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, Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tourney, East Brunswick/GMC JV Tourney, blog entries, and all the summaries for the month of December, 2006, the first, second, third, and fourth weeks of January, 2007, and the first, second, and third weeks of Feburary, 2007 in the summaries archive.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 8, 2007
Group IV State State Semifinals

Malcolm Soaries Leads Vikings To First State Title Game Since 1968

By Greg Machos
March 8, 2007

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ—For the first time in nearly forty years, the South Brunswick Vikings will be playing for a state championship. In a game that was broadcasted live on WCTC 1450 AM on Thursday night, Brian Morgan nailed a clutch trey at the 2:55 mark of overtime for not only his only points of the game, but also to give the Vikings the lead for good, and Malcolm Soaries, who had a game high 21 points including 17 in the second half and overtime, hit two threes at the 2:08 and 1:09 marks respectively as the Vikings defeated South Jersey Group IV Champion, Cherokee, 57-49 in yet another thrilling extra period state tourney game involving a GMC team. With Colonia’s double overtime loss to Passaic Valley in the Group III State Semifinals, there have been five overtime games involving member schools in the Greater Middlesex Conference in just the last ten days of state tournament play.

Winners of the other Group IV State Semifinal, South Brunswick will now face defending Group IV State Champion, Linden in the State Championship Game at 12:00 PM on Sunday afternoon at the Rutgers Athletic Center in Piscataway. Also helping out for the Vikes was senior forward, Devon Young, who added 12 points as well as handed out several key assists late in regulation and in the overtime for the win. Martin Soaries, the other Soaries twin, chipped in with seven points including five over the final 5:31 of the contest including an off-balanced shot as he was fouled at the 1:31 mark of the fourth, a one of two effort at the foul line with 31.7 seconds left in regulation, and two foul shots with 23 seconds left in overtime to give the Vikes an insurmountable 56-47 lead. Ray Dasant poured in all six of his points in the third quarter while Vineesh Manchanda added five points. Rounding out the scoring was junior Arman Wilson with two points and a point from sophomore forward, Mohammed Sanu.

On the other side of the ledger, Cherokee was led by Siena bound forward, Clarence Jackson, who scored a team high 20 points, and left many in the gym holding their collective breaths with every three point attempt he took. However, his final scoring effort of the year was five points below his average for the state tournament prior to Thursday night’s action. Teammate Ronson Quick and Scott Spieker chipped in with eight points each while Lynell Payne came up with two putbacks in the final 2:09 of regulation for all four of his points on the night. Richie Tarr added four of his own and Mike Roeder canned a trey at the 5:20 mark of the fourth quarter to pull his team to within one at 33-32 for his only points of the night. Reserve Jose Torres scored in the waning moments of the game to round out the Chief scoring. For the game, South Brunswick went 9 of 12 at the line while Cherokee was a perfect 6 of 6. From the second quarter on, there were a total of nine lead changes and seven ties. Only the Vikings held a double digit lead, and that didn’t until Manchanda made one of two free throws with ten seconds left in overtime to make it 57-47. After scoring nine points in each of the first two periods, the Vikes registered double digits over the final two periods of regulation, and the overtime for the win.

On the other hand, Cherokee, which had been a great fourth quarter team all season, and outscored a high scoring Winslow squad that defeated Atlantic City by a 24-7 margin to rally from a 36-30 third quarter deficit to win its sectional title, only scored in double figures in both the second and fourth periods. In each instance though, the Chiefs rallied to tie the game at the half, and the end of regulation. The first quarter was the lowest scoring period of the game as both teams combined for seventeen points in the frame. The Vikings jumped out to a three point lead by scoring nine of the first fifteen points over the first 7:27 of the stanza, but Cherokee got a score in the final 33 seconds of the first to make it a one point game at 9-8 going into the second. South Brunswick continued to stay in control over the first 5:30 of the second despite a tempo that truly suited Cherokee much better early on. The Vikes got five of the first nine points for a 14-12 lead before the chiefs scored two straight buckets including one by Tarr to give the South Jersey and Olympic Conference school a 16-14 lead with 2:30 left in the half. After Cherokee point guard, Spieker picked up his second personal, and Malcolm Soaries drew a charge on Tarr at the 1:35 mark, the Viking point guard tipped in an eighteen foot shot that was missed by Manchanda to tie it at 16-16. Moments later, on the very next Cherokee possession, Malcolm Soaries came up with another huge defensive play as he got a steal, and went coast to coast for the lay-in, and an 18-16 SBHS lead.

Following a 30 second timeout by the Chiefs at the 39.3 second mark, Spieker scored on a layup with three seconds left to tie it at 18-18. Manchanda took a last second desperation shot to close out the half, but missed, and the two teams went into the intermission tied. Both teams had balanced scoring attacks in the first half while the defenses did more than hold their own. For the Chiefs, Jackson and Quick each led the way with six points each while Spieker added four, and Tarr chipped in with two. Meanwhile for the Vikes, which missed their share of open shots in the first two periods, Young had five points while both Malcolm Soaries and Manchanda chipped in with four each. Martin Soaries and Wilson added two each while Sanu notched his only point of the game. The biggest lead of the half by South Brunswick was five points while Cherokee led by no more than two. Things would heat up a bit more in the second half for the packed crowd at Atlantic City High School, which contributed to the electric atmosphere surrounding this game. At the beginning of the third quarter, Cherokee took the lead on a Jackson layup at the seven minute mark to make it 20-18. Young responded with a layup of his own to tie it at 20-20 at the 6:45 mark, but Quick put the Chiefs ahead again with a score down low to make it 22-20 with 6:20 left in the period.

Twenty seconds later, Dasant connect on a long jumper that appeared to be a three at first, but was ruled a two, and the score stood tied at 22-22 with approximately six minutes left in the third. Switching two a 2-3 zone, the Vikings fell prey to a three point bomb by Jackson to make it 25-22. Dasant replied with another long jumper that was again ruled a two, and the score was now 25-24 in favor of the Chiefs. South Brunswick would finally get its three as Malcolm Soaries connected from long range to give his team the lead again at 27-25 with over four minutes to play in the third. Following a Cherokee timeout at the 3:54 mark, both teams didn’t score for nearly a minute and a half until Tarr came up with a steal and passed to Spieker for a layup to make it tied again at 27-27 with 2:27 left in the period. Almost thirty seconds later, South Brunswick took the lead back on a jumper by Malcolm Soaries, who had five points in the third, to make it 29-27 at the two minute mark. Dasant then wrapped up the period scoring with a putback off a missed three point attempt at the 1:15 mark for a 31-27 Viking lead heading into the fourth. In the fourth, Cherokee got on the board first as Spieker made a pair at the line after Wilson went to draw a charge on him, and didn’t get the call. So, with seven minutes left, it was a two point game at 31-29. Thirty seconds later, South Brunswick turned the ball over, but the Chiefs couldn’t take advantage as Malcolm Soaries picked up a steal, and tried to pass it upcourt to Wilson, but was intentionally fouled by Roeder, which drew the ire of the Cherokee supporters. The Viking senior point guard made a pair of free throws to make it 33-29 with under a minute left.

Roeder attempted to atone for the foul by making a three pointer to pull the Chiefs to within one at the 5:20 mark to make it 33-32. However, on the very next Viking offensive possession, Young retaliated with a trey of his own to make it a four point game again at 36-32 at the five minute mark. Following a thirty second timeout by SBHS with 4:57 left, Jackson knocked down a three pointer at the 4:42 mark to pull the chiefs to within one again at 36-35. A little more than twenty seconds after that, Manchanda was called for traveling, and Cherokee had a chance to take the lead. But, the Chiefs themselves turned the ball over as it went out of bounds of Jackson, and it was Viking possession with 3:45 left in regulation. The two teams continued to trade turnovers though as Dasant lost the ball to Jackson at the 3:28 mark, but Young stepped up for his teammate with a steal, and then having the presence of mind to call a timeout before going out of bounds at the 3:05 mark. With the Chiefs switching to man-to-man, Young emerged from the stoppage with a short jumper off an assist by Morgan to make it a 38-35 lead with 2:30 to play in regulation. However, Cherokee stayed within striking distance as Payne scored on a putback off a Jackson miss at the 2:09 mark to cut the deficit to one at 38-37. South Brunswick appeared to get the upper hand as Martin Soaries got his first field goal of the second half on an off balanced shot that went in as he was fouled.

Unfortunately, the senior two-guard failed to make the bonus free throw for a traditional three point play that would have made it a two possession game, and the score stood at 40-37 with 1:31 left in regulation. A little more than a half minute later, Payne scored on another putback off a Jackson miss, and it was now 40-39 with exactly a minute to go in the fourth. South Brunswick called a timeout at the 42 second mark, and then after the stoppage, Malcolm Soaries was fouled at the 36 second mark, and then his twin brother Martin was fouled at the 31.7 second mark. The latter Soaries made only one of two at the charity stripe, and Cherokee now had a chance to tie, or win with the score now at 41-39. After the Chiefs called for time, they tied the game on a layup by Jackson with 16 seconds left, and following a last second shot by Young that was a bit too strong, the game went into overtime tied at 41-41. Things didn’t start off all too well in the extra session either for the GMC representative as Jackson picked up right where he left off with a score to give the Chiefs the lead at 43-41 with 3:35 to play. The Cherokee lead would be short lived, and more importantly, its last as Morgan continued his clutch play in the tournament with a trey at the 2:55 mark that put the Vikings ahead for good. Nearly fifty seconds later, Young found Malcolm Soaries open for a three pointer to make it a 47-43 Viking lead with 2:08 left. Tarr helped the Chiefs cut the lead in half with a score at the 1:45 mark that made it 47-45, but then Malcolm Soaries put the final dagger into Cherokee’s hopes by making one more three pointer from Young to make it 50-45 with a little more than a minute to go.

From there, the Vikings outscored the Chiefs, 7-4 for the hard fought, eight point win. With the victory, South Brunswick advances to its first state title game in 39 years when it plays Watchung Conference powerhouse, Linden, for the Group IV Championship. The Vikings, which won their only other state final appearance over East Rutherford back in the Group I state final in 1968, are now 27-2 on the season, have won five straight since losing to Cardinal McCarrick in the 2007 GMCT Semifinals, and are 10-1 against non-conference competition. Also, with Colonia losing in the Group III State Tournament, the Vikes are the only GMC team left standing in state tourney play.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 6, 2007
North Jersey Section 2 Group III State Tournament--Championship

Colonia Takes Double Overtime To Win First Sectional Title in 13 Years, 84-83

By Greg Machos
March 6, 2007

PLAINFIELD, NJ--Like South Brunswick, Colonia had an added edge to make a run for a sectional championship. The Patriots, which were the defending GMCT Champs, and seeded third behind St. Joseph's and the Vikings in the 2007 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, were dethroned in the Elite Eight round by eventual champion, Piscataway. However, unlike the Vikings, the Patriots had more of an uphill climb to get to their title. After hitting its first four shots of the game to jump out to a 10-2 lead at the 5:48 mark, Colonia gave way to Union Hill, which embarked on a 21-4 surge over a span of nearly seven minutes going into the second quarter to take a 23-14 lead. The Hillers, which were playing in their second straight sectional final (lost to Passaic in the North Jersey Section 1 Group IV Championship last year), and making their third straight playoff appearance after winning just four games back in 2004, held the lead until the 3:36 mark of the third quarter when Joe LaSala (8 of 15 FGs and 6 of 8 FTs for 22 points along with 11 rebounds for a double-double while blocking three shots, handing out two assists, and swiping a steal) came up with one of several offensive rebounds and putbacks for a three point play to tie it at 38-38 at the 3:36 mark of the third.

In an epic six quarter struggle, that saw 17 lead changes and 9 ties between the two schools, and no lead greater than nine points, the lead was no bigger than nine points over the final 19:36 of the game while there were 14 lead changes and 7 ties before Colonia pulled out a thrilling double overtime win, 84-83 thanks largely to the heroics of senior forward, Kevin Edmonds. The 6'8" big man started the game with three treys on his first three shots, and then forced overtime by taking in a lob pass on an inbounds play from LaSala, and tapping it in to make it 66-66. In the second overtime, Edmonds nailed his fifth and final trey of the game with nine seconds left, and then after Justin Sanchez (11 of 13 FGs including five three pointers for 27 points along with 3 rebounds, 3 assists, a steal, and a blocked shot) scored a layup that he was fouled on with 5.8 seconds left, Edmonds rebounded Sanchez's missed bonus foul shot, and was fouled himself with 4.7 seconds to go. The senior calmly made both foul shots for the tenuous one point lead. Union Hill's, Shandray Soto, who scored 11 points on 4 of 8 shooting including a three pointer and 2 of 3 at the line to go along with five assists and three rebounds, darted down the floor for a last second shot that hit the rim twice, but failed to go in much to the delight of Colonia's faithful, which stormed the court in jubilation.

