The summaries of all the games played so far as well as Freshmen Game of the Week, Freshmen Roundup, and the JV Roundup are now available. So, feel free to take a look if you have missed out on some of the action from earlier this year. We've also just archived the summaries on the seven scrimmages that we covered in the pre-season. Check them out in our GMC Hoops Summary archive.

GMC Hoops Summaries--January 30, 2007
JV Game Of The Week--Week Seven

Carteret Edges Monroe In Hard Fought Battle, 42-40

By Greg Machos
January 30, 2007

CARTERET, NJ--Prior to the start of the varsity battle between the Ramblers and the Falcons on Tuesday night, the JV squads from the respective schools went at it. The Junior Falcons of Monroe entered the game with an 11-7 mark following a win over Perth Amboy on Saturday. The team's roster, which only consists of one junior, has five freshmen including Ken Pace Jr., the son of former Colonia coach, Ken Pace, Tim Brix, Jr., who has a brother Danny that played well for the 7th and 8th Grade Monroe team that competed over the summer at the Raritan Bay Summer League. The current freshmen class at MTHS has a lot of potential to be a very good group in the years ahead. Last season, the group was undefeated at eighth grades against Middle School competition. This year, the freshmen team at Monroe, have won 15-1 with its only loss to South Plainfield in overtime on the road on opening day. GMC Hoops recently caught the Little Falcons in action in a 36-20 victory over Sayreville, in one of two Freshmen Games of the Week for Week Six.

Meanwhile, Carteret's JV was riding high with a four game winning streak entering the early evenings action. The squad featured several players that are currently reserves on the varsity in: junior guard, Manny Rivera, Corey Weeks, and one of the heroes of the huge Rambler win at Johnson, Desean Lane, a transfer from Perth Amboy Vo-Tech. Before I proceed any further with this article, I have to admit that I arrived late to the game. I didn't leave the house until a few minutes before 5:00 PM since I had to finish writing some other summaries for the web site. On top of that, things were moving a bit slowly in some places as Inman Ave in Edison and Colonia, and St. George's Ave in Rahway had a couple trouble spots from a traffic standpoint. Nevertheless, I did arrive and sit down in the gym as the first quarter was ending so that I have the complete line score by periods. To put this one in a nutshell, the contest between the Junior Ramblers and the Junior Falcons was one made up of spurts.

After a closely played first quarter that saw the highest single period scoring output by both teams, Carteret took over in the second with a 10-3 tear that gave the Junior Ramblers a 26-20 halftime lead. In the period, CHS shot 5 of 9 from the floor for 55.6 percent whille Monroe only was 1 of 8 from the field with the only field goal a three pointer for 12.5 percent. In addition, the home team only made five turnovers in the frame while forcing the visitors to commit eight. Outside of Rivera's 0 of 4 showing from the field, the Junior Ramblers were perfect with #32 going 3 of 3 for 6 points along with two rebounds and an assist, #1 making his only shot attempt for two points, and #42 sinking his only shot for two points along with a steal. Sophomore guard, Joe Ruopoli accounted for all of Monroe's points in the period with a trey that ended a 6-0 Carteret run to make it 22-20 midway through the second. However, CHS closed out the first half with a 4-0 run including a layup by #42 as he was fouled following an assist by Rivera to make it 26-20. Carteret could have went up by seven going into the break, but the forward missed the bonus free throw at the 1:45 mark.

In the third, the exact opposite happened as Monroe made 5 of 13 shots in the frame including two threes for its twelve points while limiting the home team to just 2 of 11 from the floor. The Junior Purple Birds opened the second half with a 12-2 tear over the first 5:50 of the third to take a 32-28 lead in a complete reversal of fortune. Ken Pace ignited the rally with an inbounds pass to Brian Rudowitz, the younger brother of standout, A.J. Rudowitz, for a layup to make it 26-22 at the 7:18 mark. Pace then followed that up with one of two at the line to make it 26-23 in favor of Carteret with 6:27 left in the period. Then, a little more than two minutes later, Monroe made it a 7-2 run as Ruopoli and Pace came together for a give and go that led to a Pace layup to pull the Junior Falcons within one at 28-27 with 4:22 to play. About a minute and twenty seconds later, Monroe then took the lead as sophomore guard, John Mindur handed out an assist on a layup by Brix for a 29-28 score with 3:01 left in the frame. Ruopoli then added a three pointer off another assist by Mindur to compelete the 12-2 outburst for a 32-28 lead at the 2:10 mark. Carteret would close the third period scoring with a steal and a layup by #23 to make it a two point, 32-30 game entering the fourth.

The final period had Carteret return serve for the match as it came from behind with a 12-8 showing to give it the slim two point victory. Weeks (a field goal for two points), Lane (two field goals and two free throws for six points), and Rivera (a field goal for two points and an assist) all played key roles with a combined ten of the twelve Junior Rambler points in the stanza while Weeks picked up two assists and a steal. CHS opened the quarter with the first four points to take the lead as Rivera passed off to #32, who pumped fake his defender, and powered in for a 32-32 tie at the 7:15 mark. Lane then gave Carteret the lead with a score at the 5:19 mark to make it 34-32 before Pace was fouled on a layup attempt that slowly rolled around the rim, and out, which resulted in a pair of free throws by the freshman to knot the game again at 34-34 with 4:13 to play. A little more than a half minute later, Monroe took the lead as Brix sank one of two to make it 35-34 with 3:40 to play. But, then Weeks got a steal and went the lenght of the floor for a layup to put Carteret ahead at 36-35, and then the guard struck again with an assist to Lane on an inbounds play for a layup that made it 38-35 with 1:52 left.

