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Williamson
Leads The Way As BGA Rolls Past JFK, 67-41 |
By Greg Machos
January 31, 2008NORTH EDISON, NJ—After losing to Cardinal McCarrick on Saturday, the Trojans of Bishop Ahr had a nice long week to reflect, and think about what it did wrong, and even more importantly, what it has still managed to accomplish in 2007-08. Then, on Thursday night, it was time for the BGA back to work, and trying to return to its winning ways as it took on J.F. Kennedy of the Iselin section of Woodbridge in a GMC Blue Division game in North Edison. The Mustangs, which lost to South Amboy by a 77-59 score on Wednesday night, was playing its second game in 24 hours. Talking to JFK first year head coach, Chris Banos, the Mustangs have had to deal with several key injuries including to two of their big men, senior center, John McKenna, and fellow senior Jeff Rincavage. As a matter of fact, according to Banos, McKenna had only been available for about half the team's games to this point. In addition, Brooklyn transfer, and senior guard, Will Roman was unable to play on Thursday against Ahr.
Couple that with several tough losses including two in a span of just eight days to Blue Division rival, Metuchen, and a holiday tournament defeat to Carteret, and Kennedy is on the outside looking in when it comes to the state tournament cutoff for 2008. Nevertheless, the Mustangs could still salvage something out of its season if it could win three more games for its first ten win season since current St. Joseph's AD, Jerry Smith coached at the school. Moreover, the team could equal last season's division win total. Banos is very optimistic about his younger players. With the likes of Joe Marciano, the younger brother of recent JFK grad, Vinnie Marciano, twins Tyler and Travis Flowers, who are the younger brothers of former Colonia player, Robbie Flowers, Dondre Taylor, Alex Weinstein, Justin Rosiecki, John Spoganetz, and Rasheed Howard, the future looks brighter for Mustang basketball. Earlier in the day, the Little Mustangs, better known as Kennedy's Freshmen team, gave an Ahr team which defeated McCarrick last Saturday, all it could handle before losing 44-33.
Unfortunately for JFK that would be the only bright spot in what would turn out to be a stormy night in North Edison. First, in the JV game, the Junior Trojans of BGA rolled to a 24-2 lead early in the second quarter, and never looked back in a 61-32 pounding of the Junior Mustangs. Then, in the varsity nightcap, senior guard, Mike Williamson scored a game high 17 points on 7 of 13 shooting from the floor including 1 of 5 from three point range, and made 2 of 4 at the line while collecting 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks to lead Ahr to an easy, 67-41 victory over Kennedy. Senior forward, Kevin Uszenski chipped in with 12 points on 5 of 8 shooting from the floor including 2 of 4 from long range while picking up 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals. The other BGA senior forward, Martese Street also got double digit scoring on 4 of 7 shooting from the floor, and 2 of 4 from the line for 10 points while adding 5 rebounds, a steal, block, and a charge. The Mustangs, which actually had more three pointers (9 of 23 for 39.1 percent) than two point field goals (6 of 35 for 17.1 percent) in the contest, were led by senior guard, Jonathan Toczynski, who connected on 6 of 13 shots including 3 of 4 from downtown for a team high 15 points as well as 2 assists, 2 rebounds, and a charge.
Eleven of Toczynski's points came in a 19-11 third period that saw J.F. Kennedy trim a mammoth sized 35-10 halftime deficit to just 14 at 43-29 with 1:20 left in the third. However, BGA caught a break late in the period on a turnover, and then cashed it in with a drive and kick by Williamson to junior guard, Matt Fiorino for a three pointer from the right wing to make the score, 46-29 after three. Then, in the fourth, Ahr pulled away even with a 21-12 showing for the lopsided win. Chipping in for the Mustangs in the loss was Marciano with 8 points on a field goal and two three pointers to go along with 4 rebounds and an assist. Howard only had 4 points, but pulled down 8 rebounds, and also picked up 2 assists, and a steal. For more on the individual statistics in this game, check out the contest's stat page in the GMC Hoops Game Stats section. Looking at the team statistics on the game, Bishop Ahr shot a torrid 29 of 50 from the floor for 58 percent including a 5 of 14 showing from long range for 35.7 percent. BGA only shot 4 of 8 at the line though while Kennedy, which only went 15 of 58 for 25.9 percent from the floor, only took three shots from the charity stripe making two for 66.7 percent. In other statistical areas, Bishop Ahr had fewer turnovers (13-14), more total rebounds (31-27), assists (19-8), blocks (7-1), steals (9-5). JFK held a 16-10 edge on the offensive glass while each team drew a charge. Ahr scored in double figures over all four quarters while Kennedy only did that for the final two periods.
The game was pretty much decided in the opening frame as the Mustangs managed to only make 1 of 14 shots from the floor while the Trojans connected on 7 of 14 including 1 of 3 from beyond the arc while also making their lone foul shot attempt for a 16-4 lead. Williamson helped lead the charge with five points. Like Wednesday night's game at South Amboy, Toczynski helped the visitors from Iselin get out in front early by scoring on a floater from the right baseline for a 2-0 lead at the 6:53 mark. However, that would be the only field goal in the period for JFK while Bishop Ahr scored 14 unanswered points before senior forward, Brian Reilly knocked down a pair of free throws at the 1:19 mark for a 14-4 Trojan lead. The Ahr tear began with a four points in just 42 seconds as Uszenski handed out an assist on a score from Street, and then the "Polish rifle" got a steal for a layup by Uszenski for a 4-2 edge at the 6:11 mark. Street then got a post move down low for another score and a 6-2 lead before Uszenski got another assist on a rebound and outlet pass to Williamson for a layup as he was fouled for a conventional three point play, and a 9-2 lead with 4:14 to go in the stanza.
