Smith Hits Clutch Three Pointer To Tie And Then Foul Shot For 58-57 Victory
SAYREVILLE, NJ–Coming into this season, GMC Hoops felt that the Sayreville Bombers were going to be a tough team to beat. Even though they had lost a great deal to graduation from last season, their tough, physical play during the course of the off-season had impressed. In addition, Sayreville had the likes of Dave Milewski and Jarrell Smith returning this season. So far this season, the Bombers haven’t disappointed much despite a .500 record. Sayreville lost its three games by a combined margin of 12 points including a defeat in double overtime, another in overtime, and a three point loss in regulation.
Down the stretch in their game versus Cardinal McCarrick, the Bombers learned from those mistakes by coming up with big plays to overcome the Eagles. Mark Keir, who scored 11 points including three treys, made two of them in the fourth to help turn what had been a 50-46 McCarrick lead into a 52-50 advantage. Jarrell Smith, who scored 14 points, ended up the hero with a three pointer at the 11 second mark, and then the game winning free throw with no time left on the clock after being fouled by Mo Isaac while trying to put up a last second shot attempt.
This contest had it all from clutch shots to blocked shots. From physical play and charges to plenty of fouls and free throws. There were no big leads in this one, but huge swings in momentum, especially when the game was on the line in the fourth. The game also didn’t go without its share of controversy. The last second foul call was a tough one for the Eagles to take. On the last second shot attempt by Smith, it appeared that the Sayreville guard had traveled, but there was no call. Only a foul called on Isaac, who played brilliantly with a game high 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots.
It was a tough night for both McCarrick’s Dana Raysor and Sayreville’s Tarif Jackson. Raysor, a transfer from St. Patrick’s, who scored 30 points in a recent victory over Orange at the Joe Silver Holiday Tournament, only went 4 of 15 from the floor including 1 of 6 from three point range. Despite that, Raysor, who didn’t get a lot of rotation on his shots, still managed to register double digit scoring with 15 points as he made 6 of 9 from the line. Jackson, who scored 25 points in the loss at Carteret on Monday after scoring 16 in the loss to Hillsborough, couldn’t get shots to fall on Wednesday night. His attempts either didn’t get the kind bounce, or rimmed out on him as he went 4 of 18 from the floor.
Charlie Gorman fired away for the Eagles though. Although he only made 5 of 12 shots from the floor, he hit four deep threes to either keep McCarrick in the game, or give it the lead. When this junior guard is on his game, he has tremendous range. New Brunswick can attest to that. Neither team had a lead bigger than four points throughout as the game went back and forth between the two neighborhood rivals. Sayreville won two of the quarters while McCarrick won one, and the second period ended in a 15-15 tie. The Eagles went 18 of 48 from the floor overall including 6 of 22 from long distance while making 15 of 23 from the foul line. The Bombers were 18 of 53 from the floor including 6 of 16 from beyond the arc while making 16 of 20 from the line.
In other statistical areas, both teams turned the ball over 19 times while McCarrick held the edge in blocks (8-0), steals (8-4), and assists (11-10) while Sayreville held the edge in total rebounds (32-28), offensive boards (13-12), and charges (3-2). Dave Milewski came off the bench to turn in a solid double-double effort as he made 3 of 7 shots from the floor, and all four of his free throws for 10 points along with 12 rebounds. He also had two charges. Syd Holt chipped in on the glass for the Bombers with 8 points and 8 rebounds.
Sayreville jumped out to a 4-0 lead on one of two free throws at the 6:13 mark, and a three pointer at about the five minute mark by Keir. McCarrick got off to a very slow start by committing four turnovers, and going 0 of 5 from the floor. However, the Eagles fought back with an 8-4 run to tie things up at 8-8, and after a short jumper by Darryl Stephenson off an assist by Milewski to put the Bombers ahead, 10-8, they took an 11-10 lead on a three pointer from Raysor at the 1:48 mark. Sayreville responded with a 7-2 run to take a 17-13 lead, and led by three going into the second.
However, from that point on, it was a dogfight. The Bombers led through a good portion of the second period before Gorman went on a personal 5-0 run including a layup and one of his patent threes to give the Eagles a 25-24 lead at the 3:48 mark. Following a Sayreville timeout, Raysor made one of two at the line and Isaac added two free throws for a 28-24 lead as both teams, which combined for 23 team fouls over the first 16 minutes, were in the bonus early in the second and the double bonus near the end of the half. Sayreville then closed out the first half with an 8-1 spurt that included an offensive rebound and follow by Milewski at the 2:13 mark, and two free throws by Smith to end the first half with a 32-29 lead.
The third period saw McCarrick take the lead with an 18-13 showing. The Eagles battled back from several deficits as they got a three point play from Isaac at the 3:12 mark, a two handed flush from Isaac at the 2:15 mark, and a three pointer by Gorman at the 45 second mark for a 46-43 lead. Smith, who sank a trey earlier in the period for a 37-34 lead, kept Sayreville within striking distance with two free throws at the six second mark before Mohammed Ali closed out the quarter with one of two foul shots for a 47-45 lead heading into the fourth. Although the fourth saw the lowest combined point total of any quarter by both teams, it still had plenty of drama.
McCarrick appeared on its way to a victory at several points as Gorman nailed a three from the right wing at the 5:23 mark for a 50-46 lead. However, Keir, who was only 2 of 6 from the foul line including a missed one and one at the 5:53 mark, and one of two from the line at the 5:47 mark, redeemed himself by getting his team not only back into the game, but also giving it the lead with three pointers at the 4:09 mark, and the 3:00 mark. Holt then added another bucket to put the Bombers up by four before Gorman sparked a 7-0 rally with a patented deep three from the left wing at the 1:41 mark. Raysor then drove into the key for an off-balanced shot that went in at the 43 second mak, and Cruz made two free throws at the 27 second mark for a 57-54 lead.
By this point, the Sayreville fans had finally got into the game, and the atmosphere picked up in intensity. The Bombers responded to the crowd’s energy with Smith’s clutch three from the left corner at the 11 second mark, and then forced a McCarrick turnover with four seconds to play. Following a timeout, Jackson was unable to inbound the ball, and a second timeout had to be called by the Bombers. After the stoppage, Sayreville got the ball to Smith, who dribbled up the left side of the court for a shot attempt, drew the foul from Isaac, and sealed the win on a free throw with no time left on the clock.
The victory was a huge one for Sayreville. Not only did it keep the Bombers over .500, but it prevented a three game losing streak. In addition, it gave Sayreville confidence going into the rest of the season. The loss for McCarrick was a tough one, but the Eagles have already been battle tested through seven games, and that will help them as the season wears on. A full summary on this game will be out eventually. In the meantime, you can read the blow by blow account of the fourth quarter in the game capsule from the home page.