GMC Tournament Championship: St. Jospeh (Met.) 91, Piscataway 61

The GMC conference tournament championship returned for another year to Monroe Township High School in Monroe Township, NJ— this year featuring a third matchup on the year between two of Middlesex county's best teams this season, St. Joseph Metuchen and Piscataway High School. With St. Joe's defeating Piscataway for this year's Greater Middlesex Conference county title in commanding fashion, let's take a look at the prospects who had strong performances over the course of last night's action.    Earning GMCT MVP honors behind an explosive 32 point and 9 rebound performance Friday night, four star [player_tooltip player_id='2201945' first='Andrew' last='Kretkowski'] delivered a standout showing that featured not only a versatile scoring attack but one that also highlighted his typical insanely high motor and relentless energy on the court. Aggressive from the jump and settling into a nice rhythm offensively early on, Kretkowski demonstrated his ability to you in multiple ways— mid range area shot creation with impressive footwork and soft shooting touch, back to the basket game in the mid post, off ball movement cutting to open space, impact on the offensive glass to convert on meaningful multiple second chance opportunities, and even flashing his outside spot up shooting ability.     A versatile jumbo playmaking point guard with an advanced overall skillset and impressive instinctual feel for the game who operates at an impressive tempo with notable poise, four star [player_tooltip player_id='2202021' first='Aidan' last='Carter'] established and maintained a healthy and balanced attack that saw him divvy up between steady and precise facilitation and crafty and creative scoring behind a 19 point 16 assist performance. Carter got going early on alleviating some of the defensive pressure he saw, consistently looking to create advantages for teammates and assuming the role of a decisive and unselfish facilitator— delivering on time passes to open perimeter shooters for in rhythm threes and finding dump off opportunities in the dunker spot(s) to guys down low. As the game went on, Carter found his rhythm offensively, ultimately remaining a threat to score— with outside spot up shooting, smooth mid range area pull ups off the bounce, and attacking driving angles off the bounce for tough finishes through contact and soft touch runners around the basket.     A constant threat from deep, [player_