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Oak
Hill Too Much For P-Way To Handle In 81-39 Loss |
By Greg Machos
February 8, 2008PISCATAWAY, NJ—On Friday night, GMC Hoops journeyed out to the Rutgers Athletic Center to take in the first night of action from the 2008 Prime Time Shootout. The featured matchup for the web site was between Piscataway and Oak Hill Academy of Virginia, which has become one of the elite programs in the entire country with players such as Carmelo Anthony now playing in the NBA. Coming into this game, the Warriors, which are actually located in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia, had played a total of 30 games including a contest against St. Benedict's of Newark earlier this season. The Grey Bees won the game by a final score of 68-62 on December 13th. For Piscataway, this was a challenge of the highest order, but most importantly, a moment for current Chief players to cherish and save for a day to tell their children and grandchildren.
The Chiefs haven't hesitated about taking on some of the top programs in New Jersey this season. Besides playing the likes of St. Joseph's, J.P. Stevens, and South Brunswick in the always rough and tumble GMC Red Division schedule, P-Way took on the likes of Immaculata, Bridgewater-Raritan, and Seton Hall Prep in the 2007 Vaughn Stapleton Classic over the holidays, and then battled Westfield of the Watchung Conference in the first week of the new year. Piscataway was even originally scheduled to play Mount Pocono West High School of Northeastern Pennsylvania back in the second week of January, but the game was postponed. For the Greater Middlesex Conference, this game represented the first time in three years a member school has played in the Prime Time Shootout. The last time was on February 13, 2005 when current Los Angeles Laker, Andrew Bynum, teammate Sean Baptiste, and the rest of the St. Joseph's Falcons took on Rochester East, and won 78-68 at Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton.
Piscataway, which was seeded second in the 2008 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament earlier in the day on Friday, and will have byes for the first two rounds before beginning play on Valentine's Day, was getting back to full strength again with junior forward Tristian Benjamin recently returning to the lineup in a game played earlier in the week against Perth Amboy. Benjamin had been suspended for disciplinary reasons. On the other hand, Oak Hill, which features such talented players as Brandon Jennings, the school's soon to be most prolific single season scorer with 952 points, which breaks down to approximately an average of 31.7 points per game. The current single season record is held by Josh Smith, who scored 980 points during the 2003-04 season according to the school web site. Brandon Jennings may also eclipse the single season scoring average presently held by Orlando Vega, who scored 30.6 points per game in the 1987-88 season. Jennings, who hails from Temecula, California according to his player profile, is so good that he even already has his own web site for his legions of fans.
Unfortunately for Chief fans, this game wouldn't be close. Oak Hill just had too many superior athletes. Not only did Brandon Jennings cause problems, but there was also mammoth center, Keith "Tiny" Gallon, a junior from Humble Texas, who posed a ton of trouble for P-Way's interior players. Moreover, sophomore guard, Bryon Allen made life miserable for the Chiefs as well as Staten Island's own, Danny Jennings (no relation to Brandon Jennings). Piscataway started off with some promise as it won the opening tip, and got the ball to senior forward, J.D. Griggs for a jumper that was a good shot, but didn't fall. Sophomore sensation, Wayne Newsome, who got the start over Benjamin, grabbed the offensive board, and drew the foul on the putback. Newsome then made the first free throw, but missed the second. However, on the second missed foul shot, Newsome managed to get another offensive rebound, and passed to Omar Smith for a shot attempt that was blocked by Danny Jennings. So, with just 19 seconds gone by, P-Way had a 1-0 lead. That lead would hold until the 6:52 mark when Allen made an acrobatic shot on the follow for a 2-1 lead. On the Chiefs next possession, Brandon Jennings swiped a steal for an easy layup, and a 4-0 run that made the score 4-1 at the 6:29 mark. Piscataway pulled to within one on its next possession as Griggs, who had a team high 10 points on four field goals, and two free throws, connected on a jumper from the right side for a 4-3 Oak Hill lead with 6:20 to go in the first.
However, that would be the closest Piscataway would be for the rest of the game. Over the next 2:39, the Warriors went on a 8-0 spurt that was capped by a Gallon blocked shot that sparked a fast break that culminated with a showtime dunk for a 12-3 lead with 3:41 to play in the opening period. Oak Hill would then outscore P-Way by an 8-4 margin for the balance of the period for a 20-7 lead. Griggs, who ended up with six points on three field goals in the frame, scored the remaining first quarter points for the Chiefs with a score down low off an entry pass by Bryan Waluk at the 3:23 mark, and then a drive from the left side for a reverse layup at the 1:35 mark. The Chiefs made things interesting for a while in the second thanks to junior forward, Aaron Hush, who scored seven of his nine points in the period. After Brandon Jennings connected on a pair of free throws at the 7:04 mark of the second, Piscataway outscored Oak Hill by a 7-4 margin over the next 2:15 with all the Chief points coming from Hush for a 26-14 Warrior lead at the 4:49 mark of the second. Following a timeout at the 3:57 mark, P-Way had a chance to get closer as Hush made a nice block on the defensive end to ignite a fast break opportunity. Waluk got the ball, and proceeded downcourt, where he drove in from the left wing, and dished to Hush for a layup attempt that rolled off the rim with 3:06 to play in the first half.
