The summaries of all the games played in the first, second, third, and fourth weeks of the Elizabeth Summer League have not vanished, we have archived them. So, feel free to take a look if you have missed out on some of the action from earlier this year.

GMC Hoops Summaries--Thursday, July 29, 2004
Elizabeth Summer League--Championship

Third Time The Charm For Hillside As They Upend Vikings, 50-42

For the third time this summer, the South Brunswick Vikings faced off against the Hillside Comets as the two met for the Championship of the Elizabeth Summer League at Jefferson House in Elizabeth. However, the third time would be the charm for the Comets as they got a standout performance from center, Antwan Brinson, who is ranked 51st among the top 100 players in New Jersey according to NJ Hoops.

Brinson collected 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, a block, and an assist to spark Hillside to the Championship over a South Brunswick team that was without the services of soon to be senior center, Dan Stonkus, by the score of 50-42. Once again, the Vikings struggled at the line as they went on 6 of 13 on the night. Against Westfield in the quarterfinals, South Brunswick was only 5 of 14 at the charity stripe.

In addition, South Brunswick also had their share of turnovers with 17 turnovers including seven by Martin Soaries although the soon to be sophomore still shined with some brilliant passing as he collected 4 points, 2 rebounds, 8 assists, and 2 steals on the night. The Vikings also got much better play from soon to be junior, Mike Zwiren, who had struggled on Tuesday night against Westfield.

Zwiren collected nine points, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal while only picking up two turnovers in the loss. Nick Fazio once again led the way in a losing cause for South Brunswick with another outstanding all around effort with 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 charges, and an assist. Joe Clancy also pitched in with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 charges, and an assist as well. Mike Micheck only had three points on the night, but also collected three rebounds, three assists, and three steals.

Devon Young and Vinnish provided support on the inside with tough defense as well as two points, five rebounds, two assists, and a steal by Young and two points by Vinnish. The game was quite a roller coaster ride as each team had a big quarter in the second and third periods after an even first. Hillside broke away from a 14-13 lead after one period with an 18-7 showing in the second to take what seemed to be a commanding 32-20 lead at halftime. But, South Brunswick would come right back with a 12-4 flurry of their own in the third to make it a 36-32 score going into the final stanza.

The game started out with Hillside jumping out to an 8-5 lead with 6:38 to go in the first quarter before the Vikings came back with a 4-0 run capped by a short jumper by Nick Fazio off a feed by Soaries to make it 9-8 with 4:29 to play in the period. The Comets than reasserted themselves, and went on a 6-2 run capped by a power layup by Brinson to make the score 14-11 with 1:05 to go. South Brunswick then closed out the quarter with a bucket to make it 14-13.

In the second quarter, Hillside dominated as they started things with a 7-0 spurt to take a 21-13 lead with 8:40 to go as Viking Head Coach, Dave Turco called for time. Out of the timeout, South Brunswick went on a 4-2 run despite a dunk by Brinson to make it 23-17 with 4:47 to play in the half as Joe Clancy scored a layup off a nice feed from Devon Young as he was fouled. Clancy would miss the free throw though.

The Comets finished the half strong with a 9-3 run as South Brunswick only got 1 of 2 free throws from Malcolm Soaries for his only points of the game, and a nice drive by Martin Soaries. Hillside capped the spurt with a 5-0 showing down the stretch that included a layup as time expired to make the score 32-20 at the break. However, the third quarter would be time for South Brunswick to regroup, and get back into the contest.

The second half opened with promise for the Vikings as they scored six unanswered points following a Comet score off a great feed by Antwan Brinson. Clancy and Mike Zwiren capped the South Brunswick run with back to back scores to close the gap to eight points at 34-26 in favor of Hillside as Comet Head Coach, Corey Lowrey called for time with 8:15 remaining in the stanza. South Brunswick's defense tightened up some more as the drew a ten second violation that keyed a 4-2 run to cut the lead to 36-30 with 3:38 remaining.

The Vikings would close out the period with a score on a Fazio layup off a fabulous pass by Martin Soaries to make it a 36-32 Hillside lead going into the final period. However, the start of the fourth quarter saw the Comets from the Mountain Valley Conference, and Union County regain control with a 7-2 burst to make it 43-34 lead with just 6:57 left to play in the contest. Hillside increased the lead to double digits with 2:30 to play on a 3-2 run to make it 46-36.

