GMC Hoops Summary–No. 9 Perth Amboy Rallies to Knock Off No. 5 South Brunswick, 37-34

Panthers Lock Down Vikings Over Last 11:45 for Victory

South Brunswick’s Mike Ugarte puts up a shot over Perth Amboy’s Nate Melendez in the 2nd quarter

PERTH AMBOY, NJ–Prior to the start of the 2014-15 GMC boys basketball season, GMC Hoops had indicated that the Red Division would be up for grabs.  With St. Joseph’s defeating East Brunswick to earn its second straight GMC Red title and at least a share of the division crown in 5 out of the last 6 years, the pre-season theory went out the window.  However, from 2nd place on down to sixth, five teams are battling for seeding when the GMCT is seeded next week.

Two of those five teams squared off on Tuesday night in Perth Amboy as the 9th ranked Panthers hosted the 5th ranked South Brunswick Vikings in a GMC Red clash.  These two teams met earlier in the season with SBHS coming away with a hard fough 48-47 victory.  Both teams were not at full strength for this contest as South Brunswick was without the services of Jack Engel and Terrence Wong, who were out with injuries while Amboy was playing without Ethon Diaz, who was also hurt.  

Amboy’s size down low would be the key in this one.  With forwards Nate Melendez and John Wahrmann leading the way, the Panthers garnered a 41-18 edge on the boards, and made things difficult for South Brunswick to score in the second half.  After sophomore Ryan Moran sank a three pointer from the left wing for a 28-20 South Brunswick lead at the 3:45 mark of the third, Amboy held the Vikings without a field goal for 11:25, and went on a decisive 17-3 outburst to take a 37-31 lead with under a minute to play.  Moran would hit another three to give the Vikings their only field goal over the last 11:45 of the contest, and close the gap to 37-34 with 20 seconds to play, but after Amboy missed the front end of the bonus, and the Vikings called a timeout with 8 seconds left, the Panthers were able to prevent SBHS from getting a good shot off as time ran out for the upset win.

Melendez led a balanced Perth Amboy attack with 10 points and 8 rebounds while Wahrmann chipped in with 8 points and 14 boards.  Eric Savage led South Brunswick with a game high 15 points including 10 in the first half.  Seven different players scored for Perth Amboy while 6 scored for South Brunswick.  Of those seven that scored for Amboy, four of them had 5 points or more while South Brunswick only had three that scored at least 5.   The Vikings outscored the Panthers in each of the first two periods while Amboy outscored SBHS in each of the last two periods.    Both teams scored 6 points at the line while South Brunswick outscored Amboy 12-3 from beyond the arc.  The Panthers did enjoy a 14-8 edge in two point field goals made.  

South Brunswick started out strong by scoring 7 of the first 9 points including a three from the right corner by Sean Nally and a reverse layup by Jaier Garrett before Amboy called timeout with 5:43 remaining in the first period.  The Vikings maintained that five point lead over the next 3:44 as Savage connected on a three pointer, and then banked in a shot off the drive down the left lane for a 12-7 lead with 1:49 to play in the opening period.  The Panthers then closed out the first quarter scoring with a three pointer for a 12-10 South Brunswick lead heading into the second.  Points were again a premium in the second period, but SBHS still managed to increase its lead to six at the half with a 10-6 showing in the frame.  Savage had another five points including a three point play and a jumper down low.

Mike Ugarte, who had 7 points on the night, scored four of them at the outset of the period on two jumpers from about the foul line for a 16-10 lead.  Trailing 21-13 at the 4:29 mark following a score by Savage, Perth Amboy scored 3 of the last 4 points of the half including a layup by Melendez, and a free throw by Johnny Jones to close the gap to 22-16 at the intermission.  In the third, South Brunswick opened things up with 6 of the first 8 points including a free throw by Ugarte and a three by Moran for a 28-20 lead.  Perth Amboy rallied after that with 6 of the last 8 points of the third including a layup by Luis Rivera and a steal for a dunk by Carlos Done (8 points) to pull the Panthers within four at the start of the fourth.  In the fourth quarter, Amboy scored 11 of the first 12 points of the frame to take a six point lead.

First, Perth Amboy scored the initial four points of the period including a jumper in the paint by Jairo Robles for a 30-30 tie at the 5:39 mark.  The Panthers then scored the next five points on a layup by Jones, a free throw by Melendez, and then a reverse layup by Wahrmann off a nice dish by Robles for a 35-30 lead with 1:01 remaining.  South Brunswick got a free throw to pull within four, but Done drew a foul off an ensuing inbounds, and made a pair for a 37-31 lead with about a half minute to play.  Moran pulled South Brunswick to within a single possession at 37-34 when he took a pass on the right wing, pump faked a defender, gathered himself, and sank a three with 20 seconds left.  The Vikes then fouled Perth Amboy on the ensuing inbounds, and the Panthers missed the front end of the bonus.  Savage grabbed the rebound, dribbled into the SBHS frontcourt, and called for time with 8 seconds to play.

Following the timeout, the Vikings were unable to get a clean look at the basket as Amboy’s defense guarded the perimeter well, and South Brunswick’s three attempt to tie the contest was off the mark as Done got the rebound, and the horn sounded with Amboy winning 37-34.  With the victory, Perth Amboy won its fourth straight and improved to 8-7 overall on the season including a 6-4 mark in the GMC Red.  Meanwhile, South Brunswick, which was coming off a non-conference win over North Bergen on Saturday, dropped to 11-5 overall including a 5-5 record in divisional play.