After a Monroe score trimmed the precarious Carteret lead to one again, Lane came through once more with a pair of free throws at the 53.9 second mark to make it a 40-37 lead. Pace then got a tap in off his own miss with 20.1 to go to make the score, 40-39, but then Weeks helped out on a layup by Rivera for the junior guard's only points of the battle to make it 42-39 with about seven seconds to play. However, on the ensuing MTHS possession, Pace was fouled on a three point attempt from right in front of the Junior Falcon bench well beyond the arc with 2.9 to go. So, with a chance to tie the game on three striaght free throws, Pace missed two of the three, and Carteret rebounded to pull out the 42-40 win for its fifth straight victory. Monroe slips to 11-8 overall on the season. In the varsity nightcap, Carteret secured its first state tournament berth in five seasons with a 59-48 win over Monroe. See details.

GMC Hoops Summaries--January 23, 2007
JV Game Of The Week--Week Six

Junior Destroyers Roll To An Easy Win Over St. Peter's, 58-19

By Greg Machos
January 23, 2007

DUNELLEN, NJ--Making up for lost time, and looking to see Dunellen's JV in action, GMC Hoops journeyed out early to the Faber Gymnasium in Dunellen to watch the Junior Destroyers host the Junior Cardinals of St. Peter's in Gold Division action. The first time these two teams played in December, Dunellen won in New Brunswick, 51-34. This time, it wouldn't be even as close. The Junior Destroyers jumped out to a 20-4 lead on 8 of 18 shooting from the field including two threes, and 2 of 2 at the foul line while making five turnovers. Then, after both teams were even in the second for a Dunellen, 26-10 halftime lead, and a three pointer by St. Peter's guard, Bruce Vereen-Nealous to open the third quarter, the home team put the game away with a 20-0 tidal surge that made it a 46-13 game with 2:58 to go in the period as it went on to win easily, 58-19.

For the game, St. Peter's had only five players get into the scoring column while Dunellen had seven of its ten players score. The Junior Cards were outscored in every period except the second, which ended in a 6-6 tie while the visitors of New Brunswick did not score in double figures in any of the quarters. On the other hand, the home team had two 20 plus point quarters as it used full court pressure to create 30 turnovers that resulted in many easy buckets. The Junior Cardinals ended up with only seven field goals in the contest including a three point as it shot 7 of 43 as a team from the floor for 16.3 percent while making 4 of 6 attempts from the charity stripe for 66.7 percent. On the other side of the ledger, the Junior Destroyers connected on 21 of 50 shot attempts including three trifectas for 42 percent, and made 13 of 15 from the foul line for 86.7 percent. Dunellen dominated in other statistical categories including turnovers (13-30), rebounds (28-27), blocks (2-1), charges (1-0), assists (16-3), steals (20-3), and three pointers (3-1).

Leading the way for the Junior Destroyers was freshman guard, Luke Francisco, who made 6 of his 13 attempts from the floor including three treys, and his only free throw attempt for a game high 16 points wihle also collecting 7 steals, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. Brother Nick Francisco, a sophomore, who saw limited duty due to the fact he played in some of the varsity nightcap, chipped in with 12 points on six of seven shots from the field while picking up five assists, three rebounds, two steals, and a block. Junior forward, Pedro Moncada, made just two of six shots, but connect on all four free throw attempts for eight points while grabbing seven rebounds, swiping three steals, blocking two shots, and handing out an assist. Alan-Michael Perryman also added eight points on three of eight from the floor, and two of two at the foul line while picking up five rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Erick Orellano missed all four of his shot attempts, but was a perfect six of six at the charity stripe for six points, and added five rebounds and two assists. Junior Matt Cianfrone helped out with four points on two of five shooting while collecting three rebounds, three steals, and two assists while younger brother Eric came off the bench to score two field goals in the second half for four as well.

Also playing, but not scoring were Rembert Amistad (0 of 2 FGs and 0 of 2 FTs, a steal, and a rebound), and Patrick Sweeney (0 of 3 FGs and two rebounds). Meanwhile, for St. Peter's, forward, Kyle Case was a bright spot. Although he was only three of ten from the floor, and one of two at the line, he battled for seven points, five rebounds, an assist, steal, and blocked shot. Teammate, Anthony Lorenzo chipped in with one of five from the floor, and three of four from the for four points along with four rebounds. Bruce Vereen-Nealous got the early third quarter three for St. Peter's that cut the lead in half at 26-13 for his only points of the game while grabbing three rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Two other Junior Cards got into the scorebook with two points each: Mike Rosado (two points and five rebounds) and Troy Brown (two points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal). Also playing, but not scoring were: Israel Vargas (a rebound), Jarrell Montas (two rebounds), Donald Taylor (two rebounds), and Kofi Bissah (a rebound).

The game started with Dunellen getting right two it with the first seven points over the opening 2:54 of the contest. The early run was highlighted by two field goals from Nick Francisco and a three from younger brother Luke. St. Peter's eventually called timeout at the 4:46 mark, but that didn't stop the Junior Destroyer juggernaut as it rolled up another five points all courtesy of Luke Francisco, who converted a layup attempt and nailed a three pointer to make it 12-0 as the Junior Cards were forced to call another timeout at the 3:32 mark. The visitors from New Brunswick didn't get on the board until the 3:03 mark of the first when Mike Rosado scored on an offensive rebound and putback for his only points of the game to make it 12-2. However, Dunellen closed out the quarter with eight of the last ten points as Perryman started the late spurt with a pair from the foul line at the 2:26 mark to push the lead back up to a dozen, and the Junior Destroyers held St. Peter's two only one more field goal the rest of the way for a sixteen point advantage going into the second.

