The summaries of all the games played in December, the first, second, third, and fourth weeks of January, the first, second, and third weeks of February, our Freshman Games of the Week, JV Game of the Week, Freshmen Roundup, JV Roundup, Perth Amboy/GMC Freshmen Tournament, East Brunswick/GMC JV Tournament, and the Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic have not vanished, we have archived them. So, feel free to take a look if you have missed out on some of the action from earlier this year. We've also just archived the summaries on the several scrimmages that we covered in the pre-season. Check them out in our GMC Hoops Summary archive.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 11, 2007
Group IV State Championship

Lampley, Wilkerson, And Jones Lead Linden To Second Straight Title, 63-54

By Greg Machos
March 11, 2007

PISCATAWAY, NJ--It was a magical ride, but unfortunately for the South Brunswick Vikings, it came to an end on Sunday afternoon. Despite a heroic 23-12 rally following a 10-0 Linden run that began at the end of the first half with a putback, and carried over into the third with a three pointer for a 43-28 lead, the Vikings didn't have enough left in the tank to defeat the mighty Tigers from the Watchung Conference. Darrell Lampley scored 12 of his team high 16 points in the first quarter on three treys and a three point play, and Muhammad Wilkerson added 13 points and 12 rebounds while Jerry Jones chipped in with three field goals including two three point plays, and a three pointer along with another free throw for 12 points before going down with an ankle injury in the second half to lead Linden to its second straight Group IV State crown, 63-54 before a huge crowd of approximately 6,000 at the Rutgers Athletic Center.

After trailing 43-28 following a David Bruce layup at about the 6:00 mark, South Brunswick scored 23 of the next 35 points over a span of 11:58 including a 13-5 spurt to start the fourth period to make it 55-51 with exactly 2:02 left when Martin Soaries (four field goals, three treys, and a free throw for a game high 18 points) picked up a steal on a ball that Lampley lost control off while driving in for a score, and then went the length of the court, and scored a reverse layup on the right side of the hoop to draw a huge roar out of the Viking faithful, and put them into a frenzy. However, after a Linden timeout, Desmond Wade (two field goals and two free throws for 6 points along with 11 assists), drove right down the middle of the key at the other end, and scored despite an offensive foul call to make it 57-51. Linden added another score to make it 59-51 as Wade found George Bease (one field goal and 4 of 6 FTs for 6 points) for a layup at the South Brunswick continued to battle with a score at the 51.1 by Devon Young (four field goals and three treys for 17 points along with 7 rebounds) to make it a 59-53, and then got a five second call on the ensuing inbounds. Brian Morgan (a field goal and a free throw for three points) was fouled moments later, and made the first of two free throws for a 59-54 Linden lead, but missed the second, and the Tigers put the game away as Wade got the ball to Ahmad Harris (three field goals for 6 points) for a layup, and a 61-54 lead with 24.1 to play.

According to the Home News-Tribune article on the contest, Linden won the turnover battle (7 to 11), and the war on the boards (37-32). Nevertheless, both the Star-Ledger and the Home News-Tribune both agreed though that the Vikings, ranked 16th in the latest Star-Ledger Top 20, never gave up and kept battling. Prior to the game, I had felt Linden had the edge, but South Brunswick had a chance to hang in there. In my preview of the game, I indicated that the Vikes needed to prevent Lampley, who wound up being game MVP for Linden, from getting off to a huge start, couldn't fall behind by too much, had to hit their shots, and more importantly, box out. Well, in the final analysis, they may have not done all of that, but the Vikings still made it interesting in the end. According to the Star-Ledger, Linden connected on 18 field goals, five three pointers, and most importantly, 12 foul shots (12 of 19 FTs according to GMC Hoops) for its 63 points while South Brunswick made 16 field goals, 6 three pointers, and just 4 free throws (4 of 9 FTs according to GMC Hoops).

Furthermore, while both teams scored in double figures in each of the four periods, Linden outscored South Brunswick in three of the frames while having three different players score in double digits versus only two for the Vikings. It was quite an atmosphere at Rutgers, none that I've never seen for a GMCT Championship Game in the seven years that I've been doing this. Linden brought its share of fans to the game to root their Tigers on while South Brunswick pulled out all the stops. Making its first appearance ever in games covered by GMC Hoops was the Viking mascot while the band also showed up for the first time to play. Walking into the RAC prior to the start, I was amazed by the show of support. SBHS and the folks down in the community really did a great job in turning out people for not only this game, but also the Central Jersey Group IV Championship against Freehold, and the Group IV State Semifinal against Cherokee in Atlantic City. For a school that was a member of the GMC Blue Division when I was a sophomore in high school, and that last celebrated a state title in 1968 when it was a Group I school that defeated Dick Vitale's East Rutherford squad led by Les Cason, it was nice to see the Vikings play well in such a big game against a powerhouse in basketball.

Although South Brunswick only had the lead once, it hung close throughout with the exception of midway through the second quarter, and early in the third. The Vikes went toe to toe with the Tigers in a first period that saw both teams combine for 35 points. After missing three shots on their first possession, Linden eventually took the lead early on a David Bruce layup for one of his two field goals, and a 2-0 lead at the 7:05 mark after Ray Dasant (three field goals for six points) picked up his first personal at the 7:22 mark. Maclolm Soaries, who was battling the flu, got his only points of the game on a score a little while later to tie it at 2-2. Following a Vineesh Manchanda block on Bruce, Lampley nailed his first three pointer of the game to put the Tigers ahead by three, 5-2. However, South Brunswick fought back as Dasant sank a jumper from the left wing to make it 5-4, and then gave the Vikes their only lead on a fadeaway rainbow jumper to make it 6-5. The lead would be short live though as Jones sank his only trey of the game on a shot from the left corner off an assist by Wade to make it 8-6.