The Mustangs had a chance to stop the Trojan run at the 3:35 mark when Reilly stepped to the line for the first time in the game. However, the JFK senior misfired on the first attempt, and then Kennedy was cited for a lane violation on the second so the score remained 9-2. A little more than a minute later, Ahr got on the board again as Billy Rooney got all of his points in the contest on a three pointer from the left wing off an assist by Williamson for a 12-2 advantage as Banos called timeout to reorganize his troops with 2:34 to go in the frame. BGA would score another field goal before Reilly netted his two foul shots, and then the Trojans closed out the quarter scoring with another bucket for a twelve point lead heading into the second. In the last period before the half, the Trojans, which forced five Kennedy turnovers in the quarter, scored 19 of the 25 points registered in the stanza for a 25 point halftime lead. Over the first 1:17 of the period, both teams exchanged baskets for an 18-6 lead. Howard got Kennedy on the board first with a drive along the left baseline for a floater that closed the gap to ten at 16-6, but then Ahr went back up by a dozen on a Street layup from Williamson before there was a stop in play. Following the stoppage, neither team scored for over a minute and a half before Uszenski stole an errant Tyler Flowers pass, and converted it into a layup for a 20-6 advantage at the 5:08 mark.
Bishop Ahr then scored five of the next nine points including a score underneath by junior Matt Sheehy off a feed from Uszenski at the 2:45 mark that made the score, 25-10. A short time later, BGA scored again as Williamson dished left to a cutting Derek Figueredo for a layup from the left wing that made the score, 27-10 at the 2:26 mark. The Trojans then closed out the half with eight more points for a 12-0 spurt, and a 35-10 lead at the intermission. Highlighting the final first half flurry were layups by senior reserve Jordan Madsen and Figueredo off assists from Sheehy. Looking at the first half scoring, Uszenski led the way for the home team with 9 points on 4 of 6 shooting including 1 of 3 from long distance while also compiling 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks. Street and Figueredo each added 6 as Street made 3 of 5 shots while collecting 3 rebounds, a block, and a charge, and Figueredo made 3 of 6 attempts while hauling down 2 boards. Madsen made 2 of 3 field goals for 4 points, 2 steals, and a rebound. Williamson rounded out the balanced Trojan attack with 2 of 4 field goals, and 1 of 1 at the line for 5 points in addition to 4 assists, 2 rebounds, a steal, and a block. Kennedy was led by Toczynski, who connected on two field goals for 4 points and 2 rebounds.
Moving on to the halftime stats, Bishop Ahr was 16 of 27 from the field overall for 59.3 percent including 2 of 6 from three for 33.3 percent, and made its only free throw attempt. Meanwhile, JFK was limited to only 4 of 24 shooting for a paltry 16.7 percent including 0 of 5 from long range, and made 2 of their only 3 foul shots of the contest. In other statistical areas, BGA held edges in turnovers (3-8), rebounds (15-14), assists (12-0), steals (5-1), and blocks (4-0). The Mustangs only edge was in offensive rebounding (7-5) while charges were even at 1-1. Returning to the action in the third quarter, Kennedy made the game interesting again for a brief moment with a 19-8 spurt over the first 6:40 of the period to close the gap to 14. Like they both did in the opening minutes of the loss to South Amboy, Toczynski and Marciano got the Iselin team going with a trey each as Toczynski connected from the right corner off an assist by Howard, and Marciano struck from the right wing off an assist by Reilly for a 35-16 Ahr lead at the 6:36 mark. Williamson then got a steal for a layup, and later attempted to do the same again when he was fouled hard by JFK senior forward, Jelani Davis at the 4:51 mark. Williamson, who was very agitated by the Davis foul, eventually got to the line, and made 1 of 2 from the charity stripe for a 38-16 lead.
Over the next 1:31 though, Kennedy got going again as Toczynski, who netted all three of his treys in the period, connected on two more for another 6-0 run, and a 38-22 BGA lead at the 3:20 mark. The following two minutes saw the Mustangs score 7 of the next 12 points including a three pointer by Marciano from Howard, and then a layup by Howard himself off an assist by Toczynski to pull within 14 at 43-29 at the 1:20 mark. JFK had a chance to cut the lead even further, but on a late third period possession, turned the ball over, and then Bishop Ahr got Fiorino's three for the seventeen point advantage heading into the final period. In the first minute of the fourth, the Trojans put the game away as both Williamson and Uszenski netted treys for a 52-29 lead. Putting an exclamation point on things was Street, who swiped a steal, and proceeded to go in for a one handed jam that capped a 16-0 tear for a 59-29 lead with 3:47 remaining. At that point, Ahr's reserves came in, and provided contributions as junior Matt Melnick made both his field goal attempts, and senior fan favorite C.J. Cruz added a bucket late to the delight of the home crowd to round out the 67-41 victory. With the win, Ahr improves to 13-2 overall, 10-1 in the GMC Blue, and 11-1 in conference while Kennedy fell to 7-12 overall, and 5-7 in divisional play.
Team |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Bishop Ahr (13-2) |
16 | 19 | 11 | 21 | 67 |
J.F. Kennedy (7-12) |
4 | 6 | 19 | 12 | 41 |
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