2022 GMCT Preliminary Round Preview

February 15, 2022 Greg Machos Amboy Tech Hoops, East Brunswick Hoops, Highland Park Hoops, J.P. Stevens Hoops, Metuchen Hoops, Middlesex Hoops, New Brunswick Hoops, North Brunswick Hoops, Old Bridge Hoops, Perth Amboy Hoops, Piscataway Hoops, Sayreville Hoops, South River Hoops, Spotswood Hoops, Timothy Christian Hoops, Wardlaw Hoops, Woodbridge Hoops 0

Four or Five Interesting Games on Tap for Tuesday in GMCT

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ—Following a Play-In Round that didn’t provide much in the way of drama, the 2022 Greater Middlesex Conference Boys Basketball Tournament resumes on Tuesday with Preliminary Round Games at the higher seeded teams.  At first glance, it appears that at least four or five of these games could be interesting match-ups.

However, the tournament always provides ample opportunity for surprises here and there.  For instance, the one real surprise in the GMCT Play-In Round was the contest between 19th seeded Metuchen and 30th seeded Piscataway Tech, which turned out to be the closest game of the entire round.  Before we begin our preview of today’s preliminary round, let’s take a look back at the 2022 GMCT Play-In Round that took place on Saturday:

A Look Back:  2022 GMCT Play-In Round Results

  • #24 Perth Amboy Tech 52—#25 Calvary Christian 38
  • #17 Perth Amboy 79—#32 Dunellen 46
  • #23 Highland Park 42—#26 South Amboy 35
  • #18 New Brunswick 79—#31 Somerset Tech 41
  • #21 North Brunswick 60—#28 J.F. Kennedy 45
  • #20 Woodbridge 84—#29 East Brunswick Tech 37
  • #19 Metuchen 57—#30 Piscataway Tech 52

GMC Hoops covered at least portions of 6 of the 8 GMCT Play-In Round Games.  Articles of those games have been posted to the blog along with another story on Wardlaw’s contest versus Princeton Day School in the 2022 NJSIAA Prep B Semifinals in North Edison on Sunday afternoon.

The Play-In Round went pretty much as expected with the higher seeded teams winning all of the games.  Only two of the contests were decided by single digits with 23rd seeded Highland Park rallying in the fourth quarter to defeat 26th seeded South Amboy while 19th seeded Metuchen had its hands full against a 30th seeded Piscataway Tech team that battled back from a 17 point first half deficit to pull within three late in the fourth.

The contest between 24th seeded Perth Amboy Tech and 25th seeded Calvary Christian didn’t go exactly as GMC Hoops originally though.  As a matter of fact, it was quite similar to the meeting between the two schools in Perth Amboy on January 24th.  Close first quarter and first half, Calvary struggling to make shots, and a third quarter surge by Amboy Tech.  The Patriots also out rebounded and out hustled the Lions.

Another game that was a little bit interesting was the game between 21st seeded North Brunswick, and its GMC White rival, 28th seeded J.F. Kennedy.  Despite falling behind 21-10 in the first quarter, the Mustangs hung around as they only trailed 34-24 at the half, and were outscored 26-21 in the second half as the Raiders went on to win, 60-45.

Thirty second seeded Dunellen’s defensive strategy of utilizing a zone defense versus Perth Amboy did cause the Panthers to have some struggle initially.  However, the Panthers full court pressure was able to produce turnovers, and eventually things opened up for the offense as Amboy put together a 20-8 second quarter for a 39-15 halftime lead en route to a 79-46 victory.

Now, let’s move ahead to Tuesday’s schedule in the 2022 GMCT Preliminary Round.  Game times range from 4:00 to 6:00 PM.  If you’re hoping for a 7:00 PM start with some of these games, it is not happening today.

A Look Ahead:  2022 GMCT Preliminary Round Schedule

  • #21 North Brunswick at #12 J.P. Stevens, 4:00 PM
  • #23 Highland Park at #10 South River, 4:15 PM
  • #20 Woodbridge at #13 Old Bridge, 5:30 PM
  • #17 Perth Amboy at #16 Middlesex, 5:30 PM
  • #19 Metuchen at #14 Sayreville, 5:30 PM
  • #24 Perth Amboy Tech at #9 Piscataway, 6:00 PM
  • #18 New Brunswick at #15 Spotswood, 6:00 PM
  • #22 Wardlaw-Hartridge at #11 East Brunswick, 6:00 PM

GMC Hoops will be providing some coverage of GMCT Preliminary Round Games between 10th seeded South River and 23rd seeded Highland Park and 13th seeded Old Bridge and 20th seeded Woodbridge.

