2008
GMCT Championship
#6 St. Joseph's (20-6) vs. #1 Cardinal McCarrick (22-4)
Where: South Brunswick
High School
When: Sunday at 3:00 PM
Outlook: GMC Hoops calls this a coin-flip special game because with the way these two teams are playing, you might as well flip a coin to determine which team will win. St. Joseph's played almost flawlessly in its win over Piscataway in the semifinal round while McCarrick's defense has continued to improve as the season has worn on. As a matter of fact, the Eagles are playing the highest level of defense they've played since winning it all back in 2002-03.
The Falcons have done of fine job of playing disciplined basketball, and controlling the tempo, and that is a tribute to the coaching effort of Turco and his staff, and the kids buying into it, especially in the upset over the Chiefs. Steve Rennard, who has put together his first two consecutive 20 point plus performances this season, has been the leader of the squad with timely shooting from the perimeter, consistent free throw shooting from the charity stripe, and key defensive plays when the occasion called for it.
Nikko Vastola has stepped up with clutch shooting in the past few weeks including the semifinal game against P-Way. Paul Konopacki, who is arguably the team's most athletic player, has great quickness, leaping ability, and play making ability as well as good use of his volleyball skills to tap the ball out to the Falcon backcourt to keep possession of the basketball. Gerard Lewis has been playing extremely well the past several weeks culminating with three blocked shots in the surprise victory over the Chiefs while Robbie Ashamole has added some blocks of his own to make the tandem a St. Joe's SWAT Patrol.
Steve Brandenburg has brought veteran leadership, hustle, a knack for doing the little things, and timely shooting from the floor, and the line to spark the team in its two most recent victories. Brandon Vas, the son of Perth Amboy mayor, Joseph Vas, also helped to give the Falcons some much needed size against Piscataway's vaunted front line. While St. Joseph's leads the GMC in fewest points allowed with 42.7 points per game, the team has not manufactured a great deal of points with an average of 51.6 points per game. So it cannot afford to have the score get up into the 60s and 70s.
On the other side of the ledger, McCarrick will be looking to put up plenty of points with the help of Mike Burwell and Julio Rosario, who have combined to score approximately 70 percent of the Eagle points in the tournament to date according to an article printed in the Star-Ledger on Friday. Burwell did a great job in the semifinals against Colonia by trying to get himself into a rhythm offensively by going to the basket, and working his way out before shooting the three, and more importantly was outstanding on the boards with 17 rebounds to go along with his game high 30 points. Rosario also was solid with 17 points as well as 7 boards. On top of that, and even more pivotal, was his defensive play on both Brandon Hall and J.J. D'Amico of Colonia.
Dominic Appiah and Branten Widgeon present their share of troubles on the boards this season for opponents, and it is not different for St. Joseph's. While they along with Burwell are a slightly smaller frontline, they are plenty tenacious and relentless. Appiah has been a force on the boards, and a much appreciated addition to the team this year. Last season, a big problem that the Eagles had was rebounding, and it caught up with them against bigger teams such as P-Way in the 2007 GMCT Championship, and Trenton Catholic in the 2007 Non-Public B South Tourney. Not to be forgotten is senior point guard, Will Snider, who has steadily improved since last season, and even more so as the season has progressed. His playmaking ability, and defensive effort has given the Eagles a solid extension of Joe Lewis on the floor. Over the last two rounds of the GMCT, Snider has averaged 6 assists, and 3.5 steals per game.
This season, the Eagles have averaged 66.1 points per game while allowing an average of 52.4 points per contest. Taking out the 87-22 loss at the hands of top ranked St. Anthony's of Jersey City, and the Eagles are even better with averages of 67.9 and 51.0 respectively. So far in the tournament, the Eagles have allowed an average of just 48.3 points per game while scoring 68.3 per game. In seven games covered by GMC Hoops, Burwell has averaged 24.9 points per game while grabbing about 11 rebounds per game. Sean Williams has been a key figure for the Eagles off the bench including his 13 point performance against South Amboy in the GMCT Elite Eight. A nice effort from Williams would go a long way in helping the Eagles capture their second GMCT crown.
The backcourts of both teams are fairly even with each team having good offense and defense form its guards. The Eagles size and tenacity on the offensive glass gives them a slight edge on the front line, but with the maturity of Ashamole, fine play of Lewis down the stretch, and the addition of Vas to the rotation, the Falcons are more than capable of holding its own down low. Each team is well coached with the feisty and fiery Joe Lewis at the helm for Cardy Mac while Dave Turco has done one of his best coaching jobs with the relatively young St. Joe's squad that consists of 8 sophomores and 3 freshmen.
GMC Hoops Pick: Cardinal McCarrick.