Both teams shot the ball very well with Union Hill, which competes in the Coviello Division of the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association, making nine three pointers and connecting on 29 of 55 shots for 52.7 percent while Colonia made eight threes and shot 26 of 48 for 54.2 percent. The edge though came at the foul line and in the turnover department with the Patriots making 24 of 28 foul shots for 83.3 percent and committing just 14 turnovers while Union Hill made only 16 of 21 free throws for 76.2 percent, and made 18 turnovers. In other statistical areas, Colonia enjoyed advantages in rebounding (29-22), assists (23-19), and steals (11-3) while Union Hill had edges in three pointers (9-8) and charges (2-0). Both teams had five blocks each. Both teams scored in double figures in five of the six periods played with the only single digit quarter occurring in the first overtime when each team put in seven points to knot the game at 73-73. Each team had one twenty point plus quarter with the Hillers scoring 20 in the first period, and the Patriots scoring 22 in the fourth period to tie the game at the end of regulation. Colonia outscored Union Hill in three of the six periods with the Hudson County out of Union City getting the edge only in the first quarter while the third period and the first overtime were even.

Although Edmonds heroics were largely responsible for the Patriot win, it was a total team effort that held it together along the way. In addition to Edmonds (23 points on 8 of 11 FGs including five threes and 2 of 2 FTs along with 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, and an assist) and LaSala, junior point guard, Brandon Hall had a double-double with 14 points on 3 of 7 shooting including a three pointer, and 7 of 8 free throws as well as 12 assists. The Patriot floor general also picked up four steals. Meanwhile, sophomore guard, J.J. D'Amico had some struggles during the course of the game, but came up with several huge shots in regulation, and ended up with 14 points on four field goals including two threes, and a perfect 4 of 4 at the foul line while handing out five assists. Fellow soph, Nnamdi Usuwa scored nine points on two field goals and 5 of 6 shooting at the foul line along with six rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Reserve Mike Salvador rounded out the Colonia scoring with a field goal for two points along with two steals, a rebound, and an assist. Seniors Brenden Wagner (0 of 1 FG) and Bryant Androvich (a rebound and an assist). While the Patriots had eight players get into the game, Union Hill had seven enter the contest. Both teams had six players get into the scorebook.

For the Hillers, Sanchez and Soto did their part, but also helping out was Raugly Sosa, who had 22 points on seven field goals including two threes, and a 6 of 9 effort at the foul line. Sosa also collected nine rebounds, two steals, a block, and an assist. Both forward Jewry Henandez and Andrew Cabrera had ten points on three field goals and a perfect four of four at the foul line while collecting three rebounds apiece, but Hernandez made 3 of 6 field goal attempts and drew a charge while Cabrera made 3 of 7 shots and handed out nine assists. Freshman guard, Jonathan Arguto made his only shot attempt, but it was a clutch one as he sank a three pointer from the left wing off an assist by Sosa to knot the game up at 79-79 with exactly a minute to go in the second overtime. Also playing for the Hillers, but not scoring was Stephen Arxer, who had a charge in the first half, a rebound, and an assist. As mentioned earlier, Colonia had gotten off to a fast start, the Patriots made their first four shots of the game including a three pointer by Edmonds from Hall at the 7:32 mark, and another three by the 6'8" forward from D'Amico at the 6:56 mark for a 6-0 lead. Usuwa and LaSala added layups with the senior forward's score coming off a steal and assist by Edmonds to make it 10-2 with just 2:12 gone by in the game.

However, over the final 5:48, Colonia cooled off dramatically by making only one of their last seven shots, which was a three pointer by Edmonds off an assist by Androvich to make it 14-11 at the 3:45 mark. Meanwhile, Union Hill, which ultimately made 7 of 13 shots including three treys in the period, closed out the first period with an 18-4 surge including the final nine points of the frame for a 20-14 lead going into the second. Cabrera sparked the rally with a pair of free throws at the 5:48 mark. Then, after a one of two showing at the foul line by LaSala at the 4:27 mark, Sanchez hit a three pointer to tie the game at 11-11 with 4:11 remaining in the first period. Following Edmonds three, the Hillers ran off the last nine points including a three point play by Soto from Cabrera at the 30.3 second mark to give Union Hill a six point lead after one. At the beginning of the second, Union Hill took its largest lead of the game as Sosa showed some range with a three pointer to make it 23-14 before Hall, who scored no points, and only had one assist in the first period, passed off to LaSala for a layup to cut the deficit to seven at 23-16 with 6:35 to go in the first half. Following a timeout by Union Hill's coach, Carlos Cueto, who was a former player at St. Anthony's, Colonia chipped away at the deficit some more with a 5-4 run highlighted by a jumper and a three pointer from D'Amico on the right side off assists by Hall to make it 27-21 at the 3:38 mark.

Nearly thirty seconds later, D'Amico struck again for a three pointer from the left wing off another assist by Hall, who had two points and five assists in the frame, to make the score 27-24 with 3:11 to go before the intermission. Hernandez then sank a pair of free throws at the three minute mark to make the score, 29-24 in favor of the Hillers. Neither team scored for almost a minute after that until Hall found LaSala for a short baseline jumper from the left side to make it 29-26 in favor of Union Hill at the 2:04 mark. The Patriots tried to get even closer, but Arxer drew a charge on Hall for his second personal at the 1:05 mark. However, Hall rebounded by coming up with a steal for a layup at the 45 second mark to make it 29-28 in favor of the Hudson County school. The Hillers responded though to take a four point lead going into the locker room as Sanchez buried another three pointer with 13 seconds left in the half to make it 32-28 at the break. In the second period, Union Hall was just 4 of 10 from the floor including two threes while making both foul shots. Colonia on the other hand made 6 of 10 shots including two threes. There were also a total of fifteen turnovers in the stanza with Union Hill committing nine, and Colonia making six.

So, at the half, the Hillers were 11 of 23 from the floor including five threes while making all five shot attempts at the foul line. Colonia on the other hand made 11 of 21 shots including five threes of its own, and making one of two foul shots. The Patriots were winning the turnover war with only nine turnovers versus thirteen by the Hillers. Sanchez led the way for Union Hill in the first half with 13 points while Sosa chipped in with 8. Colonia's scoring was a bit more balanced with Edmonds scoring 9 points while D'Amico and LaSala chipped in with 8 and 7 points respectively. Hall only had two points, but handed out six assists. The third quarter would start out with an anxious moment as Hall picked up his third foul at the 6:44 mark after both teams exchanged scores including another Edmonds basket from the junior point guard to make it 34-30. Usuwa then closed the gap to one with a pair of foul shots at the 6:01 mark to make it 34-32, and one of two at the line to make it 34-33 with 5:13 left in the third. A little less than 45 seconds after that Sosa scored a layup after he picked up a loose ball in the paint to make it 36-33 at the 4:36 mark. Mike Salvador got his only points of the game when he sank a jumper to make it 36-35, but Sosa replied with two free throws at the 4:08 mark to make it 38-35 in favor of the Hillers.

Colonia would then tie it 32 seconds later as LaSala got an offensive rebound, and put it back in as he was fouled. He then made the bonus free throw to make it a 38-38 tie with 3:36 left in the third. Once again though, Union Hill would take the lead thanks to two more from the charity stripe by Sosa for a 40-38 lead at the 3:09 mark. Sanchez then added a layup at the 2:15 mark to stretch the advantage to four at 42-38. But, Edmonds would get a layup, and then D'Amico would draw a foul from Sanchez, which was his fourth personal, to go to the line and sink two foul shots at the 1:37 mark to knot it again at 42-42. The Hillers ran off the next four points for a 46-42 lead before D'Amico made another pair at the line to make it 46-44 with 20 seconds left in the third. Cabrera, a quick and agile point guard, then closed out the third with a layup at the 5.8 second mark to make it 48-44 entering the final period of regulation. After sitting much of the third, Hall returned to start the fourth with his three personals. LaSala capped an early 3-2 run over the first 1:44 with one of two at the line to make it 50-47 with 6:16 left in the fourth. The senior, who was huge underneath all night with his hard nosed play, grabbed the offensive rebound, Colonia was unable to cash it in.

Cabrera then stretched the Hiller advantage to five with a pair of free throws at the 5:35 mark to make it 52-47 as Colonia's coach, Chris Chiera, who happened to be on the last Patriot team to win a sectional title in 1994, called for a 30 second timeout. Following the stoppage, the Pats got a score to make it 52-49, but Sosa got a layup for Union Hill as he was fouled, but missed the bonus free throw, and with 5:08 left in regulation, the score was 54-49 in favor of the Hudson County school. The Patriots then ran off five straight points over the next 45 seconds as Hall connected for a three pointer from just to the right of the top of the key, and then D'Amico followed that up with a jumper to tie the game at 54-54 with 4:23 left in the fourth. On the next Union Hill possession, the Hillers took the lead back with a three pointer by Soto off an assist by Cabrera to make it 57-54 with exactly four minutes to go in the period. Usuwa then made two free throws at the 3:40 mark to pull the Pats to within one at 57-56, but Union Hill made it a four point game on another three pointer by Sanchez from Soto to make it 60-56 at the 3:15 mark. Nearly fifty seconds later, LaSala came up with a clutch score as he pump faked a defender, and then drove for a layup to close the gap to two at 60-58 with 2:26 remaining in the fourth.

After a Union Hill timeout at the 1:47 mark, Sanchez made another three pointer off an assist by Cabrera for a 63-58 lead, but LaSala kept the Patriots hanging in there with a score to make it 63-60 as the Hillers called time again at the 1:14 mark. Following the timeout, Union Hill got the ball in their offensive end of the floor, and appeared to be heading towards another score when Hall came up with a huge play by swiping a steal that fell into the hands of LaSala, who then give it back to Hall for a drive to the hoop that he was fouled on. Hall then made both at the line to pull Colonia to within one at 63-62 with 58.2 seconds left in the fourth. Hernandez was fouled less than a second later, and made a pair at the line for a 65-62 Hiller lead with only 57.4 seconds to go in regulation. Colonia would call timeout again at the 43.4 second mark, and after the stoppage, Sosa was fouled at the 27.1 second mark. The Union Hill forward made only one of two shots for a 66-62 lead. The Patriots got a score they had to have when D'Amico got his own rebound off a shot that hit the side of the backboard, and then dished to LaSala for a layup. On the ensuing inbounds, Union Hill inexplicably turned the ball over, and Colonia now had a chance to tie.

After a struggle for a loose ball as time expired, Colonia was able to get possession since the arrow was pointing its way. The officials had 0.5 seconds put on the clock, and the Patriots had a chance to set up for one more play. LaSala then inbounded the ball with a lob pass that was tapped in off the glass by Edmonds as the Colonia fans and their student sections went into a frenzy. We were going to overtime, tied up at 66-66. Cabrera opened the extra session scoring with a layup to make it 68-66, but LaSala retaliated with two free throws at the line for a 68-68 tie with 3:02 left in the first overtime. Soto then made one of two at the line at the 2:47 mark to make it 69-68, but on the next Colonia possession, LaSala gave the Pats the lead with yet another offensive rebound and putback for a 70-69 score. Sosa put the Hillers back up by one at 71-70, but Hall put the Patriots back in front with a pair at the free throw line with 1:50 to play in the first overtime to make it 72-71. Sosa replied with a layup with 29 seconds left to give Union Hill a one point lead again at 73-72. However, following a Patriot timeout at the 22.8 second mark, LaSala eventually got the ball, and was fouled with 1.5 seconds left. He made the first one to tie things up at 73-73, but after a Union Hill timeout to try and ice him, he missed the second shot. We were now going to a second overtime.

Colonia was no stranger to double overtime games. Back on December 23rd, the Patriots battled East Brunswick in a double overtime thriller that was won on a Mike Salvador jumper, 57-55. They also played a tough overtime game a couple weeks later against St. Joseph's, which they lost by two, 55-53. The Pats set the tone early in the second extra session as Hall found Edmonds open for another three pointer from the left wing for a 76-73 lead with exactly three minutes left. Following a Union Hill timeout at the 2:16 mark, Sosa made one of two at the line to trim the deficit to two at 76-74 with 2:08 to play. Hall then made it a two possession game with a pair from the foul line at the 1:46 mark to make it 78-74. Sanchez then made a layup at the 1:33 mark to close the gap to 78-76 as the Hillers called for time again. After the timeout, Hall was fouled, and made just one of two at the line to make it 79-76 with 1:31 left. However, the Hillers showed some resiliency when freshman Jonathan Arguto nailed his first and only shot of the game, a three pointer, to tie things up at 79-79 with exactly a minute to play. Colonia then turned the ball over with 35.3 seconds left, and Sanchez took advantage with a layup at the 31 second mark to make it 81-79. With the tension and electricity mounting to a crescendo inside the recently dedicated Americo "Rico" Parenti Gymnasium at Plainfield High School, Hall got the ball to Edmonds on the left wing for another three pointer that was true at the 9.0 second mark for an 82-81 lead.

