MONROE, NJ–On Wednesday night, GMC Hoops traveled down to the Monroe Sports Center for the seventh and final time this fall to take in the last night of action from the MSC Boys HS Fall League. The site was on the ball for this night as it saw action from all eight games played. Take a look at the results, and the final standings and team stats from the league. All seven teams from the Greater Middlesex Conference were in action on this night as both West Windsor-Plainsboro of the Colonial Valley Conference, and Marlboro of the Shore Conference had byes.
The GMC teams went right at it starting with the 5:30 PM round of games. In the Yellow Gym, South Amboy faced off against Perth Amboy in a battle of small versus big in terms of school size. Meanwhile, over in the Red Gym, Spotswood was taking on Princeton. Following that, at 6:30 PM, Monroe and South Brunswick went at it in a nice GMC crossover tussle in the Red Gym while J.F. Kennedy was playing against Notre Dame in the Yellow Gym. At 7:30 PM, Spotswood played again because Hunterdon Central didn’t show up to play its final game against Allentown in the Yellow Gym while Rumson faced off against Robbinsville in the Red Gym. Finally, at 8:30 PM, South River took on New Egypt in the Red Gym while Steinert played Shore Regional in the Yellow Gym.
Perth Amboy Surges In Second Half For Easy Win, 62-36
It was a classic game of big versus small. David and Goliath. As the South Amboy Guvs from Group I, and the GMC Gold Division, took on Group IV Perth Amboy from the GMC Red. Despite the fact that both schools are not very far from one another, it has been a long time since these two teams have competed against each other whether it be in the regular season or the fall. It was only the third time this fall that the site has seen Perth Amboy in action, and actually, this game was probably the best look we had of the Panthers all fall. Not a big deal though since we saw Perth Amboy a good deal during the summer at the Kean Ironman Challenge, the East Brunswick Team Camp, and the Rahway Summer League.
We’ve seen a good deal of the Guvs this fall, and that was nice since the site didn’t get much of a chance to see South Amboy in action over the summer. There have been some changes going on with the Governors. Last year’s head coach, Mark Truhan, left to take the vacant coaching position at Marlboro, and he was recently replaced by former JFK hoops standout, and Metuchen head coach, Lenny Reyes. The coaching change means that there have been four different head coaches at South Amboy in the last four seasons. Over the summer, the Guvs played in the Raritan Bay Summer League and the Middlesex County College Summer League.
Coming into this game, Perth Amboy was one of the top teams in this league with a record of 5-2 putting the Panthers in a five way tie for fourth place. Meanwhile, South Amboy was toward the bottom of the standings with a record of 2-5. The Guvs have played good defense, but have struggled on offense. Amboy entered tonight’s contest averaging 56.3 points per game, which put it second in scoring behind West Windsor-Plainsboro. The Governors on the other hand were last in scoring with a 31.3 points per contest average. On defense, the Guvs were much better as they were ranked fifth allowing 39.6 points per game. The Panthers weren’t too far behind though yielding 44.6 points per game to rank ninth.
Last year, Amboy finished fourth in the GMC Red with an 8-8 record along with an 11-16 mark overall. The Panthers closed out the second with three straight losses, and went 2-12 on the road. On the other hand, South Amboy made it to the state playoffs for the second time in three years, and finished 11-15 overall including a 6-2 mark for second place in the GMC Gold. The Guvs also lost three straight to finish the season, and was under .500 at both home (7-9) and on the road (4-6). Of the two teams, Amboy has the most experience coming back with the likes of Victor Verdecia, Kearny Canela, Chael Hernandez, Yoelbin Sanchez, Wancel Arias, and Hamilton Capellan. The Panthers also have a talented sophomore class led by David Rodriguez. Meanwhile, the Governors lost 1,000 point scorer Joe Charmello along with the likes of Tim Simko, Matt Regan, Luke O’Connor, Dan O’Connor, and Christian Geant.
