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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Guvs
Make Another Strong Statement In |
By Greg Machos
December 12, 2007
SOUTH AMBOY, NJ--On Tuesday afternoon, GMC Hoops made its final stop on its pre-season scrimmage tour when it traveled to South Amboy to watch the upstart Guvs take on New Brunswick in a clash of big versus small, and athletic versus hard working. After compiling a 4-1 scrimmage record according to long time head coach, George Krzyzanowski, South Amboy was facing a stern test from a New Brunswick team that finished the year on a positive note with wins on the road over North Brunswick and Metuchen as well as a preliminary round GMCT win over Perth Amboy Tech. The Zebras, which competed in the 2007 Bound Brook Summer League back in June and July, have Brandon Smith returning along with Juan James, but Marquis Hamm, who has made a commitment to play football at Rutgers next fall, decided not to play basketball this season according to Tuesday's edition of The Home News-Tribune. Junior big man, Josh Ford, who ended up being one of the top players for NBHS during the summer, is hoping to provide some inside scoring for the Zebras as well.
Meanwhile, the Guvs, which finished second in the GMC Gold for its best division finish since the web site went online in December 2000, and qualified for the state tournament for the first time since the trio of Nick Shaw, Dan Nuzzie, and Mario Choinski led the Guvs into the Central Jersey Group I State Tournament in 2002, did a lot of work in the off-season to make the step up to be a favorite in the Greater Middlesex Conference's Gold Division after Dunellen has had at least a share of the crown in the league for the past three years. South Amboy went down to Rebounds in Neptune, and competed in the spring, summer, and fall leagues there against mostly competition from the Shore Conference. In those three leagues, the Guvs played in 26 games, and compiled a record of 15-11 including wins over the likes of Freehold Boro, Monmouth Regional, East Brunswick, Monsignor Donovan, Wall Township, and Brick Township. Particularly impressive was how the Guvs did during the summer with five wins in their last seven games including four straight to end up 7-3 overall. Despite losing 1,000 point scorer, Brian Seres, South Amboy has the likes of Mark Simko, Larry Lenahan, and Colin Krzyzanowski returning as well as sophomore Joey Charmello and junior Matt Richmond.
Steve Poltrictzky, who came in with a lot of promise as a freshman at South Amboy after a fine summer in the 2004 Raritan Bay Summer League, battled injuries last year to finish strong, and has really raised his game during the off-season. Now, he joins Lenahan to give the Governors a potent frontline combination. When the schedules came out over the summer, GMC Hoops was very intrigued by this pre-season matchup, and put it on the schedule. New Brunswick's athleticism, up-tempo style, and pressure defense was a good test to measure the Guvs by, and South Amboy passed with flying colors. After starting out tenatively in the first two periods, but still managing to come up with 9-7 and 11-8 edges in those frames, the Governors roared past the Zebras with a 23-6 third quarter including a 14-0 tear over the final 3:27 of the period to pull away from a three point lead. The final period saw the reserves of both teams compete with New Brunswick winning its only frame of the scrimmage, 10-9 as South Amboy came away with the 52-31 overall edge. For the exhibition, the Guvs went 16 of 33 from two point range for 48.5 percent, and 5 of 12 from beyond the arc for 41.7 percent for a combined total of 21 of 45 for 46.7 percent while the Zebras were 15 of 42 from inside the arc for 35.7 percent, and 0 of 5 from downtown for a combined 15 of 47 for 31.9 percent.
The only real negative for the Guvs was their effort at the foul line as they went only 5 of 13 from the charity stripe for 38.5 percent while New Brunswick took only five free throw attempts, and made one for 20 percent. Looking at other statistical departments, New Brunswick held advantages in rebounding (30-28) and offensive rebounding (15-10), but South Amboy, which actually made the most of their offensive boards with eight second chance points versus only six by the Zebras, led in every other stat category with more assists (12-9), steals (20-13), blocks (2-1), charges (3-0), and turnovers (21-31). In addition, the Governors scored 11 points off the Zebra miscues including four fast break points. Conversely, New Brunswick registered only four points off Guv turnovers including two on the break. Besides the four quarters played by the two varsity squads, the JV teams from the two schools also competed for two periods. In the JV scrimmage, New Brunswick jumped out to the biggest lead of the first period with the first four points, but South Amboy rallied with 9 of the next 13 points to actually take a one point, 9-8 lead at the 4:33 mark. From that point on, the lead changed hands four times while there were also two ties as the quarter ended in a 15-15 tie. However, in the second JV period, New Brunswick stormed out to a 13-0 lead, and eventually won the frame, 15-4, and the scrimmage, 30-19. Details will be available later in the JV Roundup.