After Lampley picked up his first personal at the 4:13 mark, he got on the board again with his second three of the period to make it 11-6. South Brunswick would respond though with two scores from Martin Soaries including a nice move for a bucket to make it 11-8, and then a three pointer from the left wing off an assist by Morgan to tie it at 11-11 at the 2:11 mark. But, Linden would not only take the lead right back, but take it for good as Wade quickly replied by penetrating into the foul line area for a short jumper to make it 13-11, and then Lampley scored again on a traditional three point play as he drove in for a basket as he was fouled at the 1:34 mark to make the score, 16-11. The Vikings wouldn't go away though as a little more than a minute later, Young passed off to Morgan for a jumper inside the arc to make it 16-13 at the 30 second mark. Then, after Lampley hit his third trifecta of the period to make it 19-13 with seven seconds left, Young went up the left side of the floor, and fired a bomb from 30 to 35 feet at the buzzer to make it 19-16 going into the second.

The second period started with Linden going on a 7-1 spurt for a 26-17 lead. After getting a score at the 7:34 mark to make it 21-16, Linden increased its lead to eight as Jones came up with a three point play at the 7:08 mark to make it 24-16. South Brunswick got its only point in the first 1:38 of the second when Wilson (two field goals and 2 of 4 FTs for 6 points) drew an offensive foul on Wade that drew some complaints from Linden coach, Phil Colicchio, but most importantly, the ire of the Linden point guard, who was then assessed a technical foul that resulted in one of two at the line for Martin Soaries, who ended up being game MVP for the Vikes, to make it 24-17 at the 6:52 mark. Thirty seconds later, Harris scored on an offensive rebound and putback for a nine point, 26-17 lead as South Brunswick's coach, Chris Balent, called for time at the 6:22 mark. Jones then came up with two quick scores including a putback of a Lampley miss and a layup moments later to highlight a 6-2 run for a 30-19 lead. Young got the only bucket for South Brunswick during the tenative Viking stretch, and Wilson had a chance for two, but turned it over on a palming violation at the 4:52 mark.

Wilkerson scored underneath off an assist from Wade at about the 4:45 mark to give the Tigers their largest lead of the first at 32-19, but then SBHS responded with a Manchanda follow and a Dasant putback to make it 32-23 with 2:17 to go in the half. A little more than a half minute after that, Martin Soaries got the Vikes to within seven with a layup as he was fouled by Jerry Jones, but he missed the bonus foul shot for the conventional three point play to make it 32-25 with 1:45 left before intermission. Dasant picked up his second personal at the 1:22 mark, which resulted in one of two at the line for Lampley to make it 33-25, but then Martin Soaries struck again for three at the 1:01 mark to make it 33-28. With the partisan Viking crowd getting back into the game, Dasant missed a chance to get the Vikes closer, and then Wilkerson came up with a huge score on an offensive rebound and putback off a missed offensive rebound and putback by Jonathan Jones as time expired for the first half with the score, 35-28 in favor of Linden despite a 9-3 burst by SBHS to close the seccond. For the quarter, Jones had seven points while Martin Soaries scored six for the Vikes. In the half, Lampley had 13 points while Jones added 10 for Linden. Meanwhile, South Brunswick got 11 points from Martin Soaries, six from Ray Dasant, and five from Devon Young while Manchanda, Brian Morgan, and Malcolm Soaries each added two.

The start of the second half saw Linden got on an 8-0 run over the first 2:30 or so of the period to take a 43-28 lead, and put South Brunswick in a very precarious situation to say the least. Like the first quarter, Lampley got things going with a three pointer from the right corner off an assist by Wade as the two communicated with each other on the play very well for a 38-28 lead at the 7:21 mark. After Dasant picked up his third personal, and Wade missed two at the foul line, Wilkerson got an offensive rebound and putback as he was fouled for a three point play to make it 41-28 at the 6:43 mark of the third. Following a South Brunswick timeout at the 6:25 mark, the Tigers took their biggest lead of the game as Wilkerson found Bruce for a layup, and a 43-28 advantage with about six minutes to play. Martin Soaries finally put a halt to the Tiger spurt, and get the Vikings going again with a nice move in the lane for a score to make it 43-30 before Manchanda picked up his third foul of the game at the 5:21 mark.

Soaries then followed that up with a three pointer at the 4:55 mark to make it a ten point game again at 43-33. Wade soon picked up his third personal at the 4:13 mark, and the Tigers got another score to make it 45-33. Wilson had a chance to cut the deficit back down to ten, but missed a pair of free throws at the 3:30 mark. Wilkerson then got a layup to make it 47-33, and then Young made a short jumper to close the gap to a dozen again at 47-35. George Bease made one of two at the foul line at the 1:47 mark to make it 48-35, and then after a three pointer by Young, Bease made two more free throws for a 50-38 lead with 1:01 left in the third, and that's how the score remained as the two teams headed into the fourth. In the final period, South Brunswick was assessed a technical foul at the 7:43 mark, but Lampley missed a pair at the foul line so the score stayed at 50-38. Linden would get on the board first though as Wade found Wilkerson on a nice entry pass down low for a layup to make it a fourteen point lead, but a short while later, Wilson grabbed a rebound off a missed Tiger shot, and went coast to coast for the layup to make it 52-40 as the Vikings called timeout with 6:11 left in the game.