The Panthers took the lead early on with a three pointer, but South Amboy responded with two nice plays for scores, and a 4-3 lead. Over the next three minutes, Perth Amboy went on a 4-0 run with two steals that led to layups including one by Hamilton Capellan for a 7-4 lead at the 14:55 mark. The next three minutes saw the Guvs take charge as they showed some toughness in the first half. South Amboy went on a 6-0 run including layups by Robert Burns and Aaron Radich and two foul shots by Radich for a 10-7 lead with 11:55 left in the first half.
The great momentum continued for the Governors. Over the next 9:48, South Amboy scored seven of the next 10 points for a 13-3 run to take a 17-10 lead before Perth Amboy battled back with a 6-5 showing. Nick Kales then made two free throws before the Panthers called for time at the 2:07 mark trailing by the score of 24-16. Perth Amboy closed to within six at 26-20 after two free throws by Jonathan Rodriguez, but Mike Zammit scored a breakaway layup at the buzzer to end the half with a 28-20 lead.
In the second half, Amboy started to play like it was capable of. Over the first 5:35 of the period, the Panthers went on a 14-4 tear including a three pointer by Capellan, a jumper by Canela, and a steal for a layin by the Panthers for a 34-32 lead as the Guvs called for time with 15:25 left. Following the timeout, South Amboy appeared to have settled down with a basket to tie the game at 34-34. However, the Panthers blew the game wide open after that. Over the next seven minutes, Perth Amboy embarked on a 13-0 run including a steal for a layup by Capellan to cap the run. Jonathan Rodriguez had also scored a layup during the run while Capellan added another score for a 47-34 lead.
The Panthers ended the game with a 15-2 tear for a 28-2 surge over the final 15 minutes, and the 62-36 victory. South Amboy shot 14 of 32 overall from the floor including 2 of 7 from three point range. The Guvs were also 6 of 8 from the line. Perth Amboy on the other hand, went 25 of 57 from the floor including 5 of 14 from three pointer range. Amboy was also 7 of 11 from the charity stripe. The Panthers outscored the Guvs by a 42-8 margin in the second half. In the turnover department, Amboy got the edge (8-19) while dominating the boards. The Panthers outrebounded the Guvs by a margin of 32-18 including a 22-6 edge on the offensive glass. PAHS also had more assists (13-10), steals (15-3), and blocks (3-1).
The bright spot for the Guvs was junior Mike Zammit, who scored a team high 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting including two threes. Aaron Radich chipped in with 8 points while Dustin DeVoe picked up 6 points and 7 rebounds. Robert Burns also had six points in the loss. Meanwhile, for Perth Amboy, Hamilton Capellan helped lead the way with 12 points on 5 of 10 shooting along with 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and an assist. Chael Hernandez added 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals while David Rodriguez contributed with 7 points as well.
Perth Amboy finished at 6-2 for a share of second place while South Amboy ended up at 2-6.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perth Amboy (6-2) | 20 | 42 | 62 |
| South Amboy (2-6) | 28 | 8 | 36 |
Princeton Edges Spotswood, 49-45
This game matched Tommy Soulias and the Spotswood Chargers against the Little Tigers of Princeton. Soulias is a bit familiar with Princeton just he played with the Little Tigers at the Summer Prime Time Shootout back in August. Princeton was able to get into the league after Metuchen dropped out since the Bulldogs didn’t have enough players to compete. Coming into this game, Princeton had compiled a record of 5-2 on the fall while Spotswood was 3-4.
The Little Tigers were averaging 47.8 points per game to rank fifth in the league in scoring while the Chargers were eighth in the league with a 43.1 points per game average. On defense, both teams ranked near the bottom with Spotswood being 15th and allowing 49.4 points per game, and Princeton right behind at 16th, and giving up 50.3 points per game. However, Princeton was one of two teams to defeat West Windsor-Plainsboro, one of the top teams in the league this fall.
