SPOTSWOOD, NJ–On Monday night, GMC Hoops caught the last 13:09 of action in the key early season Blue Division clash between Carteret and Spotswood at the SAC in Charger Country. Leading 41-36 after three periods, Spotswood pulled away with a 22-11 showing in the final frame including a 17-6 tear over the last 5:02 for the 63-47 victory. Eric Dadika led the Chargers with a game high 19 points while Marlon Hart chipped in with 18. Junior forward, Humberto Jimenez led Carteret in defeat with 12 points while sophomore guards Naafi Powell and Nasseir Moore had 8. Below are game notes from the action:
First Quarter
Spotswood outscores Carteret 8-6 in the period. The Chargers had a three pointer by Eric Dadika and a conventional three point play by J.T. Vento while Marlon Hart added a bucket. Carteret also had three different players score in the frame as Humberto Jimenez, Naafi Powell, and Nasseir Moore each had a field goal.
Second Quarter
Spotswood edges Carteret by a 16-15 margin in the period to take a 24-21 halftime lead. Dadika helped lead the way again for the Chargers with two field goals and 2 of 2 from the line for 6 points while Hart added five including a three point play. Vento also scored while reserve Vinny Guardiola chipped in a three points.
Meanwhile, the Ramblers had five different players score led by Jimenez and Jalen Harris who each had 4 points. Victor Spencer chipped in with 3 points. Kahir Raymond and Isaiah Danelis-Porter also added field goals. At the half, Carteret has 10 field goals and made its only foul shot for its 21 points while Spotswood has 8 field goals and a three pointer along with a 5 of 8 effort from the charity stripe.
Dadika led all scorers with 9 points at the break while Hart added 7 and Vento chipped in with 5 for Spotswood. Jimenez led Carteret with 6 points while Harris chipped in with 4 and Spencer chipped in with 3.
Third Quarter
5:09–SPOTS–opens the third by scoring 7 of the first 9 points of the second half for a 31-23 lead.
4:13–CAR–timeout after Spotswood scores 6 of the last 9 points to take a 37-26 lead.
2:00–CAR–attempting to get back in the game with a 4-2 run including scores by Harris and Nasseir Moore for a 39-30 Spotswood lead. Dadika accounts for the only Spotswood scoring with a steal off a Carteret inbounds for a layup.
0:00–CAR–scores 6 of last 8 points including two more baskets by Moore for a 41-36 Spotswood lead heading into the fourth.
3rd Quarter Stats: Spotswood outscored Carteret 17-15 to increase its lead to five. The Chargers got their 17 points on 7 field goals plus a three pointer. Andrew Fuzesi had a big quarter for the home team with 7 points including Spotswood’s only three of the frame. Five different players scored for Spotswood. Moore led five different Carteret players that scored in the frame with 6 points as the Ramblers also had 7 field goals and made its only foul shot. Spotswood had a 13-5 spurt over the first 3:47 of the third while Carteret had a 10-4 run over the last 4:13 of the period.
Fourth Quarter
5:02–SPOTS–opens final period with 5 of the first 9 points to take a 46-40 lead. Hart made big plays at both ends in one sequence with a blocked shot on the defensive end, and then a putback at the other end.
3:32–SPOTS–extends lead to 54-43 thanks to an 8-3 run that includes three point plays by Hart and Dadika.
2:16–CAR–closes to within 54-45 on a transition layup by Jimenez off an assist by Raymond. Victor Spencer forced a turnover to set up the score.
0:00–SPOTS–ends the game by scoring 9 of the last 11 points including a pair of free throws down the stretch by Dadika and Hart to finish off the 63-47 victory.
4th Quarter Stats: Hart (9 points) and Dadika (8 points) combined for 17 of Spotswood’s 22 points in the period. Fuzesi and Shawn O’Connor added baskets as well. Jimenez and Jemar Jordan each had 4 points for Carteret while Powell added 3. Spotswood had 7 field goals and made 8 of 11 foul shots in the period while Carteret had only 5 field goals and made 1 of 2 at the charity stripe.
Scoring
Spotswood: Dadika–19 points. Hart–18 points. Fuzesi–9 points. Vento–6 points. Shawn O’Connor–6 points. Guardiola–3 points. Dan Newton–2 points.
Carteret: Jimenez–12 points. Powell–8 points. Moore–8 points. Harris–6 points. Jemar Jordan–6 points. Spencer–3 points. Raymond–2 points.
Carteret–22 field goals and 3 of 4 from the foul line for its 47 points.
Spotswood–22 field goals, 2 three pointers, and 13 of 19 from the foul line for 63 points.
Team Fouls: Carteret 17–Spotswood 10.
Spotswood now 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the GMC Blue. Carteret falls to 1-1 both overall and in divisional play.