PISCATAWAY, NJ–On Wednesday evening, GMC Hoops traveled over to Piscataway Tech High School for the first time this season to see the Raiders take on South River in a GMC Gold clash. Despite not having the services of senior guard, Aziz Austin, the Raiders were able to pull away from a 35-29 lead early in the third with a 30-11 surge for a 65-40 advantage late in the fourth en route to a 71-55 victory. Letrell West led all scorers with 25 points for the Raiders while Marc Fychok chipped in with 17 points. Kyle Wider added 8 points. Herman Pimetel also contributed with 7 points and 11 boards while Hussein Hussein grabbed 12 rebounds. Sean Darrar led South River in a losing cause with 14 points including 10 in the second half while Zach Torres and Antonio Martinez each chipped in with 9. Below are game notes from the action:
First Quarter
2:45 left in first and PWay Tech leads 7-4. Raiders on a 5-2 run.
1:02 left in the first quarter and PWay Tech leads 11-7 after a three from the left wing by Patrick Genthe.
0:00–End of first quarter and PWay Tech leads 15-12 despite another three by Genthe. Both teams combine to score 16 points in the final 2:30 or so of the period as each squad scores 8 points. Letrell West converted a three point play for PWay Tech as the Raiders had 6 different players score in the frame.
Second Quarter
5:41 left in the first half and PWay Tech leads 24-14 after a 9-2 run that included a three point play by Letrell West and a score by Kyle Wider.
3:01 left in the first half and PWay Tech leads 29-16 after a pull-up jumper by Kyle Wider.
0:00–Game has gone to the half with PWay Tech leading 33-23 thanks in part to a late score by Marc Fychok. South River ended the half on a 7-4 run as Mario Nigro scored 5 points including a three. South River first half scoring: Patrick Genthe leads the Rams with 6 points on two first qtr treys. Sean Darrar just has 4 points and is yet to get a field goal. PWay Tech scoring: Letrell West leads all scores with 14 points.
Third Quarter
6:24 left in the third and South River closes to within 35-29 on a steal and layup for a three point play by Antonio Martinez. Rams start 2nd half on a 6-2 run as Cyrus Byrd also hit a three from the left side.
5:41 left in the third and South River calls timeout after this layup by Marc Fychok for a 41-32 PWay Tech lead. Raiders on a 6-3 run with the only South River points coming on a three from the left wing by Cyrus Byrd.
50.1 seconds left in the third and South River calls timeout with PWay Tech leading 48-34 after a 13-5 run by the Raiders thanks in part to a bucket by Letrell West.
0:00–End of third and PWay Tech leads 50-34 after a late score by Letrell West. PWay Tech ends quarter on a 15-5 tear.
Fourth Quarter
7:34 left in the game and PWay Tech calls timeout after South River scores the first 4 points including a layup by Zach Torres for a 50-38 PWay Tech lead.
4:58 left in the game and South River calls timeout after a great pass from the top of the key on the right side by Kyle Wider to Marc Fychok for a layup underneath on the left side and a 57-40 PWay Tech lead.
3:57 left in the game and PWay Tech leads 65-40 after Letrell West converted a traditional three point play.
3:42 left in the game and PWay Tech calls timeout with a 67-42 lead after both teams exchange scores.
2:29–Sean Darrar makes his first field goal on a jumper after he grabbed his an offensive rebound off a missed three.
0:00–Game has just ended with Piscataway Tech winning 71-55. South River ends the game on a 15-6 run as Darrar gets two more field goals while Zach Torres adds a three and a layup.