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, blog entries, and all the summaries for the month of December, 2006, and the first, second, and third weeks of January, 2007 in the summaries archive.

GMC Hoops Summaries--January 27, 2007
Sixth Week Of Action

Burwell And Rosario Lead McCarrick Past Ahr, 64-61

By Greg Machos
January 27, 2007

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ--In a game that showed tremendous intensity and emotions overflowing on both sides, Cardinal McCarrick put itself in the driver's seat toward its fourth GMC Blue championship in five years with a hard fought, 64-61 victory over arch rival, Bishop Ahr on early Saturday evening in South Amboy. Since the 1999-00, these two teams have faced off thirteen times with Cardy Mac winning eleven. The only two times the Trojans defeated the Eagles was last year when BGA swept the season series. Mike Burwell led the victors with a double-double performance of 26 points and 13 rebounds while handing out seven assists, blocking six shots, and picking up two steals. Teammate, Vince Rosario chipped in with a his own double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds while handing out 8 assists, and also collecting a steal, block, and a charge. On the other side, Mike Williamson, played splendidly in perhaps his best game as a Trojan with 10 of 15 shooting including for three pointers and 2 of 2 free throws for 26 points while also amassing 10 steals for a rare double-double along with three rebounds, and an assist.

McCarrick focused quite well on Bishop Ahr's leading scorer, Corey Francisco, who was held to just 4 of 16 from the field including a three pointer. The senior forward, did make up for it at the foul line by going 7 of 10 to give him a total of 16 points on the game along with 10 rebounds for a double-double while handing out eight assists, and picking up four steals. For the game, Cardinal McCarrick shot 25 of 53 including six three pointers for 47.2 percent while Bishop Ahr shot 22 of 54 including five threes for 40.7 percent. McCarrick was also 8 of 14 at the charity stripe for 57.1 percent while Ahr was 12 of 16 for 75 percent. The Eagles enjoyed statistical advantages in threes (6-5), turnovers (20-25), rebounds (36-32), assists (24-16), steals (19-11), blocks (9-3), and charges (3-1). Both teams outscored the other in two of the four periods, and scored in double figures in each of the four quarters of play. Ricky McCutcheon chipped in for the Eagles, which had six players break into the scoring column, with 3 of 4 field goals and one of two at the line for 7 points while collecting four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Julio Rosario made three of six shots from the floor for 6 points along with 3 steals, a rebound, block, and a charge.

Rolffi Canela helped out with 2 of 5 from the field including a three pointer for five points as well as four assists, two steals, a charge, and a rebound. Branten Widgeon added 1 of 4 FGs for two points while picking up five rebounds and a block. Colin Romer (0 of 1 FG, two steals, and two assists) and Carlos Garcia (0 of 1 FG and a rebound) also played, but did not score for the Eagles. Meanwhile, for BGA, which had seven different players get into the scorebook, Jordan Madsen added eight points on three of six shooting from the floor along with a perfect two of two at the line. The junior reserve also collected seven rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block. Martese Street went 2 of 6 from the field as well as 1 of 2 at the line for five points while picking up three rebounds, an assist, steal, and a block. Zack Widdoss (1 of 2 FGs for 2 points and 2 rebounds), Derek Figueredo (1 of 2 FGs for 2 points), and Dan Hurley (1 of 3 FGs for 2 points and a block) rounded out the Trojan scoring while Billy Rooney (0 of 2 FGs, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals) and Kevin Uszenski (0 of 2 FGs and a rebound) also played for BGA, but didn't score.

The first quarter saw Bishop Ahr jump out to the early lead as both teams combined for the highest single period output of the game. The Trojans shot 8 of 16 from the field including two threes while making 3 of 4 attempts at the foul line for 21 points. Meanwhile, BGA limited McCarrick to just 6 of 14 from the floor including a three pointer and 1 of 1 at the line for 14 points. Each team had five turnovers in the frame. Mike Williamson came out firing for Bishop Ahr. The junior guard made four of his first five shots including a three pointer for 9 points, which really helped the visitors since standout player, Corey Francisco struggled early on, going just 2 of 7 from the field including a three pointer, but canned 3 of 4 at the charity stripe for 8 points. The Eagles jumped out to the early lead on baskets by McCutcheon and Rosario while Ahr get on the board thanks to an offensive rebound and putback by Francisco for a 4-2 McCarrick lead at the 5:32 mark when an injury timeout was issued. Carlos Garcia went down hard on a drive to the basket, and had to leave the game.

Bishop Ahr would tie the game by scoring the next four points, but then Cardy Mac took the lead back as Canela dished to Burwell for a layup as the junior transfer from Highland Park was fouled to make it a three point play, and give the home team a 9-6 lead with 3:48 left in the frame. On a subsequent BGA offensive possession, Francisco buried a three pointer from the right wing to knot the game up at 9-9 with 3:28 left in the period. After McCarrick failed to score, Ahr had the ball again, and Francisco looked to pass when it was stolen by Rosario, who then went in for the layup, and an 11-9 lead with exactly 2:30 remaining in the quarter. Over the next 2:12, the visitors took over the game with a 12-3 run that was capped by two free throws by Francisco, who also picked up 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in the stanza, to give BGA a 21-14 lead going into the second period. The next period started just like the previous one had ended for Williamson, who made two free throws to add to his two earlier threes for eight points in the frame, and gave the Trojans a 29-21 lead at the 5:28 mark. For the half, Williamson was 7 of 11 from the floor including three treys, and 2 of 2 at the foul line for 19 points.

However, McCarrick had already started chipping away at the deficit, and when Mike Burwell picked up a steal and went in for a one handed jam to cap a personal 7-0 run that included a three pointer and a field goal in addition to the dunk, the Eagles had closed the gap to just one at 29-28 with 3:54 to play in the half. Burwell was quite hot in the first half as well with 6 of 7 shooting including two threes, and 1 of 1 from the foul line for 15 first half points. Both teams then exchanged scores to give BGA a 31-30 lead with less than two minutes remaining, and then the Trojans finished the half with a 6-5 run despite one of two at the line by McCutcheon with 3.5 left before intermission to increase its lead to two at 35-33 as the two teams went to their respective locker rooms. In the second quarter, McCarrick shot the ball better, going 8 of 13 from the field including two threes while making one of two at the line for its 19 points. Meanwhile, the Eagles cooled Bishop Ahr off a bit as the Trojans only went 5 of 11 from the floor including two threes while making both foul shot attempts for its 14 points in the period. Cardy Mac also forced Ahr to commit eight turnovers in the frame while only making five.

