SOUTH RIVER, NJ–On Saturday afternoon, GMC Hoops traveled over to South River High School for a matinee GMC crossover clash between the hometown Rams of the Blue Division, and New Brunswick of the GMC White.
In a game that was fast paced and a bit sloppy early on, the New Brunswick Zebras scored 8 of the first 11 points, and led 31-21 with under three minutes to go in the first half. South River then turned the tables with a 46-10 surge over a span of 14:08 to take a commanding 66-41 lead.
From there, the Rams cruised to a 74-58 victory. New Brunswick finished the game on a 17-8 run that included three pointers by Ahyan Brown-Miller, Jody Harris, and Jordan Harris. Derrick Whitaker led South River with a game high 29 points while teammate Mike DeSantis chipped in with 16 including 11 in the third quarter.
Jody Harris led New Brunswick in defeat with 16 points including 10 in the second half. Curtis Revan chipped in with 10 points. South River, which has now won three straight games, improved to 6-8 overall on the season including a 4-6 record in conference play.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick, which has now lost five in a row, dropped to 2-11 overall including a 2-10 mark in the GMC. Below are game notes from the action:
First Quarter
5:37 left in the first quarter and South River calls time as New Brunswick storms out to 8-3 lead. German Pimentel has 4 points on two layups while Curtis Revan also added a score.
5:00–SR closes the gap to 8-6 on a three from Joey Nigro.
4:45–NB–goes back up 10-6 on another score by German Pimentel.
1:11 left in the first quarter and South River pulling within one at 17-16 after a 13-9 run. Derrick Whitaker hits jumper during the run.
0:00–End of 1st qtr & South River stays within one at 19-18 on a Matt Pietrzyk layup from left low block off feed from Derrick Whitaker before buzzer.
Second Quarter
3:47 left in 1st half and despite a Zac Rafano layup off a Matt Pietrzyk steal, South River trails New Brunswick 27-21. Zebras open 2nd on an 8-3 run.
2:30–NB adds two more scores for a 31-21 lead. Game fast paced, but a bit sloppy on both sides.
1:10 left in 1st half and South River pulls within one at 31-30 on a Derrick Whitaker three from the left corner. Rams on a 9-0 run.
0:30–SR ties game at 31-31 after making one of two from the line.
0:00–Thanks to a Nymir Belk block in the closing seconds, New Brunswick stays tied with South River at 31-31 lead at halftime. New Brunswick’s 1st half scoring: German Pimentel leads Zebras with 8. Jody Harris and Curtis Revan have 6. South River’s first half scoring: Derrick Whitaker leads the Rams with 13 points. Mike DeSantis and Matt Pietrzyk each chipped in with 5 for South River.
Third Quarter
3:26 left in 3rd and South River leads 40-36 after a 9-5 run including a Zac Rafano three from the right side of the key Jody Harris has all 5 New Brunswick points on a three pointer from the left side and a runner.
3:05 left in 3rd and timeout is called with South River leading New Brunswick 40-36. Rams have outscored the Zebras by a margin of 19-5 over the last 7:35.
2:36 left in 3rd and South River now leads 45-36 after this Derrick Whitaker trey from the left side of the key and a Mike DeSantis layup from the right low block.
0:00–End of 3rd and South River leads New Brunswick 55-39 thanks to this 3 pt play by Derrick Whitaker. Rams end period by scoring 10 of the last 13 points including another score by Mike DeSantis. South River outscores New Brunswick by a margin of 24-8 in third.
Fourth Quarter
6:12 remaining and South River now leads New Brunswick 61-39 after this and one by Derrick Whitaker. Rams score first 6 points of the 4th. Since trailing 31-21 with 2:30 or so to play in the first half, South River has outscored New Brunswick 40-8.
4:22 left in 4th and South River leads 67-44 after a three from the right wing by NB’s Ahyan Brown-Miller. Ends a 12-2 start to the fourth by the Rams, and a 46-10 surge by South River over the last 14:08.
1:41 left and South River calls time after a Jody Harris layup pulls New Brunswick to within 71-54. Zebras on a 13-4 spurt.
0:00–Game just ended here in South River as the Rams’ R.J. Fischer capped a 74-58 win with a three from the right wing in the closing seconds. New Brunswick ended the game on a 17-7 spurt including threes from Jody Harris and Jordan Harris. Photo: South River’s scoring for game. Derrick Whitaker finished with 29 while Mike DeSantis chipped in with 16. New Brunswick’s scoring for the game: Jody Harris led Zebras with 16 while Curtis Revan chipped in with 10.