In the second stanza, the Junior Cardinals settled down a little bit for the time being by staying even with the home team in a period that only saw twelve combined points. St. Peter's made two field goals again in the frame, but also added a 2 of 4 effort at the foul line while limiting Dunellen to a paltry one of eight from the floor. The Junior Destroyers tried to compensate by making four of six from the line to help keep the quarter a tie. Over the first 5:06 of the second, only seven points were scored as Dunellen got four of them to increase its advantage to 24-7. At the 2:20 mark, Orellano made the first of his six foul shots by netting a pair to make it a 26-7 bulge. However, St. Peter's closed the half with the final three points to go into the intermission trailing, 26-10, and then started the third with a three by Vereen-Nealous that gave the Junior Cards a ray hope with the score, 26-13 at the 6:45 mark. But then came a whirlwind of a run as the Junior Destroyers put together nine quick points in a 36 second span to force St. Peter's to call for time at the 6:03 mark with the score now 35-13. The burst was ignited by Perryman, who scored on an offensive rebound and putback, then Luke Francisco made a three point play, and brother Nick added two more field goals.

St. Peter's coach, Ryan Shellhammer, hoped to slow Dunellen down with the stoppage, but the tactic didn't work as the home team rolled off eleven more points over a span of 3:05 to take an insurrmountable, 46-13 lead with just under three minutes to play in the third. Both teams then scored four points each to close out the quarter, and then Dunellen outscored the Junior Cardinals by an 8-2 margin in the final frame for the 39 point victory. The home team would sweep the JV/Varsity Doubleheader as the Destroyers won the nightcap to avenge an early season loss to the Cardinals with a 50-43 victory. With the win, Dunellen, which lost starting point guard, Jim Schleppenbach, for the season with a torn miniscus in his knee that was suffered in a 61-57 loss to Roselle Park on January 15th, moves into first place by itself in the GMC Gold while raising its overall record to 12-3 on the season. See details.

GMC Hoops Summaries--January 22, 2007
JV Game Of The Week--Week Six

Junior Bombers Edge Junior Barrons In Overtime Duel, 61-58

By Greg Machos
January 22, 2007

PARLIN, NJ--The second of the Freshmen/JV/Varsity Tripleheader between Woodbridge and Sayreville covered by GMC Hoops was the most compelling of the day. Sayreville, which entered the game with one loss, got all it could ask for from visiting Woodbridge in the first installment of the JV Game of the Week for Week Six. The Junior Bombers, which won the Roselle Catholic JV Tournament over the holidays, and already defeated Woodbridge once this season, jumped out to a 33-20 halftime lead as Mike Greco scored 14 of his 19 points in the first half while recent varsity starter, James DeMild, chipped in with nine points on three field goals and three of four from the foul line in limited action. However, in the third quarter, the visiting Junior Barrons roared back with a 19-11 run that included an 11-0 run over the first 5:01 of the period to pull within two at 33-31 with just under three minutes to play in the frame. Then, trailing by five, 44-39 at the start of the fourth, Woodbridge put together an 8-0 spurt over the first 2:29 to take a 47-44 lead on a three pointer from the left side by Suarez (two field goals and two threes for 10 points) with 5:31 to play.

However, Sayreville rallied back with a 12-9 run over the final five and a half minutes to force overtime, and then won with a 5-2 edge in the extra session, 61-58 to raise its mark to 13-1 overall on the season, and enhance its resume going into the upcoming 2007 East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament, which takes place next month. Woodbridge appeared to have the game won with nine seconds to play in regulation when Castillo (a field goal and a free throw for three points) got his only points of the contest on a three point play that resulted from an offensive rebound and putback as he was fouled. However, the Woodbridge bench was assessed a technical foul for some reason related to their celebration of Castillo's clutch play. Consequently, Greco was able to step up to the foul line, and make both technical free throws to tie the game at 56-56, and ultimately force another period of basketball to be played.

In the extra session, Sayreville outscored the visitors by a 5-2 margin to pull out the thrilling victory. Greco opened the scoring in the overtime by making one of two at the foul line after being fouled at the 3:12 mark to make it a 57-56 lead. However, Gerard Bullock (8 field goals and 5-11 FTs for 21 points) gave the Junior Barrons the lead back by converting both his free throw attempts at the 2:48 mark to make it 58-57 in favor of Woodbridge. Unfortunately for WHS, that would be the last time it would hold a lead as Sayreville scored the last four points including a hook shot by Pizzi at the 1:33 mark, and two free throws by the sophomore point guard to make it a 61-58 lead with six seconds left. Bullock tried to tie the game and force another overtime period, but missed on a last second shot attempt from beyond the arc. There were a total of seven lead changes and three ties over the final 10:11 of the contest. During that span, neither team had a lead bigger than four points. While it was a tough loss for Woodbridge, the Junior Barrons showed a lot of heart and spirit in coming all the way back, and nearly knocking off one of the top JV squads in the GMC.

Although the matchup had plenty of drama and controversy, it almost didn't end up that way. Sayreville won the first quarter 12-9 as it jumped out to a 4-0 lead only to see Woodbridge pull to within 6-4 before Greco and Robinson (four field goals for eight points) each scored layups to make it a 10-4 lead with under three minutes to play in the period. Blair Dolphin (a field goal and 5 of 8 free throws) then made one of two at the foul line to cut the deficit to 10-5 at the 2:27 mark, and then the Junior Barrons got two more scores including a layup by Dave Silvasadder (four field goals for 8 points) off an assist by Castillo at the 1:11 mark to close the gap to 10-9. Robinson then added another score to make it 12-9 going into the second period. In the second stanza, Sayreville put together a 21-11 surge to finish the half, and take a commanding 33-20 lead going into the intermission. DeMild opened the scoring in the frame with one of two from the foul line for a 13-9 lead just six seconds into the new period. Suarez then scored a layup off a baseline move to make it 13-11 with 7:39 to play in the half. Neither team would score for about 1:24 before DeMild came back with a pair of foul shots at the 6:15 mark to make it 15-11 in favor of the home team.

