Huelbig Led Lions Pull Away From Resilient Falcons
MIDDLETOWN, NJ–Hopes for a magical run through the field of the Central Jersey Group IV state tournament ended for Monroe on Thursday. Third seeded Middletown North put those dreams to an end, but not without a fight from the 11th seeded Falcons. Coming off a 72-64 upset of sixth seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro South on Tuesday, the Falcons were looking to advance to the semifinals for the first time since 2009. The third seeded Lions, looking to make a return trip to the final four, had other ideas.
Led by standout Jason Huelbig, who registered a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds, the Lions overcame a 41-39 third quarter deficit with a 20-10 finish for the 59-51 victory. Huelbig, who sparked the run with a putback that tied the game at 41-41 with 2:17 left in the third, had 10 of his points during the run including eight in the fourth quarter. Among his eight final period points were two jams in the final 6:33 of the contest. Monroe was led by Ryan Genevieve, who scored 17 points in the contest including 14 in the second half.
The Lions, which were first round winners of Brick Memorial (67-49), came out firing early with three consecutive three points and a conventional three point play to take a 14-6 lead with 5:07 to go in the opening period. The Shore Conference squad couldn’t seem to miss at all while Monroe was the exact opposite as it couldn’t buy a shot. Middletown North’s advantage increased to 18-8 prior to a Falcons timeout with 3:18 left in the quarter. Following a score by Nick Isola, who had six points in the opening period for Monroe, the Lions got two baskets including a layup for the 10 point lead. Bolstered by a very energetic student section, Middletown North built up a 14 point lead on two occasions, late in the first period, and early in the second after a Huelbig score.
However, Monroe showed some guts, determination, and tenacity while also not being fazed by the hostile atmosphere in the Northern Monmouth County gym. Over a span of 6:02, the Falcons went on a 18-6 run that turned a 26-12 deficit into a tenuous 32-30 Lions lead. Josh Polefka pounded the glass for 6 points including two putbacks during the run while Genevieve got on the board with a three from the left wing at the 5:50 mark, and Isola, Ryan Stolte, and Chuka Onukwugha added scores as well. Huelbig then made three of four from the foul line to give Middletown North a five point, 35-30 cushion at the half. At the start of the third, the Falcons picked up where they left off. Following a putback by Huelbig for a 37-30 lead in the first minute of the second half, Monroe scored 11 of the next 13 points to take the lead.
Victor Sorrento scored five points during the run while Genevieve connected on a three to tie the game at 39-39. The Purple Birds would take the lead a short time later, but it didn’t last long. Middletown North scored six straight points sparked by Huelbig’s putback. Following a traveling call at the 1:57 mark, the Lions took the lead for good on a layup at the 1:34 mark, and then made two free throws in the final minute before Monroe got a basket to cut the lead to two heading into the fourth. The Falcons would get no closer the rest of the way. Middletown North opened the fourth with a 7-0 run over the first 2:18 including the first of two jams by Huelbig for a 52-43 lead. After that, Monroe couldn’t get any closer than eight while the Lions led by as many as 11 before Genevieve knocked in a three to round out the 59-51 final score.
The first half was a tale of two different quarters. Fueled by its hot shooting start, and its spirited student section, Middletown North dominated the first period. Settling down, Monroe took over in the second to turn what appeared to be a runaway for the Lions into a basketball game again by the half. The third quarter saw the Falcons continue their momentum gained in the second to take the lead before the tide shifted back to Middletown North, which then pulled away for the win. The Lions appeared to take a breath in the third by slowing things down, and spreading things out. Monroe kept on the attack though. Over a span of about 10 minutes from the first minute of the second period to about three minutes to go in the third, the Purple Birds outscored Middletown North by a margin of 29-13 to take its first and only lead of the game.
With the victory, Middletown North set a school record for most wins in a season with a 23-5 record. The Lions have had a solid run these past two years, and should be commended for not only managing to get to the CJ Group IV semifinals last year following the controversy surrounding Shilque Calhoun, but also putting together another fine season this year to get back to the semis. North Nation has a squad that plays good team basketball. Obviously, Huelbig is a large part of the Lions success, but the efforts of others such as Corey Thompson, Tim Frawley (6 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks), and Eric Youncofski (5 points and 8 assists) are just as big a reason why Middletown North has been so successful.
The season ends for Monroe, but there is plenty to be happy about. This year’s squad equaled the best start in school history with seven straight wins to open the season. MTHS returned to the GMCT Elite Eight for the fourth time in the last seven years, and won their holiday tournament. The Purple Birds also defeated second ranked North Brunswick, a solid Piscataway Tech squad in the GMCT, and upset West Windsor-Plainsboro South, a team that had won 20 games this season. The Falcons also defeated Hunterdon Central and Ewing. Most importantly though, the Falcons bounced back to win 15 games after a difficult season last year that saw their coach and two top players leave mid-summer.
There are also more bright days ahead for Monroe. Nick Isola, Ryan Stolte, and Chuka Onukwugha all return next year along with reserves Andrew Ha, Chris Germano, Nick Marinelli, and Mario Danza. Meanwhile, the freshmen team had a solid year finishing third in the Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament.