco led the way for the Falcons, which were coming off a 51-44 loss at the hands of the Manalapan Assault on Wednesday. Meanwhile, St. Ambrose was flying high after defeating St. Stan’s on opening night. The Purple Birds scored the first four points of the contest including a layup by Lepping at the 19:03 mark. St. Ambrose got on the board with a running one hander that banked in at the 16:36 mark for a 4-2 score.
Monroe scored the next four points including a layin by Lepping at the 15:02 mark, and a short baseline jumper by Ryan Turco from the right side at the 14:50 mark for an 8-2 lead. The Falcons then added another field goal before St. Ambrose called for a timeout with 13:48 to go in the first half. Following the stoppage, neither team scored for the next 1:35 before St. Ambrose scored on another running shot at the 12:13 mark for a 10-4 Monroe loead. Salzer then got into the act with two free throws at the 10:38 mark for a 12-4 Monroe lead. The Purple Birds then got a steal, which led to another foul on Salzer, who then made one of two from the line for a 13-4 lead at the 9:10 mark.
St. Ambrose rallied with the next four points over a span of 3:32 including a jumper from the left wing at the 8:06 mark, and a layup at the 5:38 mark that closed the gap to 13-8. However, Monroe didn’t let St. Ambrose get any closer after that. The Falcons first got a three pointer by Turco off a kickout to the right wing at th 5:06 mark for a 16-8 lead. The Purple Birds then got another basket from Lepping as he was fouled for a traditional three point play at the four minute mark. Browne then got on the board with a layup for a 21-8 lead with 3:20 left in the first half. St. Ambrose then got its final points of the half with a one of two showing from the line with 2:20 left for a 21-9 Monroe lead.
The Falcons, which took advantage of a solid combination of good passing and ball movement along with a tremendous rebounding edge, then closed out the first half scoring with a steal and drive up the right side for a layup, and a 23-9 lead at the intermission. Browne led Monroe with 7 points while Lepping chipped in with 6. Turco and Salzer each chipped in with five. In the second half, the Purple Birds picked up right where they left off. Just 25 seconds into the half, they put together a nice passing display that was capped by a feed from Turco to Salzer for a layup, and a 25-9 lead. Following a Monroe timeout at the 18:48 mark, Turco scored again on a jumper off a dribble to his right on the right side for a 27-9 lead at the 18:27 mark.
Following two missed free throws by St. Ambrose at the 17:20 mark, Salzer connected on a jumper from the left side of the foul line for a 29-9 lead with 15:19 left. The Falcons then made one of two from the line at the 13:42 mark before Browne scored on an offensive rebound and follow for a 32-9 lead with 13 minutes left. After St. Ambrose called a timeout with 12:34 to play, Monroe got two more field goals off fast breaks for a 36-9 advantage, and then closed out the game with a 13-5 run consisting of five field goals and a three for the 49-14 win. With the victory, Monroe evened its record at 1-1 while St. Ambrose dropped to 1-1.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe (1-1) | 23 | 26 | 49 |
| St. Ambrose (1-1) | 9 | 5 | 14 |