Now, we are going to go into some detail for every game in this round.  Keep in mind that 7 of the 8 GMCT Preliminary Round games on Tuesday are crossover contests, meaning that the game is between schools from divisions in the Greater Middlesex Conference.  Counting the games on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, here are how each of the divisions have performed in crossovers this season:

  • Blue Division:  14-10
  • Red Division:  10-7
  • White Division:  9-8
  • Gold Division:  5-13

Let’s take a look at the capsules for Tuesday’s games:

#21 North Brunswick at #12 J.P. Stevens, 4:00 PM

The Raiders of 21st seeded North Brunswick were one of five teams in the GMC White to end the regular season under .500, but showed signs of gradual improvement from about mid-season on.  After losing the likes of Jabri Fitzpatrick (Patrick School National), Donovan Crawford (Quality Prep Academy), Christian Salazar, and Jaquil Boyd to graduation, and Marquis Perry to Winter Track, the Raiders began the season with five straight defeats and losses in 7 of their first 8 games.  

Since then, North Brunswick has been much more competitive with veterans such as Ian Morris, Frank Garbolino, and Tim Bolaji along with newcomers Jurmire Jones, Tommy Koroma, and Jack Garbolino.  Meanwhile, 12th seeded J.P. Stevens was one of the big surprises in the first half of the season thanks to wins over South Brunswick, and Monroe, but the Hawks have come back down to earth recently, and fell out of the latest GMC Hoops Top Ten.  

Don’t count JPS out though, especially at home in front of the raucous Hawks Student Section.  Couple that with the likes of Elijah Scott, Eli Peters, Aurko Sarkar, Isaiah Ramirez, Aditya Thewarker, and Kevin Kshatriya, and the Hawks are still a very formidable opponent for North Brunswick, which was 1-3 versus the GMC Red in 2021-22.

#23 Highland Park at #10 South River, 4:15 PM

This is the only game in the 2022 GMCT Preliminary Round that is between schools from the same division.  Tenth seeded South River and 23rd seeded Highland Park will be facing off for the third time this season.  The Rams defeated the Owls in both of the previous games by an average of 29 points per game while scoring 71 points per game.  The Owls are coming off their first win in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament since defeating Perth Amboy Tech (54-52) in overtime in the 2012 GMCT Play-In Round.  

Highland Park is led by the senior backcourt tandem of Ewan Haley-Lock and Matt Brozozowski, which combined for 37 of the Owls 42 points in the victory over 26th seeded South Amboy on Saturday.  South River, which has played a solid non-conference schedule recently versus the likes of Keyport, Roselle, Wayne Valley, Asbury Park, and Hightstown is led by Roman Santos, Lazaro Rodriguez, Jeremy Grospe, Kobe Taylor, Alex Grospe, and Darren Barberio, who exploded for 17 points in the 2nd quarter against the Owls (81-55 victory) in the 2020-21 season finale last March 6th.

#20 Woodbridge at #13 Old Bridge, 5:30 PM

This contest could be another intriguing crossover clash between a GMC White and GMC Red school.  Like North Brunswick, 20th seeded Woodbridge got off to a difficult start not only due to COVID, which delayed the start of the Barrons season for about 10 days, but also had losses in 12 of its first 15 games.  Since then, the mostly young and inexperienced Barrons have improved with 5 straight victories by an average margin of 30 points per game including Saturday’s GMCT Play-In Round victory over 29th seeded East Brunswick Tech (84-37).  

The sophomore backcourt duo of Micah Eason and Jayce Green are maturing and fun to watch along with fellow classmate Kendall Pala, who is athletic, long, and a solid perimeter threat.  Seniors Nick Hilenski and Jake Serrano have provided steady play, leadership, and additional perimeter scoring punch.  13th seeded Old Bridge will not be an easy team to beat for Woodbridge.  

The Knights may be only 7-13 overall including a 6-10 mark in the GMC Red, but they have lost 4 of those games by 10 points or less including an overtime loss at Piscataway (65-63) on January 6th while also beating East Brunswick and J.P. Stevens, which have been in the GMC Hoops Top Ten at some point during the season.  Old Bridge is led by seniors Jaden St. Rose, Miles Sala, and Nate Johnson along with juniors Ryan Witte, Adam Scire, and football standout Brady Cavallarod, and a talented group of freshmen led by Krish Patel.