Sayreville then turned on the jets with an 18-9 spurt over the final six minutes to take the thirteen point halftime lead. However, Woodbridge returned the favor and then some in the third period with a 19-11 showing that began with an 11-0 onslaught over the first 5:38 to pull within two at 33-31 before Robinson got his final points of the half on a steal for a layup with 2:22 remaining in the third to make it 35-31 in favor of the home team. The Junior Barron rally started innocently enough with a couple of free throws at the 6:36 mark. On the ensuing Sayreville possession, Dolphin got a steal, and was fouled on the layup attempt, which resulted in two more free throws that made the score, 33-24 with exactly six and a half to go in the frame. Neither team scored for a little more than two minutes before Castillo and Silvasadder teamed up again for a layup by the latter to make it a seven point, Junior Bomber lead with 4:28 to play in the third. A little more than a half minute after that, Bullock drove into the key for a hook shot that rattled in to make it a 33-28 Sayreville lead with under four to go in the period. A little less than a minute later, at the 2:59 mark, Dolphin came up with a three point play to creep the Junior Barrons even closer at 33-31.

Following Robinson's score, Woodbridge got two more points of its own to close to within two again at 35-33, but David Finney knocked down a three pointer at the 1:51 mark to give the home team a boost, and some much needed breathing room with a five point, 38-33 lead. However, the Junior Barrons made notice to the Junior Bombers that they weren't going away as they got a bank shot to fall at the 1:28 mark to make it 38-35, and then Suarez hit a jumper from the left wing to make it a one point game at 38-37 with 1:06 remaining in the stanza. The Junior Bombers started to bomb away (no pun intended) at that point with two straight threes including one by Rashiem Clarke (three pointer and a field goal for five points) to make it 44-37 with 35 seconds to go in the quarter. Woodbridge would then get another score to wrap up the third with Sayreville ahead 44-39. At the start of the fourth, the Junior Bombers went on a 8-0 run over a 2:29 span to take a 47-44 lead with 5:31 to play in the game. Silvasadder ignited the rally with a drive through the middle for a score at the 7:38 mark. Dolphin then made one of two at the line with 7:11 to play, and then Bullock scored exactly one minute after that on a drive for a reverse layup to tie the game at 44-44. Following a WHS timeout at the 5:42 mark, Suarez made a three pointer from the left side for a 47-44 lead.

From that point until the end of overtime, the game was tightly contested. Glenn Cannon (two field goals for four points) scored a layup to make it a one point, 47-46 Woodbridge lead, and then the sophomore contributed to another key play as he passed off to Robinson for an assist on a layup that made it 48-47 with 4:39 left. Shortly afterward, Sayreville made it a 6-0 run for a 50-47 lead as Clarke passed to Greco for a layup at the four minute mark. Suarez then connected on his final three of the game with a shot from the right corner that made it 50-50 with 3:36 remaining in regulation. The tie would be short lived as Sayreville took the lead back on a jumper with 3:12 left in the fourth to make it 52-50. The Junior Bombers then took a four point lead as Pizzi dished to Clarke, who then dribbled in four a foul line jumper that was true to make it 54-50 with 2:51 left. Woodbridge would respond though with the next six points as Bullock made one of two at the charity stripe with 1:28 to go, and followed that up with a drive through the middle for a score. Castillo then made it apparently huge three point play to make it 56-54, but the officials rained on Woodbridge's jubilation with the controversial technical that ultimately forced overtime, and led the Junior Barrons to a tough luck loss. With the win, Sayreville moves up to 13-1 on the season while Woodbridge falls to 8-4. In the varsity nightcap, Kofi Genfi registered a double-double of 30 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Bombers to a 69-47 win over Woodbridge. See details.

GMC Hoops Summaries--January 9, 2007
JV Game Of The Week--Week Four

Vastola, Talley, And Simpson Rally Junior Falcons Past Junior Chiefs In Overtime, 57-51

By Greg Machos
January 9, 2007

METUCHEN, NJ--After starting the season, 0-2 with losses to South Brunswick on opening night, and Hudson County powerhouse, Bayonne, three days later, the Junior Falcons of St. Joseph's have been on a roll. Starting with a 65-56 victory at Edison on December 20th, and continuing against J.P. Stevens and the three Staten Island opponents in the St. Joseph's Tournament, St. Joe's began gathering steam. Then the winning streak began to take a life of its own as the Junior Falcons went on the road to win at Colonia, 60-51, on Saturday, and at mighty St. Patrick's of Elizabeth, 48-45, on Monday to enter its contest with Piscataway at 8-2. Meanwhile, the Chiefs always have good young talent, and it had the chance to prove itself during the off-season in the various summer and fall leagues.

With talented freshmen such as Wayne Newsome and Malcolm Griggs, which led Piscataway to a championship at the Colonia Freshmen Summer League, and sophomores such as Jeff Adkins, Will Sames, Amir Wells, Will Sames, Antoine Bevely, and Justin Blake, there is a nice future ahead for P-Way, which is making strides already at the varsity level with a 5-3 start going into its varsity nightcap with the home team Falcons. This game turned out to be quite a downybrook as the Junior Falcons had to come from behind twice in the final 1:15 to force overtime, and then outscore the game Junior Chiefs by a 9-3 margin in the extra session for the 57-51 victory. Sophomore guard, Nikko Vastola led the way for St. Joseph's with 19 points while coming up with some key rebounds and assists to help set up some big plays for the Junior Falcons. Najhi Talley chipped in with ten points including one of two free throws at the 14.4 second mark of regulation to tie the game at 48-48 and force the overtime, and another one of two at the charity stripe with 21.1 left in the extra period to finish off the win.

Freshman guard, Mike Simpson also came up big in the extra session with four of his eight points. Sophomore forward, David McDaniel, and Mark Bauer both added key buckets to St. Joe's pull away in the overtime. Jeff Adkins led the Junior Chiefs in a losing cause with 13 points while Will Sames chipped in with 10 points. Wayne Newsome only played two quarters for Piscataway since he was also involved in the varsity contest, but still caused problems for the Junior Falcons. St. Joseph's JV coach, Pete Mercatili was relieved to see Newsome only played two periods. "Thank goodness their big kid only played two quarters," he said, "had he played the entire game, we probably would have lost." Due to a longer than expected afternoon nap, GMC Hoops wasn't able to arrive at the game until late in the fourth quarter. Piscataway was leading, 47-45 with approximately 1:15 left, and just moments later, the Junior Falcons tied the game up with a score to make it 47-47. Following a St. Joseph's timeout at the 57.9 mark, Simpson committed a turnover at the 48 second mark to give P-Way an opportunity to get the win.