Both teams shot the ball well in the first half as the home team went 14 of 29 from the floor including three treys for 48.3 percent while the visitors were 13 of 27 from the field including four threes for 48.1 percent. The Eagles went only 2 of 3 at the line for 66.7 percent while the Trojans made 5 of 6 foul shot attempts for 83.3 percent. Cardinal McCarrick forced 13 Trojan turnovers while making ten against Ahr's defense. The third period saw the Eagles break for daylight in this latest struggle in this relatively new rivalry. McCarrick outscored Ahr 18-12 in the frame to take a 51-47 lead. However, for the first 5:15 of the period, it was still a nip and tuck affair. The home team grabbed the lead with five of the first seven points over a span of 2:19 to take a 38-37 lead before Martese Street made one of two at the free throw stripe to tie the game up at 38-38 with 5:41 left in the third. Burwell and Widgeon accounted for the Eagle points with a three pointer and a layup respectively. The game went back and fourth for a bit with McCarrick taking a one point, 44-43 lead on a 6-5 edge over the next 2:56. However, the Trojans took the lead back on a steal and jumper for a field goal by Francisco to make it 45-44 with 2:45 to play in the frame. Unfortunately for Ahr, that would be the last lead it would enjoy in this game as the Eagles went on what would ultimately be a decisive 7-2 spurt to take a 51-47 lead entering the final period of action.

At the beginning of the fourth, McCarrick got a score to take a six point lead at 53-47 before Francisco made one of two at the ilne for a five point Eagle lead with just under six minutes left. Widgeon then misfired on two foul shot attempts, and Bishop Ahr had a chance to cut the lead even further, but after two offensive rebounds and three shot attempts, the Trojans came up empty at the 5:17 mark. Following a Cardy Mac timeout at the 5:13 mark, Burwell made a pair of free throws with just under five minutes remaining to make it 55-48. Ahr came right back though with a layup by Madsen off an assist by Francisco to make it a five point game again with 4:29 remaining. Burwell, who went a perfect 6 of 6 at the charity stripe in the final frame, then made another pair at the line to push the Eagle lead back to seven at the 4:15 mark, but Madsen answered with a pair of his own at the 4:14 mark to make it 57-52. Francisco then got a steal, and handed out an assist on a layup by Williamson to pull the visitors to within three at 57-54 with a bit more than four minutes to play. However, the Eagles continued to keep BGA at arm's length with the next five points including a three pointer by Rosario from the right wing to make it 62-54 with 3:09 left.

Continuing to fight, the Trojans responded with a 5-0 run of their own including one of two free throws by Francisco at the 3:07 mark, and then two steals that led to scores including one by Rooney and another by Williamson off a Rooney assist to make it 62-59 with 1:50 to play. Burwell gave McCarrick some breathing room with his final pair of free throws moments later for a 64-59 lead, but Francisco got Widgeon to foul out, and made two of his own at the line to make it a 64-61 game with 1:28 to play. The Trojans would get the ball back soon after that, and called timeout with 48.9 to go. BGA tried to tie the game up with a three, but failed to do so. At that point, frustrations mounted for the visitors, particularly with their fans, who were all charged up for this critical division showdown. Consequently, things boiled over, and one Ahr supporter was ejected from the game by the Cardinal McCarrick athletic director with 5.1 seconds to play. When play resumed the Eagles held on for a three point, 64-61 victory. With the win, McCarrick moves up to 12-4 overall, and more importantly, raise its division mark to 10-0 while Ahr drops to 9-4 overall, and 7-3 in divisional play. The Eagles only need two more wins to clinch the GMC Blue, and earn their ninth division title in ten years.

You can also read a blog entry on this game in the GMC Hoops Blogosphere courtesy of our Bishop Ahr Volunteer.

Third Quarter Helps Chargers Top Owls, 64-49

By Greg Machos
January 27, 2007

HIGHLAND PARK, NJ--For the first time this season, GMC Hoops was able to travel out to Highland Park, and watch the Owls compete. For a while, it didn't seem like it was going to happen. Deciding to go see Middlesex take on Cardinal McCarrick on January 2nd, the web site missed out on seeing a great game between two neighborhood rivals, Metuchen and Highland Park. Then, on January 16th, a game that had been scheduled for 4:00 PM against Wardlaw-Hartridge, was rescheduled for 7:00 PM the day of the game. Nevertheless, we were able to see the 27th member school out of the 30 that make up the Greater Middlesex Conference in a game this year. Twenty of those teams the site has seen at least twice already. The Owls had been playing better with recent wins over Wardlaw and New Egypt, but a loss to J.F. Kennedy at home pretty much eliminated them from State Tournament consideration although a win against Spotswood could set the stage for scheduling three games next week.

Besides catching the Owls for the first time this season, GMC Hoops was seeing Spotswood for the second time. The last time the site covered the Chargers was in the Consolation of the Cardinal Classic over the holidays, where they defeated the Bulldogs of Jonathan Dayton, 58-38. After getting off to a 5-2 start including an upset win over Metuchen on opening night, Spotswood has lost five of its last eight coming into the game, and with the state tournament looming around the corner, this game was a must win for a team that was last in the big dance back in 2004. Among the recent wins was a victory at Middlesex on January 23rd. For two periods of this contest, Spotswood had its share of troubles against Highland Park, trailing 16-13 after one, and only leading by one at 28-27 at halftime after a 15-11 showing in the second including a 10-5 half closing spurt to overcome a 22-18 deficit. However, in the third quarter, the Chargers built on what they started at the end of the second with a 19-9 showing in the frame to take a 45-36 lead into the fourth, and then began the final period with an 11-5 burst for a 56-41 lead as they went on to win, 64-49.

Senior forward, John Berner, led the way with 17 points on 7 of 12 field goals including two threes, and one of two at the line along with five rebounds, four steals, and an assist. Sophomore reserve, Ross Gerhart chipped in with 16 points on three of seven shooting from the field, and 9 of 13 at the foul line while collecting 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Zack Becker added 14 points on 5 of 8 shooting including three trifectas and one of two at the line as well as 4 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a blocked shot. Justin Carlson had a slow strong, but came on strong over the final two periods to finish up with 8 points on 3 of 10 shooting and 2 of 4 free throws while picking up ten rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Bryan Osofsky made three of eleven from the field including a three pointer for seven points along with six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. Senior guard, Mike Hohman made just one of five shot attempts for two points, but helped out with three assists and three steals to round out the scoring for the visitors, which had only seven players get into the game, and five break into the scoring column. Diminutive senior guard, Brennen Gerhart (0 of 1 FG) and Nick Olesinski (a charge) also played, but didn't score.

