UNION, NJ–After watching the final three games of the AM session at Kean, GMC Hoops stayed for the duration of the PM session as it watched St. Joseph’s play in all three games while taking in other action as well involving teams such as Ridge, Rutgers Prep, St. Anthony’s, White Plains, Point Beach, Paterson Kennedy, and Bloomfield Tech. The majority of the coverage though as spent on the Falcons of St. Joseph’s, which defeated Bloomfield Tech in their opening round game (56-41), lost to Point Beach in the semifinals (66-60), and fell to White Plains in the third place consolation game (41-37). Ridge wound up winning the event after defeating Rutgers Prep in the first round (52-40), knocking off White Plains of New York in the semifinals (34-31), and downing Point Pleasant Beach in the championship game (56-46).
Last Second Shot Lifts White Plains Past St. Anthony’s, 52-50
This one was quite a downybrook. St. Anthony’s didn’t bring their varsity squad to this event, but they still didn’t disappoint with plenty of young talent to go around. White Plains was up for the challenge still hoping to next off the Friars. The New York school, which goes up against the likes of Mount Vernon during the regular season went tooth and nail with St. Anthony’s in a game that went down to the wire. The Friars had a 29-20 lead at the half before White Plains began to make its move with a 12-8 run that closed the gap to 37-32 before a St. Anthony’s layin at the 12:34 mark for a 39-32 lead. Following a free throw by White Plains that closed the gap to six at 39-33, the Friars netted a three pointer from the right wing at the 11:15 mark for a 42-33 lead.
Over the next 7:29, White Plains made a game of it with a 10-3 spurt to close the gap to 45-43 with 3:46 to play. The New York team then tied the game with a score before St. Anthony’s was fouled down low and made one of two from the line for a 46-45 advantage with 2:56 left. White Plains then went out in front with a layup and a foul for a 47-46 lead at the 2:08 mark. Following a timeout by the Friars with 1:40 to go, St. Anthony’s missed a jumper that turned into a White Plans fastbreak capped by a jam for a 49-46 lead with 50.6 seconds to go. Both teams exchanged one of two showings at the foul line for a 50-47 White Plains lead with 29.4 remaining. Then, St. Anthony’s got a little bit of good fortune as it connected on a three pointer from the left wing that bounced off the rim, rolled along the top part of the backboard, and fell in for a 50-50 tie with 16.5 seconds to go.
White Plains had a chance to take the lead, but missed the front end of a one and one. Following a St. Anthony’s timeout with 7.3 seconds to go, White Plains forced St. Anthony’s to turn the ball over before calling its own timeout with just under a second to go. On the ensuing inbounds, White Plains lobbed the ball from right in front of their own sideline to the opposite side of the basket for a catch and shoot that fell in as time expired for the 52-50 victory. With the win, White Plains advanced to play Ridge in the semifinals, and started out at 1-0 while St. Anthony’s dropped to 0-1.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Plains (1-0) | 20 | 32 | 52 |
| St. Anthony’s (0-1) | 29 | 21 | 50 |
Ridge Defeats Somerset County Foe In Rutgers Prep, 52-40
While White Plains and St. Anthony’s were involved in a last second thriller, Ridge was disposing of Rutgers Prep in the other 3:30 PM first round game. The Devils jumped out to a 27-16 halftime lead, and still led 35-31 with 10:24 to go after a 15-8 start to the second half by Rutgers Prep. RHS then put some distance between itself and the Argonauts with a 10-3 spurt over the next 7:56 to take a 45-34 lead with two and a half minutes remaining.