The Junior Chiefs almost took full advantage with one of two free throws at the 26.9 second mark for a 48-47 lead. However, Vastola grabbed the rebound on the second missed free throw, and passed off to Simpson, who dished to Talley for a shot attempt that missed the mark, but the forward was fouled by a Piscataway player with 14.4 left on the clock in regulation. Talley then hit one of two to knot the game again at 48-48, and after Piscataway misfired on a last second shot, the two squads went to overtime. St. Joseph's went on the attack right from the opening tip as McDaniel made a smart play, but not only winning the tip, but tapping downcourt to Simpson for a layup attempt that he was fouled on with 3:56 to play in the extra period. Simpson then made both free throws to make the score, 50-48 in favor of the Junior Falcons. Piscataway had trouble against St. Joe's zone, and that continued in the overtime with a missed shot at the 3:25 mark. The Junior Falcons were unable to capitalize as Bauer missed a layup attempt that was set up by a pass from Simpson at the 3:17 mark.

With new life, the Chiefs attacked the zone this time, and that resulted in a jumper from the left wing by Adkins to knot the game up at 50-50 with 2:51 left in the extra period. Less than ten seconds later, Simpson returned to the foul line, and made one of two to give St. Joe's a tenuous one point, 51-50 lead with 2:42 to play. A little more than a half minute after that, Piscataway tied the game up again with one of two free throws of its own to make the score, 51-51 at the 2:08 mark of overtime. Bauer then gave the Junior Falcons the lead for good with a layup at the 1:54 mark to make it 53-51. Simpson then followed that up with another one of two showing at the line for a 54-51 lead with 1:24 remaining, and following a Piscataway miss, Vastola grabbed the rebound, pushed the ball upcourt, and passed off to McDaniel for a layup that made it 56-51 with 1:07 left. Talley then made his one of two charity shots to finish the Junior Chiefs off for the six point win. With the victory, St. Joseph's is now 9-2 on the season. Meanwhile, in the varsity game, St. Joseph's went on a 20-6 surge over the final 6:38 of the game to overcome a seven point deficit to defeat Piscataway, 56-49. See details.

GMC Hoops Summaries--January 2, 2007
JV Game Of The Week--Week Three

Snider, Williams, And Landeo Lead McCarrick Past Middlesex, 47-35

By Greg Machos
January 2, 2007

SOUTH AMBOY, NJ--Junior guard, Will Snider connected on four field goals in eleven attempts including a three pointer while making three of six at the line for a game high 12 points while sophomore guard, Eliazor Landeo made six of seven at the line including four down the stretch to help the Junior Eagles of Cardinal McCarrick hold off a late rally by Middlesex to defeat the Junior Jays, 47-35 in the GMC Hoops Game of the Week on Tuesday night in South Amboy. Sean Williams, who struggled from the field going just 3 of 16 including a three and 2 of 4 at the line, still managed to chip in with all nine of his points in the first half as McCarrick had a 15-8 showing in the first quarter, and a 20-11 effort in the second for a 35-19 halftime lead. However, Middlesex, rallied in the second half as Cardy Mac got sloppy, and the Junior Jays took advantage with a 6-5 edge in the third, and an 8-2 start to the fourth to pull within nine at 42-33 with a bit more than three minutes to go.

But, McCarrick found a way to pull it out as Tyler Houser (2 of 5 FGs and 1 of 3 FTs for five points, six rebounds, and two steals) connected on one of two at the 2:48 mark, and Landeo (6 points, a rebound, assist, and charge) made a pair at the charity stripe with 2:24 left, and then with 2:02 remaining to seal the win. Snider helped orchestrate things with four steals, three assists and three rebounds while Williams helped out with two assists and two charges. Jack Giordano also contributed with 2 of 5 field goals and 2 of 2 at the line for six points along with two rebounds, and a steal. Junior center, Tom Costello (1 of 3 FGs and 2 of 2 FTs for four points, five rebounds, a block, and a steal), junior guard Johnny Cruz (1 of 2 FGs and 1 of 3 FTs for 3 points and a rebound), and Tim Snider (1 of 1 FGs for 2 points, a rebound, and a steal) rounded out the scoring for the Eagles. Alvin Baptiste-Ousley (0 of 1 FG and two blocks), Pat Brennan (a rebound), Brock (0 of 1 FG) and Mierzwiak (a steal) all played, but didn't score for the Eagles.

Meanwhile, Middlesex got a double-double from #33 with 5 of 6 shooting from the floor and 1 of 2 at the line for team high honors with 11 points along with 12 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block. Mike Colacci saw some time and made one of four from the field and two of two at the charity stripe for three points while grabbing three rebounds and pulling down two assists. Junior Billy Lester also made one of four from the field for two points while collecting three rebounds and an assist. Brian Earl made one of three from the floor, and two of two at the line for his three points while also collecting a rebound, steal, and a block. Dan Kelly scored six points on three of five shooting while grabbing three rebounds. Others making contributions were Rob Mendito (3 of 9 field goals and 0 of 1 free throws for 6 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist), #14 (0 of 4 FGs and 2 of 3 FTs for two points and three assists), Matt Smith (0 of 2 FGs, two rebounds, and a steal), and #11 (0 of 1 FG).