#17 Perth Amboy at #16 Middlesex, 5:30 PM

This could be the most intriguing match-up of all.  Not just because Middlesex is the 16th seeded and Perth Amboy is the 17th seed, but also since both teams like to get out in the open floor, and push the basketball.  Amboy, which won its first game since defeating East Brunswick on January 6th, by defeating 32nd seeded Dunellen (79-46) in the GMCT Play-In Round on Saturday to snap a 13 game losing streak, loves to score in transition with the likes of junior guard Lorenzo Perez, and seniors Kevin Clemons, Mekhi Denny, Justin Quintero, Anthony Diaz Jr., and Xavier Silva.  

Meanwhile, Middlesex likes to push the ball as well with senior guard, Mike Salvatore, who is making a run to finish with 1,000 career points much like former teammate Mark Brower did a year ago.  The Blue Jays also have the likes of football standout, Stephen Young, Matt Venutolo, Mike Lavornia, A.J. West, and Zach Chippendale.  Perth Amboy and Middlesex played common opponents in Dunellen and Monroe.  Both defeated the Destroyers easily while Amboy only lost to the Falcons twice by a combined total of 3 points while Middlesex lost to Monroe two weeks ago by 25.

These two teams have had quite a recent history in the GMCT.  Today’s game will mark the sixth time Perth Amboy and Middlesex have met in the GMCT since 2003, but the first time in 10 years.  The two teams played each other 3 times in the GMCT Preliminary Round over a four year span from 2006 to 2009.  Then, the two met again in the 2012 GMCT Play-In round.  Middlesex won the first three while Amboy won the last one.  Here’s how the previous five match-ups have gone:

  • 2003 GMCT Preliminary Round—#5 Perth Amboy 87—#28 Middlesex 45
  • 2006 GMCT Preliminary Round—#19 Middlesex 80—#14 Perth Amboy 69
  • 2008 GMCT Preliminary Round—#13 Middlesex 55—#20 Perth Amboy 47
  • 2009 GMCT Preliminary Round—#12 Middlesex 70—#21 Perth Amboy 42
  • 2021 GMCT Play-In Round—#23 Perth Amboy 69—#24 Middlesex 42

#19 Metuchen at #14 Sayreville, 5:30 PM

This GMC Blue vs. White Division crossover could go either way depending on which Metuchen team comes to play.  If it is the Bulldogs squad that defeated Woodbridge on January 8th, and split its first 14 games capped by a four game winning streak, it could be a good one since Sayreville had to go four overtimes before beating Woodbridge (81-72) on January 20th and edging the Barrons by five in the last meeting at the Bomb Shelter on January 31st (57-52). If it is the Bulldog squad that had lost four straight and had to hang on to defeat 30th seeded Piscataway Tech on Saturday, it may be an easier night for the Bombers

Metuchen’s season has been a bit of a roller coaster ride since it is a more inexperienced team than it was a year ago.  However, Coach Cardillo has done a very good job of getting everyone in the game, especially when it is out of reach, and that has paid dividends with the team’s younger players.  Juniors Max Cohn and Marcus Malamug are coming into their own as well as sophomore Ben Santus.  Couple that with the leadership of senior Dom Schiappa along with the scrappy play of classmates Liam Benderly, Alec Lataillade, and Caelan Esmile, the Bulldogs have exceeded expectations somewhat.

Sayreville, like GMC White rivals, #20th seeded Woodbridge and #21st seeded North Brunswick, endured a difficult start.  Similar to the Barrons, the Bombers season was delayed about a week due to COVID, and then Sayreville began play against the likes of Colonia, Ranney, Long Branch, and Red Bank.  Consequently, the Bombers lost 5 of their first 6 games before turning things around to finish a respectable 4th in the division.  Sayreville has won 8 of its last 14 games including a season sweep of Woodbridge.

Players to watch for Sayreville include:  Max Negron, Peter Luster, Santino Whitaker, Kyler Crespo, Jaden Hargrove, J.J.Kelly, Sam Omokeji, and Emanuel Domingo.  The Bombers only played five games a year ago due to COVID, and lost 9 players to graduation including four regular starters.  Among those starters were top scorers Aidan Ryan (Centenary College) and Danny Golaszewski (Brookdale Community College), who are now playing college hoops.

