UNION, NJ–On Friday afternoon, GMC Hoops traveled up to Kean University to take in the final few games from the morning session of the second Ironman Challenge being run this summer by the Kean men’s basketball program. The first Ironman Challenge of the summer took place the previous weekend at Kean, and four teams from the GMC participated including: East Brunswick, Middlesex, New Brunswick, and North Brunswick. The site saw bits and pieces from three games involving teams from the GMC in this session. Middlesex took on Fort Lee in the consolation bracket final, Perth Amboy battled Pope John of Sparta in the third place game, and Monroe and North Hunterdon squared off for the Championship.
Middlesex Downs Fort Lee To Earn Fifth Place, 44-37
After losing its opening round game to North Hunterdon, Middlesex fared better in the consolation bracket by defeating Barnegat in the semifinal round, and then knocking off a bigger school in Fort Lee in the consolation championship. Fort Lee, which has qualified for the state tournament in each of the past two seasons, lost to Monroe in the first round before winning its consolation semi. Middlesex, which has qualified for the state tournament in each of the past three seasons, and has put together a combined record of 56-22, fell behind early in this one as Fort Lee scored eight of the first twelve points for an 8-4 lead at the 15:24 mark.
However, Middlesex rallied with a 5-0 run including a three pointer at the 14:28 mark for a 9-8 lead, and then made it a 7-0 run on two free throws at the 13:35 mark for an 11-8 lead. Fort Lee got a score to pull within one at the 11:40 mark, but Middlesex closed out the first half with a 16-5 spurt for a 27-15 halftime edge. John Santoro sparked the run with a scoop shot for a layup at the 10:56 mark for a 13-10 lead. In the second half, Fort Lee started out strong again with a 12-6 run over the first 13:15 to close the gap to 33-27 with under seven minutes to go. But, Middlesex wouldn’t let them get any closer as the Blue Jays closed the contest with a 11-10 showing for the 44-37 victory. With the win, Middlesex earned fifth place with a 2-1 record while Fort Lee finished the day at 1-2.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middlesex (2-1) | 27 | 17 | 44 |
| Fort Lee (1-2) | 15 | 22 | 37 |
Pope John Surges Past Amboy To Earn Third Place, 52-39
After losing to North Hunterdon in the semifinals, Perth Amboy was looking to salvage the day by going 2-1 and finishing third in the AM session of the Ironman Challenge. However, Pope John, which fell to Monroe in the semis, would have none of it. The team from Sussex County in Northwest Jersey took a 31-13 halftime lead, and put together a 12-0 run that turned a 36-25 advantage into a commanding 48-25 lead with 7:51 left en route to a 52-39 victory to finish third in the competition at 2-1. Kearny Canela scored 10 points in the final 5:25 to help Amboy finish strong, and make the score more respectable with a 14-4 surge.
Perth Amboy jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Pope John responded with a 14-2 tear over the next seven plus minutes for a 14-5 lead. The three point shot was the weapon of choice during the run with four of them including one at the 15:16 mark, and another from the left corner at the 13:20 mark. The Lions also added a field goal for an 8-3 lead at the 15:57 mark. Perth Amboy would finally break the run with a steal that led to a Jonathan Rodriguez layup at the 11:50 mark for a 14-7 Pope John lead. The Sparta based school, which competes in the National Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, scored next on a baseline drive from the right side for a 16-7 lead at the 11:27 mark.
The Lions, which went 11-13 overall last season, and was soundly defeated by eventual champion, St. Peter’s Prep in the first round of the Non-Public A North State Tournament, had a chance to go up even more after being fouled on an offensive rebound and follow of a missed three pointer, but missed both free throws at the 9:09 mark. The Panthers took advantage by scoring the next four points including a nice give and go play that led to a Yoelbin Sanchez layup at the 7:50 mark, and a layup off the fast break by Rodriguez for a 16-11 Pope John lead with 7:25 to go in the half. However, Perth Amboy was unable to get any closer as the Lions put together a 15-2 tear to end the first half with a 31-13 lead.
The run was sparked by a three pointer at the 7:14 mark for a 19-11 lead. Then, Pope John added two free throws at the 6:07 mark, and a steal for a breakaway layup at the 5:16 mark for a 23-11 lead before Amboy called for time with 5:12 to go in the period. Following the timeout, things continued to get worse for the Panthers as the lion’s scored eight of the last ten points before the break. After making a free throw, Pope John went up 26-11 with a nice drive and dish for a layup at the 3:05 mark. Following a short jumper by Canela that closed the gap to 26-13 with 2:43 left in the half, the Lions ended the period with five unanswered points for the eight point advantage at the intermission. In the second half, Amboy would rally to make things interesting for a while, but Pope John put together a back breaking run for a twenty-three point lead.
