Moore Shot at Buzzer Lifts Ramblers Past Comets
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| Carteret’s Nasseir Moore follows through on the game winning shot that propelled the Ramblers to a thrilling 52-50 victory over Hillside at the Eric LeGrand Classic at Kean University on Sunday. Moore finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. |
UNION, NJ–With the exception of its first game against South Plainfield this season, the Carteret Ramblers have had a flair for the dramatic whenever they’ve been in the GMC Hoops Spotlight.
In a GMC Blue Division showdown against pre-season favorite Bishop Ahr on December 23rd, Isaiah Daniels-Porter scored on a layup while being fouled with 38 seconds left to put away the Trojans.
Over the holidays, Jemar Jordan scored the final five points including a layup off a steal with 20 seconds remaining to defeat Manalapan, 43-39 in the Matawan Huskies Tournament. Jordan also scored on a putback of a missed free throw as time ran out to seal the win.
Then, in the GMC Hoops Game of the Week radio broadcast on January 4th, the Ramblers rallied from a 49-44 deficit with 7:10 to play by closing the game on a 20-5 surge for a 64-54 victory over Metuchen behind the efforts of Jordan and Daniels-Porter.
Fast forward to Sunday’s opening game in the second day of the Eric LeGrand Classic played at Kean University’s Harwood Arena. Hillside, which trailed early on 10-0, rallied with a 33-19 surge to take a four point lead late in the third, and again rallied from a 48-42 deficit with 1:19 to play in the fourth, tied the game at 50-50 with 7.4 seconds remaining.
Enter Nasseir Moore. The junior guard, who finished with a team high double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds, took a pass from midcourt, and sank a baseline jumper from the right side with time running out for a thrilling 52-50 victory. Jordan chipped in with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 blocks, 2 steals, and an assist.
Daniels-Porter also scored in double figures with 12 points along with 5 rebounds while Kahir Raymond added 5 points, 2 boards, an assist and a steal and Zemar Brake contributed with 5 points and 2 rebounds. Jalen Harris only had 3 points, but they were huge.
After Hillside took a 33-29 lead with a 7-0 run late in the third, Harris took another long pass, and shot a three that banked in as time expired for a 33-32 Comets lead. Harris also collected 4 assists, a steal, and a rebound. Angelo Golino didn’t score, but played tough defense, and picked up 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal.
Leading the way in defeat for Hillside was Tyrese Cherry with a game high 16 points along with 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. Malcolm Webb chipped in with 12 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block. Ta’kier Hill added 9 points, 4 steals, 2 rebounds, and an assist.
Both teams combined for 11 three pointers in the contest with Hillside getting the lion’s share with a 21-12 edge in points scored from long distance. Hillside also had a 9-6 edge in points scored from the foul line, but Carteret had a 34-20 advantage in points scored within the arc to overcome all of that.
Carteret dominated the glass with a 30-14 advantage in rebounds and a 4-3 edge in blocked shots. Hillside had edges in assists (14-13) and steals (16-8). Both teams had six players score in the contest. Carteret outscored Hillside in three of the four periods played.
The Ramblers looked as if they were going to run Hillside out of the gym early on. Carteret jumped out to a 10-0 lead before the Comets responded by scoring 11 of the last 13 points of the first period to trim the deficit to one at 12-11 heading into the second.
Both teams defenses locked in during the second stanza as both teams only combined for 13 total points in the quarter. Carteret managed to get the lion’s share though with an 8-5 edge to increase its lead to 20-16 at the intermission. Hillside, which outscored Carteret 33-19 over nearly two quarters after falling behind 10-0, took over in the third.
Sparked by a 7-0 run that turned a 29-26 deficit into a 33-29 lead in about two minutes, Hillside outscored Carteret by a 17-12 margin in the third. Harris’ three was clutch in that it not only drew the Ramblers within one heading into the fourth, but also stopped the Comets momentum, which had grown like a snowball rolling down a hill.
Trailing 33-32 at the start of the fourth, Carteret opened the final frame with a 10-7 run over a span of 5:03 that included a couple scores from Jordan including a transition layup and a floater in the paint for a 42-40 lead. Hillside then tied the game with a putback off a missed free throw with just under three minutes remaining in regulation.
Tied up at 42-42, the Ramblers then reeled off the next six points including a jumper inside the foul line area by Daniels-Porter off an assist from Moore for a 48-42 lead with 1:19 remaining. Hillside then tied the game at 48-48 in dramatic fashion by hitting a three from the right corner, and then swiping the ensuing inbounds, and connecting on another trey seconds later with 1:03 remaining.
Carteret would go back out in front at 50-48 with 20.3 seconds remaining, but Hillside managed to get to the line with 7.4 seconds to go in regulation, and make both free throws to knot the score again at 50-50. All of this set the stage for Moore’s heroics as he hit the game winner and was mobbed by his teammates.
With the victory, Carteret improved to 11-2 overall on the season, and 3-1 against non-conference opponents. The GMC, which hasn’t done well against Union County Conference teams in non-conference contests, improved to 3-9 on the season. Hillside dropped to 3-6 overall with the loss.
The Ramblers return to action on Wednesday with a GMC Blue Division clash against South Plainfield in Carteret at 5:30 PM. Carteret then finishes out the week with two crossover games at home against North Brunswick on Friday at 5:30 PM, and versus Perth Amboy Tech at 12:30 PM on Saturday.