We've just archived the summaries on several scrimmages that we covered in the pre-season, the three games seen at the 2006 Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic at Seton Hall University on December 17th, the Freshmen and JV Games of the Week, Freshmen and JV Roundups, and all the summaries for the month of December, 2006 in the summaries archive.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 28, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--Gene Haley Memorial Tourney--Championship

Cafiero And Cougars Win Shooting Duel Over Holmes And Edison, 57-52

By Greg Machos
December 28, 2006

EDISON, NJ--This year's Gene Haley Memorial Tournament seemed to have games with tremendous first quarter performances. Montgomery's effort in the opening quarter of its Championship Game with Edison was no exception, led by senior forward, Nick Cafiero, who went 6 of 7 from the field including four three pointers for 16 points in the first half, the Cougars from Somerset County and the Delaware East Division of the Skyland Conference, connected on 7 of its first 9 shots to take a 17-6 lead while Edison made five turnovers in the first 5:02 of the game. However, behind the exploits of Barry Holmes, who was just about as equally scorching from the floor, Edison mounted a 20-2 explosion over a 6:31 span that included a 15-0 second quarter tear to actually take the lead back at 26-19 before senior forward, Walter Rockhill converted a traditional three point play to make it 26-22 at the 4:27 mark of the second. Holmes was 6 of 8 from the field including three treys besides making both of his attempts at the line for 17 first half points.

However, while Edison focused on Cafiero, Montgomery got help on the inside as 6'4" center, Josh Schneider came alive in the second half, and ended up with 7 of 15 field goals and 8 of 10 free throws for a game high 22 points while grabbing seven rebounds, swiping two steals, and handing out an assist to give the Cougars its first ever Haley Tourney title, 57-52 over the Eagles on Thursday afternoon at Edison High School. The third time was the charm for Montgomery, which lost to Carteret in 2004's title tilt, 46-38, and then lost to Edison last year, 52-40. Cafiero ended up with eight field goals in ten attempts from the floor including four threes for 80 percent, and 20 points while collecting two assists, two steals, and a rebound. Kevin Tarca chipped in with 4 of 8 shooting from the field including a three pointer for nine points as well as three assists, and three steals. Walter Rockhill went one of three from the field and two of three at the line for four points along with five rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Junior forward, Connor Paladino rounded out the Cougar scoring with a field goal for two points along with three assists, a steal, and a rebound.

Also playing, but not scoring for Montgomery were junior forward, Chris Garcia, who did a solid job on the boards and hustling for seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals despite missing all five of his shot attempts from the floor, and two free throws at the line, and junior guard, Matt Kovacs, who went 0 of 3 from the field. Meanwhile, Holmes ended up going cold in the second half making only one of five from the floor over the final two periods while missing two key free throws down the stretch. Nevertheless, the junior guard, who has played with more and more confidence since his game winning effort against St. Joseph's a week earlier, and pumped in 16 points in an opening round victory over Carteret, still ended up with a team high 19 points along with five rebounds and a blocked shot. Senior forward, Mike Campbell, was also hot from the field with a perfect five of five showing for ten points while handing out two assists and blocking two shots. However, Campbell failed to get one rebound and sat out much of the last portion of the fourth quarter.

Zach Manfre went four of ten from the floor including a three pointer for 9 points while handing out seen assists, getting four steals, grabbing two rebounds, and blocking a shot. Terry Roland, who put in a solid effort against the Ramblers on Wednesday, had some struggles from the floor with a 2 of 7 showing for four points while collecting three rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot. Josh Williams (2 of 3 FGs for four points, three steals, two assists, and a rebound) and Quenta McDonald (2 of 2 FGs including a three pointer for five points) rounded out the scoring for the Eagles. Junior forwards Ron Lordi (two assists and a rebound) and Nathan Otokiti (0 of 2 FGs and 0 of 1 FTs, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal), and sophomore guard, Erik Janz (an assist and a steal) all played for Edison, but didn't score. This contest along with Monroe's game against Susan Wagner at the St. Joseph's Tournament, and Colonia's double-overtime win over East Brunswick on December 23rd, are probably the best games seen by this web site so far this season. Both teams shot the ball extremely well for the most part.

For the game, Montgomery, which was 13 of 24 in the first half for 54.2 percent, but only 6 of 15 following its 7 of 9 start, ended up going 21 of 45 including five threes for 46.7 percent while making 10 of 15 attempts at the line for 66.7 percent. On the other side of the ledger, Edison went 22 of 42 including six three pointers for 52.4 percent while making only two of five at the foul line for 40 percent. Obviously with how hot Edison shot from the floor, Montgomery's foul shooting proved to be a key difference. The Eagles had edges in turnovers (17-19), threes (6-5), assists (19-14), and blocks (9-0) while the Cougars held advantages in rebounding (19-15), steals (11-9), and won three of the four quarters in terms of scoring. Despite seven first quarter turnovers, Edison still managed to make five of eight shot attempts, and then followed that up with an eight of twelve showing from the field in the second for a 13 of 20 effort including five threes in the first half for a blistering 65 percent, but it only got the Eagles a one point, 33-32 halftime lead.

Then, in the second half, Edison was limited to just one three while Holmes had none. The Eagles went 9 of 22 from the floor for just 40.9 percent while Montgomery went equally as cold going just 8 of 21 for 38.1 percent from the field. However, the Cougars only had six second half turnovers while forcing eight, and made 9 of 12 shots from the charity stripe to get the edge over the final two periods for the win. There were a total of five lead changes and two ties in this game including four lead changes and a tie over a span of 6:36 from the end of the second quarter to the middle of the third when the Cougars began showing signs of pulling away. After Edison had taken its 26-19 lead, Montgomery didn't collapse. Rather, the Cougars fought right back with a 9-2 spurt over the next three minutes to knot the game at 28-28 with 1:27 left in the first half. After Rockhill's traditional three play with just under four and a half remaining in the first half, Cafiero struck again for two more treys to cap the rally. Edison would take the halftime lead with five of the final nine points including a three pointer by Manfre for a 33-32 score.

The third quarter saw a nip and tuck affair for the first 5:09 as Schneider gave Montgomery a one point, 34-33 lead only to see Edison take it right back on a layup by Campbell from Manfre to make it 35-34 with 7:12 to play in the period. The Eagles pushed its lead up to three on another basket by Campbell from Manfre before the Cougars came back with a score of their own on a layup by Schneider from Paladino at the 5:19 mark to make it 37-36. Edison could have taken a three point lead again, but Holmes missed a pair at the line with 4:44 left in the frame, and then Montgomery took the lead for good on another score inside by Schneider to make it 38-37 at the 2:51 mark. Cafiero then rebounded a Roland miss at the other end on the next Edison possession, and returned back down the floor for a layup, and a 40-37 lead with 2:36 remaining in the stanza. Manfre then hit on a jumper from left wing to make it 40-39 with 58.1 left in the third, but the Cougars ended up with a 42-41 advantage going into the fourth as both defenses tightened in the lowest scoring period of the game.

The final period opened with Montgomery scoring six of the first eight points as Schnieder made a couple field goals, and then grabbed three offensive rebounds before being fouled and making two free throws for a 48-43 Cougar lead at the 5:46 mark. The Cougars pushed the lead up to seven at 50-43 before Terry Roland made a jumper from the left side off an assist by manfre for a 50-45 score with 3:54 left in the contest. It was here that Montgomery had some troubles at the foul line, going 2 of 6 at the charity stripe over a 1:13 span, but Edison couldn't take advantage despite a score in the paint by Quenta McDonald, and the Cougars held on to its five point lead at 54-49 with just 46.7 seconds remaining. Edison had a couple chances to go to the line and cut into the deficit, but Otokiti missed a front end of a one and one at the 39.9 second mark, and McDonald did the same at the 25.9 second mark. Meanwhile, Schneider made three of four free throws in the final 37.8 seconds to help seal the 57-52 victory. With the loss Edison drops to 3-2 overall while Montgomery moves up to 4-2 on the season.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 28, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--Gene Haley Memorial Tourney--Consolation

Carteret Downs Kennedy To Surpass Last Year's Win Total, 68-55

By Greg Machos
December 28, 2006

EDISON, NJ--The Carteret Ramblers and J.F. Kennedy Mustangs squared off in the Consolation Game of the 2006 Gene Haley Memorial Tournament on Thursday morning at Edison High School. It was the second straight year that the two Greater Middlesex Conference schools squared off for third place. Last season, the Ramblers won their first game of the year with a 60-53 win over J.F.K. in the consolation. Then, Carteret followed that up with a solid, 60-34 victory over Piscataway Vo-Tech in a consolation of the Monroe Township Holiday Tournament. Those two victories would be the only ones in a forgetful 2-18 season. This season, Carteret entered the third-place game with two wins already on its pocket thanks to an upset of North Brunswick at home and a victory over Woodbridge on the road.

