Conference’s Woes Against Non-GMC Schools Hurt Some in Power Points
| St. Joseph’s senior guard, Bree Tyree dribbles against a Ramapo defender at the Tip-Off Classic in December. Tyree and the Falcons are 4-3 versus non-conference opponents including a 2-0 mark against the Big North this season. |
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ–The final edition of the NJSIAA Boys Basketball Power Points came out on Wednesday, and the various state tourneys were seeded on Thursday. Some of the results were not good for some GMC teams even though they were seeded in the field. Despite better overall records, some member schools barely qualified in the field, and part of that is a reflection of how the conference has done against other conferences this season.
As of the end of play on Wednesday night, the GMC stood at 59-70 against schools from outside the conference. While the GMC has done well against schools from the Shore Conference (15-10), Colonial Valley Conference (8-4), Big North Conference (2-0), and Independent Schools (16-3), it has struggled against several conferences in the state. Most notably, the GMC has had problems against the Skyland Conference. After Perth Amboy Tech lost to Bound Brook on Monday afternoon, the Skyland schools stood at a combined 25-6 so far this season against GMC schools.
The only wins by the GMC versus the Skyland this year include: North Brunswick over Hillsborough in the Hillsborough Holiday Tournament, South Brunswick’s win over Hillsborough in the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout at Montgomery HS, Woodbridge over Franklin at the LeGrand-Haley Holiday Jubilee, Bishop Ahr defeated Delaware Valley in the opening round of the Glen Ridge Holiday Tourney, Spotswood over Watchung Hills at the Bound Brook Crusader Classic, and Middlesex defeated South Hunterdon in a regular season game last week.
Some notable GMC losses versus Skyland Conference teams: Bound Brook over Spotswood in the Crusader Classic Championship, Gill St. Bernard’s over St. Joseph’s in the Playaz Jingle Bells Jubilee Championship, Franklin over Colonia in the LeGrand-Haley Jubilee, Ridge over Colonia in the Eric LeGrand Classic at Kean University, North Plainfield over J.P. Stevens in the opening round of the Anthony J. Cotoia Tourney, Bridgewater over East Brunswick and Sayreville, and Franklin defeated Piscataway at the Hoops for Troops Jubilee on January 30th at Franklin HS. Notable Skyland records versus GMC schools: Bound Brook (5-0), Franklin (4-1), North Plainfield (3-0), Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0), and Hunterdon Central (2-0).
The GMC has struggled against other conferences including Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (1-4), Super Essex Conference (4-5), and Union County Conference (5-10). Some GMC teams have performed well against non-conference competition Including: South Brunswick (5-0), Old Bridge (4-0), East Brunswick Tech (3-0), Woodbridge (2-0), Spotswood (6-1), Wardlaw (4-1), Perth Amboy (3-1), South River (2-1), St. Joseph’s (4-3), and East Brunswick (3-2). Breaking down the GMC’s record by division: The Red is 22-13, Gold is 16-14, Blue is 13-26, and the White is 8-17. The Conference began the season with 9 wins in its first 13 games against schools outside the GMC over the first week of the season. Then, by the end of the second day of the holiday tournaments on December 27th, the GMC’s non-conference record stood at 15-10. Since that time, the GMC has gone 44-60 versus out of conference opponents.
Most of that can be attributed to the fact that the 2015-16 season has been a year of transition for the conference. Many of the teams, especially in the GMC Blue and Gold Divisions as well as several in the big school Red and White leagues, lost a number of talented players to graduation. Some of those teams lost entire starting lineups. So a number of teams such as Bishop Ahr, Carteret, J.F. Kennedy, Metuchen, South River, Perth Amboy Tech, Perth Amboy, Piscataway Tech, etc, had to go with younger players, or players with limited varsity experience. Many of those teams struggled for much, if not all of the first half of the season. Now, many of those teams including Bishop Ahr, Carteret, Kennedy, and Middlesex have started to play well within the past several weeks.
With younger more experienced teams in the GMC going up against some solid teams in a Skyland Conference that is quite loaded this year, especially in the much vaunted Delaware Division, the results have been tough. The Skyland’s strength this season has also helped in terms of power points. For instance, in North Jersey Section 2 Group 4, Bridgewater-Raritan, which is currently 8-11, is seeded 15th while J.P. Stevens, which is 10-7, is seeded 16th. Then, in Central Jersey Group 4, defending champion, Hillsborough, which lost to South Brunswick and North Brunswick this season, and has a current record of 4-14, was seeded 14th and got an opening round rematch against SBHS while North Brunswick, which is currently 5-14, didn’t qualify.