SOMERVILLE, NJ–On Sunday night, GMC Hoops traveled down to Immaculata High School in Somerville after work to see action from the second night of games in the second annual Immaculata Fall League. The site saw two games, and both involved teams from the GMC. In the first contest, Franklin took on St. Joseph’s-White while Middlesex battled Immaculata in the second in a game that reunited old Mountain Valley Conference rivals.
Franklin Rallies To Beat St. Joe’s-White, 60-57
GMC Hoops arrived late for this one since it was a 7:00 PM start, and we got out of work at 7:30 PM. With 6:30 to go in the contest, St. Joe’s-White led by a score of 46-42, but Franklin would rally in the form of an 18-11 surge down the stretch to register the 60-57 win. The Warriors, which defeated South Plainfield in week one action (53-46), got a field goal at the six minute mark, and two foul shots with 5:46 remaining to tie the game at 46-46. Kevin Waitikovich then drove in for a layin, and a 48-46 lead at the 5:08 mark, but Franklin would tie things back up again at 48-48 with a layup moments later. The Falcons went back in front with a basket and foul, but missed the bonus free throw at the 4:36 mark for a 50-48 lead.
However, St. Joe’s-White wouldn’t have the lead for long as Franklin drew a foul at the other end, and made two foul shots to tie things back up at 50-50 with 3:40 to go. Following a Falcon timeout at the 3:16 mark, Kevin Mayce put St. Joe’s-White back in front at 52-50 with an offensive rebound and follow off a Waitikovich miss at the 2:50 mark. Franklin would take the lead for the first time since our arrival when the Warriors got an offensive rebound that set up a three pointer from the left corner for a 53-52 lead at the 2:00 mark. Moments later though, the Falcons quickly got the ball upcourt to Waitikovich, who drew a foul, and made two free throws for a 54-53 lead with 1:53 remaining. On its next possession, Franklin wrestled the lead back with an offensive rebound and follow for a 55-54 edge with 1:34 to play.
Following a Falcons timeout with 1:25 to go, St. Joe’s-White went back in front 56-55 on an offensive rebound and follow of a Jalen Gilmore miss with 1:18 remaining in regulation. The Falcons had a chance to cushion their lead, but missed the front end of a one and one with 46 seconds remaining. Franklin then made an off balance shot that banked in for a 57-56 lead with 39 seconds to go. The Warriors then had a chance to go up even further, but misfired on the front end of a one and one with 24 seconds to play. St. Joe’s-White tried to take advantage, but Ace Sudah missed a shot, and Gilmore, who drew a foul on the follow, came up empty on two free throw attempts. Franklin then got the ball back, drew a foul with 12 seconds to go, and made one of two for a 58-56 lead. Waitikovich got the rebound, and drew a foul with 11 seconds to go, but made only one of two from the line, and although Mayce got the offensive rebound, he traveled and Franklin still lead 58-57 with nine seconds to play.
After a Franklin timeout with eight seconds lefet, the Warriors broke St. Joe’s pressure for a layup, and a 60-57 lead. Still with a chance to tie, St. Joe’s-White hurried the ball downcourt, and got it into the hands of Waitikovich, who took a three point attempt that hit the back of the rim as time expired. With the victory, Franklin improved to 2-0 on the fall while St. Joseph’s-White dropped to 1-1.
Spartan Size Too Much For Middlesex In 76-58 Loss
The featured game of the night at IHS in this second week of action in the 2010 Immaculata Fall League was between two old rivals from the Mountain Valley Conference as Immaculata hosted Middlesex. This game was dominated for the most part by Immaculata, which just had too much size for Middlesex to contend with. Yet, as most Brian Feath coached Blue Jay teams do, they fought hard, and never gave up. Immaculata broke away from a 17-17 tie at the 7:05 mark of the first half with three straight treys to take a 26-17 lead with 5:46 to go in the first half en route to a 34-22 halftime lead. Then, in the second half the Spartans put the game away with a 15-2 tear over a span of 7:43 for a 54-33 advantage as Immaculata went on to win easily, 76-58.
For the game, Middlesex went 21 of 45 from the floor for 47 percent including a solid 7 of 15 from three point range. The Jays also made 9 of 14 shots from the foul line. Meanwhile, Immaculata made 30 of 55 from the floor for 55 percent including 6 of 15 from three point range. The Spartans had some struggles from the line though by going 10 of 17 in their only real flaw of the game. Turnovers played a key role as Immaculata forced Middlesex to commit 17 turnovers, and scored 18 points off of those miscues while only making 13 mistakes. The Jays only scored 7 points off Spartan turnovers. Rebounding also played a part in Immaculata’s win. On the boards, the Spartans enjoyed a 30-17 advantage including a 13-5 edge on the offensive glass. Immaculata took advantage of those additional opportunities with a 20-2 edge in second chance points.