Meanwhile, things couldn't be any more difficult for Kennedy, which is trying to find a way to turn things around after a combined mark of 8-37 in their previous two campaigns. Despite the presence of a promising junior class led by the likes of forward Jelani Davis, the Mustangs have gone winless in their first four games, where they've given up an average of 82.3 points per game. In the opening round of the Haley Tourney, Kennedy was outscored by a combined total of 48-21 in thhe second and fourth quarters, and that proved to be the difference in a 78-42 loss to Montgomery of the Skyland Conference's Delaware East Division. In the other first round game, Carteret fell behind 19-2 to Edison in the first quarter on eleven turnovers, but fought back hard to pull within three in the latter portion of the third period before losing, 48-41.

This year's consolation game continued to show both teams going in opposite direcctions as the Ramblers outscored J.F. Kennedy in three of the four frames to win, 68-55. Carteret jumped out to a 32-22 halftime lead, and still led by eight going into the fourth period despite being outscored, 17-15 in the third. Other than the team high seventeen points registered by senior guard, Vinnie Marciano on four field goals, two threes, and three free throws, only one other Mustang scored in double figures. Meanwhile, for Carteret, which has given up an aveage of 51.8 points per game while scoring just 48.5 per game, had four players in double-figures including junior forward, Brian Williams, who scored a game high 19 points on seven field goals and five free throws while junior point guard Alvin Rodriguez chipped in with 15 points on five field goals, a three pointer, and two foul shots. Junior forward, Al Tampa added 12 points on four field goals, a three pointer, and a foul shot while sophomore forward Robert Jackson chipped in with five field goals for eight points.

With the win, Carteret, which was 2-18 overall last season, has already surpassed that win total, and is 3-2 overall and in conference play while Kennedy drops to 0-5 overall, and 0-4 in the GMC. The Ramblers also pick up two points in the GMC Hoops Trophy standings to tie J.P. Stevens with one point while the Mustangs are now tied for last place with Metuchen and St. Joseph's.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 28, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--Cardinal Classic--Consolation

Third Quarter Blitz Helps Spotswood Top Dayton, 58-38

By Greg Machos
December 28, 2006

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ--After traveling out to the 2006 Gene Haley Memorial Tournament at Edison High School to watch Carteret defeat J.F. Kennedy and Edison lose to Montgomery, GMC Hoops took a journey out to downtown New Brunswick to watch the 2006 Cardinal Classic, and one of the early season surprises in the Spotswood Chargers, face-off against Jonathan Dayton Regional of Springfield, which hails from the Mountain Valley Conference. The Bulldogs, which qualified for the state tournament just two short years ago under the direction of former coach Dave Nash, who played at Cardinal McCarrick when it was St. Mary's in the mid to late 1980s, has since hit on hard times.

Last season, Jonathan Dayton ended up going 9-14 including losses to Greater Middlesex Conference schools: Spotswood, South Amboy, Dunellen, Piscataway Vo-Tech, and Bishop Ahr. After failing to qualify in 2005-06, the Bulldogs have started off on the wrong foot in the new season with no wins in their first four games including an opening round loss to the host school, St. Peter's, which is another one of the big surprises in the GMC so far in 2006-07. Meanwhile, Spotswood is off to its best start since the 2003-04 season when they last qualified for the state tournament. So far in this young season, the Chargers have four wins in its first six games despite losing two of its last three including an opening round defeat to tourney favorite, Asbury Park, which was a late replacement for St. James Prep. Among the Charger victories was a stunning opening night win at Metuchen (57-47), and wins at home over Blue Division rivals Middlesex and Highland Park.

Arriving late in the first half, GMC Hoops sat to take the game in with 59.7 seconds left in the first half, and the score tied at 20-20. The Chargers had an opportunity to take the leadd with just under thirty seconds remaiining before the break, but Justin Carlson (three field goals for six points) failed to get a break as his layup attempt rolled out. However, a few moments later, teammate and sophomore guard, Ross Gerhart (two field goals and a three pointer for seven points) picked up Carlson with a three pointer from the right of the top of the key to make it 23-20, which is how it stood when both teams went to their respective locker rooms. Gerhart's trey not only proved to be decisive, but it also ignited a huge Spotswood surge that turned a tight game into a rout. The Chargers began to play like the team they've been capable of so far this season when the third got underway.

In the third period, Spotswood put together a 19-3 showing as senior guard, Bryan Osofsky (six three pointers, two field goals, and four foul shots for 26 points), connected on two threes for six third quarter points while Carlson got his six third period points the old fashioned way on three field goals. Zach Becker (two field goals and a free throw for five points) added a field goal and a one of two effort at the line for three points in the frame while Mike Hohman (one field goal for two points) and John Berner (two field goals and four free throws for six points) chipped in with two points each. Meanwhile, the Charger defense shut Dayton down and the rims tightened and acted as if they had lids on them for the Bulldogs. Jonathan Dayton didn't get a field goal for the entire span of the third period while making three of four foul shots in the final 1:14 of the stanza for its only points of the quarter. Punctuating Dayton's futility was a miss on a wide open breakaway layup attempt in the waning seconds by the Bulldogs.

Last season, Dayton had similar struggles against Spotswood in the 2005 Cardinal Classic. In the first half, the Bulldogs were held without a field goal for a span of 8:20, and then in the third, the Union County and Mountain Valley Conference school didn't get on the board until the 4:27 mark of the frame in a 58-49 loss. Spotswood, which actually had a 22-3 surge from the 20 second mark of the second quarter until the end of the third, opened the second half with a 16-0 blitz over the first 6:29 for a commanding 39-20 lead. Becker started the run with all three of his points in the period coming in the initial 1:44 of the frame to make it 26-20. Carlson then got into the act with an offensive rebound and putback to make it 28-20 at the 4:57 mark, and a drive through the left side of the key for a layup to make it 30-20 at the 4:10 mark. John Berner piled on with his only two points of the quarter on a pair of free throws at the 3:45 mark. Nearly forty seconds later, Berner got into the act again, but in a different way with a rebound and outlet pass for an assist on a Carlson layup that made it 34-20.

Carlson followed that up with a steal and assist on a Mike Hohman layup that made the score 36-20 at the 2:28 mark. Osofsky, who was selected to the Cardinal Classic All Tournament Team as well as the 2005-06 GMC Hoops All Perimeter Team, ended the outburst with a trey from the right side at the 1:31 mark that made the score, 39-20. Osofsky would later end the quarter scoring with another three or a 42-23 lead going into the fourth. The senior guard added some more perimeter scoring with another trey that capped a 12-4 run to start the fourth for a 54-27 advantage with 3:12 remaining. Up to this point in the fourth, Spotswood had outscored Dayton by a 34-7 margin over a span of 13:08 since the tail end of the first half. The Bulldog reserves did their part to make the game more respectable with an 11-4 spurt to close the contest as the Chargers won easily, 58-38 to earn third place in the holiday tourney, and raise its overall record to 5-2 on the year.

Meanwhile, in the Championship, St. Peter's was unable to continue its early season magic as the Cardinals lost its first game of the young season. Asbury Park jumped out to a 51-32 advantage, and held on to win, 62-50 for the title. The Cards are now 4-1 overall on the season, and returns to its Gold Division schedule when 2007 begins.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 28, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--Perth Amboy Vo-Tech Tourney--Consolation

Warren Tech Keeps E.B. Tech Winless With 54-29 Victory

By Greg Machos
December 28, 2006

PERTH AMBOY, NJ--It was nearly two years ago to the day that GMC Hoops last witnessed the Knights of Warren Tech battle East Brunswick Vo-Tech. On that occasion, Warren Tech traveled down to Middlesex County to take on the Tigers in a game E.B. Tech needed to win in order to keep hopes alive for a Central Jersey Group I Tournament berth. Back on that late January, 2005 day, East Brunswick Tech steamrolled the Knights in a runaway, 60-13, but failed to qualify for the states as the Tigers lost at South Amboy later in that week. In less than two short seasons, the tables have completely turned around despite the fact that neither team has started off well in 2006-07.

