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GMC Hoops Summaries--January 15, 2010
Regular Season Resumes--Blue/Gold Crossover Matchup

First Quarter Surge Propels South River Past E.B. Tech, 74-56

By Greg Machos
January 15, 2010

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ—Coming into this contest between two schools that are separated by only a few miles, one thing had been clear, and that was the Blue Division was stronger this season while the Gold was down. Before Friday, the GMC Blue was undefeated in eight crossover games while the GMC Gold was winless in six. The trend continued as South River stormed out to a 27-7 lead, and never was really threatened after that in a 74-56 victory. Nine different Rams got into the scoring column including three that scored in double figures. Senior forward, Shawn Fenton led the way with a team high 21 points as he shot 9 of 13 from the floor including 3 of 5 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed eight rebounds while also collecting an assist and a steal. Brandon Walsh also chipped in with 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the floor, and a 2 of 4 effort from the line. Walsh also picked up 3 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist.

Larry Smith and Xavier Foster each added 8 points in the victory. Smith also collected 7 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal, and a block while Foster picked up 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Despite starting the game by missing his first seven shots, and being held scoreless in the fourth quarter, E.B. Tech’s Homer James picked up a game high 22 points. South River made James work on offense, and limited him to just 5 of 23 shooting from the floor, but James battled throughout, and grabbed eight offensive rebounds, and drew fouls. It resulted in an 11 of 15 showing from the line. James collected a total of 12 boards for a double-double while picking up three steals and an assist. Chipping in was Mike Hardy, who struggled from the field as well, but also made up for it by grabbing nine offensive rebounds, and 14 overall and getting to the line for an 8 of 17 showing for 12 points. Quincy Ross ended up collecting 8 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 8 steals in the losing cause.

South River came out blazing with a 12 of 14 shooting effort in the first period while limiting East Brunswick Tech to only 2 of 13 from the field and forcing six turnovers. Walsh led the way with a 4 of 5 effort from the floor, and making one of two from the line for 9 points. Fenton added two threes, and freshman Tyler Harris scored two layups. For the game, South River went 27 of 48 from the floor including 4 of 12 from beyond the arc. The Rams also did well at the line, which is something that haven’t done in recent years. Led by Smith, Foster, and Gavin Campbell (6 points, 2 rebounds, and an assist), South River made 16 of 26 foul shots. Meanwhile, the Tigers went only 15 of 66 from the field including 3 of 19 from long distance. E.B. Tech did fare a bit better at the line by going 23 of 42. There were a lot of turnovers in this one as both teams combined for 42. South River got a slight edge in that department (20-22). In other stat areas, the Tigers got the edge on the boards (42-33) including the offensive glass (27-9) and steals (15-9) while the Rams had advantages in assists (14-4) and blocks (2-1). Each team drew one charge.

In addition to its 27-7 first quarter lead, South River outscored E.B. Tech in two other periods. The Tigers did show some fight though. At one point early in the second quarter, the Rams were up 32-8. From that point until the 47 second mark of the third, East Brunswick Tech put together a 33-23 surge to close the gap to 55-41. However, Foster went 4 of 4 from the line to help close out the third period scoring for a 59-42 lead heading into the fourth. The Rams then scored 8 of the first 12 points of the fourth for a 67-46 lead. Over the first 2:58, the Rams took an 8-2 lead on two threes by Fenton, and a layup by Harris. Walsh then scored all five points including a steal for a layup while being fouled for a three point play that made the score, 13-4 at the 3:43 mark. Mark DeMaio had all four points four East Brunswick Tech. The Tigers scrapped for two offensive rebounds on their next possession, which led to a one of two showing from the line by Hardy for a 13-5 South River lead at the 3:22 mark.

The Rams came right back down the floor though as Smith grabbed a rebound, and passed ahead to Walsh for a layup as he was fouled again. Despite the senior guard missing the bonus free throw, South River was ahead, 15-5 with 3:11 to go in the opening period. Walsh then added another layup for a 17-5 lead before James got his first points of the game on a pair of free throws with 2:22 left in the first. Fenton then added an offensive rebound and follow, and on the ensuing E.B. Tech inbounds, Foster swiped a steal for a layup to make the score, 21-7 at the 1:49 mark as the Tigers called for time. South River continued to be aggressive as Harris scored on a short jumper, and Walsh got another steal in the Tigers backcourt for a layup, and a 25-7 lead with 49 seconds remaining in the first. Foster then closed out the first quarter rampage as he grabbed a rebound on the defensive end, and went the length of the floor for a layup as time expired for a 27-7 lead. The second period began with the Rams scoring five of the first six points for a 32-8 lead.

James didn’t get his first field goal of the contest until the 2:44 mark to lead a 10-6 run for a 38-18 South River lead. The Rams responded by scoring five of the next seven points including a field goal by Kevin Gilbert, two free throws by Smith, and one of two from the line by Walsh for a 43-20 lead with 1:40 to go before the intermission. SRHS would go into the half leading by a score of 45-23. South River connected on 60 percent of its shots in the first half (18 of 30 FGs) while limiting East Brunswick Tech to just under 25 percent (6 of 23 FGs). The Rams, which had a 10-2 edge in assists in the first half, also forced 13 Tiger turnovers while only committing six. Fenton (4 of 7 FGs) and Walsh (4 of 6 FGs) combined to shoot 8 of 13 from the field in the opening half, and score 20 points. Fenton added six rebounds and an assist while Walsh picked up two steals and an assist. Despite his struggles, James still was leading scorer with 11 points thanks to a 7 of 10 effort from the line. Quincy Ross added 5 points and 2 steals.

The second half started out with some hope for E.B. Tech. Over the first 6:50 of the third, the Tigers outscored South River by a 16-10 margin as a hard playing James registered another 11 points to close the gap to 55-39. Freshman Elijah Ford added a layup with under a minute to go to make the score, 55-41. However, Foster shut the door for good by scoring all four points in a 4-1 run by being perfect in two trips to the line to make the score, 59-42 heading into the fourth and final period. Campbell then keyed an 8-4 start to the fourth with two foul shots at the 4:58 mark to cap a 12-5 spurt for a 67-46 lead. From there, the Tigers outscored the visitors by a margin of 10-7 to round out the final 74-56 score. With the victory, the Rams improved to .500 again on the season at 6-6 overall, and put a halt to a two game losing streak. South River also improved to 4-5 in conference play, and won all three of its games versus the Vo-Tech schools of the GMC this season. East Brunswick Tech has now lost four straight since a 4-1 start, and is now 4-5 overall on the season, and 1-4 in the GMC.

Read notes on this game in the GMC Hoops Blogosphere.

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