The Hillers replied quickly as Sanchez came down the floor for a layup and the foul at the 5.8 second mark to make it 83-82. However, Sanchez missed the bonus free throw for the traditional three point play, and picked up his fifth personal foul and the ensuing rebound by Edmonds. With Sanchez out of the game, Edmonds went to the line with 4.7 seconds to play, and sank the game winning free throws for an 84-83 lead. Union Hill fought valiantly to the end though as Soto drove the length of the floor, put up a shot that hit iron twice, but refused to go in as time expired, and the Colonia student section stormed the court in victory. With the win, Colonia not only advances to play Passaic Valley in the Group III State Semifinals at East Orange Campus at 8:00 PM on Thursday, and improved its record to 24-3 on the season, but it also put itself in the driver's seat for its first ever GMC Hoops Trophy by going ahead of St. Peter's with a 6-2 mark in games covered by GMC Hoops. The Patriots are also 4-1 against non-conference competition. Meanwhile, Union Hill finishes its season at 21-6.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 5, 2007
Central Jersey Group IV State Tournament--Championship

South Brunswick Outscores Freehold Township For First Sectional Title In 33 Years, 88-72

By Greg Machos
March 5, 2007

WOODBRIDGE, NJ--After losing in the semifinals of the 2007 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament two weeks ago, it could have been very easy for the South Brunswick Vikings to sulk, and feel sorry for themselves. But, the motivation of doing the same thing to Rancocas Valley and Freehold Township in the states that Cardinal McCarrick had done to them in the GMCT was enough motivation to dust themselves off, and get going again. The loss to the Eagles had done them a favor. After defeating a much taller and more physical squad from Rancocas Valley, which concluded its season at 24-3, the Vikes set their sights on Freehold Township, winners of the Shore Conference Tournament by virtue of defeating Class A North Division rival, and perennial state power, CBA for the third time this season. Simply put, the Vikes were no longer the hunted. Instead, they were the hunter, and that took the pressure off. Couple that with an up tempo style that registered 153 points in the last two games, South Brunswick used players like Brian Morgan (career high 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting including a three pointer as well as 2 of 3 at the foul line to go along with three rebounds, two steals, and an assist) to go small, and speed up the pace of the game, and then substituted others such as Mohammed Sanu (8 points on 3 of 4 FGs and 2 of 2 FTs along with 5 rebounds, an assist, and a block) to counter the likes of Freehold Township's Marcus Roberson.

The result was a suprisingly convincing victory over the seventh ranked team in the state, which only lost one game this season, 88-72 to win South Brunswick's first sectional title in over three decades. In the first quarter, Freehold Township appeared to have South Brunswick in trouble as Marcus Roberson picked up 8 points and 5 rebounds while teammate Ed Fischer added seven points to put the Patriots ahead at one point, 13-8 on an 11-2 tear after South Brunswick opened the game with six of the first eight points for a four point lead. But the Vikings showed a resiliency that has become a trademark in this state tourney run with seven straight points over a span of a minute and thirty seconds to take a 15-13 lead. Arman Wilson (three field goals plus all three of his free throws for 9 points along with 5 assists and 2 rebounds) capped the rally with a jumper from the right corner as he was knocked to the ground for a three point play with 1:01 left in the first. Originally, it appeared that Wilson had made a three pointer. Even the announcer declared it was a trey. However, the officials saw otherwise so it ended up being a traditional three point play rather than a rare four point play. Freehold Township would tie the game up after one period as Roberson scored on a layup from Frost at the 28 second mark to make it 15-15.

While the Patriot first quarter scoring was attributed to just two players, South Brunswick had contributions from five different players including Morgan, Wilson, Martin Soaries (18 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the floor and 7 of 8 at the foul line to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a block), Vineesh Manchanda (a field goal and 2 of 2 FTs for 4 points along with 6 rebounds, an assist, and a block), and Devon Young, who ended up with a game high 25 points thanks to 8 of 15 shooting including three treys, and 6 of 8 shooting at the foul line. Young also had 8 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Both teams got off to shaky starts shooting the basketball with the Vikings going 6 of 16 including a three pointer from the floor for 37.5 percent while Freehold Township went 6 of 15 including a three pointer for 40 percent. Each team made two free throws with SBHS making both of its attempts while Freehold Township made 2 of 3 from the charity stripe. However, over the final three quarters, South Brunswick scored 73 points including 52 in the second half as it made 24 of 38 shots for 63.2 percent the rest of the way including a scorching 11 of 15 for 73.3 percent in a decisive third period to go ahead 62-51 entering the fourth. Meanwhile, the Patriots shot well, but not as good as the Vikes as they made 23 of their last 49 attempts for 46.9 percent. The Vikes scored twenty or more points in each of the final three quarters of play including 26 each in the third and fourth periods.

For the game, South Brunswick had eight different players get into the scoring column while Freehold Township had just four. The Vikings made 30 of 54 shots on the game for 55.6 percent while the Patriots went 29 of 64 for 45.3 percent. At the line, South Brunswick made 22 of 26 from the charity stripe for 84.6 percent while Freehold Township connected on just 10 of 16 attempts for 62.5 percent. The Vikes and Pats connected for six three pointers each, but the third seeded team in the bracket, which reached the semifinal round of Central Jersey Group IV last season, made 6 of 12 shots from downtown for 50 percent according to the Home News-Tribune. In other statistical areas, the GMC Red Division Champions got the edge in rebounding (31-25), assists (25-19), and blocks (5-1). Meanwhile, the Shore Conference Champs had advantages in steals (9-6) and turnovers (10-13). Rounding out the scoring for South Brunswick were point guard Malcolm Soaries (three field goals in seven attempts including a three pointer for seven points while collecting three assists, two rebounds, and two steals) and Ray Dasant (one of two field goals for 2 points, 3 assists, and a rebound). For Freehold Township, Ed Fischer led the way with 21 points on 8 of 21 shooting from the floor including two threes, and 3 of 7 at the foul line. Marcus Roberson powered in 19 points on 8 of 14 shooting from the field in addition to 3 of 4 at the line. Fischer also added 11 assists for a double-double along with six rebounds and a steal while Roberson had a double-double of a different sort with 11 rebounds to go along with an assist and a steal.

The only other scorers for the Patriots were T.J. LaFalce with 16 points on 6 of 14 shooting including three treys, and a one of two effort at the line while collecting three rebounds, and Rodger Wilmont, who made 6 of 11 shots including a three pointer and a perfect 3 of 3 at the line for 16 points as well. Wilmont also added five steals, four assists, and a rebound. Also playing, but not scoring were Brian Brikowski (two rebounds, a steal, and a block), Corey Csakai, Kevin Fischer (0 of 3 FGs, a rebound, assist, and a steal), and Alan Frost (0 of 1 FG, three assists, and a rebound). Meanwhile, Sean Lease (a rebound), Jordan Teicher, Troy Confessore, and Mike Sobers also played, but didn't score for the Vikings. It was a standing room only crowd at Woodbridge High School, which began accepting tickets at the door at 5:30 PM. South Brunswick fans answered the call for their team as they showed up in droves to urge their team on. It was simply a great sight to see. Even other people from around the GMC including coaches, parents of players from other member schools, and players came out to root for one of their own conference schools to do what hasn't been done since Cardinal McCarrick won the Non-Public B sectional in 2005. The last time a GMC team reached the Championship of the Central Jersey Group IV state tournament was in 2003 when Old Bridge lost to Trenton, 54-40.

South Brunswick, which outscored Freehold Township in each of the last four periods, began the second period with a three pointer by Martin Soaries at the 7:27 mark for an 18-15 lead. Fischer, who did all he could to put the team on his back in this one, responded with a three pointer and two layups over a span of 1:18 to help outscore the Vikes, 7-4 to tie the game at 22-22 with 6:09 to go in the half. But, SBHS quickly retook the lead by scoring five straight points over the next 1:31 as Sanu got a score, and then Wilson put together his second three point play of the game to make it 27-22 with 4:38 left. Freehold Township responded again though with six of the next eight points including a layup by Wilmont off an assist from Fischer to make it 29-28 at the 2:10 mark. On the next Viking possession, Young was fouled, and made a pair of foul shots to increase the lead back to three at 31-28 at the 1:51 mark. A little less than a minute later, Dasant passed off to Young, and banked a shot high off the glass, and in to make it a five point game at 33-28. The Pats replied though with five straight points over a span of just 37 seconds as Wilmont capped the rally with a steal off Dasant that he cashed in for a layup to tie the game at 33-33. However, South Brunswick had the last say, and got the momentum going into the intermission as Morgan, who played at a much higher level than in any other game I've seen him play, took a pass from Young in the right corner, and sank a three point bomb with 0.06 to play in the half to make it 36-33 at the break.

Both teams shot the ball extremely well in the second period. Freehold Township, which made 14 of 26 shots in the first half including two threes for 53.8 percent, made 8 of 11 attempts in the frame while South Brunswick, which was 14 of 32 from the floor including three treys over the first two periods for 43.8 percent, went 8 of 16 from the floor. Young led the way for South Brunswick with 13 points on 5 of 11 shooting including a three pointer along with a 2 of 2 effort at the line while Fischer led all scorers with 14 points on 6 of 9 shooting from the floor including two threes. Roberson added 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting from the floor and 2 of 4 shooting at the line while grabbing six rebounds. Fischer and Roberson accounted for 72.7 percent of the Patriot first half offense. After a first half that saw seven lead changes and three ties, South Brunswick asserted its will in the third quarter, and began to pull away. Over the first 2:32 of the third, the Vikings scored 10 of the first 16 points to take a 46-39 lead with 5:28 remaining in the period. Highlighting the run were a three pointer and a layup by Martin Soaries, who returned to the game after picking up his second foul at the 5:22 mark of the first quarter, and a three by Young. A little more than a half minute later, South Brunswick increased its lead nine as Manchanda found Dasant, who then made a short hook shot in the paint for a 12-6 run, and a 48-39 lead with 4:49 left in the third.

The Patriots tried to rally back with seven of the next nine points as Wilmont got a three pointer and a layup, and LaFalce added a layup of his own to make it 50-46 at the 2:19 mark, but then Martin Soaries got a steal, which led to a pivotal three point play by Morgan to give South Brunswick some much needed breathing room at 53-46. Fischer then got an offensive rebound and follow to trim the gap to five at 53-48 at the 1:30 mark. However, the Vikes continued to keep the Pats at arm's length as they got a steal, which Morgan passed off to Martin Soaries for the layup and the foul for a three point play to cap a 5-0 run, and make the score, 58-48 with 51.30 seconds left in the period. To make matters worse, Fischer had picked up his third foul. SBHS then finished out the quarter with four of the last seven points including a jumper by Sanu from about the foul line as time expired to make it 62-51 heading into the fourth. At the start of the fourth, the Vikinigs put Freehold Township on the ropes with the first five points of the period including two free throws by Sanu at the 7:59 mark to make it 64-51, and a three pointer from Young at the 7:31 mark to make it 67-51.

Freehold Township once again tried to climb back into the game with four of the next six points as Fischer lobbed a pass into Roberson for a layup as he was fouled for a conventional three point play that made the score, 67-54 at the 7:13 mark, and then the senior point guard sank one of two at the line at the 6:39 mark after a Martin Soaries score to make it 69-55. The Patriots tried to trim the deficit further as LaFalce put up a shot, but it was short and Martin Soaries grabbed the rebound and passed it downcourt to Young for a layup to make it a 71-55 lead with 6:06 to play. However, the Patriots didn't give up, and showed the quality that had made it a solid team all season. Over the next 3:03, Freehold Township went on a 15-6 tear as it chipped away at the South Brunswick lead while the Vikings tried to take some time off the clock. Fischer began the rally with another one of two showing at the foul line to make it 71-56 at the 5:58 mark. Following a missed one and one by Wilson at the 5:40 mark, Fischer made another one of two at the charity stripe to make it 71-57 with 5:32 to play. A few seconds later, Young was fouled, which put the Vikings in the double bonus, and the senior forward made one of two for a 72-57 lead at the 5:29 mark. On the next Freehold Township possession, Fischer passed off to LaFalce, who then made a three pointer under tremendous defensive pressure for a 72-60 South Brunswick lead with only 5:15 left.

Neither team scored for almost a minute until LaFalce struck again for one of two at the line for a 72-61 lead. However, Wilson came back with his third and final three point play of the game to make it 75-61 at the 4:15 mark. LaFalce retaliated with another three point shot to make it 75-64 in favor of the Vikings as Partiot coach, Brian Golub, called for time at the 4:01 mark. Following the timeout, Wilmont was fouled by Martin Soaries, for the fourth personal by the Viking guard, and the Patriot guard sank both foul shots to make it 75-66 with just under four minutes to play. The Patriots didn't stop there as they scored four of the next six points to cap the spurt as Fischer lobbed yet another inbounds pass to the athletic Roberson for a layup to make it 77-70 with about 3:15 to go. However, Freehold Township couldn't get any closer as the Vikings closed out the game with an 11-2 tear. All South Brunswick's remaining points came at the foul line with an 11 of 14 performance down the stretch. Young started the foul line parade with one of two free throws by at the 3:03 mark. Martin Soaries then followed that up with two trips to the charity stripe that resulted in three of four foul shots to make it 81-70 at the 1:57 mark. Morgan made one of two himself at the 1:42 mark to make it 82-70.