Entering Thursday afternoon's consolation game in the 2006 Perth Amboy Tech Tourney at Amboy Tech, neither team had been able to register a win on the season including losses in their respective first round games of the second annual tourney. Warren Tech was defeated soundly by the host school, Perth Amboy Vo-Tech, 64-42 while East Brunswick Tech lost in heartbreaking fashion by one point, 38-37, to Noor-Ul-Iman of Monmouth Junction, which won its first game ever. Things wouldn't get much better for E.B. Tech in the consolation either. The Tigers continue to search for its first win of the 2006-07 season as Warren Tech rolled to its first win in convincing fashion, 54-29. Paced by a game high 20 points on eight field goals, a three pointer, and a foul shot by Dion Aden and another 13 points from Ken Lambert on six field goals and a foul shot, the Knights jumped out to a seventeen point halftime lead as E.B. Tech was held to just ten first half points.

In the third quarter, Warren Tech increased its advantage with an 11-6 showing in a period that saw neither team score for the first 2:50. The Knights finally broke through the ice with a layup at the 5:10 mark to make the score, 29-10. The bucket opened the floodgates for Warren Tech as the team put together a 9-0 spurt to open the half for a 36-10 lead with a bit less than three and a half minutes to go in the third. Already in steep trouble at the half, East Brunswick Vo-Tech was unable to recover after that despite playing more respectably the rest of the way. Shortly after making the first field goal of the second half, the Knights came down the floor again for a three point play at the 4:48 mark. No scoring occurred for the next 1:11 until the Knights got a buckto make it 34-10 with 3:37 to go in the frame. On the very next E.B. Tech possession, Warren Tech got a steal, and made a nice assist to convert the Tiger turnover into a layup for a commanding 36-10 lead.

The Tigers, which dropped to 0-6 overall on the season with the loss, didn't get their first points of the second half until the 2:38 mark of the third period when they netted a pair of shots from the charity stripe to make it 36-12. It took even longer for E.B. Tech to get its first field goal. Outscoring Warren Tech by a 6-2 margin over the final three or so minutes of the third, the Tigers scored their first field goal of the second half with a little more than a minute and a half left in the stanza on a layup to make it 36-14. Starting the fourth and final period, East Brunswick Vo-Tech continued to try and climb back into the game despite the overwhelming odds against them. The Tigers scored five of the first seven poitns over the first 1:19 of the frame to make the score, 40-21. Sophomore point guard, Dillon DiGeronimo (a field goal and a free throw for three points), who had his share of struggles with turnovers, got on the board with one of two at the line to make it 40-17 at the 7:44 mark of the third. Brandon Morrison, who ended up with a team high 13 points on four field goals, a three pointer, and two free trows, netted two of his own at the foul line to make it 40-19 with 7:16 left in the period.

DiGeronimo closed out his scoring on the night when he connected for a jumper from the right win to make the score, 40-21. The Tigers also had several chances to make it closer, but missed on a pair of foul shots at the 7:20 mark, and several long range jumpers by Morrison rimmed out. Warren Tech finished the Tigers off with a 14-8 run over the final 6:41 for the lopsided twenty-five point win. With the loss, E.B. Tech drops to 0-6 while Warren Tech moves up to 1-4. Meanwhile, in the Championship, Perth Amboy Tech equaled its win total for all of last season with a blowout, 70-28 win over Noor-Ul-Iman, a team it had defeated a week earlier by a 56-26 count.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 27, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--St. Joseph's Tourney

Monroe Edges Susan Wagner With Strong Second Quarter, 56-53

By Greg Machos
December 27, 2006

METUCHEN, NJ--Leading by one going into the second quarter, the Monroe Falcons put together an 10-2 run to break away from a 17-17 tie at the 6:33 mark, and then closed out the first half with an 8-2 burst to cap a 21-12 second period showing for a 35-25 halftime lead. Although Susan Wagner of Staten Island rallied with a 19-12 showing in the third including a 17-2 tear for a 42-39 lead at the 2:30 mark, the resilient Falcons found a way to win with a 17-11 run over the final 9:59 to pull out a riveting three point, 56-53 victory over Susan Wagner in a battle of Falcons in the second game of an opening night tripleheader at the 2006 St. Joseph's Tournament at the New Bird Cage in Metuchen.

Monroe, which is looking more and more confident every game after starting the season with two close wins over South Plainfield and Lawrence on opening weekend, and then a double overtime loss at home to Sayreville, got a team high 13 points from senior guard, Shamil Graham, on five field goals in eight attempts and three of four from the foul line while grabbing four rebounds, handing out an assist, and drawing a charge. Mark Gulick had some struggles from the field going 4 of 12, but two of those made field goals were from beyond the arc to give him ten points on the night along with two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Junior forward, Justin Mitchell helped out with 4 of 7 shooting for eight points along with five rebounds, two blocks, and an assist. Sophomore Steve Blish and junior Ivan Barreto also contributed in the winning effort.

Blish went 3 of 6 from the floor incluidng a three pointer while adding two of three from the charity stripe for nine points along with a rebound and an assist while Barreto connected on three of five from the floor, and a perfect four of four at the line for ten points while collecting four rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Senior center, James Pellino (0 of 2 FGs, two assists, a steal, charge, and a rebound) and junior forward Ryan Clark (0 of 1 FGs and 0 of 1 FTs, two assists, a steal, and an assist) also played, but didn't score. Meanwhile, for Susan Wagner, 6'4" junior forward, Wil Fonseca put on a dazzling display that included eight field goals and a free throw for a game high 17 points. Fonseca highlighted Wagner's third quarter rampage with a one handed dunk. Chipping in for Staten Island's version of the Falcons was senior guard, Joe Mujjalli, who scored 11 points on two field goals, a three pointer, and four foul shots. James Rogers added nine points including a three pointer to open the second half that got Susan Wagner going on its third quarter binge.

The Medley Brothers, Malcolm and Marcus combined to score fourteen points on six field goals and two free throws while senior forward Nick Curran rounded out the scoring for the losing team with a field goal for two points. For the game, Monroe made 17 field goals and three treys for a 20 of 46 showing from the field for 43.5 percent while Wagner, which had previously played in the Linden Summer League a couple seasons ago, made 20 field goals and two threes for a 22 of 52 performance for 42.3 percent. One of the big differences came at the foul line where the Purple Birds bested their feathered brethren from Staten Island. Monroe was 13 of 20 at the charity stripe for 65 percent while Wagner was just 7 of 12 for 58.3 percent. Turnovers were very close with Mornoe getting a slight edge (21-22), but Wagner cashed in Monroe's miscues to a tune of 20 points. The Falcons outrebounded Monroe 30-22 including twelve on the offensive boards that were converted into twelve second chance points.

Otherwise, Monroe held advantages in three pointers (3-2), assists (14-11), steals (5-4), and blocks (2-0) while charges were even at 2-2. Monroe's Purple Birds outscored Wagner in two of the four periods with the fourth ending up a 9-9 tie. Despite the statistical monopoly, Monroe Township had its struggles periodically in this one. In the first period, the Falcons from Middlesex County, went 0 of 5 from the field over the first 3:28 before getting a layup on a nice back door cut by Mahmoud, and a superb read and pass from Pellino to make the score 3-2 in favor of MTHS. Mahmoud had scored the first points of the game at the 7:49 mark with one of two from the line to make it 1-0. Monroe actually caught fire over the final 4:32 of the period by making 6 of 7 from the floor to go 6 of 12 overall including a three pointer for 50 percent. Meanwhile, Susan Wagner matched Monroe's shooting with a slightly better effort, going 6 of 11 from the floor including a three of its own for 54.5 percent.

Blish led Monroe, which only committed two turnovers in the first quarter, with a 2 of 4 field goal showing from the field including his team's only three in the frame for five points. Blish got his three pointer off an assist by Graham to end an 8-4 Wagner burst, and square the game at 10-10 with 48.5 seconds left in the period. Then, the birds of the Purple City closed out the stanza with four of the last seven points including a runner by Gulick to propel Monroe to the one point, 14-13 lead. The game, which actually saw seven lead changes and one tie in the first quarter alone, and ultimately had fourteen lead changes and six ties, saw its highest scoring quarter of the game as both teams combined to score 33 points in the second frame. However, Monroe got the majority of them with 21 to Wagner's 12. Wagner had actually taken a 15-14 lead in the opening minute of the period with a pair of free throws at the 7:08 mark before Gulick came back with his first three of the game to give the Purple Birds a two point, 17-15 lead. Wagner would tie it though on an offensive rebound and putback at the 6:33 mark.

At that point, the game turned in Monroe's favor as the Falcons put together a 20-8 tear over the final six and a half minutes to take a ten point, 35-25 lead going into the locker room. MTHS started the final first half push with an 10-2 spurt over a span of 3:20 to take a 27-19 lead with 3:13 to go before the intermission. Despite picking up its eighth team foul in the half, the Falcons got a pair of free throws from Ivan Barreto at the 5:14 mark following an offensive rebound by Justin Mitchell off his own missed free throw. Barreto then returned the favor by passing off to Mitchell for a layup as the junior forward was fouled, but he missed the bonus free throw, and the score stood at 23-19 in favor of Monroe. Shamil Graham got into the act with a drive for a layup, and then Mitchell went to work again on the offensive boards for a putback off a missed shot to make it an eight point lead.