The Vikings wouldn't go down without a fight though as Mike Zwiren connected on a three pointer off another pass from Martin Soaries to make the score 46-39 with 1:39 left in the game. South Brunswick collected three more points including one of two free throws by Martin Soaries with 0:37 to go to make the score 46-42. However, that would be as close as the Vikings would get as Hillside got a pair of free throws with 34 seconds to play to make the score 48-42, and then a huge steal and two free throws by Brinson to seal the win. See the final brackets.

GMC Hoops Summaries--Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Elizabeth Summer League--Playoffs

South Brunswick And Hillside To Face Off For Championship

In the first game Hillside broke open a one-point halftime lead with a 12-0 third quarter. In the quarter Junior Kenny Watson had six points and two steals. He finished the game with 13 points two assists and four steals. In the match-up of two of the states better big men in Antwan Brinson of Hillside, who is ranked 51st among the top 100 players in New Jersey according to NJ Hoops, and Wellington Smith of Summit, who is ranked 29th by NJ Hoops, both players big impact on the game even though they scored only 11 and 10 points respectively.

Brinson finished the game with 5 rebounds, 3 blocks (all in the 2nd half) and 2 assists. Smith had 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block. In the second game #1 seeded South Brunswick jumped out to an 18-point halftime lead and never looked back. The Vikings were led by Mike Zwiren 10 points and Malcolm Soaries 12 points. The championship game will be on Thursday July 29th at 7pm. Hillside and South Brunswick have met once this year with South Brunswick winning a close one 42-39. See the latest brackets.

GMC Hoops Summaries--Tuesday, July 27, 2004
Elizabeth Summer League--Playoffs

Vikings Hold On To Advance While Stevens Loses Heartbreaker

It was another exciting night of basketball action at the Elizabeth Summer League at Jefferson House in Elizabeth on Tuesday night. Although only one GMC team advanced to the semifinal round, both member schools gave quite a show for the folks in attendance at Court 1. First game saw tenth seeded J.P. Stevens got up against second seeded Summit, who are led by a super player in Wellington Smith.

Despite getting 18 points on three treys, three field goals, and three of four foul shooting from soon to be senior guard, Andrew Biancosino, the Hawks lost in hearbreaking fashioin as a Summit player got a steal of Stevens point guard, Aaron Miller, and scored a layup with seconds remaining as the Hilltoppers won the game, 54-53. Next, South Brunswick took on Westfield, and after a slow start, the Vikings built up a 32-17 late in the third quarter before having to hang on, and hold off a rally by the Blue Devils for a 38-32 win.

We arrived late to the game between Summit and J.P. Stevens since we were covering action at the Linden Summer League earlier in the evening. Nevertheless, we arrived with a bit more than two minutes remaining in the first half, and Summit was leading 23-17. Soon after arriving, Summit built their lead to eight with exactly two minutes to go in the half, and the score now read Summit 25--J.P. Stevens 17.

Then, over the next minute and a half, both teams were quiet as defenses tightened up. A key play during the stretch was a blocked shot by Wellington Smith on J.P. Stevens soon to be senior center, Ryan Washington. A few seconds later, Smith struck again with a short jumper to make it a ten point game at 27-17 with thirty seconds to go in the half. The Hawks had a chance to cut into the deficit, but Washington came up empty at the foul line going 0 of 2 at the charity stripe as the score remained 27-17 at the break.

In the second half, J.P. Stevens got things going in the right direction with a 5-0 run to open the half to make the score 27-22 with 7:25 to go in the third quarter as Aaron Miller capped the spurt with a three. The Hawks continued their surge with another 5-0 spurt over the next 2:07 to make the score tied at 27-27 as Biancosino scored on a layup with 5:18 left in the third. On the succeeding defensive series, Miller drew a change, which forced Summit to call for time with 4:57 left in the period.

The Hilltoppers, which play in the Iron Hills Conference, and are defending North Jersey Section 2 Group II Champs as well state finalists, took the lead back as they made a three point play off of a Biancosino foul on a layup to make the score 30-27 with 4:43 to play in the third quarter. Shortly afterward and following a J.P. Stevens score, Summit almost got another three point play with 4:11 to go in the stanza, but they missed the free throw. So, the score remained 32-29.

Summit then added to the lead with another score before Stevens came right back with two baskets of their own to make the score 34-33 with 2:05 left. About a minute and a half later, JPS took the lead on a putback off an offensive rebound by Ryan Washington to make the score, 35-34 with 0:39 seconds to go in the quarter. Wellington Smith came right back down on the next possession, and after being fouled, netted two free throws to give the Hilltoppers the lead again at 36-35 going into the fourth quarter.