Following the stoppage, South Brunswick got another score as Morgan zipped a sharp pass to his left to Young inside for a layup to make it 52-42. Bease was then fouled on a subsequent possession, and made the first shot, but missed the second, and despite an offensive rebound by Wilkerson, Linden lost possession as the 6'6" forward traveled. So, with 5:17 to go, Linden was now up by eleven at 53-42. The Vikes then scored seven of the next nine points over a span of 2:26 including a three pointer by Young off a heck of a skip pass by Wilson, and two free throws by the talented junior to make it a 55-49 game with 2:51 left. Martin Soaries would get the layup to close the gap to four with just over two minutes remaining, but that would be as close as the Vikes would get as Linden outscored the last standing GMC team 8-3 down the stretch for the win despite some brief peril. South Brunswick completes a heck of a season going 27-3 overall, and 17-1 in the GMC. The Vikes were Red Division Champs, reached the Final Four for the third time this decade although the accomplishment was bittersweet thanks to the loss to McCarrick, and won the school's first sectional title since 1974.

Meanwhile, Linden, which comes from a powerful Watchung Conference that had all four teams in the North Jersey Section 2 Group IV Final Four, improved to 30-2 on the year, won its second straight Group IV crown, and claimed the top seed in this year's Tournament of Champions to be played later this week.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 11, 2007
Group II State Championship

Chatham Rallies To First Ever State Title, 48-42

By Greg Machos
March 11, 2007

PISCATAWAY, NJ--For one half, it appeared things would be status quo in Group II for another year as three time defending state champion, Haddonfield of the Colonial Conference and four time South Jersey Group II Champion, was winning easily over its foe from the Hills Division of the Iron Hills Conference, Chatham. Over the first two quarters, the Morris County school couldn't seem to do anything right. Going 5 of 24 from the field for 20.8 percent in the first half, and only getting a field goal for two points from 6'8" junior forward, Billy Oliver (9 points on three field goals and 3 of 4 FTs along with 13 rebounds and 4 blocks), the Cougars, which have competed in the past at the HawksBasketball Summer SlamFest when it was in Perth Amboy, appeared to be on their way to their first defeat in 30 games after winning 29 in a row following a loss to another Morris County power in Mendham back in December. On the other hand, Haddonfield, which lost standout 7'2" center, Brian Zoubek, who is now at Duke, didn't seem to miss a beat. The Bulldawgs were a little better better from the field shooting 10 of 25 for 40 percent, and had the only two threes in the half while committing just three turnovers. The only thing that Chatham seemed to do right in the first two quarters was go a perfect 7 of 7 at the foul line while Haddonfield was a tad cooler going 8 of 11 for 72.7 percent.

But something magical has been going on in Chatham. It's been a special year, where things like this are just a bump in the road. When you have a community that's coming out in droves to see you play, and some of them are relegated to watching home games on closed circuit television in the cafeteria, you know that's something big, something phenomenal is taking shape, and not even a recent dominant basketball power such as Haddonfield could stay in the way of it. After only making one of his first five shots and getting six points in the first half, senior 6'6" forward and Chatham game MVP, Kevin Conroy (19 points on 6 of 16 FGs and 7 of 8 FTs as well as 7 rebounds, an assist, and a steal) erupted in the third quarter for 13 points to spearhead a 20-10 showing as the Cougars pulled to within 40-37 entering the final period of play. Then, Oliver, who couldn't seem to do anything right and picked up three fouls in the first half, came up huge in the fourth with not only five of his nine points to spark an 11-2 finish, but put in the go ahead points on two free throws at the 4:05 mark of the fourth to make it 43-42, and then three huge blocks over a span of two minutes to help preserve the six point lead. With the largely partisan Cougar fan base going absolutely crazy down the stretch, Haddonfield seemed to crumble and buckle under the pressure. In the second half, the Bulldawgs committed 12 turnovers and ended up winning the turnover battle by only a slim 15 to 16 margin. As a result, Chatham is the new Group II State Champion in Boys Basketball as it defeated Haddonfield, 48-42 for its first ever state title before a raucous and ravenous crowd of 6,500 at the RAC.

One player that will be overlooked by many except those in the town of Chatham in this game was senior reserve guard, Andrew Kovonuk. With the Cougars struggling in the first half, Kovonuk did what he could to hold the team together. The 6 foot guard, who ended up with 10 points on 3 of 7 shooting including a three pointer, and 3 of 5 from the foul line, came up big on the boards with seven rebounds while handing out three assists, and plucking a steal. Moreover, he had five points and four rebounds in the first half the Cougars may want to forget, and came up with a clutch offensive rebound and putback as he was fouled at the 3:10 mark to make it 48-42. On the heels of a three point play by Oliver some thirty-three seconds earlier, Kovonuk missed the opportunity for a traditional three point play of his own by missing the bonus free throw, but it did not diminish how important a game he played in this one. Also helping out with a couple big baskets down the stretch when Chatham closed the game with the final eleven points to pull out the win were seniors Matt McHugh (2 of 4 FGs for 4 points along with 2 assists, and 2 steals) and Matt Carlton (2 of 3 FGs for 4 points as well as a rebound and assist). Rounding out the scoring for the Cougars was Josh Toolajian with two points on one of three shooting from the field as well as two rebounds and two assists.

Meanwhile, for Haddonfield, who along with their head coach Paul Wiedeman should be highly commended for just winning their sectional, let alone playing for a fourth straight state title after losing Zoubek to graduation, Greg Steinberger, the team MVP for the game, ended up with 19 points on 7 of 16 shooing including three treys and 2 of 4 from the foul line along with four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Steinberger, who along with fellow senior Keith Hurley accounted for 80 percent of the Bulldawg's offense in the first half, had a balanced game with ten points in the first half, and nine in the second. Meanwhile, Hurley, who played solid in the first half with 4 of 8 shooting and 6 of 6 from the foul line for 14 points, managed only one in the second half for 15 on the game along with five assists, three rebounds, and three steals. Unfortunately, Hurley ran out of gas as did his team in the final two periods by going 0 of 5 from the floor, and making 1 of 2 from the line. For the game, Steinberger and Hurley accounted for approximately 81 percent of their team's offense. Only junior forward, Rob MacFeeters (a field goal for two points and five rebounds), Greg Console (1 of 1 FG for 2 points), and seniors Dennis Sobolewski (a field goal for two points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals) Spencer Reed (a field goal for two points along with four rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block) accounted for the other Haddonfield points.