Wagner scored the next four points to make it a 27-23 game, but Monroe then closed out the half with eight of the last ten points for a ten point, 35-25 halftime lead. The Purple Birds ended up connecting on 8 of 15 field goals including a three pointer for 53 percent while sinking four of seven at the line. The only blemish on Monroe's second quarter was the fact that it had committed nine turnovers in the frame. Nevertheless, Monroe made 14 of 27 from the field for 51.9 percent while Wagner, which was limited to just 4 of 15 shooting for 26.7 percent in the second, shot only 10 of 26 from the floor in the first half for 38.5 percent. Susan Wagner's saving grace was the fact that its team went 4 of 5 from the line, converted eight offensive rebounds into ten second chance points, and eleven Purple Bird turnovers into eight points. More importantly, Wagner was still within striking distance, and that wasn't all too bad considering how much it struggled to get consistent shooting.

Knowing the fact that they were still in the game, Susan Wagner's Falcons came out in the third quarter with a purpose. Helped out by nine more Monroe turnovers, which it promptly converted into twelve points, Wagner went on a 9-0 spurt following an opening score by Monroe for a twelve point lead. The Staten Island team's burst was set up by a three pointer from the left wing by James Rogers within the first minute and a half of the third period to make the score, 37-28. Wagner then crept closer with six more points off Monroe turnovers to make it a 37-34 game at the 5:02 mark. Staten Island's Falcons didn't stop there. Wagner put together an 8-2 spurt over the next 3:03 for a 42-39 lead before Shamil Graham stopped the bleeding with one of two from the line for a 42-40 Wagner lead with 1:59 remaining in the frame. The Purple Birds then picked things up again with a 7-2 spurt of their own including a pair of free throws by Barreto at the 25.7 second mark to tie it at 44-44, and then a three pointer from Gulick on the left wing off a Mahmoud assist to make it 47-44 as time expired in the third.

With the biggest lead of the game only being twelve points, much of the game was fairly nip and tuck, especially the fourth period. Monroe had the bigget lead of the final quarter at five when Gulick struck again for a long two pointer off another assist from Mahmoud for a 49-44 score at the 7:25 mark. But, Wagner, continued to fight back with a 7-2 burst of its own over the next 6:00 to knot the game up again at 51-51 with 1:25 left in regulation. Joe Mujjalli got things going with a pair of free throws at the 6:09 mark following a missed one and one attempt by Blish at the 6:28 mark. Then, Fonseca got into the act again with one of two free throws at the 5:27 mark to make it 49-47, and then a jumper from the right corner to tie the game at 49-49 with 4:32 remaining in regulation. But, Barreto, who hustled all game, and seemed to come up with a big play of some sort when Monroe needed it most, scored on a layup following a steal and assist by forward Ryan Clark to give the Falcons a two point, 51-49 lead. Wagner had a chance to tie at the 3:04 mark, but Fonseca misfired on a pair at the charity stripe, and the score stood at 51-49 in favor of Monroe.

But, the Falcons of Susan Wagner redeemed themselves on a later possession with an offensive rebound and putback to tie the game at 51-51 as Monroe subsequently called for time at the 2:11 mark. Shamil Graham had a chance to give the Purple Birds the lead, but missed the layup attempt, and Wagner got the ball, and called for time at the 1:25 mark. However, Wagner couldn't take the lead, and Graham was fouled after getting the rebound. The senior guard, who has had several double-doubles already this year, netted both ends of a one and one with 1:06 remaining to make it 53-51. Vinny Mahmoud followed that up with one of two from the line at the 39.4 second mark to make it a three point game at 54-51. On the very next possession, Wagner hurried down the floor, and scored on a layup to make it a 54-53 game with 28.6 seconds to play as the Staten Island squad called for a 30 second timeout. Following the stoppage, and later timeout by Monroe at the 21.1 second mark, Mahmoud went to the line again, and sank a pair to make it 56-53 with 7.7 seconds left in the contest.

Wagner had one more chance to tie and force overtime, but Graham put pressure on Mujjalli, who couldn't get a shot off an tried to pass the ball off to another player, but ended up throwing the ball away much to Graham's delight, and the Purple Birds survived with a 56-53 hard fought win. With the victory, Monroe has now won three straight, and raises its record to a pleasantly surprising 5-1 on the year while Susan Wagner drops to 3-5. MTHS will next take on St. Joseph's By The Sea before finishing up their portion of the round robin against Moore Catholic, which defeated Colonia earlier in the day, 36-28. Susan Wagner will take on Colonia next, and then finish up against the host school, St. Joseph's.

Colonia Shut Down In Fourth By Moore Catholic For First Loss, 36-28

By Greg Machos
December 27, 2006

METUCHEN, NJ--After outscoring their opponent from Staten Island in the middle two periods by a 22-15 margin, Colonia's offense was held to just a field goal in the final period by Moore Catholic to give the Mavericks a hard fought, 36-28 victory in the opening round of games in the inaugural St. Joseph's Tournament at the New Bird Cage in Metuchen on Wednesday afternoon. The Patriots could only manage one field goal on a jumper by sophomore, J.J. D'Amico off an assist by Brandon Hall at the three minute mark that cut Moore Catholic's lead to 31-28. Meanwhile, the Mavericks, which had actually been held to just a field goal themselves over a 10:48 span from early in the second quarter to the middle of the third, got a three pointer from J.C. Albano at the 4:12 mark of the third quarter to spark a game ending 20-8 surge for the win.

It was a hard fought defensive battle, in which both teams scrapped for every point that they could get. Moore Catholic jumped out to an 11-4 first quarter lead, and then got a three pointer from the top of the key to make the score, 14-4 within the first minute of the second, before Colonia embarked on a 16-2 tear for the rest of the half, and the first portion of the third period for a 20-16 lead. Brandon Hall, who seemed to be everywhere on both sides of the ball, sparked the run with a steal and assist on a Jeff Mentzel layup at the 6:24 mark of the second. Hall then followed that up with a steal for a layup at the six minute mark of the second that trimmed the Maverick advantage to just six points at 14-8. The junior point guard, who was named the Most Improved Player in the conference last season by this web site, almost got another assist as he passed into Mentzel again, but the junior forward was fouled, and made a pair of free throws to make it a four point game at 14-10 with 5:27 left in the half.

Mike Salvador, the hero of the Patriots' most recent win last Saturday over East Brunswick, connected with Joe LaSala for a turnaround jumper by the scrappy senior forward that made it a two point game at 14-12 with 3:21 left. Moore Catholic would close out the scoring with a field goal before getting a five second violation at the 18.3 second mark that prevented the Mavericks from taking an even bigger lead into the locker room. Picking up right were they left off to end the first half, the Pats began the third quarter with a 4-0 run capped by a D'Amico layup at the 6:30 mark that tied the game up at 16-16 as Moore Catholic called for time. Even though Hall, who fouled out in the second overtime of the East Brunswick game, picked up his third foul at the 5:55 mark of the third period, sophomore Nnamdi Usuwa drew a charge at the 5:52 mark to prevent Moore Catholic from getting on the board. Colonia then took the lead as Salvador dished to D'Amico for a jumper from the right wing that made the score, 18-16 with 5:02 left in the third.

The Patriots then took their biggest lead of the game at the 4:59 mark as Brenden Wagner passed off to Usuwa for a jumper from the left wing that made the score, 20-16. However, the prominent basketball program from Staten Island rallied behind Albano's three, and began to crash the offensive boards while blocking several Colonia shots to tie the game up going into the fourth. Following one of two free throws at the line at the 2:59 mark by Patriot senior forward, Bryant Androvich on a technical foul, Albano picked up a steal and converted it into a layup that tied the game at 21-21. Then, a Moore Catholic player got a huge blocked shot, which led to another Albano layup for the 23-21 lead at the 2:15 mark. Salvador responded with his only points of the game on a three pointer off an assist by Hall at the 1:22 mark to put Colonia back out in front, 24-23 as both teams combined for five lead changes and five ties over 9:38 of the final sixteen minutes of the contest.