The first and second quarter proved to be the difference in this one. Although McCarrick was held to single digits in both the third and fourth quarters, the Junior Eagles were still able to pretty much win the game on the strength of their performance in the first two periods of the contest. Middlesex, which also scored in single digits in both the first and third frames, managed to only muster slim edges in the third (6-5) and fourth (10-7). For the game McCarrick had more threes (2-0), charges (3-0), blocks (3-2), steals (10-4), and turnovers (18-26) while Middlesex had advantages in rebounds (27-20) and assists (7-6). Cardinal McCarrick shot 14 of 46 from the field for 30.4 percent and went 17 of 27 at the charity stripe for 63 percent while Middlesex was 14 of 38 for 36.8 percent and 7 of 10 at the line for 70 percent. So the Junior Eagles were able to win the contest on the strength of more free throws attempted and made, and more threes. At first it appeared the McCarrick would win the game easily as the Eagles jumped out to a huge first half lead.

In the first period, the Junior Eagles took advantage of eight Junior Jays turnovers, and closed the frame with a 9-0 run that consisted of one of two from the line by Snider at the 3:38 mark, a three pointer from the left wing by Williams at the 3:12 mark, one of two free throws by Williams at the 2:50 mark, two foul shots by Landeo following a technical at the 1:15 mark, and then a driving layup by Giordano off an assist by Snider to cap the run for a 15-8 lead going into the second. McCarrick then appeared to break the game open with a 13-4 tear over the first 3:25 of the second stanza to take a 28-12 lead with 4:35 left before intermission. Cardy Mac's run was highlighted by a steal and a layup by Houser at the 6:51 mark, two free throws by Giordano at the 6:09 mark, and a three point play by Cruz at the 4:35 mark. Both teams were even over the last four and a half minutes as Cardinal McCarrick took a 35-19 lead into the locker room. The Junior Eagles forced fourteen turnovers while making only six, and converting ten of thirteen at the line in the first half. Middlesex went 8 of 22 from the floor for 36.4 percent as was McCarrick, but on 12 of 33 shooting.

However, rather than going quietly, Middlesex fought back much to its credit. The Junior Blue Jays started the third period with a 6-3 run over the first 5:04 to cut into the McCarrick lead. The varsity reserve trio of Billy Lester, Mike Colacci, and Brian Earl all contributed during the mini-rally as Lester had a field goal and an assist, Colacci had a field goal and an assist, and Earl had two free throws. The Junior Eagles got their only points on a three pointer from Will Snider to make the score, 38-25 as Middlesex called for time with 2:56 left in the period. Cardy Mac would get the only two remaining points of the frame as both teams combined for the lowest scoring output of the contest with 11 third quarter points. In the fourth, the Junior Jays made their second and most significant push of the game with an 8-2 burst over the first 4:57 of the final stanza to trim the McCarrick lead to single digits at 42-33 with a bit over three minutes remaining. However, that would be as close as Middlesex got as the Junior Eagles made five of six at the line over a one minute span to take a fourteen point, 47-33 lead, and ultimately win by twelve, 47-35.

Following the game, the McCarrick varsity had an easier time with Middlesex. Jumping out to a 23-7 first quarter lead, and then adding a 21-5 showing in the second, the Eagles surged out to a 44-12 halftime advantage, and went on to win easily, 69-28. Vince Rosario led the charge with 19 of his 22 points in the first half while Mike Burwell added 16 of his 20 over the first two periods in the win. Mark Stockton led the way for Middlesex with seven points while brother John and Nick Fariella each added six. See details.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 19, 2006
JV Game Of The Week--Week One

Nweme, Edmonds, and Smith Lead Colonia Past New Brunswick, 50-36

By Greg Machos
December 19, 2006

COLONIA, NJ--Following the Little Patriots victory over New Brunswick in the freshmen game, and prior to the start of Colonia's varsity tilt with the Zebras, the Junior Patriots hosted the Junior Zebras in an early season White Division showdown. Last season, the current Colonia JV team had a number of players that contributed to a fine season by the Colonia Freshmen team that culminated in a Final Four appearance at the 2006 Perth Amboy/GMC Tournament. Although those Little Patriots lost to J.P. Stevens in the semifinals, and then to division rival, North Brunswick in the consolation, they still laid the foundation for more successful seasons to come at the proud basketball school.

Meanwhile, the Junior Zebras from New Brunswick are part of a program that is going through its third coaching change in four seasons. Despite the chaotic transitioning, many of this year's New Brunswick JV squad, helped contributed to a fine season last season as well that ended up with a ninth seed in the Amboy/GMC Tourney, a win over eighth seeded East Brunswick in the first round, and a quarterfinal appearance, where they lost to the eventual champion, J.P. Stevens. Both teams also sported players that gained post season recognition by this web site as members of the GMC Hoops All Ninth Grade team. Tuesday's JV Game of the Week took on many of the characteristics of the varsity nightcap that followed it as both team's struggled offensively, but fought hard and hustled throughout.

However, on this day, Colonia was the better team. After a first quarter that saw the Junior Patriots hold a slim 7-5 margin as both teams combined for 5 of 22 field goals, 2 of 6 free throws, and ten turnovers, Colonia got itself on track in what would be the deciding period of the game. In the second quarter, the Junior Patriots clamped down on defense as they didn't allow a single field goal by New Brunswick (0-10 FGs) while the Junior Zebras made two of six foul shots, and made five more turnovers for 12 in the first half. The result was a devastating 16-2 surge that turned what appeared to be a close battle early on to a 23-7 halftime advantage. Colonia then outscored the Junior Zebras by a 16-12 margin over the first 7:32 of the third for a commanding 39-19 lead. While New Brunswick did manage to chip away to make it somewhat interesting late in the fourth, the Junior Patriots came away with the win, 50-36.

