For the sixth straight year, GMC Hoops is getting a jump on the regular season with coverage of some of the teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference in pre-season scrimmage action. To see what scrimmages we'll be covering, view the 2007-08 schedule.
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Middlesex
Shows Its Ready To Make Big Step |
By Greg Machos
December 11, 2007
MIDDLESEX, NJ--It has been going on six seasons since the Middlesex Blue Jays made the state tournament. In the 2001-02 season, Middlesex qualified for the Central Jersey Group I State Tournament as an eighth seed, and lost to top seeded, and eventual finalist, Spotswood, 57-44. To find any recent history of success at MHS, you have to go back to the inaugural season of the GMC Hoops web site when the Blue Jays, coached then by George Rauh, reached not only the Championship game of CJ Group I, where it lost to Highland Park, but also the Elite Eight of the 2001 GMCT Tourament before losing to another then GMC Blue rival, Carteret. As a matter of fact, Middlesex lost six of its games to the Owls (lost three times) and the Ramblers (lost three times) that season. The biggest win the Jays had in the 2000-01 season, was in the second round of that year's GMCT when they went into Sayreville, the defending GMCT Champs as an eleventh seed, and upset the sixth seeded Bombers to advance to the Quarterfinals.
Since that time, the Jays have had the potential for good seasons. Each of the past three years, Middlesex has just missed the state cutoff to qualify for the tournament. Three years ago, the Blue Jays had the likes of Jabree Sunkins, Ahmed Sunkins (who transferred in from North Brunswick), Robbie Tolomeo, and Vinny Casale as well as a reserve named Phil Barnes, and ended up around .500 with a win in their season finale over Dunellen. However, it was in the opening round of that year's GMCT, where they had their defining moment. After having a 20 plus point lead in the second half, the 23rd seeded Blue Jays fell in overtime at tenth seeded Perth Amboy Tech, 67-64. The following year, Brian Feath, the school's all time leading scorer became coach, and Middlesex showed signs of turning the corner. The school has fixed up its gymnasium, and the team has played more competitively in big games, particularly at home. Despite not qualifying for the state tournament in 2005-06, the Blue Jays ended up 11-13 including nine wins in their last 15 games after a 2-7 start. Most notably, the Jays went into Perth Amboy as the 19th seed, and defeated the 14th seeded Panthers in the first round of that year's GMCT.
Last season, the Blue Jays found themselves up against it again heading into the state tournament, and despite a win against North Warren to put them one game below .500 on January 26th, Middlesex failed to qualify as it lost six straight to end the season including a GMCT Play-In round loss to South Amboy at home to finish at 7-14. Nevertheless, there is a feeling that this year's squad will finally turn the tide in the opposite direction for fortunes of Middlesex's basketball program. And, there is good reason to feel that way. The Blue Jays have a veteran team returning this season with four seniors, five juniors, and a sophomore on the roster. In addition, the team put in good work during the off-season with a 8-1 regular season record, and the tournament championship in the 2007 Middlesex County College Summer League. In the fall at TBSA, MHS played in the added league with three other teams including Route 28 rival, Dunellen, J.F. Kennedy, and David Brearley, and then took on Trenton and J.P. Stevens in the final two weeks of play to go 3-2 overall. Furthermore, the Blue Jays took care of some internal issues from last season, and got a break when Mike Colacci, who transferred to Bishop Ahr briefly during the middle of 2006-07, returned.