Ridge then added another field goal for a 12-3 spurt, and a 47-34 lead with 1:34 left. The Red Devils then wrapped up the victory with a three pointer from the right wing for a 50-34 advantage with 1:16 to go. Rutgers Prep then closed the game with six of the final eight points including two free throws from former Edison standout, Greg Grippo with 57.2 seconds left for the 52-40 Ridge victory. With the win, Ridge started off at 1-0, and advanced to the semifinals to take on White Plains. Rutgers Prep fell to 0-1 and played St. Anthony’s in a consolation game.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge (1-0) | 27 | 25 | 52 |
| Rutgers Prep (0-1) | 16 | 24 | 40 |
Double-Double From DeCosey And Strong Shooting Effort From Long Lead St. Joe’s Past Bloomfield Tech, 56-41
After struggling in the first two games at the Hoop Group Elite Team Camp, soon to be junior, Quenton DeCosey was looking to play better in this showcase. His first opportunity came against Bloomfield Tech in the opening round of action in the PM session of the second Kean Ironman Challenge of the summer at Harwood Arena on the main campus of Kean University. DeCosey ended up with 24 points while soon to be sophomore, Jimbo Long added 18 as the two combined for 75 percent of St. Joe’s offense in a 56-41 victory over the Spartans.
Bloomfield Tech took a 23-22 halftime lead before the Falcons exploded with a 34-18 showing over the final 20 minutes to get the victory and advance to play Point Pleasant Beach in the semifinals. DeCosey went 9 of 16 from the floor including two of four from three point range while making all four of his foul shots. He also grabbed 12 rebounds for a double-double while collecting three steals, two assists, and a block. Long went 6 of 10 from the floor including a three of five effort from three point range, and made 3 of 4 from the foul line. Long also had four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.
Nick Straughn made a solid contribution for the Falcons as well by going 3 of 7 from the fllor, and 2 of 2 from the line for 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. James Ziemba (2 points, 9 rebounds, and an assist), Albert Myers III (2 points) helped round out the scoring for St. Joseph’s, which also had contributions from Jake Dadika and Jordan Tapia, who combined for 2 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. For the game, St. Joe’s went 21 of 46 from the floor for 46 percent including 5 of 12 from beyond the arc while making 9 of 10 from the foul line. More importantly though, the Green Birds limited Bloomfield Tech to just 15 of 61 shooting including only 4 of 19 from long range. The Spartans made 7 of 8 from the foul line while forcing 14 Falcon turnovers that they converted into eight points.
Bloomfield Tech, which is under the guidance of second year head coach, Pete Vasil, who previously coached at Plainfield and Clifton, also grabbed 15 offensive rebounds that they converted into 10 second chance points. St. Joe’s pulled down ten offensive boards that it turned into 10 second chance points. The Falcons also outrebounded the Spartans by a margin of 38-30 in the victory. Bloomfield Tech had fewer turnovers (9-14), but St. Joseph’s had more assists (12-4). The Spartans had more steals (8-4) and blocks (6-1). St. Joe’s was only 8 of 22 from the floor in the first half, but Bloomfield Tech, a program that missed the state tournament in each of the last two years after being one of the most dominant programs in Group I, was limited to just 8 of 29 field goals.
St. Joseph’s actually jumped out to an 8-2 lead over the first 7:54 of the contest as Bloomfield Tech missed its first eight shots, and only managed two free throws. Meanwhile, DeCosey opened the scoring with a layup off an inbounds play by Long at the 17:41 mark. After a Spartan timeout, Long got on the board with a drive through the middle for a layup, and a 4-0 lead before Bloomfield Tech got on the board with two free throws at the 14:30 mark. The Falcons scored the next four points as DeCosey factored in the two scores including an assist on a Ziemba layup, and a drive for a layup himself that made the score 8-2 at the 12:06 mark. However, the Spartans didn’t stay down for long with a 6-2 run to pull within 10-8 before Long made one of two from the line for an 11-8 advantage with 9:45 to go in the first half.
