KEANSBURG, NJ–On Tuesday afternoon, GMC Hoops traveled over to Keansburg High School to see opening round action in the 2015 Keansburg Tournament between South River and Keansburg.
In a back and forth contest that went down to the wire, South River put together a 9-0 tear to take a 49-42 lead midway through the fourth. Keansburg pulled within two thanks to a 5-0 run, but freshman Derrick Whitaker gave the Rams some breathing room with a three point play at the 3:46 mark of the fourth for a 52-47 lead.
South River maintained that five point lead at 56-51 with less than 90 seconds remaining in the contest when Keansburg put together a 6-0 run to take a 57-56 lead with 11 seconds to play. The Rams still managed to come away with the win as Whitaker drew a foul on a last second three point shot, and made all three free throws with no time on the clock for a 59-57 victory.
Whitaker led all scorers with 18 points for the Rams while senior Antonio Martinez chipped in with 15. Sophomore Danny Vital led Keansburg in defeat with 17 while teammate Quentin Godfrey chipped in with 11. South River improved to 2-1 on the young season, and advanced to play Henry Hudson in the Championship. Below are game notes from the action:
First Quarter
4:53 left in the first quarter and South River takes an 8-6 lead on this layup by Mario Nigro.
53.6 seconds left in the first quarter and South River takes a 16-13 lead thanks to two threes by sophomore Mike DeSantis.
0:00–End of first quarter and South River leads 18-13 after DeSantis hits another jumper.
Second Quarter
4:20 left in the first half and South River leads 23-20 on this three by Zac Raffano.
0:00–Despite a foul line jumper by Antonio Martinez, South River trails Keansburg 29-25 at the half.South River first half scoring: Derrick Whitaker and Mike Santis lead a balanced scoring attack for the Rams with 5 and 6 points. Keansburg first half scoring: Quentin Godfrey leads the Titans with 9.
South River made 7 FGs, 3 treys, and two FTs in the first half.
Third Quarter
South River outscored Keansburg by a 13-11 margin to close the gap to 40-38 after three.
Fourth Quarter
3:46 remaining and SR leads 52-47 thanks to this three point play by Derrick Whitaker
0:00–Wild ending to the game between South River and Keansburg. The Rams had a 9-0 run to take a 49-42 lead midway thru 4th.
The Rams led 56-51 with under a minute and a half remaining when the Titans out together a 6-0 run to take a 57-56 lead with 11 seconds to play.
However, the Young Rams led by freshman Derrick Whitaker pulled out the win as Whitaker was fouled on a three point attempt as the buzzer sounded and made all 3 FTs for the 59-57 win!
The Rams are now 2-1 and could be 3-0. They faced Henry Hudson in the Championship tomorrow at 12:30 PM.