Spotswood lost a great deal to graduation after reaching the GMCT Final Four for the first time in school history. The Chargers lost 1,000 point scorer Cody Pace along with sharpshooter Tyler Osofsky and big man Allen Kuiper. The Chargers are also not playing with a full group as both Garret Walters and Steve Manahan are playing football. GMC Hoops put much of its focus on the other 5:30 PM game that was going on between Perth Amboy and South Amboy. Nevertheless, we did take a look over at what was going on during this contest. Princeton led by a score of 47-43 with 44.4 seconds left, made a pair of free throws, and then hung on for the 49-45 victory.
Princeton ended the fall at 6-2 while Spotswood finished up at 3-5.
Falcons Rally From Behind To Knock Off Vikings, 44-39
In the 6:30 PM hour, the featured game for GMC Hoops was between Monroe and South Brunswick. Last week, the site saw the Vikings for the first time, and was impressed with some of the effort. Despite having problems turning the ball over, SBHS found a way to persevere, and ultimately win its contest against Hunterdon Central in triple overtime. Meanwhile, the Monroe Falcons lost to a solid squad from Rumson Fair-Haven in their game last week. These two teams are neighborhood rivals, and actually played each other in football the past two seasons with Monroe winning last year and South Brunswick winning this year.
The Purple Birds are coming off their second straight Final Four appearance in the GMCT, and their first ever berth in the Championship Game. However, after having a solid summer, a lot of changes took place at MTHS. First, Bob Turco, who had coached the program for the past five seasons, stepped down to take the coaching job at Notre Dame in Lawrenceville. Soon afterward, Ahmid Williams and Danny Brix transferred with Williams heading to Cardinal McCarrick and Brix going over to St. Joseph’s. To their credit, the remaining Falcons that have played this fall have not put their heads in the sand, and have continued to play solid basketball. Entering this contest, the Falcons were in a five way tie for fourth place with a record of 5-2. One of those other teams in the four way tie was South Brunswick.
Through seven games, South Brunswick ranks sixth in scoring with a 47.1 points per game average while Monroe ranks third with 54.4 points per contest. On defense, there is a significant disparity between the two teams with the Vikes ranking fourth in points allowed with 39.0 points per game while the Purple Birds rank 14th yielding 48.4 points per game. SBHS has a good group playing at MSC including Michael Green, Danny Strickland, Chris Bourne, Moses Railey, Malik Davis-Bey, and Josh Varughese. Both Jevon Tyree and Nick Muha are playing football for the Vikings this fall. Meanwhile, Monroe has Ryan Genevieve and Victor Sorrento leading the way while Mike Mahmoud and Ryan Stolte have helped out. Mike Walp and Alex Vizcaino are playing football this fall at MTHS.
Both teams have recorded some impressive wins this fall. In its first game, Monroe knocked off Perth Amboy while South Brunswick has defeated New Egypt. The Vikings got on the board first with a nice spin move for a layup by Moses Railey at the 18:33 mark. Then, Monroe had a scoring opportunity at the 17:39 mark when Mike Mahmoud swiped a steal, but he passed up on a shot. The Falcons got the rebound, but were called for a three second violation. At the 16:46 mark, Victor Sorrento missed a front end of a one and one. South Brunswick couldn’t take advantage through with a traveling violation at the 16:10 mark.
Michael Green resumed the scoring when he drove in, and dished to Chris Bourne for a layup, and a 4-0 lead before Sorrento scored a layup underneath at the 15:35 mark. The Sorrento basket sparked a 6-0 run for a two point lead as Mahmoud found Sorrento for a layup, and a 6-4 lead with 14:33 remaining in the first half. South Brunswick withstood several more charges by Monroe before Green handed out an assist for a three pointer on the left wing that made the score, 7-6 with 11:49 to go in the half. Bourne then grabbed an offensive rebound, and put in the follow of a Malik Davis-Bey miss for a 9-6 lead at the 11:05 mark.
