The Freshmen Game of the Week, Freshmen Roundup, and the JV Roundup are now available. Check them out in our GMC Hoops Summary archive.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 6, 2010
Week Eleven--Central Jersey Group IV Semifinals

North Brunswick Outlasts Marlboro In Double Overtime, 70-67

By Greg Machos
March 6, 2010

MARLBORO, NJ--If North Brunswick's boys basketball team is looking to come up with a motto, they might want to try this: Have Rogers, will travel. Sophomore guard, Dion Rogers has found ways to make big shots at certain junctures of games all season. The semifinal game of the Central Jersey Group IV State Tournament against Marlboro at Marlboro High School on Saturday afternoon was no exception. In a game that had plenty of irony with Marlboro's head coach, Andy Theokas being a former player for North Brunswick head coach, Eddie Breheney, and a contest that was a microcosm of how things have gone in Central Jersey Group IV this season, Rogers led the way for the Raiders by making 8 of 14 shots overall from the floor including five of eight from three point range for a team high 21 points, but it was his heroics late in the fourth quarter that saved the Raiders season, and has them playing for a sectional championship.

Trailing 53-50 with 19 seconds left, Rogers hit nothing but the bottom of the net on a clutch three pointer to knot the game up at 53-53, and force the first of two overtimes in the epic contest. Marlboro's Andrew Goldstein was not to be outdone though. The Mustangs swingman, who poured in a monstrous game high of 37 points on 12 of 29 shots from the floor including three treys, and 10 of 17 from the line, drilled a three from the top of the key with 8.7 seconds to go in the first extra session as the Marlboro fans erupted with jubilation. In the second overtime, Goldstein scored again on an offensive rebound and follow at the 3:40 mark, but the Raiders took control of the game for good with a decisive 7-0 run over the next 2:49 for a 66-61 lead with 51.6 seconds remaining. Marlboro didn't give up, and had a chance to tie when Sean Hickey was fouled on a three point shot attempt with 6.9 seconds to go. He made the first two free throws, but after a smart timeout by Breheney, Hickey missed the crucial third shot.

Mark Gibson, who chipped in with 19 points on 7 of 11 shooting from the floor including a three pointer, and four of seven from the line, was fouled by Goldstein, who left the game with five personals at the 5.7 second mark after North Brunswick junior, Tait Pirkle fouled out with 18.3 seconds to go. Gibson sank both free throws for a three point lead, and when Craig Helfgott's shot from three went long as time expired, the North Brunswick students stormed the floor to celebrate a momentous 70-67 victory. North Brunswick will face Montgomery, which defeated Colts Neck in overtime on Saturday night. For the game, North Brunswick went 27 of 57 from the floor for 47 percent including 7 of 18 from three for 39 percent. Marlboro only shot 21 of 66 for 32 percent including 6 of 28 from beyond the arc for 21 percent. The Mustangs made up for that with a 19 of 31 showing from the foul line for 61 percent while the Raiders were just 9 of 16 from the charity stripe for 56 percent.

In other statistical areas, both teams handled the ball very well. North Brunswick had a slight edge in the turnover battle (8-9), but considering the magnitude of the game, and the fact that it went to double overtime, 17 combined turnovers by two double digit seeded teams is outstanding. In the rebounding department, Marlboro won by a 39-35 margin including a 16-8 edge on the offensive glass. The Shore Conference Class A North Division school also had more assists (11-10), steals (4-1), and charges (2-0) while North Brunswick had more blocks (9-3). NBTHS won the first quarter, but then lost each of the last three periods of regulation to Marlboro. Each team then scored six points in the overtime period, and then the Raiders won the final extra session period with an 11-8 showing. In addition to his team high 21 points, Rogers also collected 5 rebounds and 2 assists while Gibson picked up three assists, and a rebound. Pirkle had his struggles from the field, but still came up with 11 points, 7 rebounds, 4 blocks, and a steal.

Goldstein had five rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block in addition to his near 40 point performance. Helfgott scored 11 points, grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double, and blocked two shots in the loss. Teammate, Sean Hickey had 8 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and a steal while Lucas Vidolin also added 8 points along with 7 boards, 2 charges, and an assist. The game had 9 lead changes and 11 ties while neither team had a lead bigger than eight points in the contest. Marlboro started the game shooting 3 of 19 from the floor while North Brunswick started out 5 of 12 in the first period. The Mustangs opened the scoring on a layup by Helfgott at the 6:21 mark. Goldstein then followed suit with a jumper for a 4-0 lead at the 5:34 mark after Pirkle blocked a shot by Hickey just seconds earlier. The Raiders then responded with an 11-0 spurt over the next 4:21 including a three pointer from the right side by Pirkle (5 points in first) at the 1:47 mark for a 7-4 lead, a layup by Rogers that was set up by great hustle from Troy Brown (2 of 4 FGs for 4 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocks) for a 9-4 lead at the 1:26 mark, and then a steal for a layup by Pirkle for an 11-4 lead with 1:13 left in the first.