The Spartans then scored five of the next seven points for an 11-4 run that was capped by a three pointer from the right wing for a 13-13 tie with 8:03 to go in the half. Bloomfield Tech had a chance to take the lead, but Long came up with a key steal, and drove upcourt, where he drew a foul that produced two free throws for a 15-13 Falcon lead at the six minute mark. The Green Birds then scored five of the next eight points for a 7-3 run that included a three pointer from Long off a kickout by DeCosey at the 3:51 mark for a 20-16 lead. Bloomfield Tech took control of the game though with seven unanswered points over the next 2:31 to take a 23-20 lead. The Spartans got a score at the three minute mark, a drive for a layup with 1:58 left in the half to tie the score at 20-20, and then capped the run with a three pointer from the left wing for a 23-20 edge with 1:20 left in the half.
Bloomfield Tech had rallied from a 10-2 deficit with a 21-10 surge to take the three point lead, and went into the locker room ahead by one at 23-22 after DeCosey made two foul shots with 13.9 seconds to go in the half. DeCosey was only 3 of 9 from the floor in the first half, but made both his free throw attempts for a team high 8 points along with 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Long was two of three from the floor including a three pointer, and also made 3 of 4 from the line to equal DeCosey for team high at 8 points while also picking up three rebounds. In the second half though, DeCosey and Long turned things up offensively as DeCosey made 6 of 9 shots while Long was 4 of 7 from the floor. As a team, St. Joe’s benefited by going 13 of 24 from the field in the second half including 5 of 7 from three point range.
Over the first four minutes of the second half, the Falcons went on a 10-4 run including a three point play by DeCosey for a 32-27 lead with 16 minutes to go. DeCosey registered another traditional three point play while he scored on an offensive rebound and follow while being fouled at the 13:49 mark for a 37-29 lead. Long then made it an 18-6 lead with a three pointer at the thirteen minute mark for a 40-29 edge. Straughn then chipped in with two free throws with 12:20 to go for a 42-29 lead. Bloomfield Tech tried to climb back into the game with a 6-4 run that closed the gap to 46-35, but DeCosey struck for three pointers on back to back possessions, and the Falcons remained in command at 52-35 with 7:30 to play. From there, St. Joe’s just ran out the clock although it was outscored the rest of the way by a 6-4 margin. With the 56-41 victory, the Falcons started the PM Session at 1-0, and moved on to the semifinals to face Point Pleasant Beach. Bloomfield Tech began the day at 0-1.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Joseph’s (1-0) | 22 | 34 | 56 |
| Bloomfield Tech (0-1) | 23 | 18 | 41 |
Rutgers Prep Defeats St. Anthony’s In Consolation, 48-39
In this consolation game, Rutgers Prep stormed out to a 15-5 lead with 12:47 to go in the first half, but the Friars began to chip away at the deficit after the Argonauts led 24-13 with 3:35 to go in the first half. St. Anthony’s closed the first half with a 7-2 outburst to pull within six at 26-20 at the intermission, and opened the second half with a 9-7 run over the first 6:46 to pull within 33-29 with 13:14 remaining. However, the Argonauts wouldn’t let the Friars get any closer as the Somerset team closed the game with a 15-10 run for the 48-39 final. With the victory, Rutgers Prep evened up their record at 1-1 on the day, and advanced to the consolation final against Bloomfield Tech, which defeated Paterson Kennedy by a score of 58-53 in another consolation bracket game. St. Anthony’s dropped to 0-2 on the day.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers Prep (1-1) | 26 | 22 | 48 |
| St. Anthony’s (0-2) | 20 | 19 | 39 |
Ridge Knocks Off White Plains In Semis, 34-31
In the first of the two semifinals, Ridge took on White Plains of New York. The Devils, which won in their first round game over Rutgers Prep, played stingy defense against a White Plains team that defeated St. Anthony’s in the first round. The result was a 34-31 victory to advance to the Championship Game against Point Pleasant Beach at 8:30 PM. White Plains jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the first 7:34 of the contest after a layup at the 12:26 mark. Ridge then scored the next five points including a layup off a nice pass to the cutter for a 7-6 lead with 11:09 to go in the half. White Plains scored the next four points for a 10-7 lead as RHS called for time with 10:14 to play in the period.