Tyler Stradford then connected on one of two free throws at the one minute mark to knot the game at 24-24, but Colonia retook the lead with a score at the 42 second mark that made it 26-24. However, Moore Catholic caught a break on an air ball as nobody on the Patriots was there to box out and get the rebound, which helped the Mavericks tie the game at the buzzer much to the chagrin of first year Patriot coach, Chris Chiera. Neither team scored for the first 3:08 of the fourth before Moore Catholic converted a Colonia turnover into a layup at the 4:52 mark to take a 28-26 lead. The layup ignited a 10-2 game deciding run as the Mavericks came away with the eight point win to go 6-3 on the season while the Patriots lost their first game of the 2006-07 season, and are now 4-1.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 27, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--South Amboy Tourney

Rams Avoid Disaster In 50-49 Win Over Titans

By Greg Machos
December 27, 2006

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ--It was near disaster for South River. The Rams, which had begun the season with three losses in four games, appeared to have things back on track with a 13-6 showing in the first period, and then an 18-5 surge in the second frame for a twenty point, 31-11 lead at halftime in the opening round of the 2006 South Amboy Tournament. However, after turning the ball over on six of its first seven possessions, and not scoring at all during that span, South River went into a tailspin with 12 third quarter turnovers while Keansburg surged back into the contest with a 20-8 third quarter outburst to make the score, 39-31 going into the fourth.

Keansburg continued to pour it on with a 11-3 spurt to open the fourth to pull within one point at 43-42 on an offensive rebound and putback off a missed three point attempt with 2:58 remaining. However, the Titans, which hail from the Class B Central Division of the Shore Conference, could not climb all the way out of its hole. The Rams, which committed six more turnovers in the final frame for a total of 18 in the second half, managed to keep the lead as junior guard, Eric Seawright made one of two foul shots at the 2:51 mark for a 44-42 lead, and then senior guard, Tony Gomes, drove through the lane for a layup to make it a four point, 46-42 margin with 2:17 to play in regulation. Keansburg then committed two straight turnovers including one forced by Gomes that fell into the hands of Ram big man, Josh Williams, who was fouled and sank two of his four free throws over the final 23:15 of the contest for a six point, 48-42 lead with 1:36 left.

Keansburg, which missed qualifying for the state tournament last season after reaching the semifinals of the Central Jersey Group I Tourney in 2005, refused to throw in the towel though. Keansburg scored a bucket to make it a four point game before Seawright made another one of two at the charity stripe for a 49-44 lead at the 28.2 second mark, and then, inexplicably, the Titans got a huge break as they scored a layup while being fouled by Williams at the 20.9 second mark, but missed the bonus free throw to make the score, 49-46. Kwasi Bell then made one of two foul shots at the 15.9 second mark, and then Seawright got an offensive rebound on the second missed shot, and was fouled with 13.9 left. The junior guard missed both at the line, and Keansburg made a three pointer with 2.1 left, but the Titans were unable to stop the clock and the Rams escaped with the 50-49 win.

Arriving late to the game after the finish of the second game at the 2006 Gene Haley Memorial Tournament, I arrived in the gym with 7:15 to go in the second quarter with South River already leading 15-6. The Rams played perhaps its best quarter of basketball so far this season as they held the Titans to just two field goals and one of two free throws in the period while building up its largest lead of the game at the 37.9 second mark of the stanza as Williams made a nice pump fake, and banked in a shot to make it 31-9. Keansburg was actually held scoreless over a 3:02.1 span while South River ran off nine straight points. Mariano Rodriguez preceeded the Williams score with a three pointer from the left wing at the 1:53 mark for a 29-9 lead. In the quarter, the Rams connected on eight field goals including two threes for 18 points, which almost matched their scoring output for the entire second half.

In the third quarter, South River just simply sputtered on offense. However, despite the Rams' difficulties, Keansburg wasn't really able to take advantage until the final 4:07 of the period when the Titans scored 14 of the final 17 points, which brought a loud roar from the few Keansburg faithful that traveled up Route 35 to see their Titans play. Prior to that South River seemed to be reasserting its control with an 5-3 run that included a fast break layup by Gomes off an assist by Rodriguez at the 5:16 mark for a 33-12 lead, one of two free throws by Bell at the 4:54 mark, and an offensive rebound and scoop shot at the 4:33 mark for a seemingly commanding 36-15 lead. But the Titans responded with a 27-7 blitz over a span of 9:35 to pull within a single point as the game suddenly started slipping away from the Rams. Nevertheless, South River prevailed in the end to advance to the Championship Game.

The Rams will face Henry Hudson of Atlantic Highlands, which is making its first appearance in the tournament after playing in the East Brunswick Tech and Perth Amboy Tech Tournaments the past couple seasons. The Admirals, which won the E.B. Tech Tourney in 2004 and the P.A. Tech Tourney in 2005, defeated the host school, South Amboy in the opening round, 53-41. Keansburg will take on the Governors in the Consolation Game at 2:00 PM on Thursday while South River, which is now 2-3 overall on the season, will battle Henry Hudson at 6:00 PM.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 27, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--Gene Haley Memorial Tourney

Edison First Period Outburst Proves To Be Difference, 48-41

By Greg Machos
December 27, 2006

EDISON, NJ--Although Carteret outscored Edison in two of the three remaining quarters, and tied in the fourth, the Eagles only needed the first quarter to effectively put the Ramblers away. Edison shot 8 of 16 for 50 percent from the field while Carteret committed eleven first quarter turnovers that led to all of the Eagles nineteen first quarter points. In addition, the Ramblers shot only 2 of 11 from the floor for 18 percent as Edison took a 19-4 lead, and despite Carteret rallying to pull within three at 31-28 with 2:14 left in the third, the Eagles hung on for a 48-41 victory in the opening round of the 2006 Gene Haley Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Edison High School.

Besides Carteret's first quarter woes, another factor hurt the Ramblers chances. Junior forward, Brian Williams, did not enter the game until the 6:15 mark of the third quarter, and ended up with 3 of 8 field goals plus one of two at the foul line for 7 points while also collecting two rebounds, two steals, a charge, and an assist. The Ramblers were led by both senior forward Anthony Basilici (4 of 9 field goals including a three pointer, and 1 of 3 free throws for 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal) and sophomore Robert Jackson (5 of 9 FGs and 2 of 4 FTs for a team high twelve points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist), who had a double-double. Al Tampa, a junior forward, had his struggles from the field, but still ended up with 5 points on two field goals including a three pointer along with five rebounds, five assists, and a block. Junior guard, Alvin Rodriguez (3 points, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a rebound), D.J. Murphy (2 points, a rebound, and a steal), and Eddie Aquirre (2 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist) rounded out the scoring for Carteret. Paul Budwal (a rebound) and Mike Miller (two rebounds, a steal, and a charge) also played, but didn't score.

For Edison, Barry Holmes, who helped the Eagles get the upset over St. Joseph's exactly a week ago this Wednesday, led the charge with 16 points on 4 of 10 field goals including a three pointer and a near perfect seen of eight from the free throw line while also collecting four rebounds and a steal. Senior center, Terry Roalnd chipped in with 12 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the floor along with six steals, a rebound, and an assist, Juniors Josh Williams (3 of 4 field goals for 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal) and Nathan Otokiti (3 of 7 field goals for 6 points, 4 rebounds, and a steal) each added six points. Zach Manfre (1 of 6 FGs and 2 FTs for 4 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals), Shaarod Shuford (1 of 1 FGs for two points, two rebounds, and an assist), and Ron Lordi (1 of 5 FGs and 0 of 1 FTs for 2 points and 2 rebounds) rounded out the Edison scoring. Andy Hernandez (a rebound) and sophomore Erik Janz (a rebound and an assist) also played, but didn't score.

In the game, Edison held advantages in blocks (5-1), steals (12-10), assists (14-13), free throws (9 of 12 for 75 percent vs. 5 of 11 for 45 percent), and field goals (19 of 46 for 41.3 percent vs. 17 of 57 for 29.8 percent). Meanwhile Carteret held edges in three pointers (2-1), charges (2-0), and rebounds (30-28). Turnovers wound up being even as the Rambers settled down with 12 turnovers over the last three periods for a total of 23 turnovers to equal Edison, which had no turnovers over the first 4:47 of the game. At one point in the third quarter, Carteret actually had fewer turnovers than the home team. In the beginning, the Ramblers drew first blood for a 2-0 lead, but then they lost composure and the Eagles took full advantage. Within the first minute of the game, Alvin Rodriguez put Carteret on the board with a jumper from the right wing for the first points by either side in the contest. Those would be the only points for a while for the Ramblers as they began turning the ball over in bunches.