In the final 20 minutes of play, Pope John connected on 7 of 13 shots from the floor including 2 of 6 from three point range while making all five foul shots. Meanwhile, Perth Amboy connected on 10 of 18 shots from the floor including 3 of 7 from beyond the arc. The Panthers also made three of four from the foul line. Amboy started the second half strong with a 12-5 spurt over the initial 6:53 of the period that closed the gap to eleven at 36-25. Sanchez, Rodriguez, and Chabel Hernandez spearheaded the comeback attempt. Sanchez sparked it with a three point play at the 18 minute mark. Then, after two free throws from Pope John with 17:10 to go, Sanchez passed to Rodriguez, who dribbled in for a jumper, and a 36-18 Lions lead with 16:30 remaining. Hernandez then penetrated and dished to Sanchez for a layup, and a 36-20 Pope John lead at the 15:30 mark. Almost exactly a minute and a half later, Hernandez drove and dished again, but this time to Rodriguez for a three pointer from the right side that made the score, 36-23 in favor of Pope John at the 14:02 mark. Rodriguez then completed the run with a rebound and drive the length of the floor for a layup, and a 36-25 score.
Following a timeout at the 13:07 mark, Pope John put the game away with a decisive 12-0 spurt over the next 5:16. The Lions, which had too much size, and perimeter shooting, got a layup at the 10:34 mark, and then a three pointer and a three point play over the next 2:43 for a 48-25 lead with 7:51 left. Canela, who scored 12 points in the final 22:43 of the contest, got himself going with a three pointer from the right side at the 5:25 mark, a trey from the left side at the 4:46 mark, and a traditional three point play off a dish from Rodriguez at the 4:04 mark to close the gap to 50-34. The soon to be senior then made one of two from the line at the 1:09 mark for a 52-35 Lions lead. The Panthers then scored the final four points including a short jumper on a follow by Rodriguez with 40 seconds to go, but Pope John came up with the 52-39 victory. With the win, Pope John finished the event at 2-1 while Perth Amboy ended up 1-2.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pope John (2-1) | 31 | 21 | 52 |
| Perth Amboy (1-2) | 13 | 26 | 39 |
North Hunterdon Rallies In Second Half To Defeat Monroe For Championship, 60-54
For the third straight year, the Falcons of Monroe participated in this event. Last year, the Falcons played in both the AM and PM sessions, and won the PM session title. This year, the Purple Birds opened up with a victory over Fort Lee, and another win over Pope John in the semifinals, but came up short in the championship to a North Hunterdon team that defeated three GMC squads en route to the title: Middlesex, Perth Amboy, and Monroe. The Lions, which finished up the season at 12-11, and qualified for the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV state tournament before losing at home in the opening round to Dickinson of Jersey City (48-40), fell behind early in this one, but rallied twice to go ahead, and pulled away late for a 60-54 victory over Monroe.
Monroe had jumped out to a 16-5 lead in the first 6:03 of the contest as they made six of their first seven shots, but North Hunterdon steadied itself with a 22-9 surge to close the half for a 27-25 lead. The Falcons then opened the second half in similar fashion with a 13-4 run over the opening 4:35 for a 38-31 lead, but once again, the Lions, which lost to Pope John of Sparta in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament, put together another solid run with a 14-7 tear over the next six minutes to tie things up at 45-45. Then, broke away from a 49-49 tie with 4:32 left with an 11-5 effort to win the game by six. For the game, the Purple Birds went 21 of 39 overall from the floor for 54 percent including a 5 of 14 effort from three while making 7 of 16 foul shots. The Lions, meanwhile, went 21 of 46 for 46 percent including a 5 of 13 effort from beyond the arc while making 13 of 18 from the foul line.
Besides free throw shooting, turnovers and offensive rebounding played roles as well. Playing without point guard, Ahmid Williams, Monroe committed 17 turnovers in the contest, which North Hunterdon converted into 20 points. In addition, the Lions had a 7-5 edge on the offensive boards, which they used for an 8-0 advantage in second chance points. Overall, the Falcons outrebounded the Lions by a 23-21 margin, and scored 10 points off of eight North Hunterdon turnovers, but were hurt by those key stats. Mike Walp led the charge in a losing effort for Monroe with 21 points on 9 of 10 shooting from the floor, and 3 of 5 shooting from the line. Walp also grabbed six rebounds, and handed out an assist. Teammate, Ryan Genevieve also contributed with 16 points on 6 of 13 shooting including 4 of 10 from beyond the arc. Genevieve also picked up four assists, three rebounds, and a block.