The Devils eventually tied things up at 10-10 on a three pointer from Connor Skea with 7:22 to go in the first half, and then scored three of the last five points of the half to take a 13-12 lead going into the brief intermission. In the second half, Ridge opened up a five point lead at 23-18 on a 10-6 run over the first 9:53. White Plains responded though with a 6-0 run for a 24-23 lead at the 8:10 mark. However, Ridge retook the lead at 32-29 with a 9-5 run over the next 7:38. White Plains pulled within one on a baseline drive for a layup at the 29 second mark, but Tom Gambino sealed the 34-31 victory with a pair of free throws at the five second mark. With the victory, Ridge improved to 2-0 on the day while White Plains dropped to 1-1.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ridge (2-0) | 13 | 21 | 34 |
| White Plains (1-1) | 12 | 19 | 31 |
Hot Shooting Gulls Of Point Beach Down Falcons, 66-60
Quenton DeCosey continued his torrid shooting into the second game of the day for St. Joe’s, but it wasn’t enough as Jarelle Reischel and the Garnet Gulls of Point Pleasant Beach outscored the Falcons by a 40-30 margin in the first half, and held on for a 66-60 victory in the semifinal round of the PM Session of the third annual Ironman Challenge at Kean. For the game, Point Beach shot 22 of 39 overall for 56 percent including a scintillating 10 of 17 from beyond the arc for 59 percent. The Gulls also went 12 of 14 from the foul line. Meanwhile, St. Joseph’s made 21 of 45 shots for 47 percent including 9 of 19 from long distance for 47 percent. The Green Birds were also 8 of 13 from the foul line.
Both teams handled the basketball well as each only committed eight turnovers while Point Beach scored eight points off St. Joe’s miscues and the Falcons scored seven points off of Garnet Gulls mistakes. On the boards, St. Joe’s held a slight 18-17 advantage including a 4-3 edge on the offensive boards, but Point Beach took advantage of its second chances by scoring five points off the glass while the Falcons only had three. St. Joseph’s had more assists (15-12) and charges (1-0) while steals (4-4) and blocks (1-1) were even. DeCosey had a team high 30 points on 10 of 15 shooting from the floor including a near perfect 6 of 7 from beyond the arc. He also made 4 of 7 from the foul line, and pulled down another 8 rebounds while collecting an assist and a block in the loss.
However, the rest of the Falcons didn’t shoot well. They made only 11 of 30 shots outside of DeCosey, and when you took away the 5 of 12 effort by Nick Straughn, St. Joseph’s didn’t have much else. Straughn ended up with 11 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a rebound. Jimbo Long contributed with 5 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and a charge while incoming freshman, Jake Dadika made two of five shots (both threes) for 6 points, 2 assists, and a rebound. Kevin Mayce arrived late to the game after missing the first contest, and helped out with 4 points on a field goal and two free throws while getting an offensive rebound. James Ziemba (2 points, 2 assists, and a rebound) and Jordan Tapia (a point, 4 rebounds, and an assist) rounded out the Falcon scoring while Albert Myers III (an assist) played, but didn’t score.
DeCosey opened the scoring with a three pointer off an assist by Ziemba at the 19:10 mark for a 3-0 lead. Point Beach, which played with only five guys for the entire day, got a three pointer and a steal for a two handed jam by Reischel to take a 5-3 lead at the 17:18 mark. The Falcons rallied back though after giving up another score to the Gulls with a 7-0 run that included a three pointer and a layup by DeCosey for a 10-7 lead at the 15:12 mark. Point Pleasant Beach took the lead for good with a 9-2 run on three straight threes for a 16-12 lead at the thirteen minute mark. St. Joe’s tried to fight back with a 7-5 run that included another three from DeCosey, and one of two from the line by Tapia for a 21-19 advantage midway through the first half.