Following a 30 second timeout by Marlboro at the 1:06 mark, Helfgott sank a three pointer for an 11-7 lead with 39 seconds left in the first, and that score carried over into the second. Chance Gadsden (3 of 7 FGs for 6 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a blocked shot) opened the second period scoring by grabbing two offensive rebounds, and putting in the follow at the 6:53 mark for a 13-9 lead. Goldstein then took over for a bit with a three point play at the 6:41 mark, and then a steal off Rogers for a layup that put the Mustangs ahead at 14-13 with 6:14 to go in the half. Goldstein had a chance to put Marlboro up further, but misfired on two foul shots at the 6:03 mark. Vidolin grabbed the rebound, but the Mustangs couldn't take advantage. Gibson then put North Brunswick back in front 15-14 with a dribble to his left for a jumper at the 5:07 mark. The senior guard then connected on a three pointer, and later dribbled and dished to Gadsden (4 points in second quarter) for a layup to cap a 7-0 spurt for a 20-14 lead with three minutes to play in the first half. Vidolin got four of those points back with a layup, and then two foul shots at the 2:26 mark for a 20-18 Raiders lead.

Brown then scored a bucket for a 22-18 lead before Goldstein sank two free throws at the 1:51 mark for a 22-20 NBTHS edge. After a 30 second timeout by North Brunswick, sophomore Shaliek Short (2 points and a rebound) picked up his second foul, and Helfgott made one of two at the line for a 22-21 score with just a bit over a minute to play in the first half. Gibson, who scored 7 points in the period, then closed the first half scoring out with a drive in for a layup, and a 24-21 Raiders edge at the intermission. Goldstein had seven points in the second quarter for nine first half points. When play resumed in the second half, North Brunswick appeared to have Marlboro on the ropes when it scored eight of the first 11 points over a span of 3:31 of the third for a 32-24 lead. Rogers started the run with a three pointer for a 27-21 lead. Vidolin would draw a charge on Gibson for his second foul at the 6:35 mark, but Rogers kept NBTHS ahead by six with a drive for a floater at the 5:25 mark. After one of two from the line by Goldstein for a 29-24 score, Gadsden kicked out to Rogers for a three from the left wing at the 4:29 mark for a 32-24 lead.

Forced to regroup, the Mustangs called for time at the 4:26 mark. Following that timeout, Marlboro showed some resiliency and determination by putting together a 12-3 run over a span of 3:06 to take a one point lead. Goldstein started the rally with a steal off Gadsden for a layup, and the foul. The Mustang swingman then made the bonus free throw for a 32-27 North Brunswick lead with 3:55 to go in the third. Thirty-five seconds later, Goldstein struck again with a three pointer from the right wing for a 32-30 Raiders edge at the 3:20 mark. After Gibson made one of two from the line at the 3:08 mark for a 33-30 lead, Goldstein tied it at 33-33 with a three pointer from the right wing with 2:50 to go in the period. With Goldstein fired up, and the Marlboro Stang Gang back in the game, you began to get the feeling that this game was going to be a wild one. Following a North Brunswick timeout with 1:59 to go in the third, Gibson got the ball, dribbled to his left, and sank a jumper for a 35-33 lead at the 1:40 mark. Hickey then gave the Mustangs their first lead since early in the second quarter when he converted a traditional three point play for a 36-35 edge at the 1:20 mark.

Rogers then put North Brunswick back in front at 38-36 as he connected on a three pointer as he was falling down with a minute to play in the period. Goldstein put in a layup on Marlboro's next possession to tie the score at 40-40, but Gibson connected on a bank shot as he was fouled for a 40-38 lead heading into the fourth. Rogers opened the fourth period scoring with a three for a 43-38 lead, but Goldstein scored on a layup, and Helfgott sank a high arching three that knotted the score at 43-43 with 5:53 remaining in regulation. Brown put the Raiders back in front with an offensive rebound and follow by Brown off his own miss for a 45-43 score with 5:34 to go in the fourth. Marlboro would tie it though as Vidolin drew a charge on Gadsden at the 4:59 mark, and then got Gadsden to foul him on the offensive end for the sophomores fourth foul. The result was two free throws by Vidolin with 4:31 to go, and the score was tied at 45-45. On North Brunswick's next possession, the Raiders got the ball down to Dillon Salva (3 of 6 FGs and 1 of 2 FTs for 7 points, 4 rebounds, and a block), who didn't realize at first how open he was, but then sank a short jumper from the right baseline for a 47-45 lead at the four minute mark.

