PERTH AMBOY, NJ–After covering the 2016 GMCT Preliminary Round contest between 25th seeded South Plainfield and 9th seeded Perth Amboy Tech, GMC Hoops traveled across town to Perth Amboy High School to see another prelim between the 15th seeded Panthers and 18th seeded Piscataway Tech. P-Way Tech led by as many as 12 in the first half before Amboy rallied to pull within two at 26-24 at the intermission.
In the second half, Perth Amboy took charge led by Fres Cabrera and Jose Genao as the Panthers went on an 18-11 surge to take a 42-37 lead. Amboy continued to pull away by scoring 23 of the last 37 points as even its bench got into the action in the 65-51 victory. Amboy outscored P-Way Tech by a 37-22 margin over the middle two periods. Both teams played a bit short handed as Raiders forward, German Pimentel was unable to play due to disciplinary reasons while Amboy center Jesus Garcia was benched.
Cabrera, who had a dunk in the second half, finished with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds while Genao chipped in with a double-double as well with 12 points and 23 boards while also collecting 6 assists and 4 steals. Ali Austin led P-Way Tech in a losing cause with 20 points while Romelo Spencer chipped in with 13. Below are game notes from the action:
First Quarter
Piscataway Tech jumped out to an 18-6 first quarter lead. The Raiders had 4 threes and 3 field goals and while Amboy only had one field goal (a three pointer) and went 3 of 4 from the line. P-Way Tech outscored Perth Amboy by a 12-3 margin from beyond the arc. Three different players scored for the Raiders including Ali Austin with 13 of the team’s 18 points. Romelo Spencer added a trey and Branden Barnes added a field goal. Perth Amboy only had two different players score as both Johnny Jones and Josh Cabezudo scored 3 points.
Second Quarter
Amboy turned the tables in the 2nd with an 18-8 showing in the frame for a 26-24 Piscataway Tech lead. Four different players scored for the Panthers including Fres Cabrera, who led the way with 9 points while Luis Rivera added 5, and Josh Nazario and Johnny Jones each chipped in with 2. Three different players scored for P-Way Tech including Khalil Smith (3 points), Branden Barnes (3 points), and Daniel Peacock (2 points).
The Panthers had its 18 points on 7 field goals, a three pointer, and 1 of 6 from the charity stripe while the Raiders got their 8 points on 3 field goals and 2 of 4 from the line. At the intermission, Ali Austin led all scorers with 13 points for P-Way Tech while Fres Cabrera led Perth Amboy with 9. Up to this point in the game, Piscataway Tech had 6 field goals, 4 threes, and 2 of 4 from the line while Amboy had 7 field goals, 2 threes, and 4 of 10 from the line.
Third Quarter
2:54 left in the third and despite a putback by Daniel Peacock, PWay Tech trails Amboy, 36-35. Game has been back and fourth with a few lead changes. Perth Amboy has been able to take its first leads of the game on a 12-9 run to start the second half. Jose Genao and Fres Cabrera have led the way for the Panthers with a couple of scores. Romelo Spencer had a trey and Branden Barnes and Daniel Peacock added scores for the Raiders.
0:00–End of the third quarter and Amboy leads PWay Tech, 43-40 after a late three by the Raiders Romelo Spencer. Amboy was able to stretch its lead to six points at 43-37 thanks to a 7-2 run including a three by Victor Soto and a basket by Fres Cabrera before Spencer’s three from the left corner ended the period’s scoring. Amboy outscored P-Way Tech by a 19-14 margin in the third. Spencer had 10 points in the frame for P-Way Tech while Amboy’s Cabrera had 9. The Raiders had 4 field goals and 2 threes in the period while the Panthers had 7 field goals, a three pointer, and made 2 of 4 from the line.
Fourth Quarter
6:13 left in the game and Amboy leads PWay Tech, 49-42 after opening the period on a 6-2 run including a field goal by Jose Genao and a couple free throws by Fres Cabrera.
3:00–Perth Amboy leads 60-47 after an 11-5 run that included a breakaway dunk from the left side by Fres Cabrera.
0:00–Game just ended with Perth Amboy defeated Piscataway Tech 65-51. Panthers ended the game by scoring 5 of the last 9 points including a three from the right wing by junior reserve Anthony Collado.
Amboy outscored P-Way Tech by a 22-11 margin in the fourth. Five different players scored for the Panthers in the frame including Cabrera (8 points), Genao (6 points), Collado (3 points), Victor Soto (3 points), and Johnny Jones (2 points). The Raiders had three different players score including Ali Austin (7 points), Khalil Smith (2 points), and Daniel Peacock (2 points).
Perth Amboy got its 22 points on 8 field goals, a three, and 3 of 5 from the line. P-Way Tech got is 11 points on four field goals, a three, and went 0 of 2 from the line. For the game, Perth Amboy had 22 field goals, 4 threes, and 9 of 21 from the line while P-Way Tech compiled its 51 points on 14 field goals, 7 threes, and 2 of 6 from the line. The Raiders outscored the Panthers by a margin of 21-12 from beyond the arc, but Amboy had a 44-28 advantage in points scored from within the arc, and a 9-2 edge from the line.
Amboy had 55 rebounds for the game including 20 on the offensive glass while also picking up 12 assists and 12 steals. The Panthers were 26 of 71 from the floor for 36 percent including a 4 of 22 showing from long distance for 18 percent. Fres Cabrera led the winners with a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds along with 3 steals and 2 assists. Jose Genao chipped in with a double-double as well with 12 points and 23 boards while also handing out 6 assists and swiping 4 steals. Ali Austin led P-Way Tech in a losing cause with 20 points, but didn’t score in the middle two periods. Romelo Spencer chipped in with 13 points.