Local hoops teams chase holiday hardware
High school squads participating in a variety of tournaments
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Above, Sayreville’s Shaune Thomas drives to the hoop during the Bombers’ loss to Neptune in Neptune on Monday. At left, Sean Reeves tries to score over Neptune’s Gary Foster.

This is an important week for a number of high school basketball teams throughout the Greater Middlesex Conference.

With a number of holiday tournaments being played throughout the area, local teams are hoping to use this week’s games as a catapult, with the regular season getting into full swing next week.

In boys’ action, the South River Knights and East Brunswick Bears have played well in their respective tournaments, with the Rams hoping to get one more win to collect some holiday hardware.

The Rams looked strong playing in the South Amboy Tournament, reaching the finals following a 42-35 win over rival Spotswood in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Senior forward Zyhair Dotson led the way in the win, recording a double-double (10 points, 12 rebounds), as the Rams pulled away from the Chargers in the second quarter with a 13-6 run. Eric McDaniel was the Rams’ leading scorer with 11 points, while Mike Dubovick had 10 for the Chargers, who fell to 0-3 with the loss.

With the win, the Rams earned a shot at host South Amboy, who knocked off Keansburg, 54-50, in their tournament opener. Amboy was led by Brian Seres, who netted 18 points, while Joe Bartlinski added 13. The final was scheduled for last night.

East Brunswick (EB) beat Morristown, 72-65, on Tuesday in the Vaughn Stapleton Classic at Bridgewater-Raritan. That set them up for a match-up with Union, a 67-50 loser to Piscataway, at noon today.

The Bears used a balanced offensive attack to knock off Morristown, with Rick Laskay leading the way with 13 points. Kevin Motusesku added 12 points, while Tom Gadziala had 11 and John Byrnes had 10. With the win, EB improved to 3-2 on the young season, and rebounded from a 54-42 loss to the host Bridgewater team on Monday. In that game, Gadziala was the Bears’ leading scorer with 13, while Laskay added eight.

The Monroe Falcons were another local boys team in the hunt for a tourney title, after beating Timothy Christian, 67-49, on Tuesday in the Piscataway Tech Tournament. With the win, the 3-1 Falcons earned a trip to yesterday’s final against either Wardlaw or Piscataway Tech.

Against Timothy Christian, the game was never in doubt, as the Falcons put together a 16-2 run to start the game, and never looked back from there. A.J. Rudowitz put together a stellar all-around effort, scoring 17 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds, making eight steals and dishing out five assists. Scott Basarab was the top scorer for Monroe with 18 points, including four 3-pointers.

The South Brunswick Vikings put forth a stellar effort against North Plainfield on Monday, winning a 66-40 quarterfinal contest in the Roselle Catholic/South Brunswick Holiday Tournament.

Senior center Dan Stokkus recorded 14 points, 12 rebounds and eight blocked shots to lead the Viking effort, while sophomore forward Joe Clancy added 11 points, five assists and four steals to lead the Vikings to a 3-0 start.

With the win, the Vikings earned a trip to the semifinals yesterday, where they were set to face Cardinal McCarrick, a 85-68 quarterfinal winner over Columbia on Tuesday. The winner of yesterday’s semifinal will get the winner of the other semifinal between Colonia and Roselle Catholic in tonight’s final, scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at South Brunswick.

The Sayreville Bombers saw their run at a Neptune Holiday Jubilee Tournament title come to an end on Monday with an overtime loss to the host Scarlet Fliers, 60-55.

After Brian Miklaszewski hit a basket with under 30 seconds remaining to put the game into overtime, Shaune Thomas put the Bombers ahead by a point in overtime with a 3-pointer, but the Fliers then reeled off a 7-1 run to end the game. Miklaszewski finished the game with 17 points, while Sean Reeves was the high man with 24 points. Thomas added nine points and 10 rebounds.

With the loss, the 2-2 Bombers earned a match-up with Pleasantville in the consolation round yesterday.

In girls’ action…

The East Brunswick girls put forth one of the season’s most impressive performances thus far in knocking off previously unbeaten Princeton, 65-19, on Monday in the War of the Worlds Tournament at West Windsor-Plainsboro North.

Laura Petriello led the way for the Bears with 21 points, as EB raced out to a 33-9 lead and never looked back. Megan Mayo was also a force, contributing 17 points for the Bears, who were set to face Hillsborough in yesterday’s second round.

With a win yesterday, the Bears would earn a trip to today’s final against either Bishop Ahr or West Windsor North. The final is set for 7:15 p.m.

In the South Amboy Tournament, the Spotswood Chargers advanced to last night’s final against the host Governors after knocking off rival South River, 49-39 on Tuesday. The Chargers scored 18 points in the third quarter to run away from the Rams, paced by Jill Dickinson’s game-high 15 points. Raina Gabriel added 11 for the Chargers (1-2), while Brittany Darrar led the 1-3 Rams with 11 points.

The South Brunswick Vikings were not gracious hosts on Monday, as they rolled past Monroe, 57-20, in the semifinals of their own tournament. The Vikings were led by junior guard Jessica Mastronardi’s 15 points, while Alicia Langone added eight. With the win, the 3-0 Vikings earned a match-up with Jefferson in yesterday’s final.

Jefferson knocked off Sayreville, 63-23, in the other semifinal, pitting the 0-3 Bombers against 0-3 Monroe in yesterday’s consolation game.

The St. John Vianney Lancers, arguably one of the top girls team in the state, lost to St. Peter’s Tuesday, 49-48, in the Marist Tournament in New York City. Junior forward Courtney Calderone led the Lancers with 15 points, while senior guard Shantel Brown added 11.