Then, after a Roberson steal for a layup to make it 82-72 with only 1:24 to play, Martin Soaries knocked home another pair at the 1:11 mark followed by two more from Manchanda at the 57.75 mark, and Young got the final points of the game on two free throws at the 47.77 mark to make it 88-72 as LaFalce fouled out. As time wound down, the South Brunswick fans crowded the sidelines on their half of the court, and as time ran out, they stormed the court to join their team in celebration. With the victory, South Brunswick advances to the Group IV State Semifinal, which is set for Wednesday night in Atlantic City against the South Jersey Group IV Champion, Cherokee, which defeated Winslow Township. The Vikings are now 26-2 on the season including a 9-1 record against non-conference opponents. Freehold Township finishes a tremendous season at 26-2.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 3, 2007
Non-Public A South State Tournament--Semifinals

CBA Prevails Over St. Joseph's In Overtime, 62-55

By Greg Machos
March 3, 2007

LINCROFT, NJ--For the second straight year, St. Joseph's traveled down to Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, and lost. Like last season, the Falcons, which put together another fine run in the always tough Non-Public A South State Tournament, gave the Colts and their Colt Crazies all they could handle before falling in a tough overtime battle, 62-55 in the semifinals. After trailing early on, the Falcons took the lead in the early moments of the second quarter, and led by as many as six early in the third quarter before the home team reeled off six straight points to tie things up at 30-30 with 3:51 left in the frame. From that point until the 3:16 mark of overtime, both teams dueled in a back and forth exchange that saw ten ties and ten lead changes before the Colts went on a decisive 9-0 run over a two minute span to take a 57-48 lead before Paul Konopacki scored on a layup as he was fouled for a three point play to make it 57-51 with 1:16 left. The Falcons then scored for of the next seven points to pull within five on two free throws by freshman guard, Steve Rennard (1 of 5 FGs and 2 of 2 FTs for 4 points, 2 assists, and a rebound) with a minute left, and two more by senior forward, Kyan Hines (two field goals and 6 of 6 FTs for 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, a steal, and a block) with 39 seconds left, but they couldn't get any closer as CBA advanced to the Championship Game for the third straight year, 62-55.

Throughout much of the game, it seemed that the Falcons were getting all the right bounces. In addition to CBA's junior Mike Kuhn only going three of his first eight at the foul line, St. Joe's got a unusual four point play by senior guard, Taurin Wheeler (2 of 4 field goals including two threes and one of one at the line for seven points and an assist), with 34 seconds left in the first period to make it 14-13 in favor of CBA. Then, early in the second after Kuhn made one of two at the charity stripe for a 15-13 lead, Wheeler took a pass from Lamar Fisher (4 of 5 FGs and 1 of 1 FTs for 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block before fouling out with 28 seconds left in regulation) and hit another three to give the Falcons their first lead of the game at 16-15 with 6:03 left before the intermission. The last sign of good fortune occurred when Hines made two free throws that both hit the front of the rim and bounced in to cap a 5-0 Falcon run, and give St. Joe's its biggest lead of the game with 6:50 left in the third. However, all the good fortune turned bad as CBA rallied to tie, and then with its raucous fan base that included a priest, going berzerk, the game became pressure packed with every possession as vital as the previous one.

Leading the way for St. Joseph's in a losing cause was senior Darrell Carroll. Despite some struggles to score inside against a tough CBA defense, he still managed to get 12 points on four field goals, and four of five at the foul line while also pulling down six rebounds, handing out three assists, and picking up a block and a charge. Konopacki chipped in with 4 of 8 shooting, and 3 of 4 at the line for 11 points along withh 3 steals, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, a block that was a reminder that volleyball season is coming, and a charge. Reserve Ian Acampado rounded out the Falcon scoring with two points on 1 of 2 shooting from the floor while picking up two charges and a steal. Forward Andrew Colon (a rebound) also played in the game for the Falcons, but didn't score. Meanwhile, for CBA, Kuhn led the charge with 19 points on 5 of 10 shooting from the floor, and 9 of 14 shooting from the foul line including 6 of 6 over the final 1:12 of regulation, and in the overtime. Kuhn also picked up four steals, three rebounds, and two assists. Senior guard Derek Becker also chipped in with four field goals in five shot attempts while making both his free throws for 10 points. Sophomore forward, Brian Neller made 3 of 7 shot attempts while connecting on all four of his free throws to score ten as well. Neller also picked up six rebounds, an assist, and a block.

Senior 6'4", 190 pound senior, Justin Schwartz, made two field goals while netting all six of his free throws for another ten points to go along with eight rebounds, an assist, and a steal as four Colt players scored in double figures while only three did the same for the Falcons. Spencer Van Wagoner made a three point play at the 1:08 mark of the extra session to account for his only points of the contest while also collecting three rebounds, an assist, steal, and block. The rest of the Colts including Will Grier (2 of 4 FTs for 2 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal), John Planer (a field goal for two points), Ryan Seuffert (a field goal for two points along with two rebounds), Brian Roscitt (a field goal for two points, an assist, and a steal), and Matt Somerville (a thunderous one handed dunk from the right side at the 2:06 mark of the third for his only field goal and two points and two rebounds). For the game, St. Joseph's went 18 of 49 from the floor for 36.7 percent while CBA made 19 of 46 shots for 41.3 percent. At the line, the Colts got a lot of their points with a 24 of 31 effort for 77.4 percent while the Falcons went 17 of 20 at the line for 85 percent. St. Joe's won the turnover war with a 16 to 21 edge.

In other statistical areas, the visitors from the GMC enjoyed advantages in three pointers (2-0), charges (4-0), and blocks (4-3) while CBA had edges in rebounding (27-16), and steals (9-7). Both teams each had eleven assists each. Both teams scored in double figures in three of the four periods in regulation, but the Colts got double digits in overtime with a decisive 16-9 showing for the win. CBA outscored the Falcons in three of the five periods played with St. Joseph's getting a 10-8 edge in the second for a 23-22 halftime lead, and the fourth ended in a 14-14 draw. In a game that saw neither team have a lead bigger than nine points, CBA came out right from the start with a basket by Kuhn as he was fouled at the 7:27 mark of the first, but he missed the bonus free throw so the score stood at 2-0. Becker then added a layup at the 6:50 mark for a 4-0 CBA lead before the Falcons finally got on the board as Fisher swiped a steal, and went in for the layup to make it 4-2 at the 6:11 mark. The Colts got another score to make it 6-2, but St. Joe's came right back with a layup by Carroll off a feed by Konopacki at the 4:17 mark to make it 6-4. Kuhn then gave the Colts, which compete in the Class A North Division of the Shore Conference, a 9-4 advantage with a three point play at the 3:08 mark of the first.

From that point until the 6:03 mark of the fourth period, the Falcons went on a 12-6 spurt including all seven points in the contest by Wheeler to take a 16-15 lead. Fisher, who had six of his nine points in the first half on 3 of 4 shooting from the field, sparked the rally with a drive from the left wing from a layup at the 2:48 mark. Then, after a pair of free throws by Schwartz at the 2:20 mark, and one of two at the line by Carroll at the 2:04 mark to make it 11-7, the Falcons scored six of the next nine points to close the gap to one at 14-13 going into the second period. Wheeler capped the rally when he took a pass from Carroll and made a three pointer as he was fouled for a rare four point play that made the Colts and their Crazies a bit "Queasy" with 34 seconds to go in the first. Looking at the first quarter scoring, the Falcons were 5 of 12 from the field including Wheeler's three for 41.7 percent while making two of three foul shots for 66.7 percent, and committing four turnovers. CBA was a little bit better from the floor with a 5 of 10 effort for 50 percent while making 3 of 6 from the foul line, and making seven miscues. At the beginning of the second, Kuhn made one of two at the foul line at the 7:58 mark for a 15-13 lead, but after neither team scored for a little less than two minutes, the Falcons took the lead for the first time as Wheeler took pass from Fisher and drained another three to make it 16-15 wth a bit over six minutes remaining in the half much to the delight of the St. Joe's faithful, which had quite an animated student body at the game as well.

Carroll, who had eight points in the first half, then followed that up with a traditional three point play to make it 19-15 at the 5:07 mark. Grier sank a pair of free throws for CBA to make it a two point game again at 19-17 at the 4:39 mark, and then Kuhn made one of two again at the 3:31 mark to follow a Falcon score, and make it 21-18. Konopacki missed the front end of a one and one at the 3:17 mark, and then Schwartz closed the gap to one at 21-20 with another pair of free throws at the 2:52 mark. Neither team scored for a bit more than a minute and a half before Acampado drove and spinned though the middle of the key to the basket for a layup to make it 23-20 at the 1:17 mark. CBA would finish out the half with the final two points to make it a 23-22 game as both teams went to their respective locker rooms at the intermission. St. Joseph's went 4 of 9 from the floor including the Wheeler three in the second period while CBA was just 1 of 9. However, the Colts made up that difference in what would be the lowest scoring quarter of the game with a 6 of 8 effort at the line while the Falcons were just 1 of 3. Each team made five turnovers. For the half, St. Joseph's made 9 of 21 shots for 42.9 percent while CBA was only 6 of 19 for 31.6 percent. The Colts were 9 of 14 at the foul line while the Falcons were only 3 of 6. St. Joe's had the edge in turnovers though 9 to 12.

The good fortune seemed to continue for St. Joe's as the third quarter began. With the Colt Crazies being whipped up into a frenzy, Steve Rennard had the ball and drew attention from the CBA guards, which caused him to temporarily loose control of the basketball with a high dribble that many CBA fans thought might have constituted a turnover, but no call was made, and the freshman drove to the basket for his only field goal of the game to make it 25-22 at the 7:32 mark. Twenty seconds later, Schwartz made a pair of free throws to make it a one point game again at 25-24. Then, Fisher picked up a three point play at the 7:02 mark, and then Hines got his two foul shots with the friendly bounces, and suddenly, St. Joseph's was looking good at 30-24 with 6:50 remaining in the third. Following a timeout called by legendary CBA coach, Ed Wicelinski, the Colts responded with a 6-0 rally over the next 2:59 to tie the game at 30-30. Highlighting the run were the only two field goals of the game by Schwartz on layups, and a layup by Neller to knot the game at the 3:51 mark. Moments later, Fisher was called for an intentional foul, but Grier missed both foul shots, and the Colts couldn't score after getting the ball.

With the reprieve, St. Joseph's took the lead again as Carroll made two free throws for a 32-30 score with 2:22 left in the period. However, on the next CBA possession, Somerville took a pass on the right wing, drove though the lane, and soared for a one handed slam that raised decibel levels even higher in a gym that had just the right acoustics to harbor such loud noise from fans on both sides. The score remained tied at 32-32 going into the fourth, where the back and forth play didn't stop there. In the final period of regulation, CBA made four field goals and went a perfect 6 of 6 at the line for its 14 points while St. Joseph's sank six field goals and made both of its free throw attempts. The Colts opened the scoring to take the lead as Becker made a layup at the 7:42 mark to make it 34-32. Fifty-four seconds later, the Falcons answered as Rennard passed off to Konopacki, who had all eleven of his points over the final 10:48 of the game, for a layup to tie it at 34-34. CBA then took the ball down the floor, and got it in the hands of Becker, who found Kuhn open for a jumper that was true from the left wing to make it 36-34 at the 6:26 mark. Seconds later, Hines was fouled, and went to the line for two free throws to knot it again at 36-36. But, once again, the Colts too the lead thanks to Kuhn as he scored another layup. The Falcons would retake the lead though as Hines first took a pass from Fisher for a layup, and then scored again on an offensive rebound and putback off his own miss to make it 40-38 with 5:15 left in regulation.

On the next CBA possession, the Colts threw the ball away, and that resulted in a timeout at the 5:08 mark. Following the stoppage, neither team scored for almost a minute until Kuhn, who scored 10 of his 19 points in the fourth, put in a layup to tie the game once again at 40-40 with 4:15 to go in regulation. The Falcons retaliated with a lob pass to Konopacki for a layup at the 3:44 mark to make it 42-40 in favor of the visitors. The lead didn't last long though as Neller got the home team even with a pair from the charity stripe to make it 42-42 with 3:29 to play in the fourth. Following a St. Joe's timeout at the 3:21 mark, Konopacki drove, and spun for a layup to give the Falcons a two point lead again at 44-42 with just under three minutes to play. Thirty-five seconds later, Konopacki came up with a huge play as he sprung up to block a shot by Schwartz much like he would for a spike at the net during volleyball season, which is fast approaching. Neither team scored for over a minute until Kuhn got hold of an offensive rebound following a block by Carroll, and was fouled. Kuhn made the two free throws, and with 1:12 left in regulation, the score was tied again at 44-44.

