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GMC Hoops Summaries--January 10, 2012
Week Four--White Division Showdown

McCarrick Hangs On To Edge Monroe, 60-57

By Greg Machos
January 10, 2012

MONROE, NJ--After equaling the best start in school history, the Monroe Falcons fell from the ranks of the unbeaten on Saturday with an three point loss on the road at Randolph. The Purple Birds didn't have a lot of time to get down on themselves about that with a return to White Division play on Tuesday night against Cardinal McCarrick in one of several matchups that will help determine the fate of the division over the next ten days.

The Eagles, which had last played on Thursday in a 50-36 decision over Edison, was looking to stay undefeated in division and conference play, and move into first place in the GMC White standings. McCarrick went to work right away by scoring 19 of the first 21 points in the first period. However, the visitors from South Amboy were unable to put away the Purple Birds in a game reminiscent of two and three years ago when these two schools battled it out for division honors. Over the next two periods, Monroe surged back within six thanks to a 32-21 run.

Cardy Mac gave itself some temporary breathing room with an 11-5 run over a 4:35 span bridging the end of the third with the beginning of the fourth for a 51-39 lead with less than five and a half minutes to play. However, the Falcons continued to climb all the way back into the contest with an 18-8 spurt over a span of about 5:05 to make it a two point game. McCarrick was able to hang on though as Jumanne McDaniel made one of two from the foul line with less than ten seconds remaining, and Marques Townes blocked a potential game tying three point attempt as time ran out for an exciting 60-57 victory.

Townes, a sophomore, led the way in victory for the Eagles with 18 points as he missed only two of 11 shots on the game. He also collected 7 rebounds, 5 steals, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. Fellow soph, Alonzo Hamilton chipped in with 16 points on seven field goals and two foul shots while also picking up 8 rebounds and 4 blocks. McDaniel also had 16 points on seven field goals and two foul shots and 8 boards. Ryan Genevieve equaled Townes for game high with 18 points each for Monroe while Victor Sorrento chipped in with 14. However, both were limited to only one three pointer combined as the Falcons only had a 6-3 edge in points scored from beyond the arc. The home team did make up for that though with a 15-5 edge in points scored from beyond the arc as it shot 75 percent from the foul line while the Eagles were just 31 percent.

Cardinal McCarrick had a 26-18 edge in two point field goals while both teams outscored each other in two of the four quarters played. Leading 40-34 with 2:30 to go in the third, the Eagles scored 11 of the next 16 points over a span of a little more than four and a half minutes as Townes drove in from the left wing for a layup, and McDaniel and Hamilton added layups of their own to take control at 51-39 with 5:25 left. To its credit though, Monroe stayed tough like it had done the entire game. Genevieve got his only three pointer of the game, and drew a foul on a couple other three point attempts that resulted in a 4 of 6 showing from the foul line while Sorrento added a follow. Chuka Onukwugha got his only points of the game on a conventional three point play while swatting away two shots by the Eagles including one from Townes to help close the gap to 59-57 with less than a half minute to play.

The Eagles had actually led 57-45 with 1:40 remaining, but Monroe made it a game again with a 12-2 tear in less than a minute and a half. Unfortunately, the Falcons were unable to tie or pull out the win. After McDaniel was fouled and made one of two from the line with 8.9 seconds left, Townes swatted away a three point attempt from the right wing by Sorrento as time ran out. With the victory, the Eagles improved to 7-2 overall on the season including a 5-0 mark in division play, and a 6-0 mark in conference play while Monroe lost its second straight to fall to 7-2, lost its first game in the conference this year, and now is 4-1 in divisional play. View the video highlights from the last 10:30 of the game in the blog.

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