Seraphs Spoil Alumni Day Festivities with Win
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| Koinonia Academy sophomore, Jim Clemente dribbles against South Amboy’s Isaiah Munoz and Alan Kazar in the first half of their game on Saturday. Clemente led all scorers with 25 points along with 15 rebounds and 6 blocks in Koinonia’s 59-45 victory. |
SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–On a special day at South Amboy Middle-High School, the 2016-17 edition of the South Amboy Governors hosted the Koinonia Academy of Plainfield Seraphs in the nightcap of a Alumni Day tripleheader.
The Guvs started out well by jumping out to a 9-7 first quarter lead. However, Koinonia, led by sophomore forward, Jim Clemente, outscored South Amboy in each of the final three periods to post a 59-45 victory. Clemente had the game high with 25 points on eight field goals and 9 of 10 shooting from the foul line.
Teammate, Ben Paregrin chipped in with 10 points on two three pointers and two field goals. Paregrin scored all 10 of his points in the second half including 8 in the third when the Seraphs outscored the Guvs by a margin of 18-13 to take a 47-36 lead into the fourth. Kyle Gasiewski led South Amboy in defeat with 14 points.
As a team, Koinonia collected 46 rebounds, 19 assists, 17 steals, and 16 blocks in the contest. In addition to his 25 points, Clemente tallied 15 rebounds, 6 blocks, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Paregrin also collected 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Both teams had four threes and 11 foul shots.
Koinonia had advantages elsewhere though. The Seraphs enjoyed a 36-22 edge in points scored from within the arc. Six different players got on the board for Koinonia while eight different players got into the books for South Amboy. Isaiah Munoz chipped in with 9 points for the Guvs.
The Governors started off on the right foot with a 9-7 edge in the first quarter despite only having a three pointer, a field goal, and a perfect 4 of 4 from the foul line. Koinonia countered with three field goals and a free throw. Clemente had 5 points for the Seraphs while Steve Pena netted a three to lead the Guvs.
The second period saw the Seraphs take charge with a 22-14 showing for a 29-23 halftime lead. Koinonia’s scoring was a product of 7 field goals, two threes, and 2 of 2 from the foul line. Meanwhile, South Amboy scored its 14 points on 6 field goals and 2 of 5 from the foul line. Clemente powered Koinonia with 12 points on five field goals and 2 of 2 from the foul line. Julian Medina chipped in with 5.
South Amboy’s scoring was more balanced with Alan Kazar and Justin Lewis leading the Guvs with four points in the frame while Gasiewski and Bobby Nebus chipped in with 3 each. Koinonia opened the second with a 15-6 tear over a 3:59 span that was capped by a putback by Clemente that forced South Amboy to call time trailing 22-15 at the 4:01 mark.
The Guvs finished the second on an 8-7 run including an and one by Kazar in the final minute. At the half, Gasiewski led the Guvs with 6 points while Clemente led all scorers with 17 for the Seraphs. Through two periods, Koinonia collected its 29 points on 10 field goals, 2 threes, and 3 of 3 from the foul line. South Amboy had its 23 points in the half on 7 field goals, a three pointer, and 6 of 9 from the foul line.
The third began with Koinonia scoring 11 of the first 15 points including a three from the left wing by Paregrin at the 5:02 mark that coerced the Governors to call time again trailing now 40-27. Following the stoppage, the Guvs battled back by scoring 9 of the last 16 points including a 6-0 run that consisted of a Gasiewski three to end the period only trailing 47-36.
South Amboy scored 13 points in the frame on 3 field goals, two threes, and 1 of 2 from the line. Koinonia scored 18 points on 4 field goals, two threes, and 4 of 5 from the line. Gasiewski led the Guvs with 8 points on two field goals, a three, and 1 of 2 from the line. Paregrin led Koinonia with 8 points on two threes and a field goal.
The final period saw the Seraphs outscore the Governors by a margin of 12-9 to wrap up the 14 point win. Despite a runner by Munoz at the 3:03 mark, Koinonia scored 9 of the first 12 points to take a 56-39 lead. South Amboy then closed out the contest by scoring 6 of the last 9 points.
Munoz and John McCleery scored 4 points each in the final frame for the Guvs while Alan Kazar (5 points) made one of two from the charity stripe. Manny Morel led the Seraphs with 6 points in the final frame while Clemente made 3 of 4 from the line and Paregrin added a field goal.
Koinonia collected its 12 points on 4 field goals and 4 of 5 from the line while South Amboy scored its 9 points on a three pointer, a field goal, and 4 of 9 from the line. With the victory, Koinonia improved to 4-11 overall on the season while South Amboy fell to 6-12 overall including a 1-3 record against non-conference opponents.
South Amboy returns to action on Monday night with a game on the road at Highland Park at 6:00 PM. Both the Guvs and the Owls are currently tied for fourth place in the GMC Gold at 5-8.