About a minute later, the Raiders had a chance to go up by four, but Helfgott blocked a Salva shot, and Goldstein converted at the other end on a layup for a 47-47 tie with three minutes to go in regulation. Salva made one of two from the line at the 2:38 mark for a 48-47 lead, but Zack Kutner (3 points, 4 rebounds, an assist, and a steal) made one of two from the line as well to tie the game again at 48-48 with 2:28 remaining in the fourth. Kutner then gave the Mustangs a 50-48 lead on a layup with two minutes left in regulation. Following a North Brunswick timeout with 1:50 left in the fourth, Pirkle tied the game at 50-50 when he got the ball on the left side, gave a head fake, and sank a jumper at the 1:31 mark. Marlboro went back out in front though as Goldstein, who scored 28 points in the second half and the two overtimes, put in a layup for a 52-50 score with 1:10 to go in the fourth. Pirkle then missed a three, but the Mustangs couldn't take advantage at Helfgott came up empty in two attempts from the foul line with 57.3 seconds to play in regulation. The Raiders then called for another timeout with 53.6 seconds to go, but after that stoppage, Kutner swiped a steal that eventually resulted in one of two from the line by Goldstein at the 34.9 second mark for a 53-50 lead.

Rogers then hit the clutch shot of the game for the Raiders as he sank a three pointer from the right wing at the 19 second mark to tie things up at 53-53. Marlboro had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Goldstein missed a shot, and Hickey failed to score on the follow. We were going to overtime. In the first extra session, Vidolin grabbed an offensive rebound, but his bounce pass from underneath to the left side went out of bounds at the 3:44 mark. With the focus of defenders now on him, Rogers handed out an assist on a layup by Gadsden for a 55-53 lead with 3:14 to go in the extra period. Marlboro then made one of two at the line, and got the offensive board on the missed second shot, but Goldstein wasn't able to connect from three with 2:54 to play in the first overtime. Gibson put North Brunswick up by three at 57-54 with a short jumper at the 2:26 mark. Just seconds later, Short made a big play on defense by forcing Marlboro to turn it over. Following a Mustangs timeout, Gibson drove in toward the basket on the left side, and banked in a shot for a 59-54 lead with 1:51 left in the first overtime.

Marlboro fought back again though as Goldstein sank two free throws at the 1:41 mark for a 59-56 Raiders lead. The Mustangs had a chance to tie, but Goldstein again missed a three. Rogers gave new life to the Shore Conference school by missing the front end of a one and one with 47.4 seconds left. After a Marlboro timeout with 41 seconds left, the Mustangs failed to tie as Helfgott and Goldstein missed from three. However, the Raiders couldn't put the game away as Short missed the front end of a one and one with 19 seconds to go in the overtime. Following another Marlboro timeout with 15.5 seconds to go in overtime, Goldstein got a pass at the top of the key, and let go a three that put the Mustang faithful in a frenzy as the score was now tied at 59-59 with 8.7 seconds to go in the extra session. Pirkle attempted a three as time was running out in the overtime, but it hit the back of the rim. Salva got the offensive rebound, but just missed on the follow. We were now going to double overtime. Goldstein opened up the fourth with an offensive rebound and follow for a 61-59 lead at the 3:40 mark.

North Brunswick then put together the decisive run of the game. With a 7-0 spurt over a span of 2:49, the Raiders were able to turn a two point deficit into a five point lead. Rogers started the run with a field goal at the 3:28 mark. Salva then followed with a drive for a bank shot and a 63-61 lead with 2:39 remaining. Gibson then made one of two from the foul line with 1:25 to go for a 64-61 lead. Following a Marlboro timeout with 1:15 left, Goldstein misfired on two foul shots with 54 seconds to go. Pirkle got the rebound and was fouled with 51.6 remaining. The junior then made two free throws for a 66-61 advantage. The Mustangs wouldn't go away though. Hickey connected on a three pointer from the right wing at the 39 second mark for a 66-64 Raiders lead. Short gave NBTHS some breathing room with one of two from the foul line for a 67-64 lead with 37.4 seconds left. Pirkle fouled out with 18.3 seconds to go as Goldstein made one of two for a 67-65 North Brunswick lead, but Short got that point back by making one of two for a 68-65 lead with 17.5 seconds to go.

Marlboro had a chance to tie the game when Hickey was fouled on a three point attempt. He hit the first two free throws, but North Brunswick called time to ice him, and it worked as he missed the third. The Raiders then got the ball out of bounds with 6.9 seconds to play. Goldstein then fouled out with 5.7 seconds left as Gibson made both free throws for a 70-67 advantage. The Mustangs got the ball to Helfgott for a three point try, but it hit iron as time expired with the NBTHS Student Section storming the floor in jubilation. With the victory, North Brunswick improved to 15-11 overall on the season with its fifth win in its last six games. The Raiders, which to this site's knowledge, has never won a sectional title, will take on Montgomery, a team that also had to go to overtime before defeating another Shore Conference Class A North team in Colts Neck (59-55). Marlboro ended its season at 17-10, the best record in boys basketball the school has had in 40 years. Analysis will be forthcoming in the blog.

RETURN TO THE GMC HOOPS HOME PAGE

If you are finished checking the GMC Boys Basketball Summaries, and would like to see other parts of the website.  Click below to return to the home page.

• Return to the GMC Hoops Homepage

If you have any questions about, or any suggestions for this website, please feel free to either fill out our guestbook, or contact me at gmachos@gmchoops.com.