On the other side of the ledger, the Owls, which had eight players enter the contest, and six get into the scorebook, were led by senior, Mike Rubenstein, who made four of twelve field goals from the floor, and six of nine from the charity stripe for 14 points while collecting, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal. Bryan Graciano chipped in with 12 points on five of seven from the field including a three pointer and one of one at the line while also picking up five rebounds, and three assists. Wesley Hedden added 10 points on four of nine shooting including a three point basket, and connected on one of four from the free throw line. Hedden also helped out with five rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a charge. Kirkland Davidson came off the bench to put together a perfect four of four for eight points along with a rebound, assist, and a steal. Junior forward, James Boyd, made one of two field goal attempts, and one of one at the line for three points along with a rebound and an assist. Rounding out the scoring for the hometown Owls was Jake Rainwater, who missed both of his shot attempts, but netted both free throw attempts for two points as well as two rebounds and a block. Alfred Matias (0 of 3 FGs, two rebounds, an assist, and a block) and Antoine Ingram (a steal) also played, but didn't score.

For the game, Spotswood scored in double figures in each period while outscoring Highland Park in each of the last three quarters. Highland Park, which was leading by three after one and scored in double digits in three of the frames, were outscored by a margin of 43-25 over a span of about two and a half quarters. Spotswood held advantages in three pointers (7-2), field goal shooting (22 of 55 for 40 percent versus 18 of 42 for 42.9 percent), turnovers (16-28), rebounds (31-24), blocks (4-2), steals (15-4), and assists (15-11) while the Owls only did better in free throw shooting (13 of 24 for 54.2 percent versus 11 of 18 for 61.1 percent), and charges were even at one apiece. Special note: I had a tough time keeping the stats in this one. For some reason, I wasn't as focused as I'd like to be, which is to be expected since I worked the night before. Moreover, I had a bit of a tough time telling two Owl players apart at times. Nevertheless, the lighting in the gym wanted to put me to sleep. The first quarter saw Highland Park come out strong with a 6 of 11 showing from the field including a three pointer for 54.5 percent, and a perfect 3 of 3 at the line while holding Spotswood to just 5 of 19 from the floor including two threes for 26.3 percent. The Chargers also didn't help themselves early on by going one of four at the line.

Over the first 2:42 of the game, Highland Park jumped out to an 8-3 lead on a three pointer off an inbounds pass by Graciano to open the scoring, a layup by Rubenstein, and a three point play by Boyd. With Spotswood in somewhat of a state of shock, head coach, Steve Mate called a timeout at the 5:18 mark to settle and reorganize his troops. Following the timeout, the Chargers pulled to within two at 8-6 when Osofsky grabbed an offensive rebound, and made a putback attempt as he was fouled at the 4:12 mark, but then uncharacteristically, missed both at the line to keep the Owls two points in front. Highland Park then closed out the period with an 8-7 advantage over the final four minutes and change to take a three point, 16-13 lead into the second. At the start of the second, Spotswood came out strong with the first five points including a three pointer by Zack Becker from Ross Gerhart to take an 18-16 advantage despite a missed front end of a one and one by the younger Gerhart at the 5:25 mark. The Owls would retaliate though with six straight points on two three pointers for a 22-18 lead with 4:15 left before the intermission.

However, the Chargers rebounded with a 10-5 spurt over the remainder of the second period to take a one point edge at halftime, 28-27. Then, in the third, Spotswood took complete control of the contest with a 19-9 showing for a 29-14 surge over a 12:15 span that gave the visitors a 47-36 lead entering the final period of play. At the start of the second half, Spotswood had jumped out to a 31-27 lead, but the Owls marched back with four straight points including an offensive rebound and putback by Graciano at the 5:55 mark to knot the game up again at 31-31. Berner gave the Chargers the lead right back less than forty seconds later with a score that made it 33-31, and then the home team coughed up a turnover at the 5:19 mark, which led to three more points for Spotswood before Rubenstein made one of two at the charity stripe at the 4:28 mark to make it a four point game at 36-32. Exactly forty seconds later, at the 3:48 mark, first year Highland Park coach, Derrick Nobles, was compelled to call a timeout after Becker scored on an offensive rebound and putback off another putback attempt by Carlson as Spotswood attacked the glass for a 38-32 lead.

The stoppage wasn't the tonic as the Chargers came out of the timeout with the next six points including a pair of free throws by Ross Gerhart at the 3:25 mark, and an offensive rebound, and putback by Carlson off a Berner miss to make it 44-32 at the 2:25 mark. Highland Park would outscore Spotswood by a 4-3 margin the rest of the way as Rubenstein ended the 8-0 Charger spurt with a pair from the free throw line at the 2:10 mark to make it 44-34, and then the Owls got another score before Carlson made one of two free throws at the 1:18 mark to make it 45-36, and then closed out the period scoring with another offensive rebound and putback off a miss by Osofsky on an inbounds play to make it a double digit Charger lead going into the final frame. In the fourth, Carlson picked up where he left off at the end of the third with a three point play in response to a Kirkland score for the Owls to put Spotswood ahead, 50-38 at the 7:31 mark. The play sparked a 7-0 spurt that effectively put the game away at 54-38 before Graciano got an offensive rebound and putback as he was fouled for a three point play of his own at the 7:01 mark to make the score, 54-41.

However, HPHS couldn't get any closer as Mate had his team spread the floor and take time off the clock. The Chargers ended up outscoring the Owls, 10-8 over the final seven minutes to end up with the 64-49 victory. With the win, Spotswood moves up to 9-7 overall on the year including a 6-5 mark in the GMC Blue. Meanwhile, Highland Park dropped to 5-10 on the season including a 3-8 record in divisional play. Spotswood would qualify for the state tournament if it wins at home against JFK on Monday.

Fariella Leads Middlesex Past North Warren, 57-46

By Greg Machos
January 27, 2007

MIDDLESEX, NJ--Due to the late start of the Cardinal McCarrick and Bishop Ahr game over in South Amboy, and an early start to this one (a Middlesex parent said the game started at about 5:50 PM), GMC Hoops only captured about the last three minutes of this contest. Nevertheless, the Blue Jays were able to earn two points in the GMC Hoops Trophy Standings with a non-conference win over North Warren Regional of Blairstown in Warren County, and of the Valley Division of the expanded Skyland Conference. The Patriots, which played Spotswood at home, and lost, 53-39, on January 9th, has had a tough year with their eleventh loss in fourteen games. Meanwhile, Middlesex, which was last seen by the web site on January 2nd when they were soundly defeated by Cardinal McCarrick, have since won five out of their last nine to pull within a game of .500 as the cutoff for the state tournament looms.