In other statistical areas, Immaculata had more assists (18-13), steals (10-6), blocks (2-1), and charges (1-0). Standing out in a losing cause for Middlesex in this one was John Santoro. The senior clicked on 5 of 7 shots including both of his three point attempts, and made 7 of 8 from the foul line for a team high 19 points along with 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Dave Schenck chipped in with 5 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block while Connor Bogus added 4 points and 3 rebounds. Chris Winkleman chipped in with 3 points, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a rebound. The rest of the Middlesex roster in attendance went 10 of 25 from the floor for 27 points while also collecting 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. Darien McDuffie contributed for Immaculata with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Middlesex hung in there for much of the first half. The undersized Jays stood toe to toe with the Spartans for the first 12:55 of the contest. Santoro opened the game with a three pointer from the left wing off an assist by Winkleman. Immaculata roared back though with four unanswered points including a basket and a foul, and then an offensive rebound and putback for a 4-3 lead at the 20:14 mark. IHS then added one of two from the line for a 5-3 lead with 19:17 to go in the first half before Schenck responded with one of two from the line for a 5-4 score at the 18:08 mark. A little over a minute later, Santoro drove by McDuffie for a layup, and a 6-5 Middlesex lead. However, the Spartans reclaimed the advantage with a 5-0 run that made the score, 10-6. MHS then scored five of the next seven points to creep within one at 12-11, but Immaculata scored four of the ensuing six to take a 16-13 edge at the 10:23 mark.
Just under a minute later, Immaculata increased its edge slightly to 17-13 with a one of two showing from the foul line at the 9:28 mark, but Santoro single handedly tied the game by first drawing a foul on a baseline drive that produced two free throws at the 8:18 mark, and then swiping a steal and driving in for a tough layup that made the score, 17-17 with 7:05 remaining in the first half. Middlesex wouldn’t tie, or take the lead again as Immaculata went ahead for good with three straight from beyond the arc for a 9-0 run, and a 26-17 lead with 5:46 left in the half. Santoro drew a foul on a shot attempt, and made one of two from the line for a 26-18 score at the 5:25 mark, but McDuffie countered with two foul shots of his own for a 28-18 lead with four minutes to go before the intermission. The Spartans then closed the half with a 6-4 run for a 17-5 tear over the final 7:05 to take a 34-22 lead at the break.
At the intermission, Middlesex went 8 of 20 from the foul line including 2 of 6 from three point range, and 4 of 6 from the foul line while committing 11 turnovers. Meanwhile, Immaculata connected on 13 of 29 from the floor including 4 of 12 from beyond the arc, and made 4 of 7 from the foul line while committing just 6 turnovers. After one period of play, Santoro had compiled 10 points on 3 of 5 shooting from the floor including a three pointer, and 3 of 4 from the foul line while also collecting 2 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. The Spartans had 12 points off Middlesex turnovers, and had 9 second chance points in the first half. The Jays tried to fight back early on in the second half, but gave way to a decisive Immaculata run that put the game out of reach.
Middlesex opened the second half scoring much like it did in the first half with a three pointer of a pass by Winkleman to close the gap to 37-27 with 20:05 to play. Immaculata went back up by a dozen with a short bank shot before calling a timeout at the 19:31 mark. Bogus then scored on an offensive rebound and follow of a Schenck miss at the 18:45 mark to make the score, 39-29, and then Schenck passed to Bogus for another layup that pulled the Blue Jays within eight at 39-31 with 18:20 to go. Unfortunately, MHS was unable to get any closer. Immaculata went on a 15-2 tear over the next 6:58 to take a commanding 54-33 lead. The run was highlighted by an unusual four point play that was completed with 11:22 to go.
After Immaculata drew a foul on a shot, and made one of two from the line with 13:37 left, the Spartans continued to hold Middlesex at bay until the 11:22 mark when they got a steal for a layup while being fouled. Missing the bonus free throw, IHS got the offensive rebound, and put in the follow to make the score, 50-31 with 11:22 left. The Spartans then scored four of the next six points including a steal for a layup to take a 54-33 lead as the Jays called for time with 10:52 remaining. Middlesex outscored IHS by a margin of 16-11 over the next 5:31, but could only get as close as 65-49 before the Spartans made two free throws at the 5:21 mark for a 67-49 lead. Immaculata and Middlesex then each scored nine points the rest of the way for the 76-58 victory. With the win, Immaculata improved to 1-1 on the fall while Middlesex dropped to 0-2.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Immaculata (1-1) | 34 | 42 | 76 |
| Middlesex (0-2) | 22 | 36 | 58 |
GMC Hoops was back out at Immaculata High School to see week three action from this league on October 3rd including a contest between Columbia and Watchung Hills and another between St. Joseph’s-Green and Hillsborough.