With 10:20 to go in the half, Ryan Stolte drove to the basket, and drew a foul that produced one of two from the foul line, but the Vikings answered with a three pointer from the top of the key for a 12-7 lead midway through the period. Sorrento drew a charge on Green at the 7:30 mark, but Mahmoud was called for a carry at the 7:08 mark as both teams kept turning the ball over. Ryan Genevieve tried to break the malaise and deadlock with a steal for a layup attempt, but he missed, and couldn’t connect on the follow. South Brunswick would promptly turn the ball back over with a traveling violation, but again Monroe couldn’t score off it.
Finally, the Purple Birds broke the scoring drought by both teams by first drawing a charge, and then Sorrento fought for a layup, and a 12-9 SBHS lead with 5:15 remaining in the first half. Both teams were playing very hard, but were quite sloppy at times, and couldn’t get the ball in the basket. The Vikings finally broke a scoring drought of about 7:30 as Moses Railey put in a layup with under 2:30 to play in the first half. Monroe was able to get back within three again as the Falcons got an offensive rebound that led to a jumper, and a 14-11 SBHS lead at the 1:29 mark.
With 54.5 seconds to go in the first half, Railey battled hard on the battle for a couple offensive rebounds, and he was able to put one of them back in as he was fouled. He missed the bonus free throw, but the Vikes led 16-11. Sorrento was matching Railey’s intensity and effort on the floor at the other end as he got several offensive boards that he converted into a three point play for a 16-14 Viking lead. South Brunswick then closed the first half with a three pointer for a 19-14 advantage at the intermission. The Vikes picked up right where they left off in the first half as Railey scored on a follow at the 19:13 mark for a 21-14 lead. Green then got a steal off an errant inbounds pass by Genevieve that led to a layup attempt that he missed, but Bourne picked him up with a follow for a 23-14 advantage with 17:45 to play.
The Falcons ended a three minute scoring drought as Mahmoud had a nice drive and dish to Sorrento for a layup, and a 23-16 SBHS lead. With 13:31 remaining, Bourne put together a tenacious sequence as he battled on the offensive boards for three rebounds, and put in the follow as he was fouled. He missed the bonus free throw, but South Brunswick was back up by seven at 25-18. Monroe continued to battle, and stay within striking distance as the Purple Birds first got a basket, and then got two foul shots from Mahmoud for a 25-22 Viking lead. After a three pointer by South Brunswick for a 28-22 lead, Stolte got a pass down low for a layup, and a 28-24 score at the 9:30 mark.
Stolte’s bucket sparked a Monroe 7-0 rally as the Purple Birds came up with the next five points including a jumper by Genevieve at the 8:12 mark, and then a three pointer for its first lead since 6-4 early in the second half. However, the edge didn’t last long as Davis-Bey put in a basket for a 30-29 advantage. The Falcons came right back though with the next five points including a three pointer at the 6:14 mark for a 34-30 lead. Stolte then fought for a loose ball on the offensive rebound, and put in the follow for a 36-30 edge with 5:20 left. At the 4:29 mark, Sorrento stepped to the line, and made two free throws for a 38-30 lead. Following a timeout at the 4:02 mark. South Brunswick got another three pointer to close the gap to 38-33, but Mahmoud made two free throws with 2:03 left for a 40-33 advantage.
Mahmoud then sealed the win with a three pointer off an assist by Sorrento with 1:12 remaining for a 42-33 lead. South Brunswick scored the six of the final eight points of the contest as Mike Green got a steal for a layin, Chris Bourne got a layup off a side out of bounds, and Bourne scored again on offensive rebound and follow as time ran out. Stolte accounted for the only two points down the final minute for Monroe with two free throws as the Purple Birds won 44-39. MTHS finished the game with a 22-11 surge as it outscored SBHS by a 30-20 margin in the second half. Both teams ended the fall at 6-2, and in a six way tie for second place behind Rumson-Fair Haven.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monroe (6-2) | 14 | 30 | 44 |
| South Brunswick (6-2) | 19 | 20 | 39 |
Notre Dame Comes From Behind To Get 1st Win, 53-47
While Monroe and South Brunswick were playing in the featured 6:30 PM game, the Mustangs of J.F. Kennedy took on Notre Dame in the season finale for both teams. JFK was coming off a win last week over Marlboro (56-47) while Notre Dame fell to South River (32-28). Kennedy entered Wednesday night’s action with a 4-3 record for ninth place in the league while Notre Dame was still searching for its first win of the fall. The Mustangs have performed decently this fall despite the losses of Rasheed Howard and Joe Marciano to graduation and having the likes of Daishon Robinson and Josh Kamenas playing football this fall.