The Falcons showed no signs of backing down as they saw a great opportunity to get down to Lakewood for the first time since the days of Jason Williams and Brian Wilson. With 35 seconds remaining, Hines found Carroll, who forced his way through intense CBA defensive traffic for the layup to give St. Joseph's a 46-44 lead. However, the game turned emotional and controversial as Fisher was called for his fifth personal foul, and had to go to the bench with 28 seconds left in the fourth. Kuhn, who was fouled on the play, went to the line and sank another pair to tie it at 46-46 as Falcon coach, Dave Turco, who recorded twenty plus wins for the second straight year after taking over in the Spring of 2005 and notched his 200th career win about a month ago, called for time. St. Joseph's then got the ball to halfcourt, and called time again with 13 seconds to play in the fourth. Following the timeout, St. Joseph's inbounded the ball, and got it to Wheeler. Meanwhile, Konopacki cut across into the key near the baseline, and the Falcons appeared to have a shot for the winning score, but the timing of the pass was a bit off thanks to the defense of CBA. Becker then came up with the steal, and the two teams went to overtime.

By this time the fans on both sides were going back and forth. St. Joseph's athletic director, Jerry Smith was urging the student section on to give his team an extra boost while the CBA Colt Crazies had a priest among them right along the sidelines joining in on the clapping and chanting. It was the first time I had ever been to a CBA and St. Joe's game, and it left quite an impression on me. In the overtime, Konopacki opening the scoring by going to the line, and making a pair with just five seconds gone by to make it 48-46. Once more, CBA would respond though as Neller was fouled by Hines, who picked up his fourth personal. The sophomore forward then made both his free throws to knot the game again at 48-48. Little did everyone in the gym know that those two free throws would not only signify the end of the tug of war between these two proud parochial schools, but it would also ignite a decisive 11-0 run over the next 2:26. The Colts took the lead for good when Becker, who had six of his ten points in overtime, took a pass from Grier for a layup at the 3:16 mark to make it 50-48. Following a timeout by CBA at the 2:41 mark, Kuhn found Becker for a layup that made it 52-48 with 2:36 left. Twenty-eight seconds later, Becker netted two foul shots to make it 54-48 with a little over two minutes to play. St. Joseph's tried to get a score, but Hines and Wheeler miscommunicated with each other and collided near the Falcon bench causing the ball to go out of bounds with 1:47 to play.

Despite the odds, St. Joe's refused to give up as they prevented CBA from taking advantage of its miscue by getting a stop on the defensive end, and then getting a three point play from Konopacki, who scored on a layup as he was fouled following an offensive rebound to make it a two possession game again at 57-51 with 1:16 to play. However, on the very next Colt possession, Van Wagoner got his only points of the game with a three point play that put the Falcons on the brink at the 1:08 mark. Rennard came up with two free throws on the next Falcon possession at the one minute mark to make it 60-53, and then Hines got two more from the free throw line to make it 60-55 at the 39 second mark. The Falcons then had a chance to cut the lead to one possession as they got the ball inside to Carroll, but CBA stopped him, and Kuhn was fouled. The junior then hit a pair of free throws with 31 seconds to play, and that sealed the 62-55 victory. With the win, Christian Brothers Academy advances to the final, where it has appeared before recently in 2005 and 2006, to play Camden Catholic, a 40-30 winner over another Cinderella, tenth seeded Notre Dame, 40-30. St. Joseph's finishes the year at 20-9.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 3, 2007
North Jersey Section 2 Group III State Tournament--Semifinals

Hall's First Quarter Outburst Spurs Patriots Past Tigers, 61-41

By Greg Machos
March 3, 2007

COLONIA, NJ--A couple weeks ago when the preview of the 2007 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament was posted online, I had stated that the one aspect of Brandon Hall's game that needed improvement relative to his playmaking ability and defense, was his perimeter shooting. Well, during the first quarter of the North Jersey Section 2 Group III semifinal against South Plainfield, I was eating my words. The junior point guard, who was awarded the Most Improved Player by GMC Hoops last year, made four of his six first period shot attempts including three from downtown, and also had a conventional three point play in addition to two more free throws for 14 points in the opening frame to put Colonia ahead 20-12. Although South Plainfield trailed by only six at halftime, and eight after three quarters, the Tigers couldn't overcome that, and the Patriots put the game away with an 18-6 rampage in the fourth quarter to seal a 61-41 victory to reach its second sectional final in three years.

Hall, who ended up with 20 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the floor including those three treys, and a perfect 5 of 5 at the foul line, will be leading his Colonia team in the North Jersey Section 2 Group III Championship against Union Hill of Union City in Hudson County at Plainfield High School on Tuesday night. The last time Colonia played in the North Jersey Section 2 Group III Final was back in 2005 when it lost to eventual state champion, Shabazz of Newark. In addition to his twenty points, Hall compiled five assists, two steals, a rebound, and a charge in the game, which happened to be broadcasted live on WCTC. Also helping out was sophomore, J.J. D'Amico, who had 13 points on four of eight shooting including a three pointer, and a perfect four of four from the line. D'Amico put the game away in the middle of the fourth with a three pointer to make it 52-38, and then another field goal on a jumper shortly afterward. Joe LaSala made all three of his field goal attemtps while adding a one of two effort at the foul line for seven points along with ten rebounds, two steals, and three charges.

Both sophomore Nnamdi Usuwa (2 of 5 FGs and 2 of 2 FTs for 6 points, 3 rebounds, and a charge) and senior Kevin Edmonds (2 of 3 FGs including a three pointer, and 1 of 3 FTs for 6 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block) each had six points. Mike Salvador missed all four of his shots, but made one of two at the line for a point, and handed out three assists. Sal McClain (2 of 2 FTs for 2 points), Bryant Androvich (1 of 1 FG for 2 points, a rebound, and an assist), Jeff Mentzel (1 of 2 FGs for 2 points and a rebound), and sophomore Mike Karabin (2 of 2 FTs for 2 points) rounded out the Patriot scoring with two points each. Brenden Wagner and sophomore forward Mike Nweme (0 of 1 FG and two rebounds) also played, but didn't score. Meanwhile, for the Tigers of South Plainfield, senior guard, Shamai Santiago led the way with 17 points on 6 of 13 shooting from the floor including two treys and a 3 of 3 effort from the line along with two rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Chipping in for SPHS was sophomore guard, Mike Burton who only made three of nine shots, but also netted both of his free throw attempts for eight points along with two rebounds, and an assist.

Opie Muse, who fouled out at the 5:29 mark of the fourth, ended his career with 2 of 3 field goals for four points while collecting three rebounds, an assist, and a blocked shot. Dontae Johnson, who closed out a splendid freshman campaign, made one of four field goals, and one of two at the line for three points along with two rebounds, two steals, an assist, and a block. Senior Danny Hubner also made one of four from the floor, and all three of his free throws for five points while also picking up a rebound, block, and a charge. Benny Gibson rounded out the Tiger scoring with four points on one of four shooting and two of four at the foul line while collecting two rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a charge. Chris Pollin (0 of 1 FG, four rebounds, two blocks, and an assist), Kyle Matthews (an assist, steal, and a block), and Dondray Hardin (0 of 2 FGs) also played for South Plainfield, but didn't score. For the game, Colonia made 19 of 40 shots for 47.5 percent while SPHS went 14 of 40 from the floor for 35 percent. The Patriots also made 18 of 22 shots from the foul line for 81.8 percent while the Tigers were 11 of 15 at the charity stripe for 73.3 percent. Turnovers were quite even with the Pats getting the slight edge, 19 to 20.

In other statistical areas, Colonia had the advantage in three pointers (5-2), rebounds (26-16), assists (14-9), and charges (5-2). Meanwhile, South Plainfield held edges in blocks (6-2), and both teams had six steals each. The Patriots scored in double figures in each of the four periods of play while South Plainfield registered double digits in the first three frames. The home team outscored the visitors in three of the four periods with the Tigers getting the edge in the second, 12-10 to make it 30-24 at halftime. Although the score may have not showed it, this was perhaps the closest game played of the three this season between the two schools. While SPHS was fighting an uphill battle from the end of the first quarter on, they didn't finally capitulate until the middle of the fourth quarter after Muse had already fouled out, and D'Amico buried the three to make it a fourteen point advantage. As a matter of fact, the Tigers jumped out to an early 5-2 lead on a three pointer by Santiago, and a layup by Gibson before Hall, who handed out an assist on a D'Amico layup, made a pair at the foul line with 5:43 to go in the period to make the score, 5-4. Then, following a South Plainfield timeout at the 4:53 mark to avoid a five second violation, Hall put his team in front with a steal for a layup as he was fouled by Gibson. The Colonia junior then sank the bonus free throw for the conventional three point play to make it 7-5 at the 4:37 mark.

On the very next offensive possession, South Plainfield got the ball into the hands of Santiago, who passed off to Muse for a layup as he was fouled. However, the senior forward missed the bonus free throw, and the score was tied at 7-7 with 4:25 left in the period. Over the next 2:23, Colonia embarked on a 10-3 tear with Hall having a hand in all of the Patriot scoring with two three pointers, and assists on layups by LaSala and Usuwa for a 17-10 lead with 2:02 remaining in the stanza. Burton then made a long two pointer to make it 17-12,, but Hall replied with his final trey of the game to close out the opening quarter scoring to make it 20-12 going into the second. Colonia, led by Hall, shot the ball very well in the first period with a 7 of 11 shooting effort for 63.6 percent while South Plainfield went just 5 of 12 for 41.7 percent. The second quarter began with neither team scoring for the first 2:13 until Muse got his second and final field goal of the game on an offensive rebound and putback following a Hubner miss to make it 20-14 at the 5:47 mark. Burton then followed that up nearly thirty seconds later when he was fouled on a jumper for a three point play to make it 20-17 at the 5:18 mark.

However, Colonia maintained its advantage by increasing the lead to seven with an 8-4 run over a span of 3:29 to make it 28-21 before Gibson put South Plainfield back on the board with a one of two showing at the foul line to make it 28-22 at the 1:47 mark. The Tigers closed the gap to 28-24, and could have even made it closer, but LaSala, drew his second of three charges, when he went to the ground on a drive by Hubner at the 33.14 second mark. The Patriots then closed out the first half with a pair of free throws by Hall for his only points of the second to make it 30-24 at the break. In the second quarter, Colonia only made 4 of 10 shots from the floor, but made both its attempts at the line, and committed only three turnovers. South Plainfield, though, was the hotter team by making five of its eight shot attempts while knocking down two of its three free throws. However, the Tigers, which had nine first half turnovers, shot themselves in the foot with six in the frame. For the half, both teams shot well with SPHS making 10 of 20 attempts for 50 percent while Colonia did slightly better going 11 of 21 from the floor for 52.4 percent. The Patriots held a bigger lead thanks to more threes (3 to 2), and a 5 of 5 effort at the line versus only 2 of 4 by SPHS.

Colonia, which defeated South Plainfield twice earlier this season including a 55-43 win at home on January 15th, and a 49-31 defeat at SPHS on February 8th, came out firing to start the second half as Hall got the ball in the hands of 6'8" senior forward, Kevin Edmonds, who netted a three pointer to make it 33-24. Burton replied with three points of his own, but of the conventional three point play variety to make it 33-27 with just 33 seconds gone by in the third. Colonia then increased its lead to 35-27 before South Plainfield was called for a technical foul at the 6:59 mark that resulted in a pair of free throws by D'Amico to make it 37-27. Following a South Plainfield timeout at the 6:42 mark, Gibson was fouled when Edmonds drew contact while blocking the South Plainfield forward's shot. Gibson then stepped up to the line, and made one of two again to close out his scoring on the game, and make it 37-28 with 6:29 to go in the third. Neither team scored for nearly two minutes after that until Edmonds got an offensive rebound off of a blocked shot by Pollin on a D'Amico shot, and the senior forward got the bucket and foul, but missed the bonus free throw to make it 39-28 at the 4:31 mark.

D'Amico then followed that up with a pair of free throws after South Plainfield scored earlier, and then got into the bonus. So, with 3:11 remaining in the third, the Tigers trailed, 41-30. On the next offensive possession for SP, Pollin passed inside to Hubner for a layup as he was fouled for a three point play to trim the deficit to single digits at 41-33 with 2:56 left. A little less than a minute and a half later, Usuwa netted a pair of free throws to make it 43-33 as Hubner picked up his fourth foul at the 1:29 mark. Santiago, who scored ten of his points in the first half, made two free throws at the 1:17 mark to make it an eight point game again at 43-35 as the two teams went into the fourth and final period of play. At the start of the fourth, Hall got back on the board for his first points of the second half as he scored a layup off an assist by D'Amico at the 7:25 mark to make it 45-35. LaSala followed that up on the next SPHS offensive possession by drawing a charge on a driving Pollin at the 7:13 mark. Colonia then got a bucket to make it 47-35, and began to pull away.

