SPOTSWOOD, NJ–On Monday evening, GMC Hoops traveled out to Spotswood High School for the contest between the 9th ranked Chargers and neighborhood arch rival, South River. The Rams jumped out to an 11-3 lead thanks to six points by Matt Pietrzyk. Spotswood then went on a 24-2 surge that included several threes by Eric Dadika, who had 4 treys in the first half, and several scores by Marlon Hart including his 1,000th career point at the 1:07 mark. Leading 40-26 at the half, the Chargers open the third with an 8-0 spurt over the first 50 seconds for a 22 point lead. Spotswood led by as many as 28 points in the second half before South River made the game more respectable in a 78-62 Chargers win. Dadika finished with a game high 27 points while Hart added 19, and J.T. Vento chipped in with 15. Mario Nigro led the Rams in defeat with 20 points while Pietrzyk added 14 and Derrick Whitaker chipped in with 13. Below are game notes from the action:
First Quarter
4:40 left in the first quarter and Spotswood calls time after a Matt Pietrzyk score gives SR a 6-3 lead. Pietrzyk had 4 points in the run while Derrick Whitaker hit a jumper for the Rams. Eric Dadika accounted for Spotswood’s scoring with a three.
3:00–South River now leads 11-3 after getting a three from Mario Nigro and another basket by Matt Pietrzyk.
1:15 left in the first quarter and there is a timeout after a 6-5 Spotswood run capped by this Eric Dadika trey closes the gap to 11-9. Dadika has all 9 Spotswood points on three treys.
1:07 left in the first quarter and Spotswood’s Marlon Hart scores his 1,000th point to tie the game at 11-11.
0:00–End of first quarter and Spotswood takes a 15-11 lead on this jumper by Marlon Hart. Chargers end period on a 12-0 tear.
Second Quarter
4:14 left in the first half and South River calls time after this J.T. Vento layin for a 31-15 Spotswood lead. Chargers now on a 28-4 surge.
Less than a minute to go in the first half and Spotswood leads South River, 40-26 after a three pointer by Mario Nigro.
0:00–Game has gone to the half with Spotswood leading South River 40-26. Chargers outscored Rams by a 25-15 margin in the 2nd. South River first half scoring. Mario Nigro led the Rams with 12 points on 4 threes while Matt Pietrzyk chipped in with 6. Spotswood first half scoring. Eric Dadika leads the Chargers with 17 points while Marlon Hart has 11 and JT Vento has 9.
Third Quarter
7:10 left in the third and South River calls time after Spotswood opens third on an 8-0 run for a 48-26 lead. Run capped by a lob pass from Marlon Hart to Eric Dadika for a layup.
4:41 left in the third and Spotswood calls time leading 54-31. South River on a 5-0 run after Spotswood’s J.T. Vento got a layup.
0:00–End of the third and South River trails 63-43 after a jumper by Derrick Whitaker capped a 5-0 end to the period.
Fourth Quarter
6:13 left in the game and South River calls time after this JT Vento layup caps a 6-0 Spotswood for a 69-43 lead. Vento scored all 6 points during the Chargers run.
0:00–Game just ended here in Spotswood with the Chargers defeating South River, 78-62. Rams close the game on a 19-9 run including a three pointer by Derrick Whitaker and a traditional three point play by Mike DeSantis. South River scoring for the game: Mario Nigro led the Rams in a losing cause with 20 points while Matt Pietrzyk added 14 and Derrick Whitaker chipped in with 13. Spotswood scoring for the game: Eric Dadika led the Chargers with a game high 27 points. Marlon Hart added 19 and J.T. Vento chipped in with 15. Both teams combined for 17 threes with South River outscoring Spotswood by a 27-24 margin from beyond the arc. The Chargers outscored the Rams, 38-30 from two point range and 16-5 from the foul line. Spotswood went 16 of 19 from the charity stripe while South River only went 5 of 11.