For the game, the Bulldawgs went just 15 of 54 from the field for 27.8 percent while going 9 of 15 from the foul line for 60 percent. Now, if you take away the first half shooting effort, and Hurley's showing at the foul line, Haddonfield was just 5 of 27 from the floor for a paltry 18.5 percent in the second half, and 2 of 7 at the foul line for 28.6 percent for the game. Meanwhile, Chatham went 17 of 51 from the floor for exactly 33.3 percent, and were much better at the line going 13 of 17 at the charity stripe for 76.5 percent. More importantly, the Cougars shot much better in the second half with a 12 of 26 effort for 46.2 percent. In addition, Chatham, which made seven turnovers in the first half, only made nine more in the second. Each team scored in double figures in three of the four periods with both squads outscoring the other in two of the four periods. However, Chatham's 20-10 showing in the third, and 11-2 tear in the fourth for a 31-12 second half surge proved to be the difference in this game that was more like a tale of two halves. Other statistical areas indicated the Bulldawgs had the edge in threes (3-1), assists (13-12), and steals (8-7) while the taller Cougars held advantages in rebounds (31-22) and blocks (4-1). For Chatham the second half couldn't have been written any better by the Hollywood script makers for this team, which will still be the greatest team in school history regardless of what they do next in the T of C. Nevertheless, the squad from Morris County still had to get through a horrendous first half.

The first 2:09 of the game only saw one score as Hurley scored on a layup from Steinberger to make it 2-0. Capping the low scoring span was a nice defensive sequence by Haddonfield, which resulted in a turnover by Chatham. Seventeen seconds later, Steinberger made one of two at the line for a 3-0 lead at the 5:34 mark. The Cougars didn't get on the board until the 4:26 mark of the first when Oliver scored on a field goal off an assist by starting guard and junior Burton Gildersleeve, who didn't score in the game, but handed out four assists while collecting a steal. Kovonuk then gave Chatham a brief lead with a three point play on a putback as he was fouled to make it 5-3 with four minutes left in the first. For the remainder of the frame, Haddonfield scored the last ten points. First, the Bulldawgs got five points over a span of 2:11 including another one of two by Steinberger for an 8-5 lead at the 1:49 mark. Then, the defending Group II Champion, scored another five to close out the quarter as Steinberger made one of his three treys, and then Hurley fed MacFeeters for a layup to make it 13-5 after one. In the quarter, Haddonfield made 5 of 13 shot attempts including a three pointer while making 2 of 4 at the line, and committing one turnover. Meanwhile, Chatham was just 2 of 12 from the floor and 1 of 1 from the foul line while making three miscues.

The second quarter began with the Bulldawgs making it a 13-0 spurt as Steinberger hit for his second three to make it 16-5 before Kovonuk made a pair at the foul line for a 16-7 Haddonfield lead at the 7:14 mark. Nearly thirty seconds later, Hurley netted two free throws for an 18-7 lead at the 6:45 mark. Conroy finally got on the board with a pair of foul shots after being fouled by Steinberger, who picked up his second personal at the 5:42 mark. With Haddonfield now leading 20-11, Steinberger took a pass from Hurley, and layed it in for a 22-11 score as the Bulldawgs called a timeout with 4:16 to go in the first half. Following the stoppage, Conroy, who scored all of his points in the middle two periods, netted another pair at the charity stripe to make it 22-13 at the 3:35 mark, but Haddonfield closed out the half with eight of the last twelve points for a 30-17 lead at the intermission. First, the Bulldawgs scored four straight points over a span of 1:53 including a pair of free throws by Hurley at the 1:42 mark to make it 26-13 at the 1:42 mark. After Oliver went to the bench with his third foul, and Sobolewski missed the front end of a one and one at the 1:19 mark, Haddonfield got two free throws from Hurley and a layup by Console off a dish by the 5'10" senior guard while Carlton and Toolajian accounted for the final two baskets in the second for Chatham to give the Colonial Conference school the thirteen point lead at halftime.

In the second, Haddonfield was slightly better than the first with a 5 of 12 showing from the floor while making 6 of 7 at the line, and committing two turnovers. Meanwhile, Chatham did better shooting wise than in the first, but only slightly, with a 3 of 12 effort, but did make all six free throws to stay within striking distance despite four more turnovers as well. Whatever Chatham coach, Todd Ervin said at halftime worked because in the third quarter, the Cougars came out like a totally different team. Sparked by Conroy, who made five of his team's eight third quarter field goals along with 3 of 4 at the foul line for his 13 points in the period, Chatham roared back with a 20-10 showing that was helped out by six Haddonfield turnovers, which was twice as much as it had in the entire first half of play. Conroy went to work right away with a field goal, and then one of two at the line to make it 30-20 with just over a minute gone by in the third. Forty-nine seconds after that, Conroy went to the line again as Steinberger picked up his third personal. The 6'6" Chatham senior forward, made both at the foul line, and the lead was back down to ten at 32-22 with 6:10 to go in the third. Conroy then got the lead down to single digits with a score before Hurley made two at the line to make it 34-24 at the five minute mark. The Iron Hills Conference then scored five of the next six points over a span of 1:27 to pull within six at 35-29. Conroy got another field goal while handing out an assist on Kovonuk's only three of the game to close the gap much to the delight of the Chatham supporters, which were now getting themselves back into the game.

