SOUTH AMBOY, NJ–On Wednesday night, GMC Hoops rambled on over to South Amboy Middle/High School to take in the second night of action from the 2009 Raritan Bay Summer League. This is the sixth straight summer that the web site is covering this league, which has provided great competition as well as a glimpse of future stars in the Greater Middlesex Conference. On this night, the site was able to take in both of the games on the schedule, and here are still the results from the three games played. In the opener, and the best game of the evening Metuchen faced off against South Amboy in a double overtime thriller from the 7th and 8th Grade Division. Then, in the nightcap, St. Stan’s used a 14-0 run to overcome a 9-6 deficit to take a 20-9 first half lead, and eventually went on to win over the Jersey Shoreshots, 43-30.
Metuchen Overcomes Rough Start To Defeat South Amboy In Double Overtime, 42-38
Much to the chagrin of Raritan Bay’s scorekeeper and timekeeper, Little Zammitt, this contest was a downybrook. After Metuchen struggled to get just two field goals, and make 3 of 7 free throws in the first half, and then started the second half by missing its first eight shots, it managed to rally with a 25-20 showing in the final period of regulation to force not only one overtime, but two in a thrilling, come from behind, 42-38 victory over the hometown Guvs of South Amboy. The Governors had led by a score of 16-7 after an 8-0 run that bridged the end of the first half with the start of the second, took advantage of Metuchen’s struggles from the floor. However, Metuchen rallied with a 25-16 over the final 15:45 of regulation to force overtime.
Arriving late to the game, GMC Hoops sat down at the courtside scorer’s table with South Amboy leading 8-6 with 7:30 to go in the first half. Thirteen seconds later, Metuchen made one of two from the foul line to trim the deficit to 8-7 at the 7:17 mark. On the very next possession, the Guvs got a field goal for a 10-7 lead, and then after neither team scored for the next four minutes, South Amboy went up by five on an offensive rebound and putback that made it 12-7 with three minutes to go before the intermission. Neither team would score the rest of the way as Metuchen only made two field goals over the first twenty minutes while South Amboy had six. Steve Herdman showed his playmaking abilities while scoring 6 points for the Guvs while teammate Daquan (don’t have last name yet) added 6 points of his own. Mike Clarke paced Metuchen with 4 points on a field goal and a perfect 2 of 2 from the line.
In the second half, South Amboy started off much like it had ended the first with two more scores over the first 4:15 to take the largest lead of the contest at nine. First a block set up a Herdman layup at the 18:12 mark while Metuchen missed its first five shots. The Guvs then got another field goal before the Bulldogs called for time at the 15:45 mark, and the scoreboard reading 16-7 in favor of South Amboy. Following the timeout, Metuchen started to roll with a three pointer from the right wing to end the 8-0 Guv run, and a scoreless drought of 14:44, and make the score 16-10 with 12:33 left. Once Metuchen got going offensively, the game’s overall tempo picked up. South Amboy would promptly respond to Metuchen’s trey with an offensive rebound and putback at the 11:18 mark for an 18-10 lead. On a subsequent Bulldog possession, the Bulldogs got a field goal to climb back to within six at the 10:45 mark.
Over the next 2:10, Metuchen continued to creep closer with three more points before South Amboy got another offensive rebound and putback made the score 20-15 with 8:35 left in regulation. Eighteen seconds later though, Metuchen came right back down the floor following another South Amboy score, and drained a three pointer to stay within striking distance at 22-18 with 8:17 to go in regulation. Herdman then made a nifty move on the drive for a layup that pushed the Guv lead back to six at the 7:12 mark. However, Metuchen quickly responded again with a bucket that not only closed the gap to four points, but also forced South Amboy to call timeout with 6:56 remaining in the second half. Following the timeout, the Bulldogs continued on their 12-6 run with a layup underneath at the 5:02 mark that trimmed the deficit to two at 24-22.
South Amboy would get a score to give itself more breathing room at 26-22 with 4:30 to go in regulation, but Metuchen responded with four straight points to knot the score at 26-26 with 2:59 remaining. Herdman quickly put the Guvs ahead again with a score at the 2:40 mark that made it 28-26, but the contest continued to go back and forth as Metuchen once again tied things up at 28-28 with 2:30 remaining in regulation. The Guvs promptly wrestled the lead back with a jumper that banked in for a 30-28 advantage at the 2:18 mark of the second half. However, after a South Amboy thirty second timeout at the 2:02 mark, Clarke grabbed an offensive rebound, and was fouled on the follow for two free throws that tied the game up again at 30-30 with 1:43 left in regulation. Right after the second free throw, Metuchen deployed some full court pressure, but South Amboy managed to fight through it despite some sloppiness to produce a layup at the another end for a 32-30 lead with 1:28 left in the second half.
Not to long after that though, the Bulldogs replied with a clutch layin by Clarke at the 1:05 mark for a 32-32 tie. Both teams scrapped down the stretch, and Metuchen used two timeouts at the 41.7 and 21.3 second marks, but misfired on two key free throws at the 13.8 second mark. It was during all this time that GMC Hoops had hinted to Little Zammitt that the game might go into overtime to which the South Amboy youngster, and a top standing member of the Guv Goonies, began to hope with all his might for that not to happen. Extra time on the clock kept him from more pressing duties such as texting on his cell phone. After the second missed free throw, South Amboy got a rebound, and called for time with 11.7 seconds remaining. Following the timeout, the Guvs tried to get into position to score, but couldn’t as Clarke stole the ball, and came back the other way for a last second shot attempt that was blocked. We were going to overtime!
