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GMC Hoops Summaries--February 1, 2010
Week Seven--White Division Clash

Pace Keys Late Run To Help Monroe Pull Away From Carteret, 56-45

By Greg Machos
February 1, 2010

MONROE, NJ--It can be a great thing to make history. Such was the case in 2004 and 2005 when South Plainfield won two consecutive GMCT titles, the first ever county championships in school history. However, it can also be very tough to accomplish as the Tigers found out along the way. Same rule was applied at Monroe High School on Monday night for the Monroe Falcons, which were going for their first outright division championship in school history. The Purple Birds, which won a share of the GMC White crown back in the 2005-06 season, were taking on Carteret while Cardinal McCarrick was facing off against North Brunswick at NBTHS.

Similar to their wins against McCarrick back on January 12th and against Colonia on January 20th, the Falcons jumped out to an early lead only to have to hang on, or pull away at the end. Against the Ramblers, Monroe jumped out to a 22-5 first quarter lead, but to the credit of Carteret, it chipped away at the lead, and got to within three points with several minutes to go. It took a 10-2 spurt by the Purple Birds to close things out in the 56-45 win while North Brunswick defeated McCarrick to give MTHS its first outright boys basketball division title ever. Kenny Pace, who scored six points including a field goal and a perfect 4 of 4 from the line down the stretch in the victory, registered a game high 24 points on four field goals, two threes, and ten foul shots.

Timmy Brix chipped in with a layup in the final minutes to end up with 13 points on two field goals, a three pointer, and six foul shots. Younger brother Danny, a sophomore, contributed with 7 points along with some nice defense, passing, and rebounding down the stretch while fellow sophomore Ahmid Williams handed out six assists and swiped five steals in addition to his four points. Carteret was led by senior shooting guard, Mike Merz, who had a team high 13 points on two field goals and three treys while teammate and fellow senior, Shaquille Jackson chipped in with 12 points on six field goals. For the game, Monroe collected its 56 points on 12 field goals, five threes, and 17 foul shots while Carteret got its 45 on 17 field goals, three treys, and two free throws.

Each team outscored the other in two of the four periods with Monroe winning the first, Carteret getting the edge in the middle two periods, and the Falcons prevailing in the fourth to preserve the win. After the Ramblers fell behind by 17 in the first quarter, they put together a 38-24 surge over the next 20 minutes to close the gap to 46-43 with under four minutes to go. The Falcons then closed the game out with ten of the final twelve points for the victory. Zach Batchelor (3 points) scored a basket and the foul at the 2:21 mark, but missed the bonus free throw for a 48-43 Monroe lead. Pace then followed up with a jumper that gave the Falcons a five point cushion again after a Carteret score (50-45) with 1:40 remaining. Danny Brix then forced a steal that eventually got into the hands of Pace, who was fouled with 1:03 left.

Pace then made both of his foul shots for a 52-45 lead. Monroe then got another stop on defense, and came right back down to score again as Danny Brix made a nice pass to his brother Timmy for the layup and a 54-45 lead with 40 seconds to play. Pace was then fouled with 17.3 seconds to go, and wrapped up the victory with two more free throws. North Brunswick then helped the Falcons out with a 72-59 win over McCarrick, and the Purple Birds had their first ever outright division championship. Monroe, which has made two trips to the GMCT Final Four since 2005-06, is looking to make its second straight trip this season. The Falcons have now won 11 straight, improved to 15-2 overall, 11-1 in the GMC White, and 12-1 in conference play.

On top of winning its first ever outright division crown, Monroe also moved into first place in the GMC Hoops Trophy standings with a 3-0 mark. Meanwhile, Carteret dropped its third straight, fell to 7-9 overall, 5-7 in divisional play, and 7-8 in the GMC. The Ramblers are 1-2 in the GMC Hoops Trophy standings. Analysis on this game will be forthcoming. In the meantime, check out the short video from the final minutes of this game in the GMC Hoops Blogosphere as well as see all the past division winners.

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