MIDDLESEX, NJ–In the third game of the GMC Hoops Round Robin coverage of the 2016 GMCT Boys Play-In Round, 30th seeded, and winless New Brunswick traveled to Middlesex Borough to take on the 19th seeded Blue Jays.
In one of the most contested games of the round, the Zebras of NBHS won their first game of the season over Middlesex, 65-55 after pulling away from a 59-55 lead with 1:33 to play by scoring the last six points of the game from the line.
Pitt bound football standout, Maurice Ffrench, led the way for the Zebras with a game high 21 points while Curtis Revan chipped in with 17 and C.J. Hernandez added 16. Ryan Coke led Middlesex in a losing cause with 17 points while Tyler Ha and Jake Robel each chipped in with 11. Below are game notes from the action:
First Quarter
New Brunswick jumped out to a 16-14 lead as C.J. Hernandez fired in three treys for 9 points in the opening period. Curtis Revan chipped in with 4 for the Zebras while Maurice Ffrench added 3. Ryan Coke and Tyler Ha each led Middlesex with 5 points including one three. Chris Hendricks and Jake Robel each added a field goal for the Jays. NBHS scored its 16 points on three treys, three field goals, and 1 of 2 from the foul line. Middlesex scored its 14 points on 4 field goals and two threes.
Second Quarter
New Brunswick outscored Middlesex by a margin of 12-6 in the second period to take a 28-20 lead at the intermission. The Zebras compiled their 12 points on 5 field goals and 2 of 3 from the line. Middlesex only had two field goals and a 2 of 2 showing from the line for its points. Maurice Ffrench led NBHS with 4 points while Curtis Revan, C.J. Hernandez, Emmanuel Osei, and Mohammed Bangura each added 2. Chris Hendricks, Darien Noel, and Mike Lavenia each scored two points for Middlesex in the period. Despite not scoring in the second, both Ryan Coke and Tyler Ha led the Jays with 5 points while the Zebras were led by C.J. Hernandez with 11 points, Maurice Ffrench with 7, and Curtis Revan with 6. New Brunswick scored its 28 points on 8 field goals, 3 treys, and 3 of 5 from the foul line. Middlesex scored its 20 points on 6 field goals, two threes, and 2 of 2 from the charity stripe.
Third Quarter
The Blue Jays outscored the Zebras by a 23-15 margin in the third to tie the game at 43-43 heading into the fourth. Middlesex scored its 23 points on 4 three pointers, 4 field goals, and a perfect 3 of 3 from the foul line. New Brunswick scored its 15 points on 4 field goals, a three pointer, and a 1 of 4 showing from the foul line. Umar Sannoh led the Zebras with 6 points in the period while Maurice Ffrench, Curtis Revan, and C.J. Hernandez each added 3. Ryan Coke led all scorers with 9 points in the third for Middlesex while Jake Robel added 7 points, and Tyler Ha and Mike Lavenia chipped in with 5 and 2 respectively.
Fourth Quarter
2:00–Arrive with New Brunswick leading 59-53. Middlesex comes up with a score to close the gap to 59-55. Zebras on a 16-12 run to over the first 6 minutes of the fourth.
1:33–MID–calls time trailing 60-55 after NB’s Maurice French made a free throw. Following the timeout, Ffrench sinks the second free throw for a 61-55 lead.
1:15–NB–Curtis Revan is fouled by Middlesex’s Mike Lavenia. Revan makes one of two free throws for a 62-55 lead.
0:00–Game just ended with 30th seeded New Brunswick getting its first win of the season with a 65-55 victory over 19th seeded Middlesex. Zebras end game on a 6-0 run with all points coming from the foul line. NBHS outscored Middlesex by a 22-12 margin in the fourth. New Brunswick’s scoring for the game: Pitt bound football standout, Maurice Ffrench led all scorers with 21 while Curtis Revan added 17 and C.J. Hernandez chipped in with 16. Middlesex’s scoring for the game: Ryan Coke led the Jays with 17 while Tyler Ha and Jake Robel chipped in with 11 each. Middlesex had 7 different players score while New Brunswick had 6. The Zebras had 19 field goals, 5 threes, and made 12 of 17 from the line. Blue Jays had 11 field goals, 8 threes, made 9 of 10 from the foul line. Middlesex outscored New Brunswick by a margin of 24-15 from beyond the arc, but NBHS outscored MHS by a margin of 38-22 from inside the arc, and 12-9 from the charity stripe.