Returning to the varsity scrimmage, South Amboy won the opening period by two as it went 4 of 12 from the floor including 1 of 3 from beyond the arc for 33.3 percent while New Brunswick was only 3 of 14 from the field for 21.4 percent. More significantly, outside of the efforts of Smith (4 of 11 FGs, 0 of 1 3 PT FG, and 1 of 3 FTs for 9 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal), who made 3 of 7 field goal attempts, and went 1 of 2 at the line for all seven of his team's points in the period, the Zebras were 0 of 7 from the floor. Both teams combined for 14 first quarter turnovers as New Brunswick made eight while South Amboy had six. The Zebras drew first blood in the first when Juan James (2 of 7 FGs and 0 of 2 3 PT FGs for 4 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals), who was one of the more consistent performers for New Brunswick over the summer at Bound Brook, dished to Smith for a layup and a foul that resulted in a three point play at the 6:47 mark. Five seconds later, the Guvs turned it over, and after the Zebras failed to score, South Amboy had an opportunity to close the gap to one or two as Poltrictzky (1 of 1 FGs and 2 of 3 FTs for 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals, a block, and an assist) stepped up to the line at the 6:19 mark.
After getting a pass down low, and drawing a foul underneath, the senior forward missed the front end of a one and one. Charmello (3 of 5 FGs and 2 of 3 3 PT FGs for 12 points, 4 steals, 2 assists, a rebound, and a charge) would pick up his teammate though with a three pointer from the right side to tie things up at 3-3 with 5:44 left in the stanza. The sophomore, who Coach Krzyzanowski spoke very highly of during the off-season, followed his trey up with a nice defensive stop by drawing a charge on Smith at the 5:30 mark. A little while later, South Amboy took the lead as Richmond (2 of 4 FGs and 0 of 2 FTs for 4 points, 3 steals, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and a charge) scored on a putback of a missed Simko shot to make it 5-3 before both teams exchanged turnovers and New Brunswick called for time at the 3:57 mark. The Guvs maintained its tenuous two point edge despite a layup by Smith as Krzyzanowski scored on a drive for a running bank shot that made the score, 7-5 prior to an official time out for substitutions with 2:35 remaining in the first. Following the stoppage, the Zebras had a chance to tie, but Smith failed to make the front end of a one and one at the 2:08 mark. Both teams really struggled to find the mark shooting wise in the first period, and that caused numerous opportunities to go by the wayside. Nevertheless, Smith would tie the game up at 7-7 on a layup with 35 seconds remaining. South Amboy would respond though as Simko (6 of 13 FGs including 2 of 5 from three, and 0 of 1 FT for 14 points, 6 steals, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, a block, and a charge) got his only points of the frame on a jumper inside the arc at the 28 second mark for the 9-7 period edge.
In the second quarter, South Amboy started sluggishly again with three turnovers in the first minute and a half while New Brunswick jumped out to a 6-0 lead. On the first Zebra possession, the visitors put together some good teamwork, and ball movement that was capped by a Ford dish to Smith for a layup, and a 2-0 lead at the 7:42 mark. After Simko missed the front end of a one and one at the 7:37 mark, James connected on a short pull-up jumper for a 4-0 lead, and that stayed the same for a couple minutes as Lenahan missed a one and one at the 5:35 mark. Following the missed Guv foul shot, the Zebras got on the board again with a score at the 5:21 mark for a 6-0 lead. However, South Amboy got going again, and finished the period with an 11-2 tear for the three point quarter edge, 11-8. Simko started the onslaught with a three pointer at the 4:17 mark. Lenahan then followed up with a layup to cut the deficit to one, and then Krzyzanowski drilled a trifecta to tie things up at 8-8 despite another missed one and one by Richmond at the 1:23 mark. Coach Krzyzanowski took over from there by calling a couple timeouts over the last 46 seconds of the period, and that helped set up Simko for a three pointer from the left side off a nice dribble and dish by Richmond at the 25 second mark for the 11-8 quarter victory. In the period, South Amboy shot 4 of 11 from the floor overall for 36.4 percent, but was much better from three, going 3 of 5 for 60 percent. Meanwhile, New Brunswick was just 4 of 13 shooting in the frame for 30.8 pecent.