According to our resident Middlesex Volunteer, the Jays have been doing well in the pre-season. In addition to defeating Matawan handily in a scrimmage on December 1st, and handling a Northern Highlands team that went 18-7 last season in another scrimmage a week later, the Blue Jays did well against last year's Central Jersey Group II Tournament top seed, Delaware Valley on December 5th. The Jays faced a good test on Tuesday when the Cougars from Cranford in Union County came to town. Like Middlesex, the Cougars just missed qualifying for the state tournament in 2006-07, and are looking to return this upcoming season. Cranford, which used to be in the Watchung Conference, moved into the Mountain Division of the Mountain Valley Conference last year. For the first 14:45 of this scrimmage, the two teams were fairly even with the first period ending in a 12-12 tie, and the hometown Blue Jays clinging to a 9-6 lead with 1:15 to go in the second period. However, over the final 17:15 of the scrimmage, Middlesex took over with a 40-27 showing to win not only the final three quarters of action, but also gain the overall scrimmage edge, 61-45.
Over the final two plus periods, Middlesex connected on 17 of 26 shots overall for a scorching 65.4 percent including 13 of 20 from two point range for exactly 65 percent, and 4 of 6 from beyond the arc for 66.7 percent. The only shooting blemish during that span by the Jays was a 2 of 5 effort at the charity stripe for 40 percent. On the other hand, Cranford was 11 of 24 from the floor for 45.8 percent while making 5 of 6 at the line for 83.3 percent. Moreover, Middlesex had more rebounds (21-9), offensive boards (5-4), assists (12-6), steals (8-3), and turnovers (8-13). Cranford had more blocks while neither team drew a charge in the 17:15 of the scrimmage observed. The Blue Jays made the most of scoring opportunities converting the 13 Cougar turnovers into 12 points while scoring four second chance points on the five offensive rebounds. Middlesex also executed the break very well scoring 14 of their points in transition. On the other hand, Cranford only had six points off the eight Blue Jay miscues, and no second chance points. The Cougars did score eight points on the fast break. For the scrimmage, John Stockton was simply scintillating with 22 points along with three rebounds and an assist.
In the time watched, the elder Stockton connected on 3 of 4 from three point range, and one of two from inside the arc for 4 of 6 shooting overall and 11 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist. Junior Ryan Farley also performed well with 5 of 6 shooting and 1 of 2 at the line for 11 points as well to go along with 2 rebounds and 2 steals. The forward ultimately finished with 11 points, 3 steals, 2 rebounds, an assist, and a block according to the total stats compiled by our MHS Volunteer. Nick Fariella chipped in with 4 of 6 shooting from the floor for 8 points along with a steal, and a rebound during the two plus quarter stretch, and ended up with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists, and 2 blocks. Sophomore center, Mark Stockton, had 8 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists in the exhibition including 2 of 2 from the field and one of two at the line for 5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in the time that I watched. Billy Lester (3 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block), Mike Perone (3 points, 2 assists, a steal, and a rebound), and Mike Fincher (2 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals) rounded out the fine team effort by the Blue Jays.
Over the final three periods, Middlesex won each frame including a 13-8 margin in the second, a 17-15 edge in the third, and a 19-10 edge in the fourth. Afterwards, the JV squads from the two schools went at it, and the Junior Jays started in a similar way with a first period tie before closing things out strong for the scrimmage win. See details in our latest update to the JV Roundup. Returning to the varsity scrimmage, the Blue Jays got off to a fast start in the first quarter by scoring 10 of the first 12 points for an eight point lead, but then gave way to a 10-0 spurt to fall behind by two before getting the final score of the period for the 12-12 tie. In the second, the Jays scored 9 of the first 15 points for a three point lead with 1:15 remaining in the frame. Then, Cranford pulled to within one at 9-8 on a drive in the key for a short one handed shot with 45.7 to play in the second. However, the home team pulled out the quarter edge by scoring the last four points including an offensive rebound and follow by Fariella to make it 11-8, and then a defensive rebound, and outlet by Mark Stockton to Fariella for the breakaway layup that ending the quarter scoring for the 13-8 MHS advantage. In the third, the two teams went back and forth as both teams combined for six lead changes and five ties in the period while neither had a lead bigger than three points.