In the first extra session, South Amboy appeared to have Metuchen on the ropes again with a nice rebound and outlet to Herdman, who then made a nice assist on a jumper for a 34-32 lead at the 2:08 mark. Herdman then handed out another assist on a layup at the 1:47 mark for a seemingly commanding 36-32 lead. However, the Bulldogs fought back with one of two from the foul line at the 1:21 mark, and with GMC Hoops hoping there would be a second overtime to detain Little Zammitt further, a three pointer dropped in from the right corner to tie the score at 36-36 with 29.9 seconds left. Metuchen had another chance to win when it called for a timeout with 5.9 to go in the first overtime, but once again Clarke’s shot was off the mark, as it hit off the front of the rim as time expired.
At the start of the second overtime, both teams appeared to be overanxious as Herdman picked up his third foul for South Amboy with 2:55 left, Metuchen was called for traveling with 2:45 left, and then after getting the alternate possession on a jump ball, South Amboy committed a miscue by losing the ball out of bounds with 2:08 to go. Neither team scored for almost the first two minutes of the second extra session. However, Metuchen took the lead for good on one of two from the line at the 1:07 mark. Then, South Amboy had a chance to at least tie, or even take the lead, but misfired on two free throws with 52.6 seconds left. Metuchen gave new life to the Guvs though by committing a turnover, and South Amboy called for time with 44.5 seconds left. Unfortunately for the Guv faithful, the hometown team couldn’t take advantage, and Metuchen would subsequently break South Amboy’s press to get another layup from Clarke for a 39-36 lead as the Guvs called for time again.
The Bulldogs then put the game away on a traditional three point play as they scored a layup while being fouled with nine seconds left for a 42-36 lead. South Amboy then closed things out with a score, and Metuchen prevailed by the final score of 42-38 to start the summer at 1-0 while the Guvs fell to 0-1. Clarke ended up with five field goals, and a perfect 4 of 4 from the line for 14 points, Herdman helped South Amboy with five field goals for 10 points, and Daquan had a team high seven field goals for 14 points in a losing cause.
| Team | 1 | 2 | OT | 2 OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metuchen (1-0) | 7 | 25 | 4 | 6 | 42 |
| South Amboy (0-1) | 12 | 20 | 4 | 2 | 38 |
First Half Surge Propels St. Stan’s Past Jersey Shoreshots, 43-30
In the nightcap, St. Stan’s of Sayreville, and from the 7th and 8th Grade Division, took on the Jersey Shoreshots, an AAU team from Monmouth County that is headquartered at Rebounds, or what is now known as the Hoop Group Headquarters, and from the 5th and 6th Grade Division, in an early season crossover game. For a while, it looked like the younger Shoreshots were going to make a game of it by taking a 9-6 lead at the 11:56 mark of the first half. However, St. Stan’s went on a 14-0 binge that spanned 9:51 to take a 20-9 lead. As a matter of fact, the Shoreshots were held scoreless for 10:43 until they got a three pointer from the right corner that made the score, 20-12 with 1:13 to go before the intermission. From there, St. Stan’s took a 34-18 lead with a 10-4 run in the first six minutes or so of the first half, and even though the Shoreshots scored 9 of the next 12 points over the next nine minutes and change, they couldn’t get any closer than 10 points in a 43-30 loss.
As mentioned earlier, the Shoreshots got off to a fast start with a three pointer from the right side at the 19:11 mark for a 3-0 lead, and then made it 4-0 with 18:30 to go in the first half by making one of two from the line. St. Stan’s didn’t score their first points until the 16:40 mark when they converted an offensive rebound with a putback to make the score, 4-2. Neither team scored for the next 1:28 before the Shoreshots had another opportunity to go up by four. The Monmouth County based AAU squad stepped up to the line for two free throws at the 15:12 mark, and misfired, which kept the score at 4-2. St. Stan’s then scored the next four points for a 6-4 lead before the Shoreshots tied it back up on a field goal that made it 6-6 with 12:46 remaining in the first half. Up to this point in the contest, there were two lead changes and two ties.
Fifty seconds later, the Shoreshots intercepted a pass by St. Stan’s, and went in for a layup while being fouled for a three point play, and a 9-6 lead with 11:56 to go in the opening half. St. Stan’s then made it 9-8 with a jumper from the left wing at the 11:11 mark, and then went ahead for good an inbounds play underneath for a layup that made the score, 10-9 with 8:30 left. There had been four lead changes and two ties up to this stage of the game, but there would be no more from here on out. St. Stan’s would continue on their decisive 14-0 tear with one of two from the foul line, and a layup over the next 1:45 for a 13-9 lead. Then, twenty seconds later, the Sayreville based school connected on a three pointer by a 16-9 lead much to the delight of the partisan crowd.
St. Stan’s had a chance to build the lead up to nine, but missed both free throw attempts with 5:02 remaining in the first half as the Shoreshots called for time. However, after the timeout, St. Stan’s would score the next four points including a steal for a layup to cap the 14-0 run for a 20-9 lead at the 2:05 mark. The Shoreshots finally got on the board again with a three pointer from the right corner to end their scoring drought, and close the gap to 20-12, but St. Stan’s closed out the first half with four of the final six points for a 24-14 lead at the intermission. In the second half, St. Stan’s picked up right where they left off with 10 of the first 14 points that included good passing and teamwork for scores to take a 34-18 lead with 15:55 left. The Shoreshots tried to chip into that lead, and make things interesting again with a 9-3 run over the next 10 minutes or so, but couldn’t get any closer than ten in the 43-30 defeat. With the victory, St. Stan’s opens the year at 1-0 while the Shoreshots fall to 0-1.
| Team | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. Stan’s (1-0) | 24 | 19 | 43 |
| Jersey Shoreshots (0-1) | 14 | 16 | 30 |
GMC Hoops will be back out at the Raritan Bay Summer League on Thursday to see two more games starting at 5:30 PM.