In the final period, both teams started slowly as the first 1:15 went by without any scoring. However, that changed when Andrew Biancosino netted two free throws to give the Hawks a lead again at 37-36 with 8:45 to play. Over the next 3:48, Stevens went on a 7-5 run highlighted by a three pointer by Biancosino, and a short jumper by Jason Callender, who has also been playing baseball this summer, to make the score, 44-41 with 4:57 remaining in the game.

However, the lead was short lived as Wellington Smith, who had hit a three pointer during the 3:48 span that saw the Hawks take the lead, struck again from long range as he showed his versatility while helping the Hilltoppers tie the game at 44-44. Smith added three more points over the next 2:12 as he connected on one of two free throws, then slammed home a dunk to make the score 47-44 with 2:45 to go in the game.

J.P. Stevens would stay within three at 49-46, and then with 1:40 left, Smith was called for an intentional foul for grabbing on to Jason Callender's t-shirt as he was breaking away for a layup. Callender would only hit one of two free throws, but Stevens still got the ball. The Hawks took advantage of the possession as Ryan Washington scored on a jump hook with 1:22 to play off an assist by Callender to make it 49-49.

After getting a defensive stop on Summit at the other end, Stevens took the lead on a layup by Aaron Miller off an offensive rebound to make the score 51-49 with 53 ticks left on the clock. A few seconds later, Ryan Washington was fouled after the Hawks came up big again defensively, and the JPS big man connected on both free throws to make it a two possession game with only 41 seconds to go. However, on the very next possession, Smith took the game into his hands once again, and struck for three to make it 53-52 with 0:30 to play.

After J.P. Stevens coach, James Cardillo, called for time at the 21 second mark, the Hilltoppers of Summit made a big play on a steal off of Miller, and then proceeded to score on a high flying one handed jam to take a 54-53 lead with a few seconds to play. Stevens didn't have enough time to make a play, and Summit survived the scare to advance to the semifinals to play Hillside in a rematch of the North Jersey Section 2 Group II final, which the Hilltoppers won behind a tremendous performance by Smith.

In the nightcap game, South Brunswick was well represented as it had nine players available to play. However, things didn't start out smoothly for the Vikes as they struggled early. Particularly, soon to be junior, Mike Zwiren (3 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists), who had a couple turnovers right off the bat while making only one of two free throws in his first trip to the line. Nevertheless, after Westfield had taken an early 6-0 lead on two three pointers, the Vikings came back with 5-0 run to make the score 6-5 with 6:12 remaining in the opening quarter.

South Brunswick would take the lead on a score by Nick Fazio, who had another stellar effort with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 charges while only having one turnover, off a feed by Martin Soaries, who chipped in with 10 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal while also only having one turnover, to make it 7-6 in favor of the Vikings with 4:00 to go in the opening stanza.

Westfield would take the lead back on another three pointer for a 9-7 lead as the Blue Devils often kept themselves in the game with the long range perimeter shot. However, with 1:11 left to play in the period, Fazio struck again for a three point play to give the Vikes the lead again at 10-9. The Blue Devils would have the last say in the first as they scored at the buzzer to make it 11-10 going into the second.

The second period saw South Brunswick finally get going, and play more like the Vikings we have grown accustomed to this summer as they opened the period with an 8-2 burst for an 18-13 lead with 3:54 remaining in the first half. The Vikes then closed the half with a 5-0 spurt on a jumper by Martin Soaries from a few feet inside the arc, and a three pointer by Joe Clancy, who had 5 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal, to make it 23-13 at the break.

In the second half, South Brunswick seemed to pick up right where they left off, with another three point play by Nick Fazio with 4:23 left in the period to make the score 26-15 after a basket by Westfield earlier in the quarter. About a minute and a half later, Devon White, who had a decent game with two points, six rebounds, and an assist, almost came up with another three point play after he scored off a feed by Mike Zwiren while he was fouled.

However, White missed the free throw, and the score stood at 30-17 with 2:57 to play in the period. The Vikings would then get their biggest lead of the game at the 2:05 mark when Fazio netted two free throws to make it 32-17. At that point, the game began to turn toward Westfield. The moment that sparked the Blue Devils late rally was a technical foul that was called on the South Brunswick bench with 1:08 to go in the third. Westfield hit one of two technical foul shots, and added to that another three points to cut the lead to 32-21 after three quarters.