Contributing to the ultimate result was Muse fouling out. With 5:29 left in the game, the senior fouled Edmonds, and had to leave the game while the tall and lanky Colonia forward made one of two at the foul line for a 48-35 lead. Usuwa would get an offensive rebound off the missed second foul shot by Edmonds, but the Pats failed to convert as Johnson got a steal for South Plainfield. The freshman then got fouled soon afterward, and made one of two at the line for a 48-36 Patriot lead with 5:13 left. The Patriots called for time at the 5:06 mark, and then closed out the game with a 13-5 spurt. The final assault was sparked by one of two at the line by LaSala at the 4:51 mark to make it 49-36 as the Tigers were now in the double bonus. Hubner put Colonia in the double bonus moments later, and sank a pair of the line to make it 49-38, but D'Amico put a dagger in the Tigers' heart with a trey to make it 52-38, and a little while later, made another field goal to make it 54-41 with about two minutes or so to play. At that point, South Plainfield coach, Bill Schulte put in his reserves, and Colonia went on to win, 61-41. With the victory, Colonia raised its record to 23-3 overall on the season, and 20-2 in conference play while South Plainfield concluded its season at 18-8 overall and 16-6 in the GMC.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 2, 2007
Non-Public B South State Tournament--Quarterfinal Round

Trenton Catholic Puts An End To The Rosario Era, 63-51

By Greg Machos
March 2, 2007

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ--The script for this story wasn’t supposed to end this way for the second ranked Eagles of Cardinal McCarrick. The second seeded team in the Non-Public B South bracket had all the emotion and momentum in the world going for it after it upset top seeded and heavily favored South Brunswick in the semifinals of the 2007 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament. However, sixth seeded Piscataway wore down Vince Rosario and his teammates with it size advantage, solid defense, and physical play. The Iron Mikes of Trenton Catholic, formerly McCorristin, which now competes in the Burlington County Scholastic League, took a page from the Chiefs championship game victory by using its size and physicality, along with tough defense on Rosario to knock off the Eagles, 63-51 in a game broadcasted live on WCTC 1450 AM NewsTalk Radio on Friday night.

Seventh seeded Trenton Catholic, which actually entered state tourney play on a losing streak, got 21 points on six field goals, a three pointer, and six foul shots by freshman Donore Whitmore while Daquan Basnight chipped in with 15 points on seven field goals and a foul shot. Mike Williams was solid at the foul line with eight free throws in addition to his three field goals for 14 points. Lorenzo Santos (two field goals for four points) helped round out the scoring for the Iron Mikes, which were briefly coach by Middlesex County legend, John Somogyi for a time in the mid 1990s. Meanwhile, for McCarrick, the standout career of guard Vince Rosario came to an end with the senior scoring 18 points on four field goals, three treys, and a foul shot. Rosario, who became the school’s all-time leading scorer, fell short of getting 2,000 career points as he ended up with 1,946. Junior forward, Mike Burwell, chipped in with 14 points on five field goals, a three pointer, and a free throw while Carlos Garcia added eight on a field goal and two threes in the loss.

Colin Romer contributed with a three pointer and a field goal for five points, Branten Widgeon had two first half field goals for four points, and Eliazor Landano rounded out the scoring with a layup in the waning moments of the game for two points. One of the big discrepancies in the game was foul shooting. Just the Iron Mike trio of Whitmore, Basnight, and Williams had considerably more made free throws with 15 versus only two by the Eagles entire team. Although Rosario had the team high in scoring for McCarrick, he only had four points in the entire second half. The senior guard, who made a verbal commitment to FDU earlier this year, didn’t get his first field goal until the middle of the first quarter when the Eagles trailed 13-5. As a matter of fact, the Iron Mikes, which previously played in the Colonial Valley Conference for years, came out strong in the first period. After Burwell made his only trey of the game to open the scoring, Trenton Catholic embarked on a 13-0 tear. Then, following Rosario’s first score, TCA reeled off nine of the next eleven points for a surprising 22-7 lead as McCarrick’s head coach, Joe Lewis, called a timeout with about two minutes left in the first quarter. The Eagles, which fought uphill the rest of the way, would close the quarter with four of the final six points to make it 24-11 entering the second.

Over the first 4:20 of the second, both teams matched point for point as each squad scored eight to make it 32-19 in favor of Trenton Catholic Academy with 3:40 left before the intermission. The Eagles cut the deficit down to eleven at 32-21, but Williams countered with a pair at the foul line to make it 34-21 at the 2:53 mark. The Iron Mikes then took their biggest lead of the game at 36-21 before Garcia got his first points of the game on a scoop shot for a layup to make it 36-23 at the 1:42 mark. Trenton Catholic would make a free throw, and when Burwell’s three pointer was off the mark as time expired in the second, both teams went to their respective locker rooms with the visitors from Trenton ahead, 37-23. At the start of the third quarter, McCarrick got off on the right foot when Rosario found Garcia for a deep trey to make it 37-26 at the 7:12 mark. However, Trenton Catholic continued to keep Cardy Mac at bay by scoring the next four points to match its biggest lead at 41-26 with 6:10 left in the third. The Eagles tried again to climb back into things with perhaps its best run of the game. Cardy Mac reeled off six straight points over a span of just 26 seconds to get within single digits for the first time since the opening quarter at 41-32 with 5:44 to go in the period. Once again though, the Iron Mikes refused to hand over their lead by finishing the third on an 8-4 run to make it 49-36 going into the fourth.

In the fourth, Cardinal McCarrick got off to a fine start again with five of the first seven points of the frame to reduce the gap to just 51-41, but Williams again put a halt to the rally by making another pair at the line to make the score, 53-41 with under six minutes to go in the game. A little over a minute later, a steal by Julio Rosario led to a Burwell layup for a 53-43 score as the Eagles called for time at the 4:47 mark. Following the timeout, McCarrick couldn’t get any closer as Trenton Catholic outscored the home team 10-8 the rest of the way for the 63-51 win. With the victory, the Iron Mikes advance to the semifinals to face third seeded Wildwood Catholic, which defeated Bishop Eustace in another quarterfinal round game. Last year, the Crusaders, led by Anthony Raffa, won the sectional title by defeating the Iron Mikes in the Championship. Meanwhile, Cardinal McCarrick finishes the year at 19-7 overall.

GMC Hoops Summaries--February 27, 2007
Non-Public A South State Tournament--Opening Round

Carroll Shot At 6.0 Helps Falcons Defeat Holy Spirit Again In Another Overtime Saga, 56-55

By Greg Machos
February 27, 2007

METUCHEN, NJ--I can't imagine what last year's four overtime war was like between these two schools. Tuesday night's game between eighth seeded St. Joseph's and ninth seeded Holy Spirit of Absecon at the New Bird Cage in Metuchen was another one for the ages. While this particular game only went one extra period, you can tell that despite the vast distance between these two schools, there is definitely a great rivalry that has developed in just the past two seasons. There were many adjectives to describe this overtime thriller. Contentious, Tenuous, Riveting, Heated, Passionate, and Electric are just a few. This game was simply another war in the short history between these two schools. From the second quarter on, there were a total of ten lead changes and four ties with neither team having a lead bigger than nine points. In the end though, the Falcons found a way to pull out a big win over this Cape Atlantic League team, which ended its regular season with a double digit win over St. Augustine's Prep of Richland, which happens to be the second seeded team in the Non-Public A South bracket.

Senior center, Darrell Carroll, who ended up with a game high 16 points on six field goals and four free throws, made one of his patented drives through the paint amongst traffic for a layup with 6.0 seconds left, and then the Falcons withstood a last second shot that was off the mark by the Spartans, B.J. Bailey (a field goal and three treys for 11 points) to emerge victorious in overtime, 56-55. Junior small forward Paul Konopacki, who gave the Falcons a 54-53 lead with 41.8 seconds to play in the extra session on a follow of a missed layup by Lamar Fisher (three field goals and a three pointer for 9 points), who produced a steal to set up the score, ended up with six field goals and a foul shot for 13 points. Freshman point guard, Steve Rennard chipped in with 10 points as the Falcons had three players score in double figures versus only two for Holy Spirit. Senior forward, Kyan Hines chipped in with two field goals for four points while Taurin Wheeler and Ian Acampado each added a field goal each for two to round out St. Joe's scoring.

For the Spartans, senior forward, Cliff Spiller led the way with a team high 13 points on four field goals and five foul shots. As a matter of fact, Spiller accounted for all the made free throws Holy Spirit had on the night. St. Joseph's made seven foul shots. Besides the 11 points from Bailey, Junior Ryan Brooks chipped in with nine points on three field goals including a two handed dunk at the 7:12 mark of the third quarter that gave the Spartans a 28-23 lead, and a three pointer. Fellow teammate, Mallory DeSouza demonstrated a nice touch for a big kid with 8 points on a baseline jumper and two threes while point guard, Eric Farber, who scored on a putback of his own shot that was blocked by Fisher to tie the game at 46-46 with 22.8 to play in regulation, also had eight points, but on four field goals. Rounding out the scoring for the South Jersey team were Brian Crilloy (a field goal for two points), Preston Smith (a field goal for two points), and freshman Anthony Taylor (a field goal for two points).

For the game, the Falcons got their 56 points on twenty field goals, three treys, and seven foul shots while the Spartans made 16 field goals, six three pointers, and five free throws for their 55 points. Both teams scored in double figures in three of the four periods in regulation, but St. Joe's got one more double digit frame in the extra session to get the win. Holy Spirit had lost to the likes of Central Jersey Group IV top seed, and Shore Conference Tournament Champions, Freehold Township, on January 13th, 52-49, Middle Township (twice), South Jersey Group III top seed Shawnee, South Jersey Group IV three seed Cherokee, Wildwood Catholic (twice), and St. Augustine's Prep, a team that started the season 12-1 including a blowout win over Metuchen at the Showcase Classic at CBA on January 20th before going 7-6 down the stretch going into the state tournanment. Meanwhile, St. Joseph's had been battle tested going 8-3 against non-conference opponents, and playing the likes of St. Patrick's, St. Anthony's, Bayonne, Moore Catholic, Newark Academy, Queen of Peace from North Arlington, and Hoboken.

Yet, in a very loaded Non-Public A South Tourney, which includes the likes of the Hermits from St. Augustine's, Camden Catholic, CBA, St. John Vianney, Monsignor Donovan (which was supposed to be rebuilding after losing talented guard Andre Stallworth to graduation), Bishop Ahr, Notre Dame, and a Holy Cross team that didn't qualify for the states last year, but have a very talented player in Devan Williams, these two squads that had a combined record of 36-15 going in were the eighth and ninth seeds. Back to the game itself, Carroll, who only had four points in a tightly played first quarter that had St. Joe's emerge with a 12-11 lead, made five field goals and two foul shots over the final three periods of regulation and the overtime. The 6'5", 200 pound senior, who also picked up two key charges, two assists, and a steal during that same time frame, came up big in crunch time with three field goals for six points in the pivotal fourth quarter rally, and four points in the overtime on a pair of free throws at the 3:21 mark, and of course, the game winning shot. However, for a time, the Falcons looked as if they may lose this one, and the Spartans getting revenge for the heartbreaking four overtime loss last year.

Trailing 23-17 after a nice play by Konopacki, who anticipated a pass by the Spartans' Ryan Brooks for a steal and a layup at the 1:37 mark of the second quarter, Holy Spirit embarked on a 21-6 surge that spanned 8:12 until Bailey took a pass from Spiller, who then made a nice seal to leave the sophomore guard wide open to nail a three pointer from the right side to cap the run, and make the score 38-29 with 1:25 left in the third. During that span, the Spartans closed the first half with a 7-0 run that included two layups by Farber at the 1:11 and 42.6 second marks, and a three pointer by DeSouza off a nice penetration and kick by Farber as time ran out in the first half to give Holy Spirit a 24-23 lead at the intermission. The team from South Jersey then continued the assault at the start of the second half with the first seven points of the third period for a 14-0 tear to make the score 31-23 with 6:34 left in the frame. The early third run was highlighted by a layup by Crilloy following an offensive rebound and assist by Brooks at the 7:39 mark, a two handed jam by Brooks at the 7:12 mark, and a trey by Brooks from the left wing off a feed by Farber at about the 6:45 mark.

St. Joseph's, which was held scoreless for a span of 4:32 after taking the six point lead, its largest of the game, late in the second quarter, didn't get a score until the 5:05 mark of the third when Carroll, who drew a charge on Brooks in the previous Holy Spirit offensive possession at the 5:23 mark, found Hines for a layup to make it 31-25. The Spartans quickly responded as Crilloy made a nice skip pass to Bailey for a trifecta from the left wing to make it 34-25 at the 4:57 mark. The Falcons then rallied for four straight points all courtesy of Konopacki, who scored 9 of his 13 points on four field goals and a one of three effort at the charity stripe as well as collected two offensive rebounds, two steals, and a block over the final 28 minutes of the game. A half minute or so after Bailey's three, Hines made a sharp pass to a cutting Konopacki for a layup as he was fouled, but the athletic junior, who is also a volleyball standout, missed the bonus free throw for the traditional three point play, and the score stood at 34-27 at the 4:21 mark. Less than twenty seconds later, Konopacki struck again with a steal for a layup to cut the deficit to five at 34-29.

