Patriots Overcome Early Deficit with 59-9 Onslaught to Defeat AUL, 66-30
PERTH AMBOY, NJ—In several key games covered by GMC Hoops this season, Perth Amboy Tech has struggled to get going early on only to surge in the 2nd and 3rd quarters to come away with a victory. Tuesday’s opening round contest against neighborhood rival, Academy of Urban Leadership of Perth Amboy in the 2022 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 1 State Tournament was no different.
The 13th seeded Jaguars opened the game by scoring the first six points, and led 8-2 midway through the period before the fourth seeded Patriots finally got going. And boy, did the Pats get going. Over a span of roughly three quarters, Amboy Tech scored 59 of the next 68 points including a 31-0 shutout in the third period to take a 61-17 lead before Armando Fernandez got a basket for AUL with 4:26 remaining.
Prior to Fernandez’s bucket, Perth Amboy Tech had scored 36 unanswered points to start the 2nd half, and 40 of 44 points in a span of 14:28 after the Jaguars had pulled within 21-15 with just under three minutes remaining in the first half. The Patriots trapping pressure defense caused all kinds of havoc made up of steals, five second calls, traveling violations, and other unforced errors. The result was a 66-30 Amboy Tech victory to advance to the quarterfinals.
Adrian Pena led the way for the Patriots with a game high 26 points including five three pointers along with 8 rebounds, 8 assists, 7 steals, and 2 blocks in what NCAA basketball analyst Clark Kellogg would call, “a stat stuffer deluxe” like performance for the senior guard. Highlighting Pena’s effort were buzzer beating scores at the end of the first and third periods.
Teammate Julius Bonilla chipped in with 11 points including a three of his own while also collecting 4 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. Chanel Herrera (7 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, a rebound and a block) and reserve Travis Bruce (7 points, 3 assists, 2 steals, a rebound and a block) had identical games. Jamir Brown added 6 points, 3 boards, 2 steals, and an assist.
Jonas Ramos (5 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist) and Joshua Acevedo (4 points and a rebound) rounded out the Amboy Tech scoring while Jadis Hernandez (3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal) and Joseph Garcia (3 rebounds) also saw action in the contest. David Hernandez led AUL in a losing cause with 8 points while Fernandez and Enmanuel Jimenez each added 6.
Sean Martinez (5 points), Emmanuel Jimenez (3 points), and Jeury Valdez (2 points) rounded out the scoring for the Jaguars. Perth Amboy Tech outscored AUL from within the arc (40-9), long distance (21-12), and the charity stripe (4-0) while also collecting 27 rebounds, 18 assists, 16 steals, and 5 blocks as a team. The Patriots outscored the Jags in three of the four periods played.
After AUL established an early 6-0 lead, Pena sparked an 8-2 run with a layup and then he and Ramos added threes to tie the game at 8-8 with 1:11 left in the first period. The Patriots then scored 9 unanswered points to end the first period including a runner by Pena to beat the buzzer for a 17-8 advantage heading into the second.
Amboy Tech then scored the first four points of the second period to go up by a baker’s dozen at 21-8 before the Jaguars scored 7 straight points to close the gap to 21-15 with 2:54 to play in the opening half. The Pats then scored 4 of the last 6 points of the half including a steal for a layup by Pena to go into the locker room ahead 25-17 at the intermission.
Putting together a dominant performance in the third, the Patriots broke open the contest. Amboy Tech scored all 31 points in the frame including a couple layups from Brown, scores from Bonilla and Rams, and several scores by Pena including a three pointer from the left side with time running out for a commanding 56-17 lead heading into the fourth.
Continuing its onslaught, Perth Amboy Tech opened the fourth with the first five points including another trey by Pena to take a 61-17 lead with about 4:30 to play. Academy of Urban Leadership then closed out the game with 13 of the last 18 points to round out the 66-30 final score. With the win, Perth Amboy Tech improved to 15-10 overall on the season while AUL concluded its season at 7-10.
The fourth seeded Patriots move on to the CJ Group 1 Quarterfinals on Thursday, where they will host 5th seeded Florence in Perth Amboy at 4:30 PM. Florence, which won Central Jersey Group 1 back in 2016, defeated Asbury Park, 51-47 in its opening round game. The Flashes are 14-10 overall on the season including a recent 67-58 victory over Point Pleasant Beach on February 22nd.
GMC HOOPS TRIVIA: Perth Amboy Tech boys basketball coach, Don Reid, had previously coached at Academy of Urban Leadership. The former Cardinal McCarrick standout, who helped the Eagles reach the 2004 GMCT Final Four, and win the 2005 Non-Public B South sectional championship, guided the Jaguars to its best season ever two years ago. AUL finished 24-5 overall, and reached the 2020 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals before losing to Bound Brook (67-55).