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GMC Hoops Summaries--February 21, 2010
Week Nine--GMCT Elite Eight

Pace And Brix Brothers Lift Monroe To Second Straight Final Four, 65-46

By Greg Machos
February 21, 2010

EDISON, NJ--The second game of the 2010 GMCT Quarterfinals Quadrupleheader at Middlesex County College on Sunday afternoon was another rubber match from the GMC White Division. Second seeded Monroe was taking on seventh seeded New Brunswick for the third time this season. The first time these two teams played back on January 2nd in Monroe, the Zebras pulled off the upset with a 52-50 victory. However, since then the Falcons have been on a roll with 16 victories in its last 17 games including a 58-43 victory over the Zebras on January 26th. New Brunswick had started the season with three straight losses and defeats in four of its first five games before winning 13 of 17 contests entering the GMCT Elite Eight.

This was the first time that NBHS was appearing in the quarterfinal round since the 2005-06 season. Prior to that, the Zebras had been a fixture in the quarters with the likes of Marvin Taylor, Dwayne Jarrett, Jamall Jenkins, Eric Bynes, and Karim Byrom leading the team to six appearances from 2001 to 2006. Monroe was making its second straight Elite Eight appearance, and third in the last five years. The Purple Birds got off to a fast start in this one with a 17-6 tear over the first 6:51, and then closed the first half with a 14-6 spurt to take a 33-18 lead at the half. From there, Monroe led by as much as 27 in the second half before winning comfortably, 65-46. The Falcons outscored the Zebras in each of the first three periods en route to the victory.

MTHS registered its 65 points on 17 field goals, six threes, and 13 foul shots while New Brunswick got its 46 on 17 field goals, two threes, and six free throws. Sophomore Danny Brix led the way in victory for the Falcons with a team high 18 points on six field goals and six foul shots while senior Kenny Pace chipped in with 17 points on three field goals, two threes, and five free throws. Timmy Brix added 13 points in the win on two field goals, and three treys. Junior forward, Jaquan Cook scored all eight of New Brunswick's points in the first quarter, and 12 points in the first half en route to a game high 20 points on 10 of 11 shooting from the floor. Sophomore forward, Milton Pittman chipped in with 14 points. The game was back and forth early on with three lead changes as Monroe took a 6-4 lead with 5:54 left in the first.

Cook put the Zebras on top first with a basket only to have Timmy Brix connect on a three pointer from the left wing for a 3-2 lead. Cook then put New Brunswick back out in front at 4-3 with a score, but Timmy Brix struck again with a three pointer from the right wing for a two point lead. Danny Brix then added two free throws for an 8-4 lead before Cook answered with a foul line jumper to pull the Zebras within two again at 8-6. Pace then netted one of two from the line with four minutes gone by in the first. The Falcons got another three from the elder Brix for an 11-6 lead before Danny Brix made two from the line for a 13-6 lead with 2:42 to go in the period. Monroe added four more points over the ensuing 1:33 on offensive rebounds and follows by Danny Brix and Victor Sorrento (a FG and 2 FTs for 4 points) to take a 17-6 lead with 1:09 to go in the first. Cook closed out the first quarter scoring with an offensive rebound and follow with 25 seconds left for a 17-8 score after one.

Shots weren't falling for New Brunswick at first. Add to that the fact that Mike Mahmoud and Zach Batchelor (2 FGs for 4 points) came up with blocked shots didn't help matters. The Purple Birds also continued to perform well on offense with good passing that led to a Pace layup at the 6:21 mark. The Zebras had a chance to get some points when Simuel Williams swiped a steal and drove in for a layup that drew a foul. However, the third year varsity player missed both free throws at the 5:29 mark. He did redeem himself though a short time later by taking on outlet pass, and scoring a layup at the 5:06 mark for the team's first points by a player other than Cook in the game. Following a timeout at the 4:53 mark, the Zebras had another scoring opportunity when Fuquan Rogers swiped a steal and drove in for a layup, and drew a foul, but he also missed both foul shots at the 4:18 mark. Rogers, like Williams redeemed himself somewhat though by getting another steal, spinning, and dishing to Pittman for a layin, and a 19-12 Monroe lead with 4:06 to play in the half.

Unfortunately, the Zebras would not get any closer for the remainder of the game. Monroe scored five of the next seven points over a span of 1:21 including a three pointer by sophomore Ryan Genevieve (a FG and a three for 5 points) for a 24-14 lead at the 2:45 mark. Pace, who scored seven straight points, then added a three pointer from the right wing for a 27-14 with 2:18 to go in the first half, and scored two more field goals before Sorrento made two free throws with 2.7 seconds left in the half for a 33-18 lead at the break. The third quarter saw the Purple Birds break the game wide open with a 20-10 showing for a twenty-five point lead heading into the fourth. Simuel Williams opened the second half with a one of two showing from the line to make the score 33-19 at the 6:36 mark, but Danny Brix responded with a layup at the 6:25 mark for a 35-19 lead.

Following a New Brunswick timeout at the 6:16 mark, Pace got a score for the Falcons before he broke the Zebra pressure by passing upcourt to Danny Brix for a layup for a 39-21 lead with 5:25 to go in the third. Monroe continued to pour it on with 10 of the next 15 points including a bank shot by Batchelor at the 4:23 mark, and a three pointer by Pace off an assist by Mahmoud for a 49-26 advantage with 2:21 to go in the period. Monroe led by as many as 27 thanks to another two scores before Nyeem Coleman (2 FGs for 4 points) made a jumper inside the three point line for a 53-28 Monroe lead heading into the fourth. Coleman's jumper sparked a 10-0 spurt by the Zebras that included another jumper by the junior, and two free throws by Pittman for a 55-36 MTHS lead with 6:10 to go. Monroe and New Brunswick then scored ten points each the rest of the way for the 65-46 final score.

With the victory, Monroe improved to 21-3 overall and 17-1 in conference play while New Brunswick dropped to 14-9 overall and 12-8 in the GMC. The Falcons advance to the GMCT Final Four for the second straight year, where they will take on sixth seeded Sayreville. The Bombers defeated North Brunswick earlier in the day by a score of 59-42. It will be the third time this season that the Falcons and Bombers were playing each other. Monroe won the previous two meetings. Analysis and video highlights will be forthcoming in the blog.

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