Sobolewski scored a layup on the next Bulldawg possession to make it 37-29 at the 3:18 mark. However, after a Haddonfield timeout, Chatham went back on the attack with eight of the last eleven points of the third to close to within three going into the fourth. Conroy sparked the quarter ending rally with an offensive rebound and putback off an Oliver miss. Oliver got his first points of the second half, and since the 4:26 mark of the first with a layup from Kovonuk, and then Conroy capped things with a jumper off an assist by Carlton to make it 40-37 as the Chatham faithful went into delirium. The Bulldawgs tried to regain control of the situation at the start of the fourth with a field goal by Steinberger to make it 42-37, but then the South Jersey team drowned in a 11-0 game ending tidal wave that brought an end to its several year grip on Group II Boys Basketball in New Jersey. McHugh and Carlton got thiings going with each scoring a layup to help trim the deficit to one at 42-41 with 4:28 to play. Then, Oliver made two free throws at the 4:05 mark to give the Cougars a lead it would never relinquish at 43-42. The Chatham big man didn't stop there as he took a pass from Kovonuk, and scored a layup as he was fouled by Steinberger (fourth personal) for a three point play to make it 46-42 as the Cougar backers roared with hysteria at the 3:43 mark. Kovonuk would close out the scoring with his putback at the 3:10 mark, but the game was still in doubt.

With a tenuous six point, 48-42 lead, Chatham could seem to pull away from the Bulldawgs over the final three plus minutes. However, the Cougar defense tightened, and repelled any opportunities down the stretch by Haddonfield as the Chatham faithfoul seemed to get louder and louder with enthusiasm. Over a forty second span, Oliver, who dominated the fourth with six rebounds, came up with two of his three blocks in the frame to preserve the lead. Nearly a minute and ten seconds later, Oliver came up with another huge block of a Hurley shot, and grabbed the rebound as Chatham called for time at the 1:21 mark with still a six point lead. According to the Star-Ledger, Haddonfield was just 1 of 15 in the quarter from the floor, and committed six more turnovers. Steinberger fouled out at the 1:03 mark, and despite the fact that Kovonuk missed the front end of a one and one, the Bulldawgs couldn't recover. The pendulum had completely swung as Reed went to the line at the 57.8 second mark, but the Haddonfield 6'4" senior forward missed the first attempt, and then was called for a lane violation on the second for coming in too soon. Chatham maintained its lead, and won a low scoring, but still quite exciting game. After the game, the Cougars showed a touch of class and comeraderie with their schoolmates by taking their state title trophy, and running up to the area where Chatham's student section was, and gave their friends an opportunity to see the trophy up close. It was a moment for the whole town to celebrate.

With the victory, Chatham has now won 30 straight games, and are 31-1 overall on the season. The Cougars move on to the Tournament of Champions, where it is seeded the lowest of all six teams remaining in the field. The Cougars will travel to the Ritacco Center in Toms River to play what many might consider a crossover game in the Iron Hills Conference when it takes on third seeded Seton Hall Prep, which won the Iron Division in the conference with an 18-0 record, are 30-0 overall, and most importantly, defeated CBA for yet another Non-Public A State Title. Meanwhile, Haddonfield ends its season at 26-5.

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 11, 2007
Group I State Championship

Bloomfield Tech Breezes To Fourth Title In Five Years, 73-59

By Greg Machos
March 11, 2007

PISCATAWAY, NJ--The Crushers of Create Charter have had quite a season, and generated a buzz around Hudson County long before they began play in the Central Jersey Group I State Tournament, won it with ease, and then knocked off South Jersey Group I powerhouse, Burlington City in the state semifinal on a last second shot. However, the stellar run for this high scoring Seglio Division of the HCIAA school came to an abrupt end on Sunday when it collided with defending Group I State Champion, Bloomfield Tech. No Desean Butler? No Casiem Drummond? No Dante Rollins? No problem said the Spartans, which still have the likes of Rashon Dwight, Wesley Jenkins, Todd Fleming, Troy Webster, and Chris Morris for opponents to contend with. Bloomfield Tech held a 43-32 lead at halftime on the strength of a 17-12 effort in the first quarter followed by a 26-20 showing in the highest scoring period of the game in the second. But when the third quarter began, the Spartans demonstrated to Create Charter that it is great to have offense, but defense wins championships.

Bloomfield Tech, which hasn't really missed a beat since losing three top players from last season's championship team, held the Jersey City school, which averaged 89 points per game in its four previous games in the state tourney, to just nine while scoring 19 to take a commanding 62-41 third quarter lead, and were never threatened after that as the Spartans won their fourth statewide Group I title in the last five years, 73-59 in front of a crowd of about 1,000 at the RAC. Dwight, who was the team MVP for the game, led the way with 20 points on eight field goals, a three pointer, and a foul shot while Jenkins chipped in with 15 points on two field goals, three treys, and two foul shots. Chris Morris, who went 4 of 7 in the second half for eight of his ten points, was another player to score in double figures with five field goals while Richard Hall, who scored seven of his points over the final two frames, ended up scoring 11 points on a field goal, a three pointer, and six foul shots. Todd Fleming added six points on a field goal and four foul shots including a perfect 2 of 2 trip in the second half while Troy Webster got a three point play for his only points of the contest at the 4:36 mark of the third to make it 57-34, and both Korey Fisher (two field goals in first half) and Nyriq Hay (a field goal in the second half and two free throws in the first) each added four points each.