The Blue Jays, which were led by junior forward, Nick Fariella, who picked up 16 points on six field goals and four foul shots, jumped out to a 15-11 first period lead, but then North Warren put together a 17-14 showing in the second to close the gap to one at the half at 29-28. However, in the third quarter, Middlesex put together a decisive 15-6 run to break open the game with a 44-34 lead, and held on for the 57-46 win. Mark Stockton, who scored in double figures also with ten points while collecting eight rebounds, helped finish off the visitors with a nice reverse layup off a feed from Fariella with around two minutes remaining. Stockton, who goes by the nickname, "Sparky," also added one of two at the line with 1:38 remaining to give the home team a fifteen point, 56-41 lead. With head coach, Brian Feath emptying his bench at the one minute mark, Fariella completed his night with one of two from the charity stripe after being fouled on a dunk attempt that was set up nicely by the Blue Jays, which broke North Warren's fullcourt pressure for the scoring attempt.

For the game, Mark Stockton, a sophomore center, made four field goals and two free throws for his eight points while older brother John Stockton, a junior guard, made three treys for his nine points. Sophomore point guard, Mike Perone chipped in with 13 points on two field goals and three treys while fellow soph, Ryan Farley, scored seven on three field goals and a foul shot. Mike Colacci rounded out the scoring with a field goal for two points while reserve Dan Kelly also played, but didn't score although he did have a chance as time was running out in the fourth, but didn't cash in on it. Christian Joest led North Warren with a game high 20 points on seven field goals and six free throws. The Patriots, which made fourteen field goals, three trifectas, and nine foul shots for its 46 points, closed the game with a 5-1 run to make the game a bit more respectable. Meanwhile, Middlesex, which moves up to 7-8 overall in the very competitive GMC Blue, made sixteen field goals, six threes, and seven free throws for 57 points.

Middlesex fans can also read the blog entry with accompanying stats on this game in the GMC Hoops Blogosphere courtesy of our Blue Jays Volunteer.

St. Peter's Rolls Past Noor-Ul-Iman After Slow Start, 77-36

By Greg Machos
January 27, 2007

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ--For the second time in two days, GMC Hoops captured a portion of some action from a St. Peter's game. This time it was at a game that was previously not scheduled earlier in the week, but we felt up to the task to take in the first half of this game prior to taking the trip to Highland Park to see the Owls for the first time this season despite working the night before. Nevertheless, a win by the Cardinals in this one would put them at 3-1 for five points in the GMC Hoops Trophy Standings, and in a first place tie with Colonia and Dunellen, a team they had lost to earlier in the week. This game marked, the second time that St. Peter's squared off against the Muslim school from Monmouth Junction, which recently won its first ever game (at least to my best recollection) over the holidays against East Brunswick Vo-Tech in the first round of the 2006 Perth Amboy Vo-Tech Tourney. Back on January 6th, the two teams met in New Brunswick for a Saturday matinee, and the Cardinals cruised to a 70-24 win after losing to Perth Amboy Tech the night before.

This time, St. Peter's was coming off a win the previous afternoon at Amboy Tech, but the team seemed sluggish in the first quarter in this ball game. Despite jumping out to a 14-3 lead with 1:41 left in the first period, the Cards let NUI back into the contest as they allowed the visitors to score the final six points of the period to make it a 14-9 game. The Cardinals had gotten themselves into early foul trouble by committing ten team fouls by the 17.7 second mark of the first while Noor-Ul-Iman made seven. There was even a double technical assessed on both teams at the 3:16 mark of the period. On top of the foul problems, St. Peter's made its share of mental mistakes, and failed to execute on several offensive possessions. Nevertheless, the tandem of Travis Evans (seven field goals and three free throws for 17 points) and Justin Morgan, the hero of Friday's win over the Patriots at Amboy Tech, (seven field goals and five free throws for 19 points) as well as reserve Paul Dunham (five field goals and a free throw for eleven points) keyed a hot start for the home team.

Evans scored two three point plays and had an assist on Morgan's score at the 7:51 mark while Morgan had a steal and assist on one of the two traditional three point plays by Evans at the 5:32 mark. Dunham then capped the run with a steal for a layup to make it 10-1 with 3:46 to go in the period. Following a Cardinal timeout at the 3:42 mark, and the double technical, Abdel Ahmed got the first field goal of the game for NUI at the 2:51 mark to make it 10-3, but St. Peter's responded with the next four points as Evans, who had eight of his seventeen points in the first period, scored again on a layup underneath off a lob pass by Brandell Whitehead at the 2:36 mark, and then Adrian Johnston (five field goals for ten points) picked up a loose ball, and scored on a short jumper at the 1:41 mark to make it an eleven point advantage for the Cards. However, St. Peter's, which had eight players get into the scoring column including four scoring in double figures, was held scoreless the rest of the period while Noor-Ul-Iman got one of two free throws at the 1:26 mark and a layup at the 51 second mark from Ibrahim Ahmed (three field goals and a free throw for seven points), and a three point play by Yousef Elkhateeb (one field goal and two free throws) for four points to make it a five point game after one period.

The second period saw both offenses pick it up early on before St. Peter's closed the half with a 12-2 to break away from a 20-15 edge for a 32-17 halftime lead. The Cardinals ended up outscoring the visitors by a 18-8 margin in the second period, but it wasn't until Whitehead (a field goal and a three pointer for five points) knocked down a three pointer from the left wing off a pass from Morgan at the 5:42 mark to make the score 23-15 that the Cardinals began to really take over the game. Dominic Appiah (two field goals for four points) got two of his points on a layup down low with just 16 seconds gone by in the second quarter to make it a seven point advantage. Following an NUI score to make it 16-11, Whitehead found Morgan in the left corner for a jumper to make it 18-11 at the 7:08 mark. The junior forward then followed that up nearly 50 seconds later with a putback off a Whitehead miss that again pushed the margin back to seven at 20-13 following another NUI score moments earlier. The Monmouth Junction squad crept back to within five again at 20-15 with about 6:00 remaining before intermission, but that would be the closest that it would get for the rest of the game.

