EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ–On Wednesday afternoon, GMC Hoops took a trip over to East Brunswick Tech to see the Tigers in action against South Amboy. Both teams struggled to get going offensively before the Guvs ended the first half with the final six points, and went on an 10-4 run to start the third to take a 25-15 lead. The Guvs got a solid effort from sophomore big man Joe Fruncillo while Steve Herdman started to pick it up from the perimeter in the third period below are the notes from the first three frames.
First Quarter
Arrive with 6:44 to go in the period and E.B. Tech leading 2-0. Â South Amboy misses first six shots before calling timeout at the 1:42 mark. Â Following the stoppage, Dan Murphy got the Guvs on the board with a putback off his own miss to tie the game. Â
Despite South Amboy’s struggles, the Tigers have not been able to take advantage with turnovers at the 3:43, 2:52, and 2:10 marks. Â Following a layup by #45 for E.B. Tech off an assist by Mike Hardy, Joe Fruncillo drew a foul on a layup attempt, and made both FTs for a 4-4 tie with 22.2 seconds to go in the period. Â E.B. Tech had a couple chances to score in the final seconds of the frame, but were unable to score.
Second Quarter
East Brunswick Tech got an early score again on a feed from Hardy to Dequan Calimese for a layup at the 7:10 mark, and a 6-4 lead. Â Herdman went down briefly with an injury at the 7:08 mark, but came back in a short time later. Â Once again, both teams struggled to get a flow goingn. Â Matt Lavan cut to the hoop for a layup at the 5:30 mark for a 6-6 tie, and then Fruncillo took an entry pass for a score while being fouled at the 5:05 mark to give the Guvs a three point play and a 9-6 lead. Â
Neither team would score for the next 2:07 before Hardy converted a three point play to tie the game at 9-9 with under three minutes left in the half. Â Â South Amboy would take a 15-9 lead going into the locker room with the final six points including a basket by Steve Herdman at the 1:49 mark, two free throws by Fruncillo at the 1:06 mark, and a layup by Murphy with 32.5 seconds left in the half.
SA–Fruncillo–7 points, Murphy–4 points, Herdman–2 points, Lavan–2 points.
EBT–Hardy–3 points, Calimese–2 points.
Third Quarter
With 1:27 to go in the third period, there was an official timeout with South Amboy leading 23-15. Â Both teams were warned by the officials. Â Prior to that, the Guvs outscoreds the Tigers by a margin of 8-6 including a layup by Fruncillo for a 17-11 lead, one of two free throws by Charles Panell for an 18-11 lead, a three by Herdman for a 21-13 lead, and another two free throws by Pannell for the 23-15 edge. Â
Following the stoppage, the Guvs got another score from Fruncillo for a 25-15 lead before Calimese of E.B. Tech struck for a three pointer with about a minute or so to go in the period. Â Herdman then ended the frame with another trey for a 28-18 lead heading into the fourth. Â Both teams continued to struggle to find a rhythm although the Guvs were starting to play better offensively. Â East Brunswick Tech wasn’t able to solve the various zone defenses by the Guvs. Â They had trouble hitting any shots from the perimeter, especially from three point range.