Point Beach, which made 9 of its first 14 shots including 6 of 9 from downtown, got another three by Reischel on a jumper from the right corner for a 24-19 lead as St. Joe’s called for time at the 9:32 mark. DeCosey, who was no slouch himself as he made each of his first six shots including five from long distance, connected on another three from the right corner at the 8:35 mark for a 27-22 Garnet Gulls lead. However, the Ocean County school went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:13 including two more threes for a 35-22 lead. The Gulls then made it an 11-0 run with a traditional three point play at the 4:32 mark for a 38-22 advantage. The Falcons then got a three pointer from Dadika and a layup by DeCosey as he was fouled in an 8-2 run that closed the gap to 40-30 at the intermission.
At the break, Point Pleasant Beach was 15 of 23 from the floor including a staggering 9 of 13 from three point range while St. Joe’s was only 11 of 27 from the field including 6 of 14 from beyond the arc. DeCosey was 7 of 9 from the floor at the intermission including 5 of 5 from three for 19 points along with 4 rebounds. St. Joseph’s turned up the heat defensively in the second half as it limited Point Beach to just 7 of 16 shooting from the floor, but the Gulls went to the line, and made 11 of 13 to pull out the win. The Falcons rallied with a 23-12 surge over the first 15:30 to take its first lead since 10-7 in the first half, but the Gulls stormed back with a decisive 8-0 run to take a 60-53 lead en route to the six point win.
Over a span of just under twenty minutes, St. Joe’s had gradually turned a 38-22 deficit into a one point lead with a 31-14 rally. Over a lull in the scoring for the first 2:09, DeCosey got an offensive rebound, and was fouled on the follow for a 40-32 Point Beach lead. Reischel then made a three pointer for a 43-34 advantage, but DeCosey answered with a drive for a layup at the 15:54 mark for a 43-34 score. On the next Garnet Gulls possession, Long drew a charge, and DeCosey cashed in soon afterward with a three from the right wing to close the gap to 43-37 at the 14:45 mark. DeCosey then made a fine play on defense with a blocked shot at the 14:34 mark. Over the next 3:20, the Falcons continued to peck away at the deficit with a 12-7 run that included a three pointer by Dadika prior to a timeout with 11:14 to play, and the score now reading 47-42 in favor of Point Pleasant Beach.
DeCosey then drove to the basket for a layup, and on a subsequent possession, drew a foul and made one of two from the line for a 47-45 Point Beach lead at the 9:42 mark. The Falcons then tied the game at 47-47 as Long passed to Straughn for a layup with 8:30 to go. Reischel then put the Gulls back out in front with an offensive rebound and follow, but DeCosey tied the score again at 49-49 with two foul shots at the 7:21 mark. Reischel then converted a traditional three point play for a 52-49 lead, but the Falcons fought back again with four unanswered points including a layup by Straughn off a feed from DeCosey to give the Falcons the one point lead with four and a half minutes to play in regulation. However, the lead was short lived as the Garnet Gulls reeled off eight straight points including a steal for a fast break layup at the 3:35 mark to take a 60-53 lead.
Long would hit a three pointer from deep on the right wing off a pass from Straughn with 1:36 to go, but the Falcons would get no closer than four points as Point Pleasant Beach advanced with a 66-60 victory. With the win, the Garnet Gulls improved to 2-0 on the day, and moved on to face Ridge in the Championship Game at 8:30 PM. St. Joseph’s dropped to 1-1, and faced White Plains in the third place game at 8:10 PM. Oh by the way, both of these teams compete in the Linden Summer League. So, it is possible that they could face each other again in the playoffs, which begin next week.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Point Pleasant Beach (2-0) | 40 | 26 | 66 |
| St. Joseph’s (1-1) | 30 | 30 | 60 |
White Plains Rallies In Second Half To Defeat St. Joe’s, 41-37
In the final game of the evening for both of these teams, St. Joseph’s faced White Plains in the third place game after each had lost a close contest in the semifinals. The Falcons fell to a hot Point Pleasant Beach team by a score of 66-60 while White Plains fell to Ridge in a low scoring affair, 34-31. The first half saw the Falcons rest some of its key players in DeCosey, Long, and Straughn while giving youngsters such as Jordan Tapia and Jake Dadika an opportunity to play. The Falcons jumped out to a 6-0 lead only to have White Plains rally with a 9-4 run to close the gap to 10-9 with 11:25 to go in the first half. Long then entered the game, and passed to Kevin Mayce for a layup, and a 12-9 advantage with 10:38 to go in the first half.