Whitehead's trey ignited the late first half rally as once again Morgan, who had nine first quarter points to key a 15-6 tear against Perth Amboy Vo-Tech some eighteen hours earlier, scored nine points and handed out two assists in the period including five points during the late first half rally while Michael Gilbert (four field goals and a free throw for nine points) added three, and Dunham scored on a offensive rebound and short hook shot off a missed second free throw by Gilbert for the 32-17 halftime lead. In the second half, the Cardinals came out roaring with a 20-6 third quarter that pretty much put the game away, and a 25-13 showing in the fourth for a 45-19 surge over the final two periods to get the 77-36 win. Rounding out the scoring for the Cardinals was Bryan Jackson, who had a field goal for two points. With the victory, St. Peter's moves up to 11-4 on the season, and will return to conference play next week with a divisional showdown against South Amboy, which it beat, 47-34 on January 8th to send the Guvs into a five game tailspin, key tilt against Edison on the road on February 3rd, which may impact whether the Eagles can qualify for the state tournament for the first time since the 2000-01 season. Noor-Ul-Iman drops to 1-11 overall on the year.

GMC Hoops Summaries--January 26, 2007
Sixth Week Of Action

Morgan Leads St. Peter's Past Amboy Tech, 55-48

By Greg Machos
January 26, 2007

PERTH AMBOY, NJ--On Friday afternoon, things started out a bit auspiciously when GMC Hoops arrived at Amboy Tech to take in the first half of the game between the Patriots and their Gold Division rival, St. Peter's. The Cardinals hadn't arrived yet, and players from both the JV and Varsity squads at Perth Amboy Tech were at each end of the floor taking baskets. It was learned later that the Cards had gotten lost on the way to Perth Amboy for the game, and we going to be late. As a result, the game didn't get underway to a little bit before 6:00 PM rather than the usual 5:30 PM start. Nevertheless, St. Peter's, which lost to the Patriots by one point at home on January 5th, came out ready to play in this one.

Paced by Justin Morgan, who made six field goals and one of two at the line in the first half for 13 of his eventual game high 24 points, the Cardinals, which have now qualified for the state tournament for the first time since the 2003-04 season, jumped out to a 15-6 first quarter lead, and led at halftime, 26-16. In the second half though, Amboy Tech, which was paced by sophomore, Anthony Patterson, who scored a team high 17 points on a field goal, and five three pointers, rallied to pull within four with 2:24 left in the contest. However, that would be as close as the home team would get as it dropped its fourth straight game with a 55-48 loss to the Cardinals, which got back on the winning track following a 50-43 loss at Dunellen earlier in the week. Despite going just 4 of 10 at the foul line and picking up three offensive fouls in the first half (one each on Morgan, Travis Evans (four field goals and a free throw for nine points), and Dominic Appiah (one point), St. Peter's made eleven field goals in the first half including six by Morgan, three by Evans, one by reserve Paul Dunham, and one by Adrian Johnston.

Morgan, who scored 13 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the loss to Dunellen, dominated the first quarter of play with nine of his team's fifteen points on one of two at the line to open the scoring, and five field goals. After Jose Tavarez (five field goals and three free throws for 13 points) tied the game up at 1-1 on a one of two showing at the charity stripe, and Appiah helped St. Peter's regain the lead with one of two of his own at the free throw line, Morgan made a nice cut to the basket and took in a pass off a nice look from Appiah to score the first field goal by both teams in the game to make it 4-1 as Perth Amboy Tech head coach, Artie Wachtel called for time. Following the timeout, St. Peter's made the score, 6-1 when Evans got his first field goal of the contest at the 5:20 mark. The Patriots got a three pointer from sophomore Joey Castro (a field goal, a three pointer, and a foul shot for six points) to pull within two at 6-4 with 5:03 remaining in the first, but the Cards took over from there with a 9-2 spurt to end the period. Morgan spearheaded the attack with a running one handed bank shot, a drive to the basket all the way from the Cardinals back court, and a coast to coast layup after he pulled down a rebound.

Michael Gilbert (three field goals and a free throw for seven points) made one of two during the late first quarter tear while junior point guard, Brandell Whitehead made one of two to open the second period scoring. Freddy Espinal (two free throws for two points) got his only two of the game by netting a pair at the 4:21 mark to key a 4-0 run by Perth Amboy Vo-Tech following a 4-1 early period run by St. Peter's including a a score underneath by Morgan for a 20-11 Cardinal lead. However, led by Evans, who scored two field goals and had an assist on another basket by Morgan, the visitors from New Brunswick went into the locker room with a ten point advantage thanks to a 6-5 half ending run. Tavarez did his part to keep his team within striking distance with a score following a steal, and then a basket as he was fouled, but missed the bonus free throw. Meanwhile, Wilson Diez, who made three treys in the second half to end up with ten points, connected on one of two at the foul line to account for some of the Patriot first half scoring.

In the second half, Perth Amboy Vo-Tech played much better. Led by Patterson (four second half treys) and Diez (three second half treys), the Patriots made seven trifectas as they put together a second half rally. The home team ended up outscoring the visitors by a 32-29 margin in the second half, but after pulling within four late, St. Peter's pulled out the win by outscoring Amboy Tech by three over the final 2:24 of the contest. For the game, the Cardinals made 21 field goals while netting 13 foul shots while Perth Amboy Tech connected for 16 field goals including nine threes, and made seven foul shots. With the victory, St. Peter's has now won four of its last six games with its two losses coming by a combined total of ten points including one in overtime. The Cardinals are now 10-4 overall on the season, and are now a half game behind Dunellen for first place in the GMC Gold at 6-2. On the other hand, Perth Amboy Tech, which was once 9-2, has now lost four straight to fall to 9-6, and is also 4-5 in divisional play.

By the way, there is also a blog entry on this game courtesy of our Amboy Tech Volunteer. Check it out in the GMC Hoops Blogosphere.

GMC Hoops Summaries--January 23, 2007
Sixth Week Of Action

Dunellen Defeats St. Peter's In Clash For GMC Gold Lead, 50-43

By Greg Machos
January 23, 2007

DUNELLEN, NJ--Prior to the start of this pivotal GMC Gold Division showdown, GMC Hoops had a chance to talk with Dunellen head coach, Bernie Buniak, who is in his second year at the school. Buniak feels the Gold Division is much more competitive this year than it was last year. "Our division is much better than it was last year. Last year, it was us and Piscataway Vo-Tech. This year, there are five teams that can give you problems," said Buniak. Dunellen, which defeated Middlesex in the 2006 Shello/Santy Holiday Tournament, Monroe on January 3rd, and J.F. Kennedy ten days ago, feels that with a win, it is not only in the driver's seat for at least a share of the division title for the third straight year, but perhaps get placed higher than the typical eighth seed the Gold Division winner gets when the teams are seeded for the GMC Tournament in February. However, first the Destroyers had to find a way to stop St. Peter's junior, Travis Evans, who is a strong candidate for GMC Hoops Most Improved Player in 2006-07. In the last meeting that these two schools had in December, Evans hit from all angles to help give the Cards the early upper hand in the Gold with a then surprising, 60-53 victory.