#24 Perth Amboy Tech at #9 Piscataway, 6:00 PM

Entering today’s GMCT Play-In Round contest at Piscataway, 24th seeded Perth Amboy Tech, which could still end up tied for 2nd in the GMC Gold with Wardlaw-Hartridge, has only played two games outside of its division in the GMC:  Dunellen (won 48-24) on January 31st, and at South River (lost 80-44) on February 10th.  Meanwhile, 9th seeded P-Way has defeated the likes of GMC Hoops Top Ten teams:  South Brunswick, East Brunswick, and J.P. Stevens while losing 6 of its 9 games by 7 points or less.

The Patriots veteran squad consists of all seniors including starters Chanel Herrera, Julius Bonilla, Adrian Pena, Jonas Ramos, and Jamir Brown.  Amboy Tech has played the top teams in the GMC Gold in Timothy Christian and Wardlaw-Hartridge tough for the third straight year while sweeping all three of its games versus a very good Calvary Christian team.  Piscataway counters with a blend of youth and experience with the likes of seniors Aaren Austin, Jaiden Corley, Jerrick Hargrove, and Kasir Hart and juniors Jalen Thomas and Jonathan Carman along with newcomers Logan Smith Elijah Timberlake and Jayden Williams.

#18 New Brunswick at #15 Spotswood, 6:00 PM

Here’s another intriguing match-up pitting a GMC White team against a GMC Blue team.  New Brunswick’s record is 5-14, but that is a bit deceptive considering that the Zebras have played in the rough and tumble GMC Red with 7 teams that have been in the GMC Hoops Top Ten, and were seeded in the 2022 GMCT’s Top 13.  New Brunswick has also won three straight, lost at 21st seeded North Brunswick bye only five (55-50), and got its first win of the year over a Roselle team (86-73) that recently defeated 10th seeded South River, which defeated Spotswood twice.

Spotswood is perhaps the most improved team in the GMC this season, which places long time head coach, Steve Mate in good position to earn Coach of the Year honors.  The Chargers not only have a good blend of youth and experience, but also size, depth, and athleticism.  This year’s Spotswood squad is probably the biggest team Mate has ever had.  Seniors Roman Carone, Casey Cumiskey, and Chris Stanaway lead the team while junior Aiden Scher and sophomore Daniel Yarus, who both took their lumps a year ago, lead a group of youngsters that also include Rhion Ahmetaj, Kiye Walker, Trey Lazar, and Dominic Perez.

New Brunswick is more of a veteran team with the likes of seniors Josiah Brown and Deon Jackson leading the way along with classmate and football standout, Bryan Latham Jr.  Kiefer Gomez and De’andre Hepburn have also provided contributions off the bench.  If Brown and Jackson, who combined to score 56 points in the win over Roselle on January 17th, are both on, Spotswood will have their hands full to say the least.

#22 Wardlaw-Hartridge at #11 East Brunswick, 6:00 PM

The 22nd seeded Rams had some ups and downs early on due to COVID this season, and then lost at Calvary Christian (50-43) on January 13th to place them at 2-2.  Since then though, Wardlaw-Hartridge has mostly played like it is capable off with 10 victories in its last 13 games.  Seniors Mehkai Huey and Jordan Severino have been leading the way while juniors Evan Benson, Xavier Hinds, Harrison Kilpatrick, and Gyrord Gregoire contributed as well.

Meanwhile, East Brunswick has remained competitive despite losing 7 seniors including 3 starters and another two players to transfer including a starter.  The Bears, led by the play of senior Justin Black and junior Mike Mikulka, have managed to finish 5th in the rugged GMC Red, and are presently ranked in the GMC Hoops Top 10 at 9-9 overall.  Other contributors include junior Alani Ajigbitosho and seniors Brett Motusesky and Zach McCue.  Three of EB’s losses have come by 7 points or less, and they have beaten South Brunswick, Piscataway, and J.P. Stevens (twice).

The Bears are just 1-1 out of division with a 70-60 loss to South Plainfield on December 23rd and a 63-46 victory over North Brunswick on January 22nd at home.  Meanwhile, Wardlaw is coming off a very competitive loss to Princeton Day (61-54) in the NJSIAA Prep B Semifinals on Sunday, and lost to Bound Brook (57-42) on opening day, and more recently at Bridgewater-Raritan (58-43) on February 5th.  The Rams have not played any GMC crossover games yet this season.