Meanwhile for Create Charter, which is only in its sixth year of existence as a school, and playing its third season of varsity basketball, team MVP, Walik Albright led the way. The 6'5" junior forward, who had been averaging 18 points and 13 rebounds in the tournament entering this game, ended up with 19 points on eight field goals and three free throws. Albright went 4 of 9 from the field, but just 2 of 6 at the foul line in the second half for ten points, but did a nice job on the boards with seven rebounds over the final two periods while picking up five steals in the same time frame. Keith Williams chipped in with four field goals, a three pointer, and a foul shot for 12 points, but only went 3 of 10 in the second half including his only trey of the game. Vernard Gibbs, who was three of seven in the final two periods along with a 2 of 2 effort at the line for eight points, ended up with 13 on the night as he made five field goals and three foul shots. Jason Hill, who was 0 of 4 in the second half, and had two points on a 2 of 2 showing at the charity stripe, scored 11 points on two three pointers and five free throws. Rounding out the scoring for the aptly named Crushers (if you're a South Amboy or Metuchen fan), were Mateem Haskins (a field goal) and Andy Galvez (a field goal) with two points each.

For the game, Bloomfield Tech had 21 field goals, five three pointers, and mad 16 foul shots while Create Charter connected on 19 field goals, three treys, and 12 foul shots. In the second half, the Spartans were 12 of 31 from the floor including two threes for 38.7 percent while the Crushers were 10 of 32 including a trifecta for 31.3 percent. At the line, Bloomfield Tech was 6 of 8 for 75 percent over the final two periods while Create Charter was 6 of 10 for 60 percent. The Crushers actually won the turnover battle in the final two periods by only making six while forcing eleven, but much of that occurred when the game was already out of reach. The Spartans, which are independent, and reside in Essex County, outscored the Hudson County school, which finished second to Hoboken in their division of the HCIAA, in each of the first three periods to seal the game. Bloomfield Tech scored in double figures in each of the periods including 45 points over the middle two periods. Create Charter registered double digit points in three of the four frames. Both teams did have four players score in double figures, but the Spartans had all eight of its players score four points or more while Create Charter got 93.2 percent of its offense from the quartet of Albright, Gibbs, Williams, and Hill. In other statistical departments, Bloomfield Tech had the edge in threes (2-1), rebounds (23-12), assists (6-4), and blocks (3-1). Steals by both teams were even thanks largely in part to Albright's effort for the Crushers. Neither team drew a charge.

Create Charter still was hanging in there when I arrived at halftime. I had gone out for a break after watching the two earlier games between South Brunswick and Linden in the Group IV title game, and Haddonfield and Chatham in the Group II title game, and didn't return until about 5:30 or so when the two team's were in their respective locker rooms for the intermission. However, the first 2:18 of the third left little doubt which team was going on to win this game. Dwight, who ended up with a double-double by grabbing 12 rebounds according to the Star-Ledger, made two field goals while Morris added two more scores, and Hall netted a triple to make it 54-32 with 5:42 left in the period as Create Charter head coach, Jamar Curry, called for a 30 second timeout. However, the stoppage wasn't the remedy as the deficit continued to climb. Webster got his only points of the contest when he scored a basket as he was fouled for a three point play with a little more than four and half minutes to go in the frame to make it 57-34.

Both teams then exchanged scores over the next 1:26 to make it 59-36 in favor of Spartans as they called for time. Then, after the timeout, Bloomfield Tech scored five of the next eight points in just 1:23 to take a commanding 62-39 lead. Although Albright scored on a tip in off a miss by Wiliams as time expired in the third, the game was pretty much over with the Spartans ahead, 62-41 going into the fourth. In the final period, Create Charter tried to make things respectable, and perhaps get back into the game by scoring six of the first ten points over a span of 3:47. However, the Crushers missed a chance to convert a potential four point play following an intentional foul. First, Williams missed two free throws. Then, the Hudson County team missed a shot inside, and subsequently turned the ball over out of bounds. Create Charter kept battling though, and with the help of the Spartans, who were not trying to take time off the clock, got the deficit down to thirteen at 66-53 with six straight points to make it a 12-4 spurt including two free throws by Gibbs at the 3:11 mark, and a steal and layup by Albright after he picked up his fourth foul at the 2:54 mark. However, Morris put an end to whatever hopes the Crushers had of coming back with a score at the 1:47 mark to make it 68-53. Create Charter outscored Bloomfield Tech, 6-5 the rest of the way, but it was academic as the Spartans won by fourteen.

With the victory, Bloomfield Tech improved to 28-2 on the season, and earned the fifth seed in this year's Tournament of Champions. The Spartans, which only lost to St. Raymond's of the Bronx in the 2006 Tip-Off Classic (63-60), and Seton Hall Prep in the Essex County Tournament Championship (56-47), will take on fourth seeded Shawnee, which won the Group III State Tournament over Passaic Valley, 56-39 in the opening round of the T of C with the winner to face top seeded Linden in the semifinals. Create Charter, which had a team of frustrated players walk off the court in disgust, but thanks to their coach, came back to the floor to receive the game ball and certificate, finished its season at 20-8.

 

GMC Hoops Summaries--March 11, 2007
Group III State Championship

Second Quarter Surge Boosts Shawnee Past Passaic Valley, 56-39

By Greg Machos
March 11, 2007

PISCATAWAY, NJ--After an absence from the state title game scene for five years, Shawnee, a school from Medford Township in Burlington County, and a member of the Patriot Division of the Olympic Conference, returned to the stage in big fashion. The Renegades which compelete against the likes of Winslow Township, a team that lost to South Jersey Group IV Champion and Olympic Conference American Division representative, Cherokee, fell behind early, 9-4, but roared back with a 22-2 surge over a span of 8:52 from the end of the first quarter until just under two minutes left in the second to take a 26-11 lead, and were never threatened after that as they won easily over Passaic Valley, 56-39 in the Group III State Championship before about 2,000 at the RAC. For Shawnee, it was the fifth ever statewide title in Boys Basketball, and all of them have come in seven state final appearances over the last 15 years, but this is the first one at Group III. The other four have been at the Group IV level, and a couple of those drives for championships have come at the expense of GMC teams.