A.J. Pichalski has been a consistent performer for the Mustangs this fall. In just about every game that Kennedy has played where GMC Hoops has kept stats, Pichalski has put up a double-double. Most recently, in last week’s win over Marlboro, the senior forward made 7 of 10 shots including a three pointer to tally 17 points along with 19 boards and 4 blocks. Jordan Toczynski played his best game yet this fall with 12 points and 6 assists. Nick Spoganetz has the ability to contribute as well with his perimeter shooting. Meanwhile, some changes took place at Notre Dame this summer with Bob Turco taking the helm after being at Monroe for the past five seasons. The Irish, which were previously coached by former Rider and Rutgers Men’s basketball coach, Kevin Bannon, were 9-13 last season.
Returning to the Mustangs, JFK went 12-12 overall last season with a 3-9 mark in the GMC Blue. Kennedy was both 6-6 at home, and on the road. Despite some struggle, and the loss of Marciano to a season ending injury, the Mustangs managed to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since 2002. Over the summer, the Mustangs competed in the East Brunswick Team Camp, and the Rahway Summer League. J.F. Kennedy finished strong at Rahway with a preliminary round playoff win over South Plainfield, and a near upset of Rahway in the quarterfinals. Entering Wednesday night’s contest, the Mustangs were averaging 41.3 points per game to rank 12th in this 18 team league on offense. Meanwhile, Notre Dame comes in ranked 14th averaging 37.1 points per contest. Defensively, JFK has yielded 43.9 points per game to rank seventh while the Irish have given up 44.9 points per game to rank tenth.
The Mustangs and Irish were involved in somewhat of a tight one for most of the first half with Kennedy along leading 18-15 with 2:30 left in the period. JFK then put some distance between itself and its Mercer County opponent with a 10-2 spurt for a 28-17 halftime lead. The start of the second half saw Notre Dame came out with purpose with eight straight points over a span of 1:52 to pull within three at 28-25. The Mustangs withstood the onslaught though, and responded with a 6-2 run for a 34-27 lead while A.J. Pichalski drew a charge at the 14:30 mark. Notre Dame wouldn’t go away though as the Irish put in a score that prompted Kennedy to call for time at the 13:35 mark.
The team from Lawrenceville continued to chip away with two free throws at the 11:05 mark for a 37-35 Mustang lead. Notre Dame then scored six of the next eight points for a 14-5 tear over a span of six minutes, and a 41-39 lead. The Irish continued to increase its lead with six of the next nine points to take a 47-42 lead with 4:34 left. Pichalski had a chance to get the Mustangs closer, but he missed the front end of a one and one. Nick Spoganetz got the offensive board, but couldn’t cash in. After a Notre Dame score with 3:15 left, Jordan Toczynski tried to get his team back into it with a drive for a floater, and a 49-44 ND lead with just under two minutes to play.
The Irish extended their lead to 51-44 before Pichalski sank a three pointer from the right side with less than 30 seconds to play. Notre Dame rounded out the scoring with two free throws for the 53-47 win. ND went on a decisive 24-10 run to take the seven point lead late, and nearly outscored the Mustangs by a 2 to 1 margin in the final twenty minutes for the win. It was the first victory all fall for the Irish, which ended up at 1-7 while JFK finished the season at 4-4.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame (1-7) | 17 | 36 | 53 |
| J.F. Kennedy (4-4) | 28 | 19 | 47 |
Soulias Trey Lifts Chargers Past Redbirds
Allentown won this game on a forfeit as Hunterdon Central did not show up, but the Redbirds still played as Spotswood took the place of the Red Devils. The Upper Freehold District school in Northern Monmouth County, which competes in the Colonial Valley Conference rather than the Shore Conference took an early 10-7 lead, but the Chargers rallied to retake the lead, and have a 19-18 edge at halftime.