In just the first 2:43 of the game, Carteret had already made four miscues. Two more turnovers came soon afer that, and by the 4:49 mark, the Ramblers had six turnovers, and Edison was cashing them in to the tune of an 11-2 lead. Holmes, who went three of six from the field including a three pointer while hitting both his free throw attempts for nine points in the opening frame, already had five points on a field goal and three pointer. Meanwhile, Carteret's offense continued to sputter as Edison's was running at its optimum. The Eagles didn't have their first turnover of the game until the 3:13 mark, and increased their lead to fifteen as Holmes and Zach Manfre came up with back to back steals for layups to make it 17-2 at the 2:40 mark as Carteret first year head coach and former Rambler standout, Jose Rodriguez, called the team's second timeout of the stanza. Edison would push the lead to 19-2 before Carteret scored its first points in over six minutes to make it 19-4 going into the second. To the casual observer, it seemed that all was lost for Carteret, which was recently ranked tenth in a recent Home News-Tribune Top Ten. However, none of the Ramblers felt that way, and didn't give up.

After the Eagles started the second period with four of the first six points for a 23-6 lead at the 3:54 mark, Carteret finished out the first half with an 11-4 spurt to make it a ten point game (27-17) at the half. The Ramblers, which did a complete about face with only one turnover in the entire second quarter, got going with a Robert Jackson layup off an Anthony Basilici pass, and then Baslici, the quarterback of the Carteret football team, got into the scoring column himself with a three pointer. The final highlight of the run was an Al Tampa layup off an assist by Alvin Rodriguez to make it 27-17 at the break. Shooting 6 of 12 for 50 percent from the floor in the period, Carteret ended up connecting on 8 of 23 attempts for 34 percent in the first half. Meanwhile, Edison went in the opposite direction going 4 of 11 from the floor in the frame, and ended up 12 of 27 over the first two periods. The start of the second half saw Carteret pick up right where it left off before halftime as it continued to attempt to climb out of its massive first quarter hole. Over the first 6:22 of the third, the Ramblers scored eleven of the first fifteen points scored by both teams for a 22-8 surge over a 10:16 span to make it a ball game at 31-28 with 1:38 left in the stanza.

Carteret began the new half with a 7-2 spurt over a 2:28 span to make it 29-24. Basilici highlighted the early period rally with an offensive rebound off his own missed free throw, and scored on a baseline drive as he was fouled for a three point play at the 5:32 mark. Following a Terry Roland layup that made it 31-24, Al Tampa took in an assist from Brian Williams, and knocked down a three pointer for Carteret to make it a four point game at 31-27 with 3:26 remaining in the third. Williams then followed that up a minute and twelve seconds later with a steal off Roland for a layup attempt that he was fouled on. The Junior forward, who has improved a great deal since last season in terms of keeping his emotions in check, netted one of two at the charity stripe to make the score, 31-28 at the 2:14 mark. However, that would be as close as the Ramblers would get in this one. The early deficit was just too big to overcome as Edison rejuvenated itself with two blocked shots by Mike Campbell to preserve the three point lead at the 1:38 mark, and then scored the final four points of the frame. Ron Lordi capped the mini-run with the final points of the period on an offensive rebound and follow as he was fouled. The junior reserve missed the bonus free throw, but the score stood at 35-28 in favor of Edison going into the fourth.

The final period started out with both teams exchanging scores for an Eagle 37-30 lead as Carteret called for time with six minutes to play. Emerging from the timeout, the Ramblers stiffened on defense, and scored five of the next eight points to pull within five at 40-35 with 1:08 remaining as the White Division school called timeout again. However, Edison was able to pull out the win with an 8-6 showing down the stretch as Manfre netted his two free throws, and Holmes connected on two free throws of his own to make it a 44-37 game with 39.7 to play. The Eagles went on to win, 48-41, and advance to the Championship Game for the second straight season, where it will face a familiar title game foe in Montgomery. The Cougars, which downed JFK in their first round game, 78-46, is making its third straight finals appearance losing to Carteret (46-38) in 2004 and Edison (52-40) in 2005. With the victory, Edison is now 3-1 on the young season while Carteret drops to 2-2.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 27, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--Gene Haley Memorial Tourney

Montgomery Rolls Past J.F. Kennedy, 78-46

By Greg Machos
December 27, 2006

EDISON, NJ--The Montgomery Cougars used a 25-13 surge in the second quarter to break away from a 12-6 first quarter advantage in the opening round of the 2006 Gene Haley Memorial Tournament, and then closed out the Mustangs with a 23-8 outburst in the fourth period for a 78-46 victory over J.F. Kennedy, which is still searching for its first win after four games. Kennedy, which has now given up an average of 82.3 points per game through its first four contests, only managed to win one quarter, which was a 19-18 showing in the third period that trimmed the 37-19 halftime deficit to just 55-38 going into the fourth.

Montgomery, which hails from the Delaware East Division of the Skyland Conference, and missed out on making the state tournament in 2005-06 after making the cut in 2003, 2004, and 2005, held Kennedy to single digits in two of the four periods, the first and fourth. The Cougars, which competed during the fall at the TBSA Fall League, scored an average of 38 points per game in their first two games. J.F. Kennedy, which has gone a combined 8-37 the past two seasons including a 4-20 record in 2005-06 and a 4-17 mark in 2004-05, trailed 66-42 with 3:41 to go in the game when GMC Hoops arrived to cover the game between Edison and Carteret. Up to that point, Montgomery had outscored the Iselin school, 11-4 in the frame.

Over the next 1:48, the Cougars ran off eight straight points including a layup at the 2:59 mark, two free throws by senior forward Walter Rockhill at the 2:44 mark, an offensive rebound and putback by junior forward Connor Paladino at the 2:10 mark, and a fastbreak layup by Paladino at the 1:53 mark to give the Cougars their largest lead of the game at 74-42. Junior reserve guard, Jonathan Toczynski got a steal and layup at the 1:12 mark to end the Montgomery late game spree temporarily, and made the score, 74-44. However, the Cougars closed the game with a 4-2 run for a 23-8 outburst in the quarter. Junior guard, Brian Reilly scored the final points for Kennedy on a basket with 13.1 left while senior reserve guard, Mike Neri netted two free throws at the 2.1 mark to round out the final 78-46 score.

With the victory, Montgomery raises its record to 3-2 overall on the season, and will face Edison in the Championship for the second year in a row. The Eagles jumped out to a 19-2 lead on eleven first quarter turnovers by Carteret, and hung on to win by seven, 48-41. J.F. Kennedy will be facing the Ramblers in the consolation game for the second straight year. The Mustangs will square off against Carteret at 11:00 AM while Montgomery, which is looking for its first Haley Tourney title in three finals appearances, takes on the Eagles at 12:30 PM. In last year's Championship Game, Edison defeated the Somerset County squad, 52-40 to win its first tourney title since the 2000-01 season. Montgomery is playing in its third straight title game. Two years ago, the Cougars lost to Carteret, 46-38.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 27, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--Shello/Santy Tournament

Dunellen Pulls Away From Scrappy Manville, 63-46

By Greg Machos
December 27, 2006

DUNELLEN, NJ--It has been an intriguing season so far for the Dunellen Destroyers in 2006-07. Despite bringing up a JV squad that was 19-3 and advanced to the second round of the 2006 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament, and playing well in a pre-season scrimmage against an Edison team that has gotten off to a fine start including a victory over St. Joseph's, Dunellen just sits at 2-2 oveall on the year with victories over Perth Amboy Tech and Hackettstown while losing to Union Catholic on opening night, and then to a suprising St. Peter's team a week later in New Brunswick. Wednesday night's game against Manville was a microcosm of th Destroyers up and down start in 2006-07. Dunellen had to overcome 23 turnovers for the game as well as a plethora of missed shots up close before finally pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 63-46 win in the opening round of the 2006 Shello/Santy Tournament that put it in the Championship Game for the third straight year.

Despite the near twenty point win, it was a far cry from what has taken place between these two teams in the past couple seasons in the opening round of the Shello/Santy Tournament. Two years ago, the Destroyers rolled past the Mustangs in a 81-46 win while last year was a bit more competitive, but still an easy win for Dunellen, 74-50. However, Manville, which is now a member of the Skyland Conference along with another tourney competitor, Bound Brook, showed that it is making inroads on turning things around with a much more competitive performance. The Mustangs, which reached the Championship Game of the Central Jersey Group I State Tournament before losing to Dunellen's Gold Division rival, Piscataway Vo-Tech in 2003, forced three Destroyer turnovers in the first 1:11 of the contest while jumping out to a 6-0 lead in the first 1:43. Dunellen finally got themselves going in the quarter with a 17-11 showing over the last 5:57 to knot the game at 17-17 at the end of one despite eight team turnovers in the frame.