Over the first minute and a half or so of play, Cranford took the early lead on a field goal before John Stockton put Middlesex ahead, 3-2 on a trey from the right wing at the 6:02 mark. Fariella, who starred as quarterback of the football team this past season, followed up with a score down low at the 5:45 mark for a 5-2 lead. The Cougars battled back though with a three point play on their next offensive possession to knot the game again at 5-5 with 5:37 left in the frame. The Jays replied by scoring four of the next six points including a mid-range jumper by Mark Stockton off an assist by Lester, and then brother John got into the act again with a breakaway layup off a Cougar turnover for a 9-7 lead. However, Cranford, which reached the Group III State Championship in 2003 before losing to a Franklin team coached by Feath's father, Mike, and last appeared in the state tournament in 2005, netted two free throws at the 3:38 mark to tie things up at 9-9. Then, a short time later, the Union County school took the lead on a layup before Farley made one of two at the line for an 11-10 Cougar lead with 2:29 to play in the frame. Six seconds after that, Cranford got a turnover, and scored on a fast break layup for a three point, 13-10 lead at the 2:23 mark. Fighting back, Middlesex rallied with the next five points including a three pointer at the 1:52 mark, and then a foul line jumper by Farley at the 1:22 mark for a two point, 15-13 lead.
Cranford managed to tie the game again with a basket, and could have gone ahead if it made the bonus free throw for the conventional three point play, but it didn't. Then, Middlesex won the quarter with fine teamwork on the break as Colacci capped the play with a fine dish to Farley for the layup, and a 17-15 edge in the third. Finally, in the fourth period, Middlesex won the quarter by the largest margin of any in the entire scrimmage with a 19-10 advantage. The Blue Jays, which were 9 of 14 from the floor for 64.3 percent including 2 of 4 from three point range in the previous 9:15, connected on 8 of 12 shots including two from beyond the arc for 66.7 percent. Middlesex also only committed just three miscues in the frame. Meanwhile, Cranford was limited to just 4 of 13 shooting from the floor for 30.8 percent while making 2 of 3 at the line, and committing seven turnovers in the stanza. MHS started the period strong as John Stockton picked up right where he left off in the third with a three pointer from the left wing off an inbounds pass by Perone for the 3-0 lead at the 7:50 mark. Fariella then got a steal, and converted it into a layup for a 5-0 lead at the 7:20 mark. Over the next 57 seconds though, the Cougars showed signs that it was going to fight as hard as it did in the third with four straight points on two layups to pull within one at 5-4, and force Middlesex to call for time at the 6:23 mark.
On the very next Blue Jay possession following the timeout, Fariella drew a foul, and went to the line, where he missed the front end of a one and one, but Mark Stockton picked up the offensive rebound, and that eventually led to another three from older brother John at the 6:14 mark for an 8-4 lead. Moments later, Fincher then broke into the scoring column with a steal for a layup himself that made it a six point, 10-4 advantage with six minutes to play. The home team then scored three of the next five points including a one of two effort at the foul line by Stockton with 3:06 left for a 13-6 lead. Cranford would close to within five at 13-8, but the Jays finished off the Cougars with a 6-0 run sparked by another nice fast break capped by a dish from Colacci to Farley for a layup to make it a 15-8 game at the 1:24 mark to take a 19-8 lead before the visitors closed the quarter scoring with two free throws for the 19-10 Middlesex showing. The Blue Jays had a solid pre-season winning at least four of its exhibitions, and may get a crack at the GMC Hoops Pre-Season Top Ten later this week. MHS opens its season on the road Friday at GMC Blue rival, South River, and then next week has games against Spotswood and Metuchen, which have gone a combined 10-2 against the Jays the past three seasons.
More analysis on this scrimmage is now available in the GMC Hoops Blogosphere, and you can view the rest of the scrimmages seen this pre-season by taking a look at the 2007-08 scrimmage schedule.
Team |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
Middlesex |
12 | 13 | 17 | 19 | 61 |
Cranford |
12 | 8 | 15 | 10 | 45 |
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