EDISON, NJ–On Tuesday night, GMC Hoops traveled over to the Physical Education Center on the Edison Campus of Middlesex County College to take in the opening night of games at the 2009 Middlesex County College Summer League. For ten straight summers, the web site has been covering this league through its ups and downs. There were eight games on the docket on Tuesday night including two contests that involved future GMC member, Timothy Christian. Take a look at all of the results from opening night as well as current standings.
There were three games that the site covered. Two involved teams from the GMC while one consisted of teams outside the conference. Over on Court #1, East Brunswick was taking on South Amboy while on Court #2, Roselle Park of the Mountain Valley Conference was battling with South Hunterdon from the Valley Division of the Skyland Conference. Finally, on Court #3, South Plainfield was facing off against Highland Park in another GMC crossover.
South Hunterdon Uses Late Run To Defeat Roselle Park, 42-35
Of the three games covered by GMC Hoops, this was perhaps the most competitive game of the night. The site saw down to see the action in this game with 14:30 to go, and South Hunterdon in the lead by four, 29-25. The Eagles, which compete in the Valley Division of the Skyland Conference, had its best season in several years with a 14-10 overall record, and its first state tournament appearance since 1989. The Eagles, which finished ahead of two time defending division champion, Bound Brook in the final league standings, and won four in a row to get into the states, lost in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group I State Tournament on the road against David Brearley of Kenilworth (67-61).
Meanwhile, the season for Roselle Park was a difficult one. The Panthers, which have had their share of struggles over the years, had a down year with a 3-24 overall mark including two wins over Patriot Conference member, Ranney, and a victory over Manville. Roselle Park played Metuchen early in the season during their holiday tournament, and GMC Hoops was there to capture the 76-50 win by the Bulldogs as they ended their two game winning streak, and went on to win the Roselle Park tourney.
A short time after GMC Hoops arrived to watch the game, Roselle Park closed to within a basket on a score at the fourteen minute mark for a 29-27 South Hunterdon lead. Over the next seven minutes, the Panthers outscored the Eagles to the tune of a 4-2 run to complete a 6-2 burst that tied the game up at 31-31 with seven minutes remaining in regulation. The score remained tied at the 5:58 mark, and the deadlock didn’t break until the 3:45 mark when South Hunterdon made one of two free throws from the line for a 32-31 lead. Ending the 3:15 scoring drought by both teams, the Eagles then scored 10 of the next 11 points including a field goal at the 2:46 mark for a 34-31 lead, and one of two from the line at the 2:00 mark for a 35-31 lead. South Hunterdon then added a layup to go ahead by six at 38-32 with 1:10 left. Trailing by ten, 42-32 with less than a minute remaining, Roselle Park got an acrobatic layup to go in while being fouled for a traditional three point play, and a 42-35 South Hunterdon victory.
With the win, South Hunterdon starts the summer at 1-0 while Roselle Park drops to 0-1.
South Plainfield Rolls Past Overmatched Highland Park, 49-12
The Tigers cruised to an easy victory in this one since Highland Park’s varsity was over at the 2009 East Brunswick Team Camp playing against Bound Brook on this night. Over the first 27:30 of the contest, South Plainfield went on a 35-4 barrage that put the game well out of reach by the time the site came to sit down and watch. Junior Malcolm Austin then came up with a layup that made the score 37-4 at the 12:15 mark. Then, sophomore Troy McNair got into the act with an assist on a layup underneath for a 39-4 lead. Highland Park scored a bucket to make it 39-6 at the 10:48 mark, but McNair replied with one of his own for a 41-6 lead with 10:20 remaining.
Almost a minute and a half later, the onslaught continued as the Tigers came up with a steal, and converted it into a breakaway layup for a 43-6 advantage with exactly nine minutes remaining. The Owls, which have been a fixture in the MCC league for a number of years, got back on the board again with one of two free throws for a 43-7 Tiger edge with 8:09 to play. Despite two missed free throws late by Carlos Ruiz, South Plainfield still managed to cruise to a 49-12 victory with a 6-5 edge in the scoring over the final 8:09. With the victory, the Tigers start the summer at 1-0 while the Owls begin at 0-1.
Second Half Surge Helps East Brunswick Pull Away From South Amboy, 41-18
While the Bears had a squad playing over at their own team camp, the site managed to see another squad in action against South Amboy in a 7:00 PM game. Former South Amboy standouts, Mark Simko and Larry Lenahan were on hand to follow up on their alma mater, and give encouragement to the current group of Guvs, which were without the services of junior Joe Charmello, who was injured during AAU season. It was a tight contest in the first half with East Brunswick leading by only four when the site arrived with 30 seconds to go in the first half. South Amboy then got a score on a layup with about 15 seconds left to draw within two at 14-12, but then the Bears closed out the first half scoring with two free throws for a 16-12 lead at halftime.
In the second half though, East Brunswick would take command. While GMC Hoops was watching contests between Roselle Park and South Hunterdon as well as South Plainfield and Highland Park, the Bears limited the Guvs to just six points in the second half, and had a 31-16 lead when the site returned to action with 3:30 to go. EB then made one of two at the foul line for a 32-16 lead at the 2:57 mark. A little more than a minute later, the Bears scored again on a layup that got a kind bounce, and after drawing a foul on the play, had a chance for a traditional three point scoring opportunity. However, the Bears missed the bonus free throw, and lead, 34-16 with 1:51 left. East Brunswick would then score seven of the final nine points including a three pointer by John Genco at the 1:14 mark to go on to win easily, 41-18.
With the victory, the Bears start the summer at 1-0 while the Guvs are 0-1.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Brunswick (1-0) | 16 | 25 | 41 |
| South Amboy (0-1) | 12 | 6 | 18 |
GMC Hoops will return on Thursday for the second night of action from the MCC Summer League.