The enigmatic performance by the Destroyers even had the usually raucous D-Block student section rather tranquil and anxious for something to happen. In the opening quarter, Manville had seven field goals and three free throws while Dunellen did as well. After falling behind 6-0, the Destroyers ran off seven straight points over a two minute span including a T.J. Wenzel (two field goals and two free throws for six points) layup from Keith Lefchuck (five field goals and a free throw for 11 points) at the 5:57 mark, one of two free throws by Lefchuck at the 5:24 mark, a Mike Bartilotti (eight field goals for 16 points) score following two offensive rebounds at the 4:18 mark and a Lefchuck jumper off a pass from Wenzel at the 3:57 mark that gave Dunellen its first lead at 7-6. Over the next 51 seconds, Manville answered Dunellen's charge with the next four points on a jumper from the right corner at the 3:40 mark, and then a layup at the 3:06 mark for a 10-7 advantage.

The Destroyers then wrestled the lead back on a pair of free throws by Jim Schleppenbach (two field goals and seven free throws for 11 points) at the 2:52 mark to make it 10-9, a bank shot by Wenzel off another feed by Lefchuck for an 11-10 lead with 2:19 left in the quarter, and a jumper by Schleppenbach to cap the 6-0 run for a 13-10 lead with about two minutes left in the first. Manville wouldn't go away without a fight though. The Mustangs got a crucial three point play from Brian Rock (two field goals, a three pointer, and a free throw for eight points) at the 1:30 mark to knot things up again at 13-13, and a little less than a minute later, after Dunellen had retaken the lead, brother Tommy Rock (two field goals and a free throw for five points) made a basket as he was fouled to tie the game up at 17-17. The Mustangs would have a chance to take the lead going into the second, but Brian Rocked missed a pair of foul shots with 21.8 seconds remaining, and the score stayed tied at 17-17 going into the second.

All in all, there were eight lead changes and five ties in the first half including four lead changes and two ties in the first 5:06 of the second before Dunellen closed the half with a 4-2 run to cap a 10-2 tear for a 29-25 lead at the intermission. The Destroyers managed to get out in front at the half despite continued turnover problems. Dunellen had eight more in the second for a total of 16 in the opening half. Dunellen's half ending surge couldn't have come at a better time. Manville had a 23-19 lead at one point in the second as the Destroyers were held scorelesss for a span of 3:28 before senior power forward, Lim Beltran (three field goals and five free throws for 11 points) made a pair at the foul line to make the score, 23-21 with 3:44 remaining before the break. Brock Mundy (two field goals and three free throws for seven points) then followed that up with an offensive rebound and putback to tie the game at 23-23 with 3:12 to go before halftime. Dunellen took the lead shortly after when Manville's Kyle Sopko (one field goal for two points) missed both at the charity stripe, and Schleppenbach grabbed the rebound and went down the floor for a layup attempt in which he was fouled on.

The junior point guard, who played an integral part to the Junior Destroyers success in 2005-06, proceeed to make both foul shots for the Destroyers first lead since the two minute mark of the first quarter. One factor that prevented the Mustangs from taking full advantage of Dunellen's miscues was a below par performance at the foul line. Manville made just four of eight shots at the line in the second quarter, and just 6 of 13 in the first half. After a Mike Knitowski (three field goals, five free throws, and two threes for a game high 17 points) trey at the 7:45 mark of the third quarter that pulled Manville to within one at 29-28, the Destroyers embarked on an 11-3 spurt over the next 5:33 to take a nine point, 40-31 lead. Beltran played a pivotal role in the run with five points on three of four free throws and a layup at the 3:26 mark off an assist by Schleppenbach. Knitowski, who scored eight of his 17 points in the third, did his best to keep the Mustangs in the game with a free throw at the 5:56 mark, a steal off Schleppenbach for a layup at the 4:07 mark, an assist on a three pointer from Brian Rock at the 1:57 mark and a pair of free throws at the 1:05 mark to make it a six point game, 42-36.

Although it lost Wenzel to his fifth foul at the 4:59 mark, Dunellen still managed to end up the third with the final three points for a 45-36 lead, and began the fourth with seven of the first ten points for a 52-39 lead at the 6:03 mark. Once again, Knitowski tried to get his team back in the game with a three pointer at the 5:50 mark to pull the Mustangs to within ten at 52-42, but that would be as close as Manville would get. The Destroyers closed out the game with an 11-4 run capped by a pair of free thorws at the 1:46 mark by Beltran for a 61-46 lead. Dunellen went on to win by seventeen to move over .500 for the first time this season at 3-2. Meanwhile, Manville is still searching for its first win of the season at 0-5. The Destroyers will take on Middlesex in the final on Friday night. The Blue Jays defeated Bound Brook in their opening round matchup by a score of 57-53. This marks the third straight year that the Blue Jays and Destroyers will play for the title.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 26, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--Roselle Park Tourney

Johnson Regional Stuns Metuchen In Overtime, 47-46

By Greg Machos
December 26, 2006

ROSELLE PARK, NJ--For the past two years, the Metuchen Bulldogs have reigned as the Champion of the Roselle Park Tournament. In 2004, the Bulldogs made a statement by winning the tournament with victories over Johnson Regional and Hanover Park. Then, in 2005, the Bulldogs did the same thing again to win the tournament although Hanover Park almost made a monumental comeback in the Championship Game. So, after winning two straight games to get back up to .500 following tough losses to Spotswood and Bishop Ahr to start the 2006-07 season, Metuchen had to feel good going into the holidays.

However, following a difficult 47-46 loss to Johnson Regional of Clark in the opening round of the 2006 Roselle Park Tournament, the Bulldogs find themselves on this evening after Christmas back to a game under .500, and more importantly deprived of much needed momentum heading towards the new year and the return to conference play. Metuchen had an opportunity to close the game out in regulation, but a couple ill-advised shots down the stretch, and a wild final minute that culminated with a Anthony Castaldo (5 FGs, three pointer, and 3 FTs for 16 points) steal off of an errant lob pass by Lamar Nichols (5 FGs, and a three pointer for 13 points) for a game tying layup with eight seconds left in regulation, and the Bulldogs found themselves playing in overtime. Earlier in the fourth, Metuchen had taken the lead on a three pointer by Nichols at the five minute mark, and then increased the margin to four on one of two foul shots and an off balanced layup by DeJuan Miller (5 FGs and 8 FTs for a game high 18 points) made it 40-36 with 3:36 remaining in the contest.

However, the Bulldogs, which were outscored by an 18-10 margin over the final 12:36 of regulation, were held scoreless over the final 3:36 while the Crusaders chipped away, and ultimately forced the extra session. In the added frame, Johnson Regional quickly took the lead after both teams exchanged turnovers in the first 27 seconds of overtime. The Crusaders moved out in front on a layup at the 3:31 mark that made the score, 42-40. Metuchen tried to respond right back with a score of its own, but Corey Preston (FG and three pointer for 5 points) misfired on a jumper, and then Lamar Nichols, who grabbed the offensive rebound, had his shot blocked by a Johnson Regional player. Sebastian Szynwelski (one field goal for two points) fouled that Crusader player, who went on to make a pair at the charity stripe for a 44-40 lead with 3:06 remaining in overtime. A similar sequence occurred on the following Bulldog possession as Preston missed another jumper, which was rebounded by Szynwelski, but Nichols missed a subsequent shot, and Szynwelski fouled again.

Unable to take advantage, Johnson Regional missed the front end of the one and one with 2:24 to play, and Metuchen stormed back down the floor with a score on a Phil Lewis (a field goal for 2 points) penetration and dish to Nichols for a layup that rolled in to make it 44-42 at the 2:09 mark. The Cruaders then got a pair of free throws from Steve Cancelliere (4 points) at the 1:53 mark to make the score 46-42, and then one of two at the line at the 1:20 mark following a layup by Chris Pisano at the 1:38 mark to make it a three point game at 47-44. A bit more than twenty seconds later, Lewis attacked the 2-3 zone defense deployed by the Crusaders to put up a jumper in the key that had a kind bounce for a score that made it 47-46. After all the tumult that had transpired, the Bulldogs still had an opportunity to win the contest. Following a Johnson Regional timeout with 0:39 left in overtime, the Crusaders missed a pair of foul shots at the 0:09 mark, but the Bulldogs couldn't pull out the win as a last second shot attempt by Lewis fell short, and the Mountain Valley Conference school came away with a hard fought, 47-46 win.