The fourth period saw Westfield continue to gradually chip away at the South Brunswick lead as turnovers by the Vikings along with a rough night at the foul line (5 of 14 free throws) started to put the Vikes in a precarious situation. Westfield chipped into the Viking lead with two free throws at the 8:32 mark to make it 32-23. The Blue Devils then followed that up with a 5-2 showing to close the gap to six at 34-28 with 5:27 left to play.

Westfield would pull within four points at 34-30, but that would be as close as they would get as South Brunswick managed to hang on as Martin Soaries came up with two big scores as well as some key rebounds to give the Vikings at 38-30 lead with a minute to go. With the game out of reach, Westfield knocked in two free throws with 22 seconds to play to close out the scoring as South Brunswick won, 38-32. See the latest brackets.

GMC Hoops Summaries--Monday, July 26, 2004
Elizabeth Summer League--Playoffs

Biancosino Fires Stevens Past Rahway, 45-38

Soon to be senior, Andrew Biancosino had a superb night in leading the J.P. Stevens Hawks to their second win over Rahway in as many nights. Biancosino, a 6'3" senior guard, pumped in 26 points on five three pointers, three field goals, and 5 of 5 from the free throw line to give Stevens, the tenth seed, a 45-38 victory over seventh seeded Rahway in the nightcap of first round playoff games at the Elizabeth Summer League.

In addition to his fine shooting and scoring, Biancosino also collected six rebounds, and two steals while only making two turnovers on the night. Aaron Miller, who happens to be the younger brother of former Stevens football standout, Anthony Miller, who is now at Rutgers, collected 9 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal while only commiting three turnovers.

Ryan Washington, who had only three rebounds in the first half, awakened a bit in the second half while fighting a tough battle with Rahway's Ishmyl Johnson, who collected 9 points and 10 rebounds in a losing cause for the Indians. Washington ended up with four points, seven rebounds, four blocked shots, and an assist. Adam Kramen and John Hacker also gave contributions with Kramen coming up with two points, a rebound, and an assist while Hacker chipped in with 2 points, 2 assists, a rebound, and a steal.

For Rahway, Ogi Igbinoson also stood out for Rahway with his inside play as well. The first quarter belonged to Stevens for the most part as their perimeter game led by Biancosino and Miller as well as a patient and disciplined offense was able to propel the Hawks to the early 9-4 lead with 5:58 remaining in the period before Rahway closed the quarter with a 7-2 spurt for an 11-9 Stevens lead.

In the second quarter, Ishmyl Johnson came up with a basket at the 7:15 mark to tie the game at 11-11. The Indians then took the lead less than a minute later on a putback as they pounded the offensive glass to make it 13-11. J.P. Stevens would tie the game on a nice steal and coast to coast layup by John Hacker with 4:50 to go before the half. A bit less than thirty seconds later, Adam Kramen gave the Hawks the lead with a short jumper from the left side aftera nice feed by Miller to make it 15-13 with 4:22 to go before intermission.

Rahway, however, would close the half with a 7-1 run to take a 20-16 halftime lead. The second half saw the Hawks start out strong with a three pointer by Aaron Miller to make it 20-19. Then Stevens tied the game up at 24-24 on a 5-4 run over a three minute span that was capped by a basket by Ryan Washington as he was fouled with 5:15 remaining in the third stanza.

While he missed the opportunity to get the three point play to give the Hawks the lead, Washington soon after gave JPS the lead again at 26-24 with 3:24 to play. Over the next 2:14, Biancosino began to really take over the game with a three pointer and a strong move to the baset to highlight a 5-2 Stevens run for a 31-26 lead with 1:10 remaining as Rahway called for time.

Leading 31-27 to start the fourth quarter, J.P. Stevens started to wane a bit, which helped Rahway get back into the game with an 8-5 run to make it a one point, 36-35 lead with 4:56 to go in the contest. Biancosino then sparked Stevens to a 5-0 run with another three pointer before the Indians came back with a trey of their own to make it 41-38 with 2:02 left to go in the game.

Biancosino helped ice the game for the Hawks with two free throws at the 32 second mark, and then again at the 19 second mark after Ishmyl Johnson missed two free throws to make it a 45-38 final. In other action, Elizabeth rolled past Roselle, 58-34, Nazareth edged St. Peter's, 49-43, Immaculata won by forefeit against Curtis of Staten Island, and Westfield downed St. Joseph's of Staten Island, 63-47. See the latest brackets.

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