White Plains, which defeated St. Anthony’s in the opening round, got a layup while being fouled at the 9:17 mark, but missed the bonus free throw, and St. Joe’s stayed in front by a score of 12-11. The Falcons then added another score before White Plains called for time with 6:36 to go in the half. Following the timeout, the New York school got a basket to pull within one before Albert Myers III connected on a field goal with 4:39 to play in the half for a 16-13 Falcon lead. Over the next 2:33, St. Joe’s scored four of the next six points including a steal for a layup by Jake Dadika for a 20-15 lead with 2:06 remaining in the first half. White Plains got two of those points back with a layup while being fouled, but DeCosey made a jumper with 1:15 to go before intermission for a 22-17 lead.
White Plains continued to hang around as they executed well in transition for a two handed jam at the 56.3 second mark, but St. Joe’s got a three to end the first half scoring for a 25-19 advantage. In the second half, White Plains outscored the Falcons by a 22-12 margin for the 41-37 victory. The Westchester County team opened the second half scoring with a three from the right wing at the 18:38 mark for a 25-22 St. Joe’s lead. Mayce scored on a putback at the 17:54 mark for a 27-22 lead. The next trip down for White Plains produced a rare four point play as it made one of two from the line, and then got the offensive rebound, which led to a three pointer from the left wing at the 17:22 mark for a 27-26 St. Joe’s lead.
White Plains then scored an easy basket off a baseball pass to take a 28-27 lead, its first of the game with 15:18 to go. Then, the New York school forced another turnover by drawing a charge on Long at the 14;40 mark. White Plains then got a fast break layup for an 8-0 run, and a 30-27 lead with 13:27 remaining. The Falcons broke the spurt with a kickout to James Ziemba for a baseline jumper at the 12:21 mark for a 30-29 White Plains lead. The Tigers then scored five of the next six points for a 35-30 lead before Ziemba netted two from the foul line for a 35-32 score at the 9:01 mark. White Plains then added five of the next eight points for a 40-35 lead as St. Joe’s called a thirty second timeout after DeCosey went one of two from the line with 3:44 to play.
Robinson then got an offensive rebound and follow to pull the Falcons within three at 40-37 with 1:56 to go, but White Plains wouldn’t let St. Joe’s get any closer in the 41-37 victory. With the win, the Tigers finished up at 2-1 while St. Joseph’s ended the day at 1-2.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Plains (2-1) | 19 | 22 | 41 |
| St. Joseph’s (1-2) | 25 | 12 | 37 |
Ridge Defeats Point Beach For Title, 56-46
In the Championship Game, Ridge and Point Pleasant Beach went back and forth for much of the game. The Garnet Gulls, playing with only five guys throughout the tournament, held a 44-40 lead with several minutes to go, but the Devils put together a 16-2 surge to finish the contest for the 56-46 victory. The contest was stopped with 24.7 seconds to go when the officials decided that Point Beach couldn’t go any further. Its top player, Jarelle Reischel was spent, and was showing signs of leg cramps over the final few minutes of the contest. With the victory, Ridge went 3-0 in the competition while Point Beach ended up 2-1.
GMC Hoops would again like to thank Tom Wagenblast and the staff at Kean for their cooperation and hospitality.