Johnson Regional, which made 14 field goals, three treys, and ten foul shots for its 47 points, jumped out to an early 14-10 lead at the end of one quarter, and maintained a slim one point, 20-19 advantage going into the halftime break despite only scoring six second quarter points. However, Metuchen, which only scored in double figures in two of the five periods played, put together its best quarter of the matchup with a 15-11 showing that catapulted the Bulldogs to a 34-31 lead going into the final period. Arriving at the 5:17 mark of the third, I realized that Metuchen had already taken a two point, 24-22 lead. Metuchen then added a bucket to make it a four point advantage at 26-22 with 4:36 to go in the stanza as the Crusaders called for time. Following the timeout, Johnson nailed a three pointer that made it a one point game at 26-25 with 4:25 to play in the period.

DeJuan Miller helped the Bulldogs push the lead back to three with an offensive rebound and putback at the 3:38 mark, but Metuchen gave it right back with a defensive breakdown that resulted in an easy basket for Johnson Regional at the 3:19 mark to make it a one point margin again at 28-27. However, the Bulldogs closed out the third quarter with six of the last ten points including a steal and a dunk by Nichols to help make it a three point, 34-31 lead going into the fourth. Metuchen could have made the margin even greater, but Miller was called for an offensive foul on a fierce drive to the hoop shortly after Nichols score. With the victory, the Crusaders raised their record to .500 at 2-2 overall while Metuchen dropped to 2-3 on the season matching the loss total for the entire 2005-06 season, which brought the school its first GMC Blue Division title since 1987, and first GMCT title game appearance since 1988.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 26, 2006
Holiday Tournaments--John "Butch" Kowal Tourney

Muse Comes Up Big For Tigers In Win Over Stevens, 46-44

By Greg Machos
December 26, 2006

RAHWAY, NJ--After a first half that saw South Plainfield only muster 12 points on 5 of 22 shooting from the field for 22.7 percent, the Tigers woke up with a 34-20 showing in the second half that included a 22-14 effort in the third period, and a 12-6 edge in the fourth to propel them to a 46-44 opening round victory over J.P. Stevens in the 2006 John "Butch" Kowal Tournament at Rahway High School. Opie Muse led the change with a double-double of 18 points on 6 of 14 field goals and 6 of 8 at the foul line and 12 rebounds along with four assists, three steals, and three blocks for the victors. One of the three blocks came at a pivotal moment that decided the game. With four seconds remaining, Muse blocked a scoring attempt by Stevens sophomore, Kenny Bland (10 points on 3 of 10 FGs and 4 of 4 FTs along with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a block).

Prior to that, Muse, who scored 13 of his 18 points over the final two periods, netted two free throws at the 36 second mark to give the Tigers a two point lead. J.P. Stevens, which defeated South Plainfield in the opening round of the Kowal Tournament last season, 40-34, had several chances late to either tie or win the game including a long shot at the buzzer by sophomore, Nick Pol (0 of 4 FGs, 4 rebounds, and an assist), that hit back iron as time ran out. At one point early in the second half, South Plainfield trailed 26-12 after Bland made a pair of free throws at the 7:08 mark, but the Tigers finished strong with a 34-18 surge to pull out the win. First, the Tigers, which scored more points in the third quarter than the entire first half, embarked on a 15-7 sput that was highlighted by several key plays to put them back in the game at 33-27 with 2:02 remaining in the period.

Shamai Santiago (5 of 14 field goals including three treys for 13 points along with 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and an assist) and Muse ignited the rally with layups that helped close the gap to ten at 28-18 before Stevens got a score to make it 30-18 with 4:08 left in the frame. Then, after the Hawks pushed the lead back to fourteen at 32-18, Muse passed off to fellow senior Danny Hubner for a foul line jumper that made the score, 32-20 with 3:28 left in the third. Following a pair of free throws at the 3:06 mark by Muse, the Tigers came up with a crucial play of the game. On an inbounds play by JPS, Shamai Santiago showed some great hustle to steal the inbounds pass in the Hawks backcourt, and race to the basket for the layup to make it an eight point, 32-24 Stevens lead with 2:44 remaining in the period.

Danny McCreesh (1 of 5 FGs including a three and 0 of 1 FTs for 3 points, 4 assists, and a rebound) then got into the act with a three pointer that capped the run before the Hawks Alex Cacoilo (1 of 8 FGs including a three pointer, and 1 of 2 FTs for 4 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks) made one of two at the charity stripe to make the score, 33-27. Cacoilo and Santiago then added threes while Muse scored another field goal to make it a 36-34 Hawk lead before Bland netted a pair of free throws at the 30 second mark to make it 38-34 going into the fourth and final period of play. The Tigers ended up with nine field goals including two threes, and 2 of 2 free throws while turning it over only once after having 16 in the opening half alone. In the fourth, the Tigers opened things up with a 9-2 spurt to take a 43-40 lead with 2:45 remaining. Sophomore Mike Burton sparked the final assault with a nice quick move to the basket for a layup that pulled South Plainfield to within two at 38-36 with 7:03 to play.

Then, over the next 2:39, both teams exchanged scores as Stevens got its only field goal of the period while Burton came up with a steal and a short jumper to keep the Tigers within two at 40-38 with 4:24 to play as the Hawks called for time. After the timeout, SPHS tied things up as junior forward, Benny Gibson (1 of 4 FGs for 2 points, 3 steals, and 2 assists) connected on his only field goal of the game to make it 40-40 with 3:40 left. Nearly a minute later, Santiago struck for his final three and field goal of the game to give South Plainfield its first lead of the contest at 43-40 with 2:45 remaining. Sophomore Myles Reuben (4 of 13 FGs including a three pointer, and 5 of 5 FTs for 14 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, steal, and block), who had four of the six points in the final period canned a pair at the foul line to pull JPS to within one at 43-42 with 2:38 to play. Fifty-two seconds later, after another Hawk timeout with 2:11 to play, Reuben netted two more from the line to give JPS its last lead of the game at 46-44 with 1:46 left.

At that point, Muse took over. The senior forward and three year varsity player, who played with reckless abandon in the second half, first came up with one of two at the line to tie the game at 44-44 with 1:13 to play. Thirty-seven seconds later, Muse got to the line again, and this time, sank both foul shots to give South Plainfield a 46-44 lead. McCreesh had a chance to put the game away, but missed the front end of a one and one with 11 seconds left that the Hawks rebounded to call timeout with ten ticks left on the clock. JPS set up a final play that broke South Plainfield's pressure and got the ball into the hands of Bland, who scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in his first varsity game for Stevens in a 70-62 victory over the weekend against J.F. Kennedy. Bland went up for a layup, but Muse swatted it into the stands bringing a loud roar out of the folks in the Earl Walter Gymnasium at Rahway High School. J.P. Stevens still had a chance for one final shot, and got it into the hands of a reliable shooter in Pol, who sank a clutch three on opening weekend against Wardlaw. Pol's shot was on the mark, but too long as the Tigers emerged victorious, 46-44.

One of the key factors in the game was turnovers. Both teams combined for 48 on the game including 32 alone in the first half. However, South Plainfield did a better job of protecting the ball with three second half turnovers while forcing 13 by the Hawks. The Tigers also did a solid job of limiting the Hawks to very little in the way of shooting success in the second half. After a first half that saw JPS go 11 of 21 from the floor for 52.4 percent, SPHS held Stevens to just 5 of 27 from the field over the final two periods for 18.5 percent. As a team, J.P. Stevens went 16 of 48 overall for 33 percent, but much of that was attributed to the triumverate of Patrick Lem (6 of 8 FGs for 12 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist), Reuben, and Bland, who combined for 13 of 31 field goals including a three pointer for 41.9 percent as well as a perfect 9 of 9 from the foul line for 36 of the 44 points, or 81.8 percent of the offense. The rest of the Hawks went a combined 3 of 17 from the field for 17.7 percent.

Meanwhile, the Tigers, which ended up shooting 18 of 53 for 34 percent, went 13 of 31 in the second half for 41.9 percent. South Plainfield ended up with more field goals (18-16), threes (4-2), blocks (5-4), steals (16-6), and fewer turnovers (19-29) while J.P. Stevens was better at the line (10 of 11 for 90.9 percent vs. 6 of 9 for 66.7 percent), more assists (15-13), and rebounds (33-28). The Hawks outscored the Tigers in the first two periods while South Plainfield outscored JPS in each of the final two periods. SPHS had only three field goals in the first period and two in the second while J.P. Stevens was a blistering 6 of 7 from the field in the opening period including a perfect four of four by Lem for eight of his twelve points. Bland had the other two buckets for the Hawks along with two assiss, two rebounds, and a block. With the win, the Tigers advance to the semifinals to take on Westfield, which defeated St. Peter's Prep of Jersey City in another defensive struggle, 35-32. South Plainfield is off to its best start in two years at 3-1 overall, and in conference while Stevens drops to 2-3 overall, and 2-2 in the GMC.