Sophomore Mike Nweme led the attack with a double-double of 14 points (5 of 13 FGs and 4 of 6 FTs) and 10 rebounds along with an assist and a charge while guard Jordan Edmonds added 13 points on 5 of 12 shooting including the game's only three pointer, and 2 of 4 from the foul line while also collecting four rebounds and an assist. Fellow sophomore forward, Julian Smith made only two of five field goals for five points, but also helped out on the boards with 11 rebounds. Tyler Jackow didn't score (0 of 3 FGs), but he helped orchestrate the offense by handing out five assists while pulling down a board. Brian Negrey missed both his field goal attempts, but he still managed to get on the scoreboard with two foul shots while collecting four rebounds in the win. Four other Colonia players got in as well including Xavier Coleman (2 of 5 FGs and 6 of 8 FTs for 10 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist), Shelton Merceda (1 of 2 FGs for 2 points, 3 rebounds, and a steal), Mike Karabin (0 of 5 FGs, 3 of 4 FTs for 3 points, 3 charges, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a steal), and Xavier Page (0 of 3 FGs and 0 of 1 FTs, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and a block).

For New Brunswick, Rashon McMillon stood out in a losing cause. Despite going 4 of 15 from the floor, McMillon made 6 of 9 free throws for a total of 14 points on the night while also compiling seven steals, four assists, and two rebounds. Anthony Vigo chipped in with two field goals in eight attempts and one of two foul shots for five points along with five rebounds, an assist, steal, and block. Eric Hamm also helped out with one field goal in six attempts and one of two at the line for three points in addition to four rebounds, two blocks, an assist, and a steal. Four other players got into the scoring column for the Junior Zebras including #54 with two of six field goals for four points and six rebounds, and #45, who made three of nine shots and two of eight at the charity stripe for 8 points along with 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist. Meanwhile, #55 (0 of 1 FGs and 1 of 2 FTs for a point) and #20 (0 of 3 FGs and 1 of 4 FTs for a point, two rebounds, a steal and a block) rounded out the scoring for New Brunswick.

For the game, New Brunswick shot just 12 of 48 from the field for exactly 25 percent while making just 12 of 27 at the free throw line for 44.4 percent. In addition, the Junior Zebras committed 23 turnovers on the night. On the other side of the ledger, Colonia fared a bit better shooting the ball, but had more miscues. The Junior Patriots connected on 15 of 53 from the field for only 28.3 percent and made 17 of 25 foul shots for 68 percent, but turned the ball over 24 times. Colonia also held advantages in other statistical areas including three pointers (1-0), charges (4-0), assists (13-7), and rebounds (42-24). New Brunswick held the edge in steals (13-5) and blocks (4-1). The Junior Pats outscored the visitors in every quarter except the fourth while scoring in double digits in three of the periods. The Junior Zebras did much better in the second half from a scoring standpoint scoring in double figures in each of the final two periods.

Neither team scored for the first 1:41 of the contest as the Junior Zebras committed two turnovers within the first 48 seconds of play. However, New Brunswick got on the board first as Vigo connected on a jumper from the left corner off an assist by McMillon for the 2-0 lead with 6:19 to go in the period. Colonia asserted control though with a 5-2 run that was highlighted by three lead changes in a 1:34 span. Mike Nweme played a key role in the early run with one of two from the foul line at the 4:49 mark to make it 2-1, and then handed out an assist to Julian Smith for a layup at the 3:15 mark that gave Colonia a 5-4 lead. New Brunswick had a chance to take the lead back, but failed to make a pair of foul shots at the 2:17 mark as the score remained, 5-4. Nweme got the final field goal of the period following the hard work of Jackow, who grabbed an offensive rebound, and passed off to the forward for a score to make it 7-4 with about a minute remaining in the period.

The Junior Zebras closed out the opening quarter scoring with one of two free throws at the 25.20 second mark for a two point Colonia lead going into the second. However, New Brunswick, which was just 2 of 20 from the field in the first half for a paltry ten percent, went scoreless for the first 5:07 of the second period as Colonia put together a 7-0 spurt for a 14-5 lead, and then only allowed two of four free throws in the remaining three or so minutes of the half. The Junior Zebras actually went only 3 of 10 at the foul line for 30 percent. Meanwhile, Colonia shot just 4 of 13 from the field, but went 8 of 10 at the foul line to increase its lead. Nweme, who had 11 points in the first half, scored six of them during the second period outburst on 2 of 3 field goals and 2 of 2 foul shots. The Junior Patriots closed out the first half with a 9-2 tear for the double digit halftime lead as they only made seven turnovers over the first two quarters of play.

However, in the second half Colonia began to get careless with the ball. Despite scoring sixteen of the first 28 points of the second half for a twenty point lead late in the third quarter, the Junior Patriots coughed it up seventeen times, and allowed New Brunswick to chip away, and almost make a game of it. The Junior Zebras went on a 14-4 run over a span of 6:31 to pull within ten at 43-33 with just under two minutes to go. The problem was that New Brunswick ran out of time. Julian Smith helped put the game away with a layup off a pass from Jordan Edmonds to make it 45-33 at the 1:45 mark. Colonia then scored five of the last eight points for a 50-36 victory. In the varsity game, the Patriots made it a clean three game sweep with a 49-37 win over New Brunswick as both Kevin Edmonds and Nnamdi Usuwa scored 14 points each.

GMC Hoops Summaries--December 15, 2006
JV Game Of The Week--Opening Night

Teicher And Lease Lead South Brunswick Past St. Joe's, 53-37

By Greg Machos
December 15, 2006

METUCHEN, NJ--After St. Joseph's White Freshmen Team blasted South Brunswick's Frosh Squad, 69-26, in the opener of the first ever GMC Hoops Freshman, JV, and Varsity Tripleheader on Friday night, SBHS was looking to even things up on the night before the varsity teams took the floor. Joe Hoehman and his Junior Vikings did just that as junior forwards Jordan Teicher (11 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 assists, and a charge) and Sean Lease (10 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists) led the way to a 53-37 victory over St. Joseph's Junior Falcons. Teicher converted five of his eight shot attempts from the field while adding a one of two showing at the line for his 11 points while Lease went 4 of 7 from the floor and 2 of 5 from the charity stripe for his 10 points.

