Tough couple of days for local hoops teams
GMCT title hopes are dashed in quarter- semifinal rounds
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

JEFF GRANIT staff South Brunswick’s Devon Young goes up for a shot while being defended by Monroe’s Justin Mitchell (l) and A.J. Rudowitz during a GMCT quarterfinal game in South Brunswick on Saturday, won by the visiting Falcons.

The quarter- and semifinal rounds of the Greater Middlesex Conference Basketball Tournament were not kind to the local high school teams.

A total of six local teams (four boys and two girls) advanced to this past weekend’s quarterfinal rounds, but by the time the semifinals were completed on Tuesday night, all six teams had been eliminated.

Of the six, only the Monroe boys and the South Brunswick girls survived the quarterfinals, with the Falcons knocking off South Brunswick’s boys, 61-44, on the Vikings’ home floor on Saturday, and the Vikings girls beating South Plainfield, 50-49, at Middlesex County College on Sunday.

Monroe’s boys entered the GMCT knowing that they would need senior center A.J. Rudowitz to be a dominant force if they were to make a run at the title.

And he did not disappoint, especially on Saturday, when his 31-point, 14-rebound, five-blocked-shot performance led the Falcons to a come-from-behind win over the host Vikings.

With his team down five at the half, Rudowitz netted 13 points in the third quarter to key a 19-4 scoring edge for the Falcons. They followed that with a 17-8 edge in the final quarter, clinching what first-year head coach Bob Turco called “the biggest win in school history,” and a trip to the semifinals.

Unfortunately, Monroe’s trailblazing run in the GMCT ended there, as the top-seeded Metuchen Bulldogs got a dominant 27-point, 15-rebound performance from sophomore Dejuan Miller, and knocked off the Falcons, 69-63 in overtime, to advance to tonight’s final against Colonia (a 59-56 winner over St. Joseph’s in the other semifinal).

When Metuchen’s leader, Marqus Blakely was forced to the bench with fold trouble with over 10 minutes to play in the first half, Monroe had to feel like it was in good shape to spring the upset. Unfortunately, Miller picked this game as his chance for a breakout performance, and the Falcons couldn’t respond.

Rudowitz did his part, recording 24 points and 10 rebounds, before fouling out with just over a minute to play in the game.

After point guard Vinny Mahmoud tied the score with 39 seconds left on a driving lay-up, Monroe actually had a chance to win it in regulation, but a corner jumper just before the buzzer was long, forcing the extra session

But without Rudowitz, Monroe managed just one field goal in OT (a three-pointer from Colin Horsch), and Metuchen was moving on.

The Bulldogs advanced to the semis with a 52-56 win over ninth-seeded East Brunswick in the quarterfinals. Jon Brown was the hero in this one, pouring in a career-high 25 points, while Blakely once again battled foul trouble.

The Bears were led by Jon Byrne’s 15 points, as they carried a four-point lead at the half. But a late third-quarter surge gave the Bulldogs a lead they would never relinquish, as the Bears worked hard to keep the game close down the stretch.

The Old Bridge boys were another team that entered the quarterfinal round as a heavy underdog. The Knights upset sixth-seeded Bishop Ahr in the second round, earning a matchup with third-seeded St. Joseph’s on Saturday.

Despite playing well, Old Bridge fell to the Falcons, 56-46, ending their season at 9-14. St. Joseph’s won this one from the foul line, 15-for-16 from the charity stripe down the stretch to build on a seven-point lead after three quarters.

St. Joe’s was led by Sean Baptiste’s 18 points, while Old Bridge’s Kahlil Bennett was the game’s high man with 21 points.

The South Brunswick girls made the No. 4 seed stand up by beating fifth-seeded South Plainfield, 50-49, in a thrilling come-from-behind win.

Jess Mastronardi displayed her penchant for hitting the big shot by drilling a three-pointer with just under two minutes to go to give the Vikings the late lead.

In doing so, she also went over the 1,000 point plateau, finishing the day with 1,001 career points.

Unfortunately, any euphoria the Vikings were experiencing ended two days later with a 68-49 loss to top-seeded Piscataway in the semifinals.

The Chiefs took control of this one early, racing out to a 26-11 lead after the first quarter, thanks largely to a 22-0 run, before the Vikings made things interesting in the second quarter. South Brunswick responded with a 16-2 run of its own to cut the lead to just five at the half, then began hitting big shots to start the third quarter to get the lead down to three.

Then it happened. Piscataway put together another run, this one a 10-0 scoring spree, that effectively sealed the win for the Chiefs. Piscataway was led by Tiffany Patrick’s 22 points and 15 rebounds, while Janell Payne led the Vikes with a 18-point, seven-rebound performance. Mastronardi added 16 points for South Brunswick, while Jordan Confessore put together a fine game with 10 points, five steals, five assists and four rebounds.

The East Brunswick girls were the only other local team to earn a trip to Sunday’s quarterfinals, but the second-seeded Bears were upset by a fiery Perth Amboy team, 47-44.

The 10th-seeded Panthers were in control of this one through the first three quarters, carrying a 41-29 edge heading into the final stanza. The Bears made things interesting with a 13-2 run to start the fourth, and had the lead down to two, 46-44, when Jess Campbell buried a three-pointer with just 18 ticks remaining.

East Brunswick had a chance to tie, but a missed shot gave the ball back to Perth Amboy, whose Kathy Batista was immediately fouled. After she hit one of two from the line, Candice Greene heaved a desperation three at the buzzer, but the ball bounced off the rim, giving the Panthers the upset.

Local teams will now turn the attention to the start of the state playoffs next week.