At the half, South Amboy was 8 of 23 overall from the floor including 4 of 8 from beyond the arc for 34.8 percent while making 12 turnovers. On the other side of the ledger, New Brunswick was 7 of 27 from the field for 25.9 percent, and committed 14 miscues. Both teams combined went 1 of 6 at the charity stripe with the Zebras going one of two while the Guvs didn't make a foul shot in four attempts. Individually, Smith, who only had two points over the final three periods of the exhibition including none in the second half, led the way with 9 points on 4 of 9 shooting and one of two at the line while collecting 6 rebounds and an assist. Meanwhile, Simko was beginning to percolate with 3 of 8 shooting including 2 of 4 from three to give him 8 points in the half along with 4 steals, 3 assists, a rebound, and a blocked shot. In the second half, particularly the third quarter, South Amboy played more confidently, and it showed on the scoreboard, and in the stat sheet. Over the final two periods, the Guvs shot 13 of 22 overall including 1 of 4 from downtown for 59.1 percent while New Brunswick were a bit better, but still only 8 of 20 for 40 percent. The third quarter would prove to be the decisive one in the exhibition as the home team clicked on 10 of 12 from the floor for a blazing 83.3 percent while the visitors were just 2 of 10 for 20 percent. In addition, the Guvs only committed three turnovers were forcing the Zebras to make seven.
The third period started out just as competitively as the previous two although South Amboy was the first to get on the board this time. As a matter of fact, the Guvs set up a nice play off the opening tip as Lenahan tapped the ball to Poltrictzky, who dished to Simko for a layup that gave South Amboy a 2-0 lead at the 7:55 mark. Forty seconds later, Lenahan scored on an offensive rebound and putback for a 4-0 lead at the 7:15 mark. Following a New Brunswick timeout at the 6:57 mark, the Zebras pulled within two on an offensive rebound and putback for a 4-2 Guv lead with approximately six minutes to play in the frame. Fueling New Brunswick's comeback bid, Lenahan misfired on the front end of a one and one a couple seconds later, and then the Zebras tied things up on their next possession with a jumper from the right side to make it 4-4 with 5:36 remaining in the third. The Governors then reeled off the next five points as Lenahan (4 of 11 field goals and 3 of 6 at the line for 11 points along with 15 rebounds for a double-double, and a steal) scored on an offensive rebound and putback at the 5:09 mark, and then Charmello netted a three at the 4:11 mark for a 9-4 advantage. James got the Zebras to within three as he drove along the right side for a teardrop shot to make the score, 9-6 at the 3:27 mark. Unfortunately, NBHS would not score the rest of the way as the Guvs closed things out with a 14-0 tear.
South Amboy got a score to start the game deciding avalanche with a field goal for an 11-6 lead, and then after Smith missed a one and one for the Zebras, Lenahan grabbed the rebound, and threw an outlet that eventually got into the hands of Charmello for a layup that made the score, 13-6. Lenahan then gave some positive news from the foul line front by making both of his charity shots for a 15-6 lead at the 2:17 mark. Then, the Guvs got six more points on assist by Richmond on a layup by Charmello, a steal by Richmond thanks to great anticipation that the junior turned into a layup, and then another Charmello score for a 12-0 tear, and a 21-6 lead as South Amboy called for time at the 24.9 second mark of the third. Following the timeout, the Guvs got the final points of the period as Colin Krzyzanowski put together a nice drive and dish to Poltrictzky for a strong finish in traffic that resulted in a layup and a foul. The senior forward missed the bonus free throw, but the damaged had been done as South Amboy won the quarter, 23-6, and had a commanding lead in the scrimmage, 43-21. In the fourth and final period, New Brunswick went strictly with its reserves while the Guvs eventually put theirs in midway through the frame. In the final period, the Zebras got the slight edge thanks to 5 of 10 shooting from the field for 50 percent while South Amboy was 3 of 10 from the field, and 3 of 5 from the charity stripe.
Lenahan opened the scoring wtih a one of two effort at the free throw line before New Brunswick scored four straight points for a 4-1 lead at the 5:32 mark. South Amboy would respond with a 4-0 run on an offensive rebound and putback by Lenahan, and a steal for a layup by Simko to take a 5-4 lead as the Zebras called for time at the 4:26 mark. Following the timeout, NBHS retook the lead on a short baseline jumper that made the score, 6-5 at the 3:47 mark, and then went up by three as the Zebras got a steal off Richmond for a layup at the 3:31 mark that made the score, 8-5. On the next Guv possession, Poltrictzky sank a pair at the line to pull his team to within one at 8-7 with 3:12 remaining, but Richmond missed the front end of a one and one before the Guv reserves gave their team its final lead of the scrimmage with a jumper from the right side with about two minutes to play. However, the Zebras would get the final say in this period with an offensive rebound and follow for a 10-9 quarter win, but the Guvs came away with the 52-31 scrimmage advantage. This was the final scrimmage for both teams as they begin their regular season schedules on Friday. South Amboy opens on the road at Dunellen in a key early season game that will help decide the GMC Gold in 2007-08 while New Brunswick takes on Woodbridge in GMC White action. More analysis on this scrimmage is available in the GMC Hoops Blogosphere.
Team |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
South Amboy |
9 | 11 | 23 | 9 | 52 |
New Brunswick |
7 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 31 |
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