Sophomore Mohammed Sanu didn't enter the game until the third quarter, but still made a significant impact with 2 of 5 field goals including a three pointer and a dunk along with three of four at the line for eight points. Sanu also collected nine rebounds, four steals, two assists, and a blocked shot. Troy Confessore chipped in with 5 points on one of five shooting as well as a perfect four of four at the foul line while picking up two assists. The Vikings as a team shot 19 of 47 overall from the floor for 40.4 percent while converting 14 of their 24 attempts at the charity stripe for 58.3 percent. Meanwhile, St. Joseph's had a difficult time only shooting 27.1 percent from the field (16 of 59 FGs) and 33 percent from the line (4 of 12 FTs). Sophomore David McDaniel led the way with 7 points on 3 of 11 shooting from the floor including a three pointer. McDaniel also pulled down six boards, handed out three assists, blocked three shots, and swiped a steal.

Steve Brandenburg (3 of 7 FGs and 1 of 2 FTs) also scored seven points while picking up four rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Freshman point guard, Mike Simpson chipped in with 6 points (3 of 8 FGs and 0 of 2 FTs) while also collecting three steals and a rebound. Nikko Vastola had his share of struggles from the floor as well as the rest of his teammates as he made just 2 of 11 shots and 2 of 5 from the line for six points, but he fought hard throughout the game in spite of the circumstances, and also picked up six rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a charge. Nick Panos also had two field goals, but on five attempts for four points while Robert Dawson (1 of 4 FGs for 2 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal), Guiseppe Conguista (1 of 5 FGs and 2 rebounds), and Najhi Talley (1 of 1 FGs and 1 of 1 FTs for 3 points, 3 rebounds, an assist, and a steal) rounded out the scoring for St. Joseph's. Christian Prince, Mike Carpetto, and Mark Bauer, got into the game, but didn't score.

For the game, South Brunswick had ten players got into the scoring column while St. Joseph's had eight get into the books. The Junior Vikes had advantages in turnovers (24-26), rebounds (34-29), assists (13-9), and steals (11-10) while the Junior Falcons held edges in three pointers (1-0), charges (1-0), and blocks (4-2). The big problem for the Falcons was scoring. St. Joseph's scored in single digits in three of the four periods including just two points in the opening frame on 1 of 12 field goals for just 8.3 percent while making nine turnovers. While South Brunswick had similar struggles, the Junior Vikings made more shots (4 of 12 FGs in the first quarter for 33 percent) and fewer turnovers with seven for a 10-2 lead. Neither team didn't score until the 6:36 mark when Lease opened things up for SBHS with one of two from the charity stripe for a 1-0 lead. St. Joseph's, which committed four miscues in the first 2:19, fell behind even further as Lease passed off to Teicher for a three point play that made the score, 4-0 with 6:05 to go in the first.

The Junior Falcons didn't get its first points until inside four minutes left in the frame as Steve Brandenburg scored a layup for the first and only field goal made in the period by St. Joe's to make the score 4-2. Despite forcing a South Brunswick turnover, the Junior Falcons failed to capitalize as Teicher picked up a steal, and passed off to Lease, who went the rest of the way for a layup to make it 6-2. St. Joe's continued to have turnover problems, but the Junior Vikes failed to take advantage as well. Nevertheless, South Brunswick still managed to pick up a couple buckets to round out the quarter for the 10-2 lead as both Teicher and Lease accounted for all SBHS points with five apiece. Things didn't start off well in the second either for St. Joseph's despite an early score on a jumper from Guiseppe Conguista to cut the deficit to six. Like the first quarter, both teams had trouble getting on the board early on.

Conguista's basket was the only basket scored in the first 1:53 of the period. South Brunswick did manage to warm up with six straight points over the next two minutes or so for a 16-4 lead before Vastola, who missed two foul shots at the 5:24 mark, notched his first field goal of the game on an offensive rebound and putback as he was fouled. The sophomore guard failed to make the bonus free throw for the conventional three point play so the score stood at 16-6 in favor of the Junor Vikes with 3:51 left in the half. Neither team wouldn't score for nearly two minutes before St. Joseph's got a short jumper from David McDaniel off a feed from Steve Brandenberg that cut the deficit to eight at 16-8 with exactly two minutes left in the quarter. However, SBHS closed the half with five of the last seven points to take a 21-10 advantage going into the intermission.

At the beginning of the second half, South Brunswick appeared to have St. Joe's on the ropes for an early knockout. With a bit more than a half minute gone by in the third, Sean Lease scored a traditional three point play that made it 24-10. Both teams then exchanged several scores including a pair of free throws by Vastola at the 7:12 mark, and two by Troy Confessore at the 4:19 mark to make it 30-16 in favor of the Junior Vikings. Then, SBHS went on a critical 7-2 burst that included a three pointer by Sanu, two more free throws by Confessore, and a layin by Teicher off an assist from Sanu to make the score, 35-18 as St. Joseph's had to call for time at the 3:11 mark. The timeout appeared to have worked as the Junior Falcons closed out the quarter by scoring eleven of the final fifteen points including a 9-2 spurt to get back into the game.

The highlights of the Junior Falcon rally was a three point play at the 44 second mark by Najhi Talley and an offensive rebound and follow by Brandenberg in the waning moments of the period . Talley, a freshman forward took in a pass from McDaniel and scored as he was fouled, and then followed that up by making the bonus foul shot for the tradition three point play to cap the 9-2 tear, and Brandenburg answered a score by South Brunswick with the final points of the quarter to make it a 39-29 game going into the fourth. However, the Junior Falcons couldn't manage to get any closer as Sanu helped South Brunswick open the final stanza with a steal and a dunk for a 43-29 lead at the 6:10 mark, and then after a 5-0 run by St. Joe's to pull within single digits at 43-34 at the 4:51 mark, Teicher scored a layup to make it 45-34 with a bit more than four and a half minutes to go. Sanu later put the final nails in the coffin with a pair of foul shots at the 3:33 mark to make it 49-35 as SBHS ended up winning by sixteen.

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