Back in 1993, Shawnee led by the likes of Penn State bound, Danny Earl, who was previously the all time leading scorer at the school with 2,006 points until this title game, and Kirk Luchman, who went on to play at Florida State, took on the last great Perth Amboy squad, which happened to be the Central Jersey Group IV State Champion, in a state semfinal at Brick Memorial High School. Well, in a game that was more remembered for a brawl rather than the contest itself, the Renegades clearly frustrated the Panthers and their supporters, which perhaps contributed to the tumult that ensued. Amboy had a couple players suspended for a few games the following year including the talented and athletic, Ronald Snipes. More importantly, the Panther program, which was known to have raucous crowds over the years at its games despite its rich basketball heritage, was scarred, and never the same after that. Shawnee ultimately lost in that year's state final to Irvington. The following year, 1994, Shawnee had to travel to Piscataway to take on the Chiefs in what essentially was another home game for the recently crowned GMCT and Central Jersey Group IV Champs. The reason for that was there had been a series of ice and snowstorms including one during the state tournament that year. The Chiefs won, and eventually won the last ever state crown captured by a GMC school with a victory over Teaneck in that season's Group IV State Title game.

The Renegades would get their revenge though the following season. The Chiefs, which were led by the likes of John Celestand, Justin Bailey, Delvon McMillan, and Eddie Simmons, had repeated as Central Jersey Group IV and GMCT Champions while knocking off a St. Patrick's team led by Seton Hall bound, Shaheen Holloway, but now had to travel down to Atlantic City to take on Shawnee. The Medford Township school won in convincing fashion, and then defeated Elizabeth in the state title game for the first of two straight Group IV Championships. The following year, the Renegades defeated Teaneck. The last time Shawnee won was when it defeated Passaic in 2001. The following year, the Renegades, which defeated Middletown North in the state semis, lost in the state final to Randy Foye and Newark East Side. Shawnee, which defeated Olympic Conference rival, and perennial South Jersey power, Camden in the sectional final, and knocked off Central Jersey winner, Monmouth Regional, got 22 points from senior guard, Julian Sanders, who broke Earl's record moments into the game, and now has 2027 for his career. Sanders, who was game MVP for Shawnee, made only about 30 percent of his shots, but one of the makes was a three pointer, and went 7 of 8 at the foul line while also picking up two rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Senior 6'7" forward, Mike Kernan had a double-double of 13 points (on 6 of 12 shooting from the floor and 1 of 2 at the line) and 13 rebounds while collecting three assists, three blocks, and two steals.

Junior guard, Eric Kessler got off to a bit of a shaky start with a few turnovers, but after sitting a bit, came back with a vengeance as he made five of his eight shots including four three pointers for 14 points along with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, and a block. Rounding out the scoring for the Renegades were junior forward, Doug Holcombe, who made both his shot attempts including a trey for five points while collecting three assists, two rebounds, and two steals, Will Kernan (0 of 2 FGs and 2 of 2 FTs for 2 points, a rebound, an an assist) and sophomore reserve guard, Joey Kessler, who scored late in the game to the jubilation of the Shawnee fans. Senior forward, Mike MacWright (0 of 2 FGs, 6 rebounds, a block, and an assist), senior guard Dan Logan (two rebounds, two assists, and a block), forward J.J. Chiusano (0 of 2 FGs, 3 rebounds, and an assist), Gary Devine (two rebounds), Will Tarrant (a steal), sophomore Harrison Hahn (an assist) and freshman Tom Molina (a rebound) also got in the game, but didn't score. For Passaic Valley, a team that knocked off a Colonia squad that won the GMC White Division, 2007 GMC Hoops Trophy as well as a thrilling double-overtime game against Union Hill for the North Jersey Section 2 Group III Championship, was led by Shane Lebiedz, who only shot 3 of 10 from the floor, but made 6 of 8 at the line for 12 points.

The Hornets, which compete in the Skyline Division of the Northern Hills Conference, and rallied from an 18 point deficit in the second half to end the fine state tourney run by the Patriots in another double-overtime gutwrencher, 65-59, also got eight points from their game MVP, Joe Castro, who made only 3 of 11 shots while going 2 of 2 at the line. Castro also collected three rebounds and three assists while drawing a charge. Teammate Tyler Nash also had eight points, but on 3 of 13 shooting from the floor including two threes while picking up a rebound and a steal. Jon Coral made two of four shots for four points while grabbing six rebounds, and collecting an assist, steal, and charge. Damian DiIorio made only one of six shots while netting two of three at the line for four points along with a rebound, Joe Mourad added two foul shots for his only points, and rounding out the scoring for Passaic Valley was Dan Acala, who made one of two at the line for a point along with a rebound. Also playing, but not scoring were Nick Siciliano (a steal), Pat Murray, and Anthony Casper. For the game, the Hornets, which compete with the likes of North Jersey Section 1 Group IV Champion, Passaic Tech, a team that took Linden to the wire in the Group IV state semis before losing, and Newark West Side, which lost to Mendham in this year's North Jersey Section 2 Group III State Tourney after reaching the final last year, were just 12 of 47 from the floor including two threes for 25.5 percent while Shawnee was 21 of 50 including six threes for 42 percent.