Allentown opened the second half with an 8-5 run for a 26-24 edge, but Spotswood tied things back up at 31-31 with 8:44 to play on a 7-5 rally. Points then became hard to come by as the two teams combined for three points over the next 7:02 for a 33-32 Redbird lead. Tommy Soulias had a chance to put the Chargers back in front, but missed the front end of a one and one. With 1:23 to play, Spotswood was forced to foul to stop the clock and make Allentown go to the line. The Redbirds went into the bonus with 1:06 remaining, and made both foul shots for a 35-32 lead.
Allentown then stole a pass underneath, and drew another foul at the 55 second mark. However, they missed the front end of the bonus, Spotswood got the rebound, and the ball eventually got into the hands of Ike Ejikeme for a layup and a 35-34 Allentown lead with 42 seconds left. The Chargers fouled the Redbirds again, and got the rebound of another missed one and one. Spotswood nearly missed its chance to take the lead when it missed a shot, but got the offensive rebound, and took a 37-35 lead on a Soulias three pointer from the right wing with 25 seconds left. After an injury timeout with 18 seconds to go in regulation, Allentown inbounded from underneath the Chargers basket.
The Redbirds set up for a final shot, and uncorked a three pointer from near the top of the key that hit the front of the rim. Spotswood got the rebound, and drew a foul with 2.2 seconds left, but then missed the front end of the one and one. Allentown quickly called timeout with 1.7 seconds to play. On the ensuing inbounds, the Redbirds threw a pass from the right side of their own basket, but the home run pass went out of bounds, and Spotswood got the ball back. Allentown called for time to see what Spotswood was set up in on the inbounds. Following the timeout, the Redbirds deflected the Charger inbounds pass, got possession, and called timeout again with 1.2 seconds to play. However, Allentown’s hail mary pass was deflected away by the Chargers as time expired. Spotswood won 37-35.
Allentown ended the fall at 4-4 while Spotswood wound up at 3-5. Hunterdon Central finished at 5-3.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spotswood (3-5) | 19 | 18 | 37 |
| Allentown (4-4) | 18 | 17 | 35 |
Rumson Fair-Haven Clinches First Place With Win Over Robbinsville, 45-37
Robbinsville gave Rumson-Fair Haven plenty of trouble in the first half of this one. However, the Bulldogs were not to be denied on this night. Using a wave of emotion late in the first half, Rumson not only tied the game, but took the lead into the intermission, 26-22. The Monmouth County school then outscored the Ravens by a 19-12 margin to secure a 45-34 lead before Robbinsville hit a three pointer late to round out the 45-37 final. With the victory, and South Brunswick’s loss, the Bulldogs clinched first place with a 7-1 record on the fall. Robbinsville finished up at 2-6.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rumson-Fair Haven (7-1) | 26 | 19 | 45 |
| Robbinsville (2-6) | 22 | 15 | 37 |
New Egypt Dominates Rams Behind Hubert And Przyzbylkowski, 49-24
n this finale of the quadrupleheader set of games played at MSC, the South River Rams were pitted against New Egypt in a battle of two Group I schools. These two teams squared off during the regular season with the Warriors from Ocean County, and the Burlington County Scholastic League emerging victorious behind the shot blocking of 6’8″ center Desmond Hubert and the playmaking ability and scoring of Mark Przyzbylkowski. Both are back this season for NEHS. Meanwhile, the Rams lost two key players from last season in Shawn Fenton and Brandon Walsh. Fenton will be playing at Middlesex County College this coming season. South River also took another hit personnel wise when Larry Smith transferred over to Matawan.