"He torched us," said Buniak referring to Evans huge double-double performance of 25 points on five field goals, four three pointers, and three foul shots, and 10 rebounds back on December 20th. Buniak went on to pay the ultimate respect to the Cardinal junior forward, who averaged 11.9 points per contest as a sophomore, and raised his game significantly during the off-season. "I think he is the best player in our division," said the Dunellen coach, who had previous stops in his career at Rahway and Roselle Park up in Union County. Using that respect as motivation, Buniak got his Destroyers to clamp down on Evans, who despite registering a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds, was actually scoreless held scoreless until the 4:54 mark of the third, and only connected on 5 of 22 shot attempts from the floor. Dunellen played tough physical defense that made St. Peter's earn what they could inside, which is the Cardinals strong point. Meanwhile, the Destroyers had three players score in double figures and made 18 of 31 from the charity stripe while the Cardinals only made four of six to give DHS a hard fought, 50-43 victory at The Faber on Tuesday night.

For the game, St. Peter's was 16 of 53 from the floor including two threes for 30.2 percent while hitting 67 percent of its shots at the line. On the other hand, Dunellen was 16 of 44 for 36.4 percent while making 58.1 percent of its attempts at the line. Turnovers played a key role as the Cards made 25 miscues while the Destroyers had only 18. The New Brunswick school, which is enjoying its best season since its last elite eight berth in the GMCT back in 1999, was held two single digit scoring in the first and third periods while Dunellen, which went 18-9 last season, and recently had a nine game winning streak this year, scored in double digits in three of the four quarters. Dunellen enjoyed statistical edges in assists (14-11), steals (9-6), blocks (5-1), and charges (2-1) while the Cardinals held advantages in three pointers (3-0), and rebounds (34-26). St. Peter's had two players score in double figures as junior forward, Justin Morgan chipped in with 13 points, 7 rebounds, and a steal to help Evans, who also picked up two assists, a steal, and a block. Dunellen was led by junior T.J. Wenzel, who went 6 of 13 from the field, and 2 of 6 at the line for a team high 14 points along with 7 rebounds, 2 steals, an assist, and a block.

Two other Destroyers registered double digit points as senior forward Lim Beltran colleccted 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and a block while Mike Bartilotti added 10 points on four of nine shooting from the field, and 2 of 5 free throws, and collected two steals and a rebound before fouling out at the 5:38 mark of the fourth quarter. Overall, six players going into the scoring column for Dunellen while five got into the books for St. Peter's. Cardinal junior forward, Adrian Johnston made four of six shot attempts for eight points along with two steals and a rebound while senior reserve guard, Paul Dunham made two of five attempts including a late three to pull his team to within 48-43 at the 14 second mark for five points along with three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Sophomore center, Dominic Appiah, rounded out the Cards scoring with two points, nine rebounds, an assist, and a charge. Also playing, but not scoring were sophomore Michael Gilbert (two rebounds, two assists, and a steal), and juniors Brandell Whitehead (five assists and three rebounds) and Bryan Jackson (0 of 1 FG).

Keith Lefchuck, a senior transfer from Rutgers Prep, scored his six points for Dunellen on six of eight shooting at the foul line while dishing out nine assists, and collecting three steals and three blocks. Nick Francisco, who also saw significant action in the JV squads win over the Junior Cardinals, chipped in with all his five points in the fourth quarter on a field goal early in the period, and then three of four from the line down the stretch while also picking up a charge. Senior reserve, Aldrin Nubla rounded out the scoring for the home team with four points on one of two field goal attempts, and a perfect 2 of 2 at the line while also collecting two rebounds and a charge. Seniors Russell Cannizaro (a rebound and an assist) and Eric Roundtree, and junior Brock Mundy (four rebounds) also played, but didn't score. The first half was tightly played as Dunellen took a 10-8 lead after one, and St. Peter's responded with an 11-9 showing in the second. The shooting statistics and turnovers in each of the first two quarters showed two teams playing as if they were mirror images of each other. In the first quarter, the Destroyers shot 4 of 12 from the field while St. Peter's went 4 of 13. The home team forced seven turnovers by the visitors, but ended up with six itself.

The only difference in the opening frame was a 2 of 4 showing at the foul line by the Destroyers to take a two point lead going into the second. Lefchuck netted a pair at the line to cap a 6-2 burst that gave Dunellen a 10-8 lead at the 2:56 mark. Lim Beltran began the game by making three of his first four shots, but cooled off toward the end of the stanza as he scored six in the quarter. Meanwhile, DHS thwarted Evans, who didn't make any of his six shots in the period, but Cardinal teammate, Morgan, made three field goals in four attempts for six points to keep St. Peter's close. The Cards actually started the contest with the first four points as Morgan scored a layup right off the tap, which was won by Evans, to make it 2-0 at the 7:32 mark, and the junior followed that up with another layup at the 7:22 mark compelling Coach Buniak to call for time with the score, 4-0. Making the adjustments, Dunellen emerged from the timeout to reel off the next four points in a 1:12 span to tie it at 4-4. Lefchuck orchestrated the run with two assists on layups by Bartilotti and Beltran. Adrian Johnston gave St. Peter's the lead back with a tough jumper from the right low blcok off an assist by Whitehead to make it 6-4 at the 4:49 mark.

Dunellen then closed out the frame with six of the last eight points despite having its top player in Bartilotti go to the bench with three fouls including one on a charge drawn by Appiah at the 9.7 second mark. Moving on to the second, St. Peter's won the period to tie the game at intermission as the Cards made 5 of 14 shots and 1 of 2 at the line for its eleven points while the Destroyers were 4 of 15 from the floor, and 1 of 4 at the charity stripe for its nine points. The Cardinals made four turnovers while the Destroyers had three. Morgan, who scored all of his thirteen points in the first half, connected on three more field goals in five attempts to go 6 of 9 from the field in the half, which was pivotal since Evans went 0 of 9 from the field. Appiah and Johnston also chipped in with scores while Morgan added a foul shot. Meanwhile, DHS was paced by Wenzel, who overcame an 0 of 5 start from the floor with a six point effort in the second on three of four shooting. The Cardinals, which are looking to qualify for the state tournament for the first time since the 2003-04 season, opened the period with a 4-2 run on scores by Johnston and Appiah to tie things up at 12-12 with 5:37 to play before the intermission.