From there, Oak Hill was never threatened as it outscored the Chiefs by a 8-2 margin the rest of the second quarter for a 34-16 lead at the break. Then, in the third, the Warriors outscored Piscataway by a 24-7 margin including a 15-3 spurt over the final five minutes of the stanza that consisted of three straight treys for a commanding 58-23 lead. The Virginia based school then closed out the game with a 23-16 effort in the fourth for the dominant 81-39 victory. For the game, Piscataway connected on 15 field goals incluidng a three pointer that came courtesy of senior reserve, Tyshaun Jackson at the 1:51 mark of the fourth period. The Chiefs also made eight free throws. In addition to Griggs efforts, Hush collected his nine points on four field goals and a free throw while senior forward, Omar Smith chipped in with 7 points on three field goals and a foul shot. Benjamin, who entered the game later on in the first half, ended up scoring six points on three field goals. Waluk and Newsome each added two points on two free throws. James White and Thomas Bennett also played, but didn't score. Meanwhile, for the Warriors, Brandon Jennings, who is slated to play at the University of Arizona in the fall, led the way with a game high 32 points on 12 of 23 shooting from the floor including two dunks for 52.2 percent according to the stats posted on the Oak Hill web site. Jennings was also a perfect 6 of 6 at the line, and collected 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 steals.
The other Jennings, Danny, was even more masterful, at least from a shooting stanpoint with a perfect 7 of 7 effort from the floor including four dunks, and made 1 of 2 at the line for 15 points according to the Oak Hill stat sheet. The Staten Island native also added six reboundds, four blocks, and an assist. Gallon contributed with 10 points on 5 of 7 shooting from the floor including a dunk while also collecting 9 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, and a steal. Oak Hill scored in double figures in each of the four quarters played including three 20 point plus quarters. On the other hand, Piscataway managed to only have one double figure period, and that was the fourth with 16 points. Following the showtime dunk that capped Oak Hill's early run at the 3:41 mark, Piscataway's fourth year head coach, Guy Jensen, called for time with 3:33 to go in the period. Following the timeout, the Chiefs tried to climb back into the matchup by halting the Warrior run as Griggs got his bucket down low from Waluk at the 3:23 mark. Oak Hill responded shortly afteward with another circus shot on the follow for a 14-5 lead with 2:52 to go in the first. On the next P-Way possession, the Chiefs ran into a brick wall in Gallon, who blocked a shot, grabbed the rebound, and sent an outlet pass upcourt to sophomore guard, Pe'Shon Howard for a layup that made it 16-5 at the 2:20 mark.
Oak Hill Academy then came up with another stop on defense, and Gallon handed out another assist when he passed to Brandon Jennings for a layup that made the score, 18-5 with exactly two minutes to play in the opening frame. Griggs then pulled the Chiefs to within eleven as scored on his drive from the left side that ended a 6-0 Warrior run for a 18-7 OHA lead at the 1:35 mark. Gallon then got the final points of the period with a layup at the 40.5 mark that made the score, 20-7. Brandon Jennings had a chance to get more points for his team when he got a steal in the waning moments of the quarter, but missed the breakaway layup as time expired in the first. Piscataway's scoring broke down to just two players as Griggs got his six on three field goals while Newsome added his one of two effort at the free throw stripe to open the game. Moving on to the second, Oak Hill went right back to work at the period's onset with a scoring opportunity that went by the boards at the 7:32 mark as Gallon made an outlet pass upcourt to Allen, but it was too far to convert. Nearly a half minute later, Brandon Jennings stepped up to the line for his two foul shots that gave the Warriors a fifteen point lead with a little over seven minutes remaining before the intermission. On the very next Chief possession, P-Way attempted to get on the board as Smith found Hush for a layup attempt that drew a foul from junior forward, Glenn Bryant at the 6:53 mark. Hush then made one of two at the charity stripe for a 22-8 OHA lead.
