LINDEN, NJ–On Wednesday night, GMC Hoops traveled over to Linden High School after being at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth earlier in the day to see the 7:30 PM game from the Monday/Wednesday Division of the 2011 Linden Summer League. The Colonia Patriots were in action against the St. Peter’s Prep Marauders from Jersey City.
St. Peter’s, which lost to Seton Hall Prep in the Non-Public A North Championship, was playing the first of two games at Linden on Wednesday night. Due to the July 4th holiday, all the teams had to play an extra game on one of the remaining nights. The Marauders had to play again at 8:30 PM against Point Pleasant Beach. Colonia fought valiantly again in this contest, but after a three pointer by Jordan McDaniel for a 38-37 lead with 56 seconds to play, St. Peter’s Prep closed the game with a 6 of 6 showing from the foul line to pull out a hard fought, 43-38 victory.
St. Peter’s Prep Edges Colonia With FT Down Stretch, 43-38
For the second straight game, Colonia played a powerhouse opponent in the Linden Summer League. And, for the second straight contest, the Patriots made a fine representation of themselves. As a matter of fact, the Pats had a lead with under a minute to go, but didn’t score again in the final 56 seconds while St. Peter’s Prep of Jersey City made six foul shots to pull out a five point win.
Despite being outnumbered, and having a size disadvantage, Colonia fought tooth and nail with the 2010 Non-Public A North Champion and 2011 Non-Public A North runner-up. There were 10 lead changes and five ties in the contest. Neither team had a lead bigger than seven points. Colonia’s biggest lead was 31-28 at the end of three quarters.
The Marauders held the lead for 27:53 while the game was tied for 7:10. Colonia only had the edge for 4:57. Jordan McDaniel played admirably against the larger frontline of St. Peter’s Prep. The Marauders seemed to have a ton of trees that McDaniel had to navigate in the paint, but the Colonia standout battled his way to the basket, and when he had his shot blocked or found himself trapped, he would either get the offensive rebound and tried to put it back in, or gathered himself for a score. He didn’t back down.
McDaniel ended up with 18 points on the day as he connected on four field goals including two threes while also making 8 of 11 from the foul line. Trent Barneys chipped in with 6 points along with spirited play that included diving for loose balls. His hustle almost got the best of him when he dove for a loose ball, and a St. Peter’s Prep player fell on him, which hurt his wrist. Barneys left the game for 2:18, but returned with four and a half minutes to play in the third, and stayed in for the rest of the contest.
St. Peter’s Prep tallied its 43 points on 13 field goals, four threes, and 13 of 21 from the foul line. The Marauders were 5 of 13 at one point in the fourth quarter, but netted all of its final eight attempts from the charity stripe to help come away with the victory. Colonia compiled its 35 points on 12 field goals including three treys, and 11 of 17 from the line. St. Peter’s Prep had a 12-9 edge in points scored from beyond the arc while also having a 13-11 edge in points scored from the foul line. The Jersey City school ended up with a 15-7 showing in the fourth as it limited the Patriots to just three field goals in the final frame.
A little less than two minutes into the second period, St. Peter’s Prep had a 17-12 lead. Over the next 18:09, Colonia outscored the Marauders by a margin of 19-11 to take a three point lead heading into the fourth. During this stretch, McDaniel scored half his total for the game including a three with a second to go in the first half to close the gap to 24-22 at the intermission, and two free throws at the 3:15 mark of the third to pull the Pats within one at 28-27. Barneys got his final points of the contest on a putback at the 1:29 to give CHS its first lead since the 1:50 mark of the first period.
Trailing by three at the start of the fourth, St. Peter’s scored the first four points of the final frame with a bank shot at the 9:25 mark, and a layup at the 8:44 mark to take a 32-31 lead. However, Colonia battled back with two offensive rebounds for a putback, and a 33-32 edge at the 7:29 mark. The Marauders came right back down to draw a foul on a drive, and made one of two from the line for a 33-33 tie with 7:12 remaining. St. Peter’s Prep took the lead at 35-33 with just under five minutes to play when it hit a floater from the right side.
McDaniel, who had five more points in the fourth, squared the game back up at 35-35 with 2:35 to play in regulation when he scored off a steal, but then the Jersey City school took the lead back when it got fouled on a putback attempt at the 1:53 mark, and made two foul shots for a 37-35 score. The Marauders held on to that two point edge for nearly a minute before McDaniel buried a three pointer from the top of the key for a 38-37 lead with 56 seconds to go. St. Peter’s Prep then made two pairs of free throws at the 42 and 19 second marks for a 41-38 lead.
Colonia had a chance to tie the game, and almost did when it got the ball into the hands of McDaniel for another open three attempt that drew groans from the St. Peter’s coaching staff sitting in the corner of the gym. However, McDaniel’s shot was just off the mark, and the Marauders got the rebound, and wrapped up the 43-38 win with two more free throws at the six second mark. Regular season play at Linden ended on Thursday night, and playoffs get underway with a full slate of opening round games on Monday starting at 4:30 PM.