Bulldogs Pressure Too Much For Rams, 82-46
METUCHEN, NJ–Once again, the fullcourt pressure of the Metuchen Bulldogs came out in full force, and the result was another victory. Metuchen won its third straight game after losing its first two with an 82-46 easy victory over South River in GMC Blue Division action on Tuesday night. Like it did in its victory over Roselle Park in the opening round of the 2008 Roselle Park Holiday Tournament, Metuchen came out pressing the Rams in the first quarter to open up a 23-7 lead.
Turnover after turnover – steal after steal demonstrated that South River is still having difficulties with the press and the Bulldogs attacking style fully took advantage of it. Evan Carberry, who ended up with a huge double-double effort of 21 points and 19 rebounds along with 4 steals, paced the Bulldogs strong start with 13 first quarter points.
But back came the Rams in the second quarter to cut the lead to 40-28 at the half. They played good basketball – took good shots and made them, drew fouls and made the free throws – the Rams did still had some life in them. Things looked up for South River going in at the half.
But then came the convincingly decisive third quarter, where Metuchen took complete control of the game. Early on, the Rams cut the lead to ten and had the Bulldogs back on their heels. However, Metuchen then went on a tear, taking a 65-38 lead after three quarters – outscoring the Rams 25-10 in the quarter. A complete South River collapse. Fundamental basketball went out the window. By the time the dust cleared the JV teams were in and the Bulldogs won by 36.
South River drops to 2-5 on the season, and more importantly 0-3 in the GMC Blue while Metuchen improves to 3-2 overall, and 1-2 in divisional play. Finally has a home game Thursday night against Bishop Ahr. This will be a very tough game for the Rams against an Ahr team that has already beaten Middlesex and Spotswood, another team that easily handled South River recently.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metuchen (3-2) | 23 | 17 | 25 | 17 | 82 |
| South River (2-5) | 7 | 21 | 10 | 8 | 46 |