However, following a Holy Spirit timeout at the 3:54 mark, the Spartans regrouped, and seemed to have regained control of the game to a point where St. Joe's was in trouble. First, Carroll picked up his third foul at the 3:13 mark, which resulted in one of two free throws by Spiller to make it 35-29. Then, Rennard, who had eight of his ten points on two threes and a pair of free throws over the final three periods of regulation and the extra session along with five assists, picked up his third personal at the 2:55 mark. Bailey then hit his seemingly clutch three to make it a nine point game again with a little less than a minute and a half remaining in the third. However, St. Joseph's began to turn the tide in the waning moments of the period when Wheeler, who got his only points on a jumper off the dribble at the 3:39 mark of the second, got a steal that led to a Falcon opportunity at the other end that was cashed in by Hines, who picked up the last of several offensive rebounds between the top of the key and the foul line, and then drove to the basket for a layup to make it 38-31 with 18 seconds left in the frame.

Wheeler's key defensive play, and Hines eventual finish sparked a 10-0 Falcon tear over the next 2:52 to take a three point, 41-38 lead with 5:26 left in regulation. The run was contined in the fourth when Lamar Fisher, who scored seven of his nine points on a three pointer and two layups along with an assist, charge, block, and a steal over the final twelve minutes of the game, passed off to Rennard for a three pointer from the left corner to make it 38-34 with 7:50 to go in the fourth. Holy Spirit then turned it over on a subsequent possession, and called timeout at the 7:24 mark. Following the stoppage, Rennard went to work again using his fine play making ability and good court awareness to penetrate and dish to Caroll for a layup at the 6:50 mark to make it a two point game at 38-36. Almost a minute later, the Falcons struck again to tie it as Rennard found Caroll again for a layup attempt that was blocked, but the officials called Holy Spirit for goaltending, and the game was tied at 38-38 with 6:01 left in regulation. The Spartans then had a chance to take the lead, but Brooks inexplicably missed two layup attempts underneath, and then Konopacki was fouled on a subsequent drive that resulted in his one of two effort for the first St. Joe's lead since the 1:37 mark of the second at 39-38.

Eleven seconds after that, Hines found Carroll for a reverse layup to cap the rally, and give the Falcons a 41-38 lead with 5:26 left in the fourth. Carroll followed that up with a charge on Crilloy on the very next Holy Spirit possession at the 5:15 mark, but the Falcons couldn't take advantage and expand their lead further. That was due to the fact that Farber intercepted a pass, and went in for a layup to make it a one point game again at 41-40 at the 4:58 mark. The Falcons got another break though as Holy Spirit was once again called for goaltending at the 4:40 mark to make it 43-40. A little more than forty seconds later, Farber found Spiller for a layup to make it 43-42 with just under four minutes left in the fourth. After Fisher drew a charge on Farber at the 3:26 mark, and Hines picked up his third foul, which resulted in a missed front end of a one and one by Spiller at the 2:59 mark, Hines passed to Fisher, who scored seven points over the final 6:43 of the contest, on the left wing for a three pointer at the 2:43 mark that appeared to be a dagger in the heart of the Spartans. However, like Rasputin, Holy Spirit didn't die, and rallied with the final four points of regulation including a layup by Spiller at the 2:30 mark that made it 44-44, and Farber's putback of his own shot that was blocked by Fisher at the 22.8 mark. Hines had a layup attempt at the 1:57 mark that missed its mark as a Spartan player apparently touched the net, but no call was made by the officials. Following a Falcon timeout at the 11.8 mark, Rennard got the ball to Carroll for a layup attempt that was missed, Konopacki tried to finesse it in on the follow, but the shot wouldn't fall, and the two teams went to overtime tied at 46-46.

In the overtime, the game was nip and tuck throughout with six lead changes and two ties alone. Holy Spirit would be the first team to get on the board with a pair of free throws by Spiller to put the Spartans on top 48-46 at the 3:35 mark as Fisher picked up his third foul. St. Joe's responded with two foul shots by Carroll to tie it at 48-48 at the 3:21 mark as Spiller drew his second personal. Brooks then gave the South Jersey school a tenuous two point lead again on a bank shot in the right low block to make it 50-48 at the 3:02 mark, but the Falcons once again knotted the game as Carroll found Fisher for a layup to tie it at 50-50 with 2:40 left in the overtime. Then, Holy Spirit tried to put St. Joseph's on the ropes. First, Bailey knocked down his third and final three pointer of the game at the 2:23 mark to give the Spartans a three point lead and apparent knockout blow at 53-50. Then, the sophomore picked up a steal and headed in for a layup when he was tracked down by Fisher, and a scramble ensued, which ultimately resulted in a Falcon possession and timeout at the 1:47 mark. Emerging from the stoppage, St. Joe's pulled to within one as Rennard passed off to Fisher, who drove to the hoop for a reverse layup to make it 53-52 with 1:33 to play.

Holy Spirit then called for time at the 1:22 mark, but the timeout didn't seem to be the cure as Fisher deflected a pass, and eventually got hold of the basketball for a steal. He then darted down the left sideline, and then toward the basket at the other end, but missed the layup attempt only to have Konopacki there for the touch follow to give St. Joseph's a one point, 54-53 lead with 41.8 left as the home crowd let out a big roar. Farber was then fouled on the subsequent possession, and with Falcon fans, students, and parents alike banging their feet frantically on the bleachers to distract the senior point guard, Farber missed the front end of the one and one, but the Falcons knocked the ball out of bounds. With a second chance, the Spartans set up an inbounds play that had Farber passing to Bailey, who scored all eleven of his points over the final 28 minutes of the game, for a layup to give the school from Absecon a one point lead again, 55-54 with just 27 seconds to go.

After a brief stoppage and confusion, St. Joseph's came down the floor for one more play, and got the ball in the hands of Carroll, who has developed a nice touch to compensate for his solid spin moves and footwork in the paint. The senior made his patented move though the lane to the basket for a layup that went in with six seconds left to make it 56-55. With still some time to get off a last shot, and despite pressure from the Falcons, Farber got the ball up court to Bailey, but his attempt from the right wing missed its mark, and St. Joe's survived with a breathtaking one point victory. With the win, the Falcons, which are now 19-8 overall on the season, advance to take on top seeded Holy Cross in the Quarterfinal round.

GMC Hoops Summaries--February 27, 2007
Central Jersey Group I State Tournament--Opening Round

Brearley Broils Amboy Tech Behind McGettigan And Ricks, 75-61

By Greg Machos
February 27, 2007

PERTH AMBOY, NJ--It has been quite a season for the Patriots of Perth Amboy Tech. After last season's, disappointing 4-17 record, there was pretty much nowhere else to go, but up for this team. However, Amboy Tech, which had a 14-10 record entering its first round playoff game, and earned the top seed in the 2007 New Jersey State Vo-Tech Tournament, went beyond that with a superb season that included upsets over St. Peter's, Somerset Vo-Tech, and crosstown rival Perth Amboy. However, all good things must come to an end, and unfortunately, on Tuesday afternoon in Perth Amboy, the Bears of David Brearley Regional of Kenilworth put an end to Perth Amboy Tech's fine season. Led by a 20 point and 12 rebound double-double by senior forward, Dan McGettigan, and a 10 point and 18 rebound double-double from junior Dallis Ricks, the Bears, which had lost six of its previous seven games coming into state tourney play, jumped out to a 44-34 halftime lead, and then turned on the jets in the third quarter with a 21-6 explosion that ultimately gave them a 75-61 victory.

Brearley's up tempo game led by senior point guard, Brett Byars, who is small and stature, but lightning quick, and quite nimble, was just too much for Amboy Tech to keep up with. For the game, McGettigan, who hit four of his first six shots, and made 6 of 10 in the first quarter alone for 12 of his 20 points, ended up shooting 9 of 17 from the field and 2 of 3 at the line for his 20 while collecting 12 rebounds, 3 blocks, 3 steals, and 2 assists. Ricks, who had his struggles from both the field and the line going 4 of 13 and 2 of 9 respectively, still managed to get ten hard earned points while pulling down an astounding 18 boards, and collecting an assist, steal, and block. Senior Dennis Hoag chipped in with 16 points on 6 of 16 field goals including two threes, and 2 of 2 at the line while also picking up five steals and three assists. Byars made 5 of 11 shots from the floor and his only free throw attempt for 11 points while handing out seven assists, swiping four steals, and pulling down two boards. John Dalman, who is better known for his football exploits as one of the top rushers in Union County, and one of the top scorers in the state, made his mark of the defensive end covering Perth Amboy Vo-Tech's Jose Tavares, and still helping out a little on offense with 2 of 5 shooting for 4 points along with 2 steals, an assist, and a rebound.

Even Brearley's reserves got into the act with seven of its bench players getting into the game. Jack Hill led the bench scoring with five points on two of four from the field along with one of two at the free throw stripe for five points to go with four rebounds and a charge. Darrell Brown helped out with four points on two of four shooting while also collecting four rebounds in addition to a steal and a block. William Sues netted a three pointer in the first half for his only points to go along with an assist while junior forward Taquan Abdullah rounded out the Bear scoring with one of two from the field for two points along with two rebounds, and a block. David Padlo (0 of 3 FGs and two rebounds), Shadee Daniels (0 of 7 FGs, two steals, an assist, and a rebound) and another Bear reserve (#22--0 of 2 FGs and a rebound) got into the game, but didn't score. Meanwhile, for Perth Amboy Tech, senior swingman, Jose Tavares led the way with a 7 of 24 effort from the field (thanks in part to Dalman, and the rest of the Bear defense) including two three pointers, and a perfect four of four at the line for 20 points along with 3 assists, 2 blocks, 2 rebounds, and a steal.

Helping out for the Patriots was David Laboriel, who had perhaps his best game of the season with 12 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the floor, and a whopping 17 rebounds to go along with six blocked shots, an assist, and a steal. Sophomore Anthony Patterson also chipped in with 12 points on 4 of 10 field goals including two three pointers as well as making both his foul shot attempts. Patterson also collected four steals, two rebounds, and block. Sophomore Joey Castro had a tough night shooting along with Tavares going 3 of 15 from the floor including a trey while making two of four shots at the line for nine points. Castro also picked up five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Freddy Espinal went one of seven from the floor, and had his share of difficulties in getting into a rhythm after not starting on top of having to deal with the likes of McGettigan and Ricks inside. Espinal added a three of four effort at the foul line for five points along with seven rebounds, two steals, two charges, and an assist. Wilson Diez rounded out the Patriot scoring with a three pointer in three shot attempts for his only points while Zoilo Laboriel got the start in place of Espinal, but went 0 of 1 from the field while picking up a rebound and a charge.

For the game, Brearley, which competes in the Valley Division of the Mountain Valley Conference, made 32 of 83 shots including three treys for 38.6 percent while Amboy Tech was worse going only 22 of 72 shots including six three pointers for 30.6 percent. At the line, Amboy Tech went 11 of 15 including a 9 of 13 showing in the second quarter that kept the Patriots in the game for at least the first half. Turnovers were a huge part of the story with Perth Amboy Vo-Tech making 29 miscues including 17 in the first half alone while Brearley ended up with 23 although some of that came late in the game as a result of the reserves seeing some action. In other statistical areas, Brearley had advantages in rebounding (47-37), assists (16-9), and steals (18-10) while Amboy Tech hung in the game as best it could thanks to edges in threes (6-3), blocks (9-6), and charges (3-1). Brearley, which scored in double digits in every quarter including two twenty plus point periods in the second and third, outscored the home team in every frame except the fourth. The Pats, which registered double figure points in each quarter as well, only had the edge in the fourth, 14-10. Nine of Brearley's twelve players that got in scored while only six of Amboy Tech's eight players that got in scored.

It was a high scoring first period that got things rolling as both teams combined for 34 points in the frame with Brearley getting a two point, 18-16 edge. Over the first 3:02 of the contest, McGettigan went wild with four made shots in his first six attempts while pulling down three rebounds. In a game that was very fast paced throughout, much to Brearley's liking, the Bears ultimately went 9 of 23 from the floor while Amboy Tech made 7 of 19 shots including two threes. The Patriots just didn't have an answer for McGettigan, who made two of his last four shots in the period to account for two-thirds of Brearley's first quarter scoring. In addition, the Pats also committed eight of their turnovers on the game, and that would only get worse. The second period even had more total points than the first with both teams combining for 44 as the Kenilworth school again got the majority with a 26-18 showing. However, the period wasn't even as close as the eight point margin suggested. Only Amboy Tech making 9 of 13 free throws, and getting a three pointer on a midcourt, half ending bomb by Tavares made things close.

Perth Amboy Vo-Tech, which went 11 of 37 including three treys for 29.7 percent in the first half, made just 4 of 18 shot attempts in the second frame while committing nine more turnovers. On the other hand, Brearley had far betterr success shooting from the floor with an 11 of 21 effort for 52.4 percent including two three pointers while making both free throw attempts, and only committing five turnovers. For the half, the Bears were 20 of 44 from the ffloor including those two treys for 45.5 percent, and 2 of 4 at the foul line for 50 percent. The second stanza began with both teams exchanging scores in the first minute or so. Brearley got going first for a four point, 20-16 lead as Ricks got an offensive rebound off a Hoag miss, and put it back in for a layup, and then Amboy Tech came right back with a pair from the foul line by Castro to make it 20-18 at the 6:54 mark. The Bears then scored four of the next six points to take a 24-20 lead as McGettigan highlighted the run with a block of a Castro layup attempt at the 5:59 mark. David Brearley, which was actually in the North Jersey Section 2 Group I bracket in 2006 after being in the Central Jersey Group I bracket two years ago, increased its lead to eight with two more scores over a 1:16 span as Brown got a layup on a follow, and Hoag scored a layup on a drive to make it 28-20 at the 4:43 mark.