The Chiefs tried to build over the small amount of momentum generated by Hush's effort. Forty-four seconds later, Bennett made a baseline drive, and then kicked out to Hush, who played with plenty of passion, for a jumper that was true, and the score was now 22-10 at the 6:09 mark. P-Way had a chance to pull within ten, but Oak Hill's defense generated a steal that set up a fast break that was finished off by a jam by Brandon Jennings at the 5:52 mark for a 24-10 advantage. Hush continued to do his part to keep the Chiefs battling with a score on the follow as he was fouled with 5:32 to play in the half. Although the junior missed the bonus free throw, he managed to cut the Oak Hill lead in half at 24-12 with 5:32 remaining in the second period. On the next Warrior possession, Gallon scored on a layup that put his team back up by fourteen at 26-12 with exactly five minutes left in the half. Piscataway had a chance to pick up some points just seconds later, but Waluk misfired on a pair of foul shots with 4:52 to play in the period. However, on the second missed free throw, Hush came to the rescue with an offensive rebound and putback that closed the gap to a dozen again at 26-14 with 4:49 to play in the first half. Neither team would score for the next 52 seconds before a timeout was called.
Following the stoppage, the brief scoring drought continued. As a matter of fact, Oak Hill managed to score only two field goals over a span of 4:36 following Brandon Jennings two free throws in the first minute of the second. The Chiefs had their chance to close within ten that resulted in the layup attempt by Hush that rolled out, summarizing the kind of night it was for Piscataway. The Warriors then finally put an end to the scoreless period as Brandon Jennings stepped to the line, and made another two foul shots for the first Oak Hill points in 2:32, and a 28-14 lead at the 2:28 mark. P-Way had a chance to get on the board again when Smith stepped to the line at the 2:09 mark, but the senior failed to connect on a front end of a one and one. Oak Hill Academy then grabbed the rebound, proceeded downcourt, and got its first field goal in 3:01 as Brandon Jennings made a nice spin move on the left low block for a jam, and a 30-14 lead with 1:59 left in the first half. OHA then got another score for a 32-14 lead before Griggs stepped up to the line for two charity shots, and a 32-16 Warrior lead with 1:09 left in before the break. Oak Hill then scored the final points of the opening half of play for a 34-16 halftime lead. Piscataway, which was only outscored in the second by a 14-9 margin, got seven points from Hush, and two from Griggs for all its scoring. At the half, Griggs had 8 points on three field goals and two free throws, and Hush had 7 points on three field goals along with a one of three effort at the line while Newsome had the other Chief point on one of two free throws.
The Chiefs continued to show some fight at the beginning of the third period despite the fact that Oak Hill went up by twenty points on a steal by Allen off an errant pass by Griggs that eventually led to a baseline drive from Brandon Jennings for a 36-16 lead at the 7:26 mark. The Warrior lead grew to 22 points on a 4-2 run as P-Way missed another chance to score when Griggs, who grabbed an offensive rebound of a missed three attempt by Waluk, threw the ball away at the 6:01 mark. Danny Jennings then added one of two at the line following an earlier score for a 43-18 lead with 5:18 left in the third. Benjamin, who had two field goals for four points in the frame, tried to resucitate Piscataway with a jumper from the left wing that got a kind bounce, and made the score, 43-20 at exactly the five minute mark of the period, but the Warriors steamrolled from there with a 15-5 spurt that started with the two free throws of the game by Brandon Jennings at the 4:31 mark, and culminated with three straight bombs from beyond the arc for a now insurmountable, 58-23 advantage heading into the fourth. Piscataway only had seven points in the period including the four by Benjamin (also had a baseline drive for a field goal that ended an OHA 6-0 run at the 2:11 mark), a field goal by Omar Smith, and one of two at the line from Waluk at the 1:13 mark of the period.
The fourth quarter saw the highest combined single period output by the two teams. The two squads put together 39 points with Oak Hill Academy getting the lion's share with a 23-16 edge. The two major highlights for the Chiefs in the period were a three point play by Smith that was set up nicely on the break by Benjamin at the 3:34 mark that made the score, 71-31, and then Jackson's three pointer from the top of the key at the 1:51 mark that made the score, 76-34 in favor of Oak Hill. From there, the Warriors and Chiefs scored five points each for the final 81-39 score. In the fourth, Smith led the way for the Chiefs with two field goals and a free throw for five points while Jackson added his trey for three, and Griggs, Benjamin, and Hush all added field goals. Waluk and Newsome then chipped in with a free throw each to round out the period scoring for P-Way. With the victory, Oak Hill Academy improved to 28-3 on the season, and will take on New Jersey state basketball power, St. Patrick's of Elizabeth in another game at the 2008 Prime Time Shootout on February 9th at 10:00 PM. Meanwhile, Piscataway fell to 18-3 overall with two of those defeats coming at the hands of non-conference teams: Oak Hill and Bridgewater-Raritan (55-54 OT) in the 2007 Vaughn Stapleton Classic back over the holidays. You can view some of the video highlights from this matchup in the GMC Hoops Blogosphere.
Team |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Oak Hill Academy (28-3) |
20 | 14 | 24 | 23 | 81 |
Piscataway (18-3) |
7 | 9 | 7 | 16 | 39 |
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