Danny Brix also contributed for the Purple Birds as he went 4 of 10 overall from the floor including one of three from three point range, and made a couple foul shots for 11 points, 4 assists, a rebound, a steal, and a block. Dillon Salva (4 points, 5 rebounds, and a block) and Victor Sorrento (2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) rounded out the Monroe scoring while Nick Isola (a rebound) and Ryan Stolte (two rebounds) also played, but didn’t score. Monroe got off to a fast start as the Falcons made their first five shots. Danny Brix opened up with a four point play for a 4-0 lead at the 19:30 mark, and then the lead built up to 8-0 as Ryan Genevieve passed to Sorrento for a layup at the 18:01 mark. Genevieve, who was 4 of 7 from the floor in the first half including two of four from three, connected on a three pointer, and then handed out an assist on a layup by Salva as he was fouled for a 13-5 lead at the 15:25 mark.
Walp then got into the act with a drive into the paint for a hook shot as he was fouled. He then converted the bonus free throw for the traditional three point play, and a 16-5 lead at the 13:57 mark. North Hunterdon began to bounce back with a 6-0 run that included two free throws at the 12:15 and 10:00 marks, but Genevieve put Monroe up by eight again at 19-11 with a trey off an assist by Brix at the 9:05 mark. Genevieve scored again after a brief lull in the scoring by the two teams as he connected on a pull-up jumper for a 21-11 lead at the 7:44 mark. The Falcons had a chance to go up even further, but missed two foul shots at the 7:10 mark while North Hunterdon got a basket to pull within eight. Walp, who scored seven points in the first half on two of three field goals, and three of four from the line, netted two foul shots at the 6:30 mark for a 23-13 lead.
After a Lions free throw closed the gap to 23-14, Walp got on the board again with a drive and spin move for a layup as he was fouled for a 25-14 advantage at the 4:55 mark. Those would be the final Purple Bird points of the half as North Hunterdon closed things out with a 13-0 tear for the 27-25 lead at the intermission. A couple key plays wrapped up the Lions rally. With 29.8 seconds to go, and North Hunterdon in the midst of a 10-0 run, the Lions drew a charge on Walp. Then, on its next possession, North Hunterdon got a basket and a foul for a conventional three point play at the 16.8 second mark to go into halftime with a two point edge. In the first half, Monroe was 9 of 17 from the floor, but only 3 of 10 after starting the game 6 of 7. The Falcons were 3 of 5 from three point range while North Hunterdon was 9 of 19 overall including three of six from downtown. The Lions were 6 of 8 from the charity stripe in the first half while MTHS was only 4 of 10.
North Hunterdon started out with two offensive rebounds at the beginning of the second half, which they converted into a one of two showing from the foul line for a 28-25 lead at the 19:03 mark. The Falcons then scored six of the next nine points to tie the game at 31-31 including a pull-up jumper by Brix at the 17:07 mark that answered a three by North Hunterdon. Walp then added a score before Brix swiped a steal, and converted it into a layup for a 35-31 lead with 16:10 remaining as the Lions called for time. Following the timeout, Sorrento passed to Genevieve for a three pointer from the left wing that put the Purple Birds up by seven at 38-31 with 15:25 remaining. North Hunterdon then scored 14 of the next 21 points over a span of 7:20 to tie the contest at 45-45 before Walp got another basket as he was fouled with 8:05 to play for a 47-45 lead.
Danny Brix then fed Walp for another layup, and a 49-45 lead, but North Hunterdon fought back again with a score off a turnover, and then two free throws after being fouled on a layup attempt with 4:32 to play for a 49-49 tie. The Lions then connected on a three pointer from the left wing for a 52-49 lead with 2:23 left, and then drove and dished for a layup, and a five point, 54-49 edge at the 1:46 mark. Monroe tried to get back into the matchup with one of two from the line by Danny Brix at the 1:41 mark, and then two free throws by Salva at the 1:06 mark for a 55-52 North Hunterdon lead, but the Lions sewed up the 60-54 victory with five of the last seven points. With the win, North Hunterdon ended up 3-0 on the day at this event while Monroe finished at 2-1.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Hunterdon (3-0) | 27 | 33 | 60 |
| Monroe (2-1) | 25 | 29 | 54 |
GMC Hoops would like to thank Tom Wagenblast, and the staff at Kean for their assistance and hospitality.