Late Runs in First and Second Periods Help Tigers Get Past Feisty Wardlaw, 45-32
NORTH EDISON, NJ–The second scrimmage of the 2013-14 season for GMC Hoops was a matchup between two GMC schools with new coaches. Wardlaw-Hartridge, which recently hired former Summit head coach, Eugene Maxwell, hosted South Plainfield, which just hired previous JV and assistant coach, Matthew Connell as its new head coach, in a JV and varsity scrimmage on Thursday afternoon. Both the JV and Varsity played four quarters with an additional quarter played in the varsity scrimmage.
The South Plainfield JV rolled in their scrimmage against Wardlaw. The Junior Tigers jumped out to a 41-15 lead with under two minutes remaining in the third quarter, and then scored four of the last six points of that period, and the first four points of the final frame to take a 49-17 lead before Wardlaw finished the game with an 8-4 run including two three pointers. One of the two treys came in the final half minute to make the final score more respectable at 53-25.
Then, the two varsity teams took to the floor. Wardlaw came out with a lot of energy. The Rams communicated quite well on defense, and was able to take a 4-2 lead early on. Neither team scored for the first two minutes until Wardlaw’s John Pohopin, who ended up with 22 points for the Rams, got the first basket of the game on a layup off a steal at the 6:00 mark. South Plainfield would even the score with a bucket, but Wardlaw took the lead back on two free throws by Nick Palko midway through the frame. After that, the Tigers took over by scoring 10 of the final 13 points of the period for a 12-7 edge in the frame.
The Tigers were led during the pivotal stretch by junior guard, Jordan Hankerson, who scored six points during the spurt. SPHS got six straight points including two from Hankerson to take an 8-4 lead before Pohopin got Wardlaw’s only points during the stretch to cut the deficit to one at 8-7. South Plainfield then got two more scores by Hankerson to round out the period with a five point lead. The second started out much like the first quarter had ended with the Tigers getting the first four points of the frame before Pohopin got a layup to pull the Rams within seven at 16-9.
Following an injury timeout, South Plainfield scored 10 of the last 11 points of the first half including seven more from Hankerson to take a 27-10 halftime lead. Hankerson, who had at least 13 points in the first half, fed the team’s rally by forcing a couple Wardlaw turnovers during the stretch. He also highlighted the run with a three pointer for a 23-10 lead. The Tigers would add another score and then two free throws from senior Chris Mathis to take the 17 point advantage going into the intermission. The second half had Wardlaw winning both the third and tying the fourth period to have the scrimmage end up with South Plainfield winning the number of quarters 2 to 1. The Rams won the third 5-3, and the fourth ended in a 12-12 tie.
Wardlaw-Hartridge got all five of its points in the third from a hustling and scrappy Pohopin including a three pointer midway through the stanza for a 5-2 lead. The Rams also limited the Tigers to just one field goal during the frame. In the fourth quarter, the game was more of a back and forth battle as Wardlaw continued to hold its own against South Plainfield. There were a total of 7 ties in the second half including 6 in the fourth quarter. The Rams got the edge in the second half, 17-15 when Nick Palko connected on a jumper from the left elbow with 1:01 remaining in the fourth.
The two teams played a fifth quarter, where the reserves saw a good deal of the action, but no score was kept on the scoreboard. Wardlaw last a lot to graduation after last season. Not only did they lose 1,000 point scorer, Justen Davis, but the Rams also lost sharpshooter, Noah Ganz as well as point guard Matt Rosado. In total, Wardlaw-Hartridge lost 7 players from last year’s roster to graduation. Add a new coach to the mix, and there is a great deal of change with the Rams coming into 2013-14. However, there are several familiar faces to the team including Pohopin, Mike Newman, Nick Palko, and Shareef Ibraheem. The Rams showed a lot of energy, enthusiasm, hustle, and fight in this scrimmage, particularly in the second half.
Meanwhile, the South Plainfield Tigers also had a lot of change this off-season. In addition to a new coach, SPHS also lost a great deal from last year’s roster. The Tigers lost big man, Claude Payne, guard Justin Glover, and point guard Ray Perez as well as two reserves. There is plenty back. This year’s senior class finished second at the 2011 Perth Amboy Freshmen Tournament to St. Joseph’s as freshmen. Seniors returning are Malik Cisson, Chris Mathis, Roemello Monroe, and Jared Agee. Hankerson and sophomore Jason Lee also return from last year’s squad.
Over the summer, the Tigers played at the Bound Brook Summer League where they finished first during the regular season with a 6-3 record before being eliminated in the playoffs. Once again, South Plainfield will play in the GMC Blue, and will have to contend against with the likes of Spotswood, Carteret, Piscataway Tech, and Bishop Ahr, which will have a lot returning this season. J.F. Kennedy also has a lot returning, and has a solid sophomore class. Metuchen will also look to contend with a group that has played together for two seasons now. Wardlaw will compete again in the GMC Gold, and will have to contend with Dunellen, South Amboy, and Timothy Christian squads that have a lot returning as well.