Following a St. Peter's timeout at the 5:31 mark, Gilbert picked up his third foul on a charge at the 4:37 mark. Dunellen took advantage of the situation by scoring the next four points on two layups by Wenzel off nice assists by Beltran and Leftchuck to take a 16-12 lead with 3:51 left in the half. Both teams exchanged scores to keep the Destroyers ahead by four until Morgan struck again for a three point play to pull the Cardinals within one at 18-17 with 2:31 remaining until halftime. Shortly after that, Morgan got another score off a Whitehead pass that was deflected by a Destroyer to give St. Peter's a 19-18 lead. Dunellen had an opporunity to go ahead, but Beltran came up empty in two attempts at the foul line with 1:13 left in the second. However, Lefchuck picked his teammate up with a one of two showing at the free throw line to knot the game at 19-19 with 50.1 left as both teams went into the locker room tied. For the half, Dunellen made only 8 of 27 shots from the floor, was a subpar 3 of 8 from the foul line, and committed nine turnovers while St. Peter's went 9 of 27 from the field, made one of two at the line, and had eleven turnovers.

In the second half, Dunellen changed its strategy somewhat to focus more attention on Morgan, and it worked as the junior missed all five of his attempts over the final two periods, and didn't score a single point. However, Evans began finding ways to get himself going as he made 5 of 13 from the floor including two threes while going to the line and making three of four for 15 points in the final 12:54 of the contest. The Cardinals began the second half scoring as Dunham picked Lefchuck's pocket, and drove down the floor for a score that put the visitors up 21-19, but Dunellen responded with a 6-0 run to take a four point lead. Evans finally got on the board with a pair from the free throw line with under five minutes to play in the period to make the score, 25-23 in favor of the Destroyers. Bartilotti tried to take over the game at that point as the senior made a couple at the line at the 4:21 mark, and then connected on a turnaround jumper as he was fouled, but missed the bonus free throw make the score, 29-23 with 3:45 to go in the third. Bartilotti then got another score on a steal that he converted into a layup to seemingly put the Cards on the ropes at 31-23.

Unfortunately, for Dunellen and their fans, St. Peter's wasn't about to go away that easily. Johnston got another bucket on a layup from Whitehead that made it a six point game at 31-25 as St. Peter's coach, Glen Fleming, called a timeout at the 3:22 mark. Following the stoppage, Evans made one of two at the line to cut the deficit to 31-26 with 3:09 left in the frame, and then he struck again on a baseline move for a layup that gave the Cardinal standout his first field goal of the contest after missing his first thirteen shots. The Destroyers would get another score to take a five point, 33-28 lead going into the final period despite the fact that Bartilotti had picked up his fourth personal at the 23.9 second mark. St. Peter's fans had reasons to be nervous at the start of the fourth. With a little less than six minutes remaining, Evans had to go to the sidelines as he was grimacing while clutchiing his right side. The junior forward was eventually alright, and returned to play a bit later. Meanwhile, Dunellen scored four of the first six points in the final frame as Nick Francisco got into the act with a pair from the line to follow an earlier field goal at the foul line, and cap the run to make the score, 37-30 with 5:53 left.

Moments later though, the pendulum swung back in the Cardinals favor as Bartilotti picked up his fifth foul, and had to sit for the remainder of the contest. With renewed enthusiasm, St. Peter's began to make its charge as the Cards scored five straight points over a span of 1:12 to close the gap to two at 37-35 with 4:36 to play. Lefchuck made one of two at the line to provide a bit more cushion for the Destroyers at 38-35 with under four minutes remaining. Francisco then followed that up as well as a Wenzel layup with one of two of his own with exactly three minutes left to make the score, 41-35. Dunellen, which made 14 of 20 foul shots over the final 5:53 of the contest, got one of two from both Beltran at the 2:04 mark, and Wenzel at the 1:24 mark for a 43-35 lead. Evans got the Cards back to within six with a jumper from the left side at the 1:08 mark, and Dunham hit a late three to make it a five point game, but the Destroyers pulled the game out to move into first place by themselves in the GMC Gold. Dunellen is now 12-3 overall, and 6-1 in divisional play while St. Peter's drops to 9-4 and 6-2 in the Gold Division.

GMC Hoops Summaries--January 22, 2007
Sixth Week Of Action

Bombers Roll Past Woodbridge Behind Genfi, 69-47

By Greg Machos
January 22, 2007

PARLIN, NJ--It has been a tough year for a relatively young and inexperienced squad from Sayreville. With only one senior in its starting five, Sayreville's youth has struggled in close games. For instance, entering Monday night's clash with Woodbridge, ten of the Bombers first fourteen games had been decided by eight points, or less including six losses decided by four points or less. For a team with a 4-10 record, winning half of those six games still keeps you alive for a state tourney berth as the cutoff is less than two weeks away. "All of these close losses are driving me crazy," said first year head coach, Shawn Currie. "We were winning by four with about a minute to go against Carteret, and lost in overtime, and then we're up by three with 48 seconds left against Colonia, and lose by four." Nevertheless, Currie, who compiled a career record of 97-25 in six seasons coaching both Freshmen and JV at SWMHS, remains optimistic. "Our kids are working hard, and I like their work ethic," said Currie.

The yeoman-like work ethic finally paid off for the Bombers against the Barrons. Led by a monster performance from senior center, Kofi Genfi, Sayreville outscored the visitors from Woodbridge in every quarter including an 11-4 showing in the second to take a 28-16 halftime lead, and the Bombers pulled away from there with a 69-47 win in varsity action at the Bomb Shelter. Genfi, who was an all GMC White Division selection in 2005-06, connected on 10 of 18 shot attempts from the floor, and was a perfect 10 of 10 at the foul line for a total of 30 points along with 14 rebounds for a double-double while also collecting six blocked shots, and an assist. Ricky Harding, who was the hero of the game against Old Bridge on Saturday with seven fourth period points, chipped in with 13 points on 5 of 13 shooting including a three pointer, and 2 of 3 from the foul line. Harding also grabbed eight rebounds, and handed out nine assists. Sophomore point guard, LaVone Graham, who is one of several successful alumni from the Raritan Bay Summer League, added six points, seven assists, four rebounds, a steal, and a charge.

