Rams Fight Off Fierce 4th Quarter Rally by Tigers for Season Opening Victory
SOUTH RIVER, NJ—On Friday afternoon, GMC Hoops returned to the hardwood for the first time in 21 months with a visit to South River High School for an opening day GMC Blue Division showdown between the 8th ranked hometown Rams and 6th ranked South Plainfield. After a back and forth first period, South River outscored the Tigers 38-14 over the middle two periods, and then fought off a fierce rally for a 63-56 win.
Sharpshooting junior guard, Jeremy Grospe led the winning Rams with a team high 21 points including five three pointers along with 3 assists, and a rebound. Lazaro Rodriguez added 18 points, 6 boards, and 5 assists while Kobe Taylor chipped in with 12 points 7 rebounds and 4 assists. Brandon Dean led all scorers with a game high 23 points along with 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 assists for South Plainfield while junior guard Tareak Williams added 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists in a losing cause.
Senior Joe Oduro led all players with a game high 9 rebounds in addition to his 6 points and an assist for the Tigers while teammate Anthony Nigro chipped in with 8 boards as well as 5 points, 2 assists, and a 8 block. Gavin Franco chipped in for the winners with 6 points and 2 rebounds. South River outscored South Plainfield 34-28 from inside the arc and 15-12 from long distance to earn the victory.
However, it wasn’t easy though for the Rams. Leading 49-23 after three periods, South Plainfield rallied with a 33-14 surge in the final quarter to pull within four with about a minute remaining. Dean, who scored 12 of his 23 points from the line, helped turn the tide for the Tigers by attacking the basket, and getting to the foul line, which allowed him and his team to not only get free points, but more importantly, lengthen the game.
In addition, Dean’s attacking the basket eventually opened things up for the Tigers, who were settling for threes early on and struggling to get into a rhythm offensively. The Tigers knocked down key threes including one from Williams that closed the gap to 58-54 with about a minute to play in regulation. South Plainfield, which also applied full court pressure defensively, had a chance to get closer down the stretch by missed a layup, and the Rams were able to salt away the win.
The first quarter back and forth showed how good both teams are, and how competitive a battle for the GMC Blue could be this season. The opening eight minutes to the 2021-22 for these two teams had 8 lead changes and one tie while neither team had a lead bigger than two points as South River took an 11-9 lead into the second on a Rodriguez score from the left low block off an assist from Taylor.
The Rams quarter ending bucket sparked a 13-2 tear over a span of 5:50 and was highlighted by a Jeremy Grospe three from the right wing to help give the home team a 22-11 advantage with 2:12 remaining in the second quarter. South River added two more scores capped by a Taylor bucket from Grospe for a 17-2 surge before Nigro got a basket late in the period to make the score 26-13 at the intermission.
At the start of the third, the Rams picked up right where they left off in the second by scoring 9 of the first 11 points of the new half capped by another trey from the right corner by Grospe at the 4:40 mark of the period for a 26-6 surge over a 12:20 span, and a commanding 35-15 lead. South River didn’t stop there either as they got another trey from the left corner by Grospe at the 3:19 mark for a 31-6 surge, and a 40-15 edge.
Grospe then capped the 40-14 outburst over a 17 minute span with a three from the top of the key that gave the Rams a seemingly insurmountable 49-23 lead heading into the fourth. Showing tremendous determination and heart, South Plainfield rallied with a remarkable 31-9 rally over the first seven minutes of the final period to dramatic close the gap to two possessions with under a minute to go.
In addition to chipping away at the deficit by getting to the line and making free throws, Dean also made plays including a drive into the lane for a score at the 4:27 mark of the fourth while Oduro added a putback with 3:55 remaining to narrow the deficit further to 56-39. Utilizing its full court pressure, South Plainfield then scored 11 of the next 13 points to pull within single digits at 58-50 with 1:05 to play.
The Tigers scrapped for four more points including Williams three from way out on the left wing to pull within four, but a missed layup, and a subsequent three attempt along with five free throws including two each from Rodriguez and Grospe helped South River hold off the fierce rally for the 63-56 win.
With the victory, South River begins the season at 1-0 while South Plainfield starts at 0-1. Both teams are scheduled to return to action with games on Monday as the Rams travel to Metuchen for a 6:00 PM contest while the Tigers host Middlesex in another GMC Blue clash at Cotoia Gymnasium at 5:30 PM.