HAMILTON, NJ–On Thursday afternoon, GMC Hoops headed down the New Jersey Turnpike to I-195 to see the South Brunswick Vikings in action as they were playing the Spartans of Steinert, a team that qualified for the Central Jersey Group IV tourney in 2009 before losing to Sayreville in the opening round. The site again got off to a late start in getting out of the house, and arrived at about 4:10. However, by that time the scrimmage was well underway.
The two teams had already completed a quarter, and were well into the second by the time we sat down. Nevertheless, the site did see a little more than three quarters of action before heading back to Middlesex County to see another college hoops game involving Middlesex County College. GMC Hoops saw South Brunswick twice during the fall at the 2009 Hoop Group Headquarters Fall League. Both times, the Vikings played competitively, losing by two to defending Central Jersey Group I Champion, Asbury Park, and then by 10 to Monsignor Donovan in the Showcase Games round. On Thursday, the Vikings didn’t disappoint for the most part.
In the four quarters of action seen by the site, South Brunswick was competitive in three including a last second 19-17 victory in the fourth and final frame. The site also got a look at the Junior Vikings, which played a quarter after the varsity played the first two. The only period in which SBHS was out of was the third, which was the difference in the game in the time that we saw. Steinert jumped out to a 9-2 lead, and then after a Kory Sanders three pointer, the Spartans reeled off eight more points for a 17-5 advantage before winning the frame, 19-9.
For a while early on in the fourth, it looked like more of the same as Steinert got a kind bounce on a three point play at the 7:38 mark, and then a baseline jumper from the left side at the 7:00 mark for a 5-0 lead, but in one of the key moments in the scrimmage, South Brunswick responded brilliantly to the gut check by netting three pointer, and converting a traditional three point play to go ahead, 6-5 at the 6:04 mark. Then, after the Spartans went back out in front with an offensive rebound and follow, the Vikes got another trey to take the lead again at 9-7.
The quarter seesawed back and forth from there with the lead ultimately changing hands six times with two ties. Steinert actually put together a 6-0 burst that turned a 13-9 deficit into a 15-13 lead, but Sanders made a huge play when he connected on a three pointer while being fouled for a rare four point play that gave the Vikings the lead with 1:10 to go in the period. After the Spartans tied the game, Sanders drew attention from the Spartan defense, and took advantage of it by making a dump off pass for an assist on the quarter winning layup. It was the type of play that SBHS is going to have to get night in and night out from Sanders, who is only one of two returning varsity players this year.
The past four years has seen many faces come and go for the Vikings. After losing such talented players as Dan Stonkus, Nick Fazio, Tommy Hill, Martin and Malcolm Soaries, Devon Young, Ray Dasant, Vineesh Manchanda, Arman Wilson, Mohammed Sanu, Jordan Teicher, Sean Lease, and Troy Confessore. The Vikes also went through two coaching changes before Joe Hoehman took the reins. South Brunswick graduated all but two players from a team that made a nice little run in the GMCT at the end of last season. The Vikes had to play in the play-in round, and then after beating JFK, they went into Woodbridge and defeated the 15th seeded Barrons, a team that SBHS split its two regular season meetings with.
Sanders was doing it all on the floor. Hustling for loose balls, making the extra pass for layups, and connecting on his perimeter shots. He played like the leader he is expected to be for this squad. Steinert won the scrimmage in the time that the site was there by a margin of 53-43. The JV period in the second was the lowest scoring frame of the scrimmage with the quarter ending in a 7-7 tie. While there were a lot of turnovers by both junior varsity squads, there wasn’t a lack of effort. Both teams fought hard. The problem was that neither could get into a rhythm offensively. SBHS’s Junior Vikings made more field goals, but Steinert’s Junior Spartans scored twice off of offensive rebounds. Second chance opportunities also plagued the SBHS varsity, which gave up at least eight second chance points over the final two periods of action seen.
South Brunswick will most likely be duking it out with the likes of Old Bridge, Woodbridge, Edison, and J.P. Stevens for the scraps left over by St. Joseph’s, East Brunswick, and Piscataway, and Perth Amboy. The Vikings open up the season at home against J.P. Stevens next Friday night. Then, they travel to Piscataway to take on the Chiefs. After that, South Brunswick gets ready for holiday tournament play in the Brunswick Tournament.