At the foul line, Passaic Valley was much better with a 13 of 18 performance for 72.2 percent while Shawnee was 10 of 12 from the charity stripe for 83.3 percent. The Hornets actually won the turnover battle with a 12 to 18 advantage, but in other statistical areas, the Renegades dominated with edges in threes (6-2), rebounds (37-20), assists (18-6), steals (8-5), and blocks (6-4). The only area where Passaic Valley had an advantage was in the charges department (2-0). Shawnee scored in double figures in each of the first three periods while Passaic Valley was the exact opposite by only registering double digits in the final period. Consequently, the Renegades outscored their opponent and North Jersey Section 1 Group III Champion in the first three periods to build up a 48-23 lead. Three players on Shawnee accounted for 87.5 percent of its offense while only one player scored in double figures for Passaic Valley. The game started off promising for the Hornets as they scored 9 of the first 13 points over the initial 5:21 including a 7-2 spurt highlighted by a three pointer by Nash, a putback by Coral, and a layup by Castro to break a 2-2 deadlock. Coral opened the scoring with a steal and assist on a layup by Castro for the early lead, but then Sanders tied it with a scoop shot to go down in the records books at his school as well as knot the game up.

However, Shawnee ended the period with a 7-0 run to actually take an 11-9 lead, and then blew the game open with a 15-2 tear over the first 6:13 of the second to take a 26-11 lead before Passaic Valley knew what hit it. Sanders highlighted the rally closing run in the first with a three point play at the 1:31 mark to tie it up at 9-9, and then Mike Kernan scored on an offensive rebound and putback off a miss by Will Kernan for the two point lead as time expired in the opening period. In the first quarter, Shawnee went 5 of 13 from the floor, and made a foul shot, but fell behind early due to eight turnovers in the frame. Meanwhile, Passaic Valley was 4 of 11 from the floor including a three while only making four miscues. Scoring was also a little more balanced for the Hornets with Castro scoring four, Nash adding three, and Coral chipping with two while Shawnee had all eleven points from two players. Mike Kernan had six while Sanders added five. In the second period, the Renegades essentially put the game away by making 6 of its 12 shots attempted in the stanza including three from long distance, and also made a pair of free throws while doing much better in the turnover department with one. On the other hand, the Hornets were the polar opposites as they only made 1 of 8 from the field, but made all four of its foul shots in the frame over the final 1:47 of the half. Passaic Valley also made four more turnovers that contributed to the Renegades' game deciding outburst.

Shawnee scored six of the first eight points in the second to take a 17-11 lead at the 4:51 mark. Mike Kernan had a hand in all three scores with a field goal and two assists on scores by Sanders and Holcomb. The 6'7" forward then got his final assist of the game on a kick out to Eric Kessler on the left side for a three pointer that helped the junior guard relax, and give the Renegades a nine point lead at 20-11 with 3:23 to go in the half. A little less than forty seconds later, the older Kessler struck again with a three from the right wing off an assist by Chiusano to make it 23-11 at the 2:44 mark. Then, Sanders got into the act with a trey from the left wing off an assist by Eric Kessler to make it 26-11 at the 1:52 mark. The Hornets finally got on the board again five seconds later when Castro made both his foul shot attempts to cut the lead in half at 26-13. Sanders got a pair from the charity stripe at the 1:33 mark, and Lebiedz got his first points of the game on two free throws at the 1:07 mark to make it 28-15 at the intermission. For the half, Shawnee was only 11 of 25 from the floor, but made three trifectas, and went 3 of 3 at the line despite nine turnovers. Meanwhile, Passaic Valley was sinking fast with a 5 of 19 showing from the field in the half including a trey, but did make all four foul shots to hang in by a thread.

Sanders led the way with 12 points while Mike Kernan added 8, and Eric Kessler chipped in with 6 to account for 92.9 percent of Shawnee's first half offense. Meanwhile, Castro scored all eight of his points in the first half on 3 of 7 field goals and 2 of 2 from the line to account for 53.3 percent of the Hornet offense. The start of the second half gave some hope for Passaic Valley as it registered four of the first six points of the third period. Lebiedz opened the second half scoring with one of two at the line for a 28-16 Shawnee lead at the 7:27 mark, and then Nash made a three pointer after a Renegade score to cut the deficit to 30-19 with 5:44 to play in the stanza. However, Shawnee closed the period with another huge run as it scored 18 of the last 22 points to take a twenty-five point lead entering the fourth. Over the last 5:44, Passaic Valley could only muster a field goal from Coral at the 3:30 mark, and two free throws by DiIorio at the 3:12 mark to make it 37-23. The Renegades ended the third with an 11-0 tear too. After the Nash three, Shawnee scored the next five points as Holcomb nailed a three pointer off an assist by Eric Kessler, and then Sanders scored on an offensive rebound off his own shot to make it 35-19 as the Hornets called for time at the 3:47 mark.

The timeout wouldn't be the tonic on this day despite a 4-2 run by Passaic Valley over the next 35 seconds. Sanders would get fouled on a three point shot attempt that resulted in three from the line at the 2:16 mark to follow a previous Shawnee score to make it 42-23, and then the senior guard penetrated and kicked out to Eric Kessler for another trey with just four tenths of a second left in the third to cap the spurt, and make it 48-23. From that point on it was pretty clear that the Renegades were going to win. During the course of the fourth quarter, both teams emptied their benches much to the delight of their fans, which showed appreciation to the starters coming out of the contest. Passaic Valley of Little Falls would double up Shawnee in the final period, 16-8 to make the game more respectable, but the Renegades wound up with a 17 point win for the state title. With the victory, Shawnee, which only lost to Central Jersey Group IV runner-up, Freehold Township, improved to 29-1 on the season, and received the fourth seed and a date with Bloomfield Tech in the Tournament of Champions while Passaic Valley closed out the year at 21-9.

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