After a Perth Amboy Tech timeout, the Patriots got back into it with a pair of foul shots by Tavares at the 4:24 mark to make it 28-22 in favor of the Bears. Those two foul shots started a 6-2 run that was capped by another pair of free throws as Espinal went to the line for two at the 2:50 mark after being fouled by McGettigan, who blocked the Amboy Tech center's shot attempt. With the score now at 30-26, Brearley went on a 14-5 rampage in just 2:45 to take a 44-31 lead. The late first half tear consisted of a Sues three pointer from Ricks at the 2:21 mark, a skip pass by Sues to Hoag for a long three pointer that made it 38-27, and a pair of foul shots by Hoag at the 4.8 second mark. Meanwhile, Amboy Tech missed opportunites on the offensive end. Prior to the Sues trey, David Laboriel, who went 4 of 6 for 8 points along with 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, and a steal in the first half, missed the front end of a one and one that was rebounded by Espinal, but he misfired on the follow. Then, at the 1:41 mark, Castro, who had 8 points, 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal in half number one, went 0 of 2 at the foul line to keep Brearley ahead by nine at that point, 35-26. Espinal would only go 1 of 2 at the line moments later to make it 35-27 with 1:38 to go in the half. However, Amboy Tech was able to hang around going into the locker room as Tavares, who went just 3 of 13 from the floor, but still had 12 points along with 3 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal, made another pair at the line with 46.8 to go before intermission, and then his huge halfcourt shot that seemed to give the Patriots the momentum, and even more importantly, some hope.

However, whatever hope there was, Brearley dashed in a hurry in the third quarter. Over the first six minutes of the period, the Bears put on a clinic with a 21-6 blitz for a commanding 65-40 lead. In just the first forty-six seconds of the period, the visitors from Union County scored five points as they got a field goal, and then a quick steal for a layup by Dalman off the enusing inbounds in addition to one of two from the line by McGettigan to make it 49-34. A little more than a minute later, McGettigan than grabbed three offensive rebounds, and put the final one back in as he was fouled for a three point play to make it 52-34 at the 6:10 mark. Shadee Daniels got into the act with a pass to Ricks for the layup as the tall and lanky junior forward was fouled for another three point play to make it 55-34 at the 4:28 mark. About forty-five seconds after that, the Bears put another dagger into the heart of Amboy Tech with yet another conventional three point play from Byars to make it 60-36 at the 3:42 mark. The Patriots would try to mount a miracle comeback with 11 of the last 16 points to make it 65-47 going into the fourth, but they could not get any closer as Brearley won by fourteen despite being outscored by four in the final period. With the victory, the Bears of David Brearley improve to 11-12 while advancing to the Quarterfinals to take on third seeded Asbury Park. Meanwhile, Amboy Tech's season ends at 14-11.

 

GMC Hoops Summaries--February 26, 2007
Central Jersey Group IV State Tournament--Opening Round

Raiders Overcome Sluggish Start With Surge For 68-50 Victory

By Greg Machos
February 26, 2007

PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ--On a night where four GMC teams, some with more accomplished credentials, fell to the wayside in various state tournaments, the North Brunswick Raiders went on the road and beat a West Windsor-Plainsboro South team that beat the likes of state tourney qualifiers Ewing, Hillsborough, Hamilton West, Delaware Vallley, and Trenton, and reached the Championship Game of the Mercer County Tournament. And, may I add, it wasn't easy. Trailing 15-11 at the end of one quarter, North Brunswick fell behind even further as the hometown Pirates opened the second with a three pointer and two three point plays to highlight a 15-10 spurt to give them a 30-21 lead with 4:15 left in the first half. However, led by six points and a steal by senior Brandon Rogers, and an 11 of 12 effort at the foul line over the final 7:04 of the second period, the Raiders embarked on a 8-0 run to end the half to close the gap to one at the intermission, 30-29. Then, the visitors started the second half with a 12-4 tear to take a 41-34 lead as they went on to outscore their opponent 47-20 over the final 20:15 to advance in the Central Jersey Group IV State Tournament, 68-50.

For the game, North Brunswick went 22 of 28 at the foul line for 78.6 percent including a sizzling 19 of 22 for 86.4 percent over the final 23:04 for the victory. The Raiders also made twenty field goals and two three pointers to account for their 68 points. On the other side of the ledger, West Windsor-Plainsboro South only made 13 field goals, 5 three pointers, and 9 free throws for their 50 points. The visitors from the GMC scored in double figures in each period while outscoring the home team in each of the last three frames. For the Raiders, the tandem of Rogers and junior C.J. Brathwaite combined to do plenty of the damage by scoring 36 points, or account for 52.9 percent of the offense. Each had 18 points with Rogers getting his on six field goals, a three pointer, and three free throws while Brathwaite knocked in his on seven field goals and four foul shots. Senior forward, Laud Anderson and junior center, Jeff Ashamole also scored in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively. Anderson made a field goal and a three pointer while going a perfect 6 of 6 at the line. Ashamole made four field goals and two foul shots.

Senior point guard, Malcolm Stoby chipped in with eight points on a field goal, and also a perfect 6 of 6 at the line while Keith Robinson rounded out the Raider scoring with a field goal and a one of two showing at the foul line. Also playing, but not scoring were Ryan Folger, Ricky Harris, and Sideeq Keys-Wnoy. Meanwhile, for the Pirates of West Windsor-Plainsboro South, senior small forward, Jarrett Austin led the way in a losing effort with 17 points on five field goals, a three pointer, and four free throws. Sophomore point guard, Jordan Robinson, the younger brother of former St. Joe's player, Nigel Robinson, chipped in with 11 points on two field goals, a three pointer, and four foul shots. Senior power forward, Derek Lester added nine points and four field goals and a free throw. Dan Jankoski, a returning varsity letter winner along with Austin, Lester, and Robinson made a three pointer early in the second period for his only points. Andy McKeever, who was hampered with foul trouble throughout, made a field goal and a three pointer for five points while teammate Colin Dampier made a three pointer for his only points. Sophomore forward, Dan Balevski, who also spent time with the JV this season, rounded out the Pirate scoring with a field goal for two points.

West Windsor-Plainsboro got the early advantage by taking a 15-11 first quarter lead. Over the first 9:27 of the game, the Pirates made all five of its three pointers including a trey by Jankoski at the 6:33 mark of the second to make it 22-13 as the Pirate Cove faithful roared with approval. Anderson helped North Brunswick get back to within five with a pair of free throws at both the 6:20 mark and 6:09 mark, but then WWPS scored six of the next eight points over a span of just 34 seconds to take a 28-19 lead. Austin scored a three point play on an offensive rebound and putback as he was fouled by Stoby at the 5:59 mark, and following a Rogers layup to trim the deficit to 25-19 at the 5:47 mark, Lester came up with a three point play of his own at the 5:35 mark to make it a nine point lead. However, the Pirates would manage only one more field goal (from Balevski at the 4:15 mark) for not only the rest of the half, but also for the first 2:07 of the third quarter as they were outscored, 16-2 over a 7:42 span to fall behind, 35-30. Meanwhile, North Brunswick, which actually went 11 of 12 at the foul line in the second quarter to keep them in the game, began to chip away. Stoby made two free throws at the 5:13 mark, and then after the Balevski score, Rogers nailed a jumper off a rebound and assist by Keys-Wnoy at the 2:47 mark to make it 30-23.

Forty-five seconds later, the Raiders were back at it again as Rogers (two field goals and 2 of 2 FTs in second quarter) got a steal off a trap in the Pirate backcourt, passed off to Stoby, who penetrated and dished to Brathwaite for a layup attempt that was blocked by Austin, but the NBTHS forward, part of a very talented group of underclassmen that includes Michael Cole and Ricky Harris, was fouled, and made a pair at the charity stripe to close the gap to 30-25 with a bit more than two minutes left in the half. The Pirates then committed a turnover as Jordan Robinson traveled at the 1:54 mark, and the Raiders made them pay as Anderson, who had four assists over the final three periods, passed to Ashamole for a layup at the 1:38 mark to make it a three point Pirate lead. The junior center, who had three blocks and a charge over the final twenty minutes, swatted a shot by Austin at the 1:03 mark to keep West Windsor-Plainsboro on the schneid. On a subsequent possession, Rogers was fouled by McKeever, who picked up his third personal, and the North Brunswick standout then made two free throws to pull his team to within one at 30-29 as both teams went to their respective locker rooms.

At the start of the third, North Brunswick began to overtake West Windsor-Plainsboro South. Eleven seconds into the second half, Anderson grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed jumper from Rogers, and was fouled by McKeever on a putback attempt. Not only did Anderson make the two foul shots for the Raiders first lead since GMC Hoops arrival early in the second, but it also sent McKeever to the bench with his fourth foul. The visitors from the GMC had an opportunity to increase its then tenuous lead, but Anderson was called for a carry on the fast break as he appeared to originally want to go in for the score, but then must have seen Rogers to his right on the wing, and tried to bounce pass the ball to him at the 7:24 mark. It ended up not being a big deal though as Ashamole would be fouled on an offensive rebound and putback attempt some 28 seconds later, and made one of two while the Pirates J.B. Fitzgerald picked up his third personal as the score read 32-30 in favor of North Brunswick. Ashamole then drew a charge on Lester at the 6:51 mark, but Rogers returned the favor with an offensive foul of his own at the 6:33 mark. But WWPS could not take advantage as it remained scoreless while Rogers buried a three pointer from the left wing off an inbounds by Anderson at the 6:22 mark to cap the tear, and make it 35-30.

For a brief moment, West Windsor-Plainsboro South seemed to regain itself as Austin took over for a bit. The 6'4" senior forward got the first field goal and points by the Pirates in not only the second half, but since the 4:15 mark of the second with a jumper off an assist by Robinson to make it 35-32 at the 5:53 mark, and then netted a pair of foul shots at the 5:27 mark to make it a one point game again at 35-34. However, that would be as close as the Pirates would get for the remainder of the game as the Raiders finished the stanza with eleven of the last sixteen points to take a seven point, 46-39 going into the fourth. The run was started by another rebound and assist on an outlet pass by Keys-Wnoy on a layup by Anderson at the 4:29 mark for a 37-34 lead. Then, a little more than a minute later, Brathwaite got a pass from Stoby, and laid it in as he was fouled, but missed the bonus free throw to make it 39-34 as Jankoski picked up his third personal at the 3:27 mark. Keith Robinson followed that up with his only field goal of the contest on a layup that was a product of a Raider steal to make it 41-34 at the 3:16 mark. Following a Pirate timeout at the 3:01 mark, WWPS got a bucket from Austin, who had eight points in the frame, to make it 41-36 with 2:35 left in the third. But, North Brunswick continued to keep the home team at arm's length as Anderson knocked down a three pointer from the left wing at the 2:18 mark to make it 44-36. Austin retaliated with another score to make it 46-38, but Ashamole replied with a strong move to the basket after retreiving a pass from Brathwaite for a two handed layup at the 1:14 mark to make it 46-38. Jordan Robinson then made one of two at the line to close out the scoring as Lester blocked a Stoby layup attempt in the waning moments of the third.

The Raiders then finished off the Pirates season by doubling them up with a 22-11 showing in the final period. Jordan Robinson picked up right where he left off though for the home team with a layup off a rolling drive to the basket at the 7:30 mark to make it 46-41, but North Brunswick quickly answered when Anderson passed off to Brathwaite for a layup at the 7:14 mark to take a seven point lead again, 48-41. The Raider score sparked a 9-0 run over a 1:07 span that effectively put the game away. Rogers continued the run with a steal that would ultimately result in his own score as he picked up a deflected Brathwaite pass for a layup at the 6:46 mark to make it 50-41. Brathwaite followed that up some 25 seconds later with a layup of his own to make it 52-41. Following a WWPS timeout at the 6:14 mark, the Raiders capped the run with a nice play as Ashamole pass to Stoby, who gave a quick touch pass to Brathwaite for the layup and the foul that became a traditional three point play to cap the spurt for a 55-41 lead with 5:39 left. Things would get a bit testy for about two and a half minutes as Ashamole picked up his fourth foul, and the Pirates tried desperately to save their season with a 7-4 rally including a three point play by Austin at the 3:07 mark to make it 59-48, but they couldn't get any closer. The Raiders finished the game with a 9-2 spurt to win by eighteen, 68-50. With the victory, NBTHS, which improved to 15-8 overall, advanced to play second seeded Rancocas Valley of Burlington County and the Burlington County Scholastic League, which has a 23-2 record, and their only two losses coming within the past two weeks to Willingboro (66-64) and Atlantic City (59-58). West Windsor-Plainsboro, which lost to Hightstown, 50-41 in the Mercer County Tourney Final, ends its year at 18-9.

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