Junior Ray Rodriguez also helped out with five points and two rebounds while senior reserve Johnnie Lonan sank a jumper and a three pointer late in the game for five points to the delight of the Sayreville crowd. James DeMild, who scored a pivotal layup in the game deciding 9-1 run in the fourth period against Old Bridge on Saturday, made one of two field goal attempts, and three of four at the line for four points while also picking up a rebound and a steal. Diminutive sophomore guard, Paul De La Costa, helped out with a three pointer on two shot attempts for three points while senior reserve guard, Michael Lewis made one of two shots for two points, pulled down three rebounds, and blocked a shot to round out the Bomber scoring. Junior guard, Rashiem Clarke (0 of 1 FG), forward Chris Robinson (a rebound), Michael McLafferty (0 of 1 FG, a rebound, and a steal), and Keyvan Jamedar (an assist) all played, but didn't score. Meanwhile, for Woodbridge, which was seen for the first time this year by the web site, and still only have one victory on the season, had a couple of bright spots on this dim night.

Senior forward, Deryk Lockett had a solid game with 10 of 24 field goals including two threes and a dunk for 22 points to go along with 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Junior guard, Ricky Ng was sinctillating from the floor although underutilized at times. Ng made five of his six shots on the game for 10 points along with a rebound and an assist. Corey Pinto helped out in the losing effort with four points on one of four shooting and two of two at the line while grabbing two rebounds, handing out three assists, and swiping a steal. Kirk Zambrana had a similar game going one of five from the floor and two of four at the line for four points along with three rebounds, three assists, and a block. Senior guard, Antwan Haynes chipped in with three points, four assists, three rebounds, and a steal while Anthony Antoniello made one of two shots for two points and also collected two assists and a rebound. Varsity reserve, Gerard Bullock came in the game late, and made a pair at the foul line to round out the Barron scoring. Also playing, but not scoring for Woodbridge were Russell Gellis (0 of 7 FG, 6 rebounds, a steal, and a block), and Dave Silvasadder (0 of 1 FG and a rebound).

For the game, Sayreville scored in double digits in each period including twenty points or more in each of the last two frames. The Bombers shot 25 of 58 from the floor including three treys for 43.1 percent while making 16 of 20 at the line for 80 percent thanks to mostly Genfi's efforts. Woodbridge, on the other hand was 19 of 56 from the field including two threes for 33.9 percent while making just 7 of 9 from the charity stripe for 77.8 percent. Both squads did a fair job of handling the basketball although Sayreville was slightly better with eleven turnovers versus twelve by the Barrons. The Bombers held advantages in a number of statistical departments including threes (3-2), blocks (7-4), charges (1-0), assists (16-15), turnovers (11-12), and rebounds (34-26). The only area that Sayreville didn't have an edge in was steals as both teams came up with three each. Woodbridge actually started the game with a 4-0 lead in the first 1:03 as the Barrons got a layup from Ng, and a jumper from Lockett to draw first blood. However, Sayreville took over after that with a 17-8 surge to end the period including a 9-0 run over a 2:48 span.

With both teams combining to score the lowest quarter output of the game in the second, Sayreville continued to gradually pull away with an 11-4 showing for a 28-16 halftime lead. Following the halftime intermission, the Bombers opened the third with a 19-7 outburst over the first 5:27 to take a commanding 47-23 lead with 2:33 left in the stanza. So, basically after Woodbridge had jumped out in front early, Sayreville outscored the Barrons by a 47-19 margin over a span of 20:24 that covered portions of three periods. Although Sayreville went just 6 of 18 in the first period, the team made all five of its free throw attempts while forcing Woodbridge to commit four turnovers. The Barrons stayed within striking distance by putting together a good start of 5 of 11 field goals including a trey by Lockett. However, in the second period, things went south in a hurry for Woodbridge as it couldn't buy a bucket. The Barrons shot just 2 of 16 from the field for 12.5 percent while making five more turnovers. Sayreville was slightly better with 4 of 11 from the floor including a trey for 36.4 percent while making another pair at the line.

For the half, Genfi had 13 points on four of nine shooting and five of five from the foul line while collecting nine rebounds, two blocks, and an assist. On the other hand, Woodbridge as a team was shooting just 7 of 27 from the floor for 25.9 percent in addition to making nine turnovers. Going back to the first quarter, Sayreville's 9-0 run during the middle portion of the stanza was started by Genfi, who got his first points on the night with a pair of foul sots at the 6:04 mark. DeMild, who saw limited action in the Junior Bombers thrilling overtime win over the Junior Barrons in the GMC Hoops JV Game of the Week, stole a Corey Pinto pass and drove down the court for a layup attempt, and was fouled. DeMild, a sophomore forward, made both his free throw attempts to knot the game at 4-4. Less than thirty seconds later, Genfi attacked the glass for an offensive rebound, putback, and a foul to end up with a three point play for a 7-4 lead. The Bombers added another basket to go up 9-4, and were never really threatened again although they only outscored the Barrons, 8-7 during the final 4:09 of the period to garner a 17-12 lead.

The second started out rather quietly as neither team scored for the first 3:12 of the quarter before sophomore, Paul De La Costa, took a pass from Harding, and sank a three point bomb to give Sayreville an eight point, 20-12 lead at the 4:48 mark. Corey Pinto would get the Barrons back to within six on a score that preceeded a Woodbridge thirty second timeout at the 4:04 mark, but the Bombers closed out the frame with eight of the last ten points including a personal 4-0 run by Graham that included a steal for a layup, and a drive for another score following a rebound a nice outlet pass from Genfi to make it 24-14 as Barron head coach, Scott Sienkiewicz, called for a full timeout at the 1:42 mark. Emerging from the stoppage, Sayreville finished the half with a 4-2 run that included two more from the charity stripe by Genfi for a 28-16 lead. In the third, the home team picked up right where it left off at the end of the opening half with a 9-2 spurt highlighted by a three pointer and a putback by Harding to give the Bombers a 40-22 lead after the Barrons had climbed to within eleven at 31-20.

SWMHS finished off Woodbridge with seven of the next eight points after a timeout at the 4:55 mark as Harding struck again for a three point play, and Genfi added another pair at the line for a twenty four point lead. From there, Sayreville cruised as Genfi and the rest of the starters began to get some rest during the latter stages of the third, and then the reserves came in for good midway through the fourth. With the victory, Sayreville moves up to 5-10 overall on the season, and avoids falling into the cellar of the GMC White at 2-6 while Woodbridge drops to 1-12 overall and 1-7 in divisional play. As badly as things have gone for Sayreville so far this season, it still has a remote chance to qualify for its first state tournament berth since the 2003-04 season, but it must win its next five games to meet the state cutoff on February 3rd. Regardless, Sayreville remains a team that many others in the GMC will hope to avoid in the opening round of the 2007 GMCT come February.

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