PERTH AMBOY, NJ–In the second game of the GMC Hoops Tripleheader on Tuesday, we traveled up to Perth Amboy Tech High School to see a Preliminary Round game in the 2016 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament between 9th seeded Perth Amboy Tech and 25th seeded South Plainfield.
Leading 32-29 at the half, South Plainfield opened the third quarter by scoring 11 of the first 15 points to take a 43-33 lead. Amboy Tech battled back though with a 14-0 run that consisted of three pointers from Kyrie Byers and Pedro Gonzalez as well as a turn around jumper on a follow that banked in off the glass by Javon Fisher to take a 47-43 lead with 5:21 left in the game.
South Plainfield would pull out the win though by scoring 12 of the next 14 points sparked by a three pointer from the left corner by Lamont Williams at the 4:52 mark, and highlighted by a traditional three point play by Pat Waldrop and a three from the left wing by Will McLaughlin to take a 55-49 lead. Gonzalez then knocked down a trey from the right wing with 7.6 seconds remaining, and the Patriots got the ball back for one last chance, but a last second three point attempt was off the mark as time ran out.
Williams led all scorers with a game high 23 points for the Tigers while McLaughlin added 16 and Jason Lee chipped in with 9. Pedro Gonzalez led Amboy Tech with 19 while Byers chipped in with 11 and Javon Fisher added 10. Erick Negro also contributed in a losing cause with 7. South Plainfield advanced to the GMCT Round of 16 on Thursday night at 8th seeded Spotswood. Below are game notes from the action:
First Quarter
3:53–Arrive with Amboy Tech leading 6-2 including a three by Kyle Gregory.
1:00–SP–rallies with a 9-2 run capped by a steal for a layup from the right side by Jason Lee to put the Tigers up 11-8.
0:00–PAVT–scores the last 4 points of the first quarter including a three pointer from the left corner with time running out by Pedro Gonzalez for a 12-11 first quarter lead. Perth Amboy Tech had two field goals, two treys, and went 2 of 4 from the line in the opening period.
Kyrie Byers led the Patriots with 4 points while both Gonzalez and Gregory hit threes to account for their only scoring in the period. South Plainfield had 4 field goals and a three pointer in the period. Lamont Williams led SPHS with 5 points while Lee chipped in with 4.
Second Quarter
5:07–SP–starts the 2nd off by scoring 8 of the first 11 points including a steal for a layin by Lee to take a 19-15 lead. Since trailing 6-2 at the 3:53 mark of the first, the Tigers have outscored the Patriots by a 17-9 margin.
0:00–SP leads at the half by the score of 32-29 thanks in part to a 4 point play by Will McLaughlin as he was fouled on a three pointer. There were four lead changes in the period before McLaughlin’s four point play. Javon Fisher had a dunk for the Patriots during the back and forth exchanges between the two teams.
South Plainfield outscored Amboy Tech by a margin of 21-17 in the second period. Four different players scored for Amboy Tech including Fisher with 8 points while Gonzalez chipped in with 4. The Patriots had 7 field goals and a three pointer while going 0 of 1 from the foul line in the second.
South Plainfield had five different players score in the period including Williams, who led the way again with 9 while McLaughlin chipped in with 6. The Tigers compiled their 21 points on 6 field goals, two threes, and 3 of 7 from the foul line.
Amboy Tech’s first half scoring. Javon Fisher and Pedro Gonzalez share team high with 8 while Kyrie Byers chipped in with 7. South Plainfield’s first half scoring. Lamont Williams leads all scorers with 14 while Will McLaughlin added 8 and Jason Lee chipped in with 6.
Third Quarter
3:31 left in the third quarter and Amboy Tech calls time after a Pedro Gonzalez three ended an SP run for a 43-36 SP lead. South Plainfield had opened the second half on an 11-4 tear before Gonzalez’s trey.
2:02 left in the third quarter and Amboy Tech pulls within two at 43-41 on another trey by Pedro Gonzalez from the right wing. Patriots now on an 8-0 spurt.
0:00–End of third quarter and South Plainfield continues to cling to a 43-41 lead. Thanks to its 8-0 quarter ending run, Amboy Tech outscored the Tigers by a 12-11 margin in the period. Three different players scored in the frame for SP including McLaughiln with 5, Williams with 4, and Lee with 2. Amboy Tech had two players do all the damage in the third as Gonzalez and Erick Negro each scored 6. The Patriots had three field goals and two threes in the frame while the Tigers had 3 field goals, a trey, and 2 of 2 from the foul line.
Fourth Quarter
4:52 left in the game and SP calls time after a Lamont Williams three pulls Tigers within one at 47-46. Williams trey put an end to a 14-0 run by Amboy Tech that was capped off by a three pointer from well beyond the top of the key by Kyrie Byers and a turnaround jumper off the window by Javon Fisher for a 47-43 lead.
3:40 left in the game and Perth Amboy Tech is forced to call time still leading 47-46.
3:31–SP takes a 49-47 lead on a three point play by Pat Waldrop.
2:45–SP goes up 52-47 on a three from the left wing by Will McLaughlin.
1:30–SP–Jason Lee is fouled on a drive to the hoop from the right lane, and makes one of two from the line for a 53-47 lead.
1:03–PAVT–Erick Negro is fouled, and makes both free throws for a 53-49 SP lead.
30.0–SP–now leads 55-49 after Lamont Williams is fouled and makes a pair from the charity stripe.
7.3 seconds left and Amboy Tech calls timeout after Pedro Gonzalez drains a three from the right wing to close the gap to 55-52.
2.4–Amboy Tech calls timeout after getting the ball back off a missed free throw, and dribbling to mid court.
0.0–South Plainfield hangs on for a 55-52 win after a three point attempt from the right corner by Amboy Tech falls short as time runs out. The Tigers outscored the Patriots by a 12-11 margin in the fourth. SP had its 12 points on two threes, a field goal, and 4 of 7 from the free throw line while Amboy Tech got its 11 points on two threes, a field goal, and 3 of 4 from the line.
For the game, South Plainfield compiled its 55 points on 14 field goals, 6 threes, and 9 of 16 from the charity stripe while Amboy Tech tallied its 52 points on 13 field goals, 7 threes, and 5 of 9 from the foul line. Both teams combined for 13 three pointers with Amboy Tech garnering a 21-18 edge in points scored from beyond the arc. South Plainfield won the game thanks to a 28-26 edge in points scored within the arc, and a 9-5 edge at the foul line.
Lamont Williams finishes with a game high 23 points while Will McLaughlin chipped in with 16. Jason Lee added 9 points while Pat Waldrop (3 points), Nate Mensah (2 points), and Dylan O’Connor (2 points) rounded out the Tigers scoring. Pedro Gonzalez led Amboy Tech in defeat with 19 points while Kyrie Byers added 11 and Javon Fisher chipped in with 10. Erick Negro also contributed with 7 points while Kyle Gregory (3 points) and Carlos Morla (2 points) rounded out the Patriots scoring.