RAHWAY, NJ–On Thursday night, GMC Hoops traveled out to Rahway High School to catch the final game in Thursday night action from the 2010 Rahway Summer League. The site saw the last game, and it involved two teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference. In this game, Cardinal McCarrick was taking on St. Joseph’s. Again, the youngsters that St. Joe’s had for this game (their varsity played at Elizabeth and Linden earlier in the day), played a spirited game in a losing cause. The Eagles just had too much talent, and experience to prevail in this one.
McCarrick Pulls Away In Second Half To Down St. Joe’s, 43-29
Like St. Joseph’s, Cardinal McCarrick has more than one summer league to compete in. The Eagles, which are also competing in the Tuesday/Thursday Division of the Linden Summer League with the Falcons, are also in the Rahway Summer League. They had a solid first week with a 54-18 victory over A.L. Johnson in the opener, and a strong performance in the second half to defeat Union Catholic in its second game, 46-27. Meanwhile, GMC Hoops saw St. Joseph’s pose a formidable challenge to Perth Amboy on June 18th before falling to the Panthers, 42-31.
GMC Hoops arrived at the half with McCarrick leading by a score of 20-14. Both teams struggled offensively early on in the second half as neither team scored for the first four and a half minutes. The Eagles had an opportunity at the 16:49 mark, but Jumanne McDaniel, who was fouled down low off an inbounds, missed both foul shot attempts. McDaniel’s teammate, and soon to be senior, Jeremy Cruz picked up his teammate when he dribbled in a step near the foul line, and then backed up for a pull-up jumper at the 15:30 mark for a 22-14 lead. A little over 40 seconds later, St. Joe’s got a field goal to pull within six at 22-16 with 14:49 left. McCarrick went back up by eight as Will Thomas, who scored six points in the second half, made two from the foul line for a 24-16 advantage at the 14:09 mark.
A bit more than a minute and a half later, Chris Peralta connected on a three pointer from right in front of the site’s vantage point in the right corner for a 27-16 lead at the 12:31 mark. St. Joe’s got a bucket to draw within single digits again, but it didn’t last long as McCarrick came right back down and scored on a layup by McDaniel at the 11:42 mark for a 29-18 lead. Following a St. Joseph’s timeout at the 9:41 mark, Charlie Gorman picked up a steal, got the ball to Cruz, who then dished to Thomas for a running one hander at the 9:19 mark for a 31-18 lead. Robert Nunez then added to the lead with an offensive rebound and follow attempt that drew a foul, and resulted in two free throws for a 33-18 score at the 8:03 mark. Over the next 1:54, St. Joseph’s tried to fight back with a 4-0 run including a steal off Gorman for a layup that made the score, 33-22, but they couldn’t get any closer.
McCarrick continued to do a fine job of teamwork as Nunez swiped a steal, got the ball to Thomas, who passed to Gorman for a layup, and a 35-22 lead. Nunez initiated another score with a rebound and outlet to Gorman, who passed upcourt to Cruz, who dribbled and dished to Thomas for a layup from the left side for a 37-22 lead with 3:59 to go. St. Joseph’s got a bucket to pull within 13, but the Eagles got the points back as Thomas fed Nunez for a layin, and a 39-24 lead at the 3:02 mark. St. Joseph’s closed the game with a 5-4 run, but the Falcons fell short of the Eagles, 43-29.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinal McCarrick (3-0) | 20 | 23 | 43 |
| St. Joseph’s | 14 | 15 | 29 |
GMC Hoops plans to be back out at the Rahway Summer League on Friday night.