The Rams are going to get a break this season as they move down into the revamped GMC Gold Division. South River was added to the division along with new GMC members Wardlaw-Hartridge and Timothy Christian. It is the first time in the history of GMC Hoops coverage that there is an eight team GMC Gold. Might be the first time ever in GMC History. Coming into this game, New Egypt is in a five way tie for fourth place with a record of 5-2 while South River is in a three way tie for tenth place at 3-4. The Warriors are one of seven teams that have scored more points than their opponents in this league this fall. New Egypt entered the contest averaging 51.3 points per game to rank fourth in the league while South River has averaged 37.1 points per contest to rank 16th.
On the defensive side of the ball, South River has given up an average of 46.4 points per game to rank 12th in the league while New Egypt has yielded 42.3 points per contest, which is sixth at MSC. Despite the losses to graduation, and the transfer of Smith, the Rams have a good group returning this season. Although Nick Boyler and Xavier Foster haven’t played this fall since they are on the football team, there has been a good turnout of players including Gavin Campbell, Tyler Harris, Tim Huff, Craig Huff, and Kyle Majewski. The Rams have turned in some notable wins this fall with victories over Marlboro and Notre Dame while also played respectable in a loss to West Windsor-Plainsboro.
The Warriors from Ocean County got off to a fast start here. Over the first 5:15, New Egypt jumped out to a 7-2 lead at the 14:45 mark on a three pointer by Przyzbylkowski, and a dunk and a layin by Hubert. Przyzbylkowski and Hubert eventually left the game for a spell, but it didn’t make a difference as the reserves picked up the slack by scoring seven of the next nine points of the game over a span of 8:15 to take a 14-4 lead at the 6:30 mark. Outside of New Egypt’s big two, the team got 43 percent of its scoring from other sources in this contest. Hubert and Przyzbylkowski both returned, and the Warriors outscored the Rams by a 6-2 margin for the balance of the first half for a 20-6 lead.
New Egypt was only 8 of 21 from the floor in the first half, but went 4 of 5 from the line, and limited South River to just 3 of 20 shooting from the field. Things didn’t get much better. Although the Rams put up some points in the final twenty minutes, the Warriors continued to extend their lead. First Hubert fought through a triple team for a conventional three point play, and a 23-6 edge at the 19:33 mark. Over the next 5:48, New Egypt outscored South River by a 14-10 margin as Przyzbylkowski struck for two threes to increase the advantage to 37-16 with 13:45 remaining. The Warriors then closed out the game with a 12-8 run for the 49-24 final.
Hubert ended up going 7 of 10 from the floor, and made his only foul shot for a team high 15 points along with 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Przyzbylkowski chipped in with 13 points on 5 of 10 shooting including 3 of 6 from beyond the arc while also collecting 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Craig Huff was a bright spot for the Rams with 6 points on 3 of 5 shooting along with 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Kyle Majewski and Gavin Campbell each chipped in with 4 points. For the game, South River was limited to just 11 of 38 shooting from the floor including 1 of 12 from long distance. The Rams were also 1 of 6 from the charity stripe. On the other side of the ledger, the Warriors were 20 of 46 from the floor including 3 of 10 from three point range. New Egypt was also 6 of 10 from the foul line.
In other statistical areas, NEHS outrebounded SRHS by a margin of 33-20 including a 19-10 edge on the offensive glass. The Warriors had fewer turnovers (12-17), more assists (10-6), steals (5-3), and blocks (2-1). New Egypt ended the fall at 6-2 for a share of second place while South River finished at 3-5.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Egypt (6-2) | 20 | 29 | 49 |
| South River (3-5) | 6 | 18 | 24 |
Steinert Edges Shore To End Fall With 1st Victory, 38-35
Steinert trailed 35-29 before rallying with eight straight points including two free throws with under 20 seconds to play for a 38-35 lead. Shore had a chance to tie the game, but lost the handle of the basketball in their front court, which may have forced the Blue Devils to rush the shot, and as a result, it hit back iron as time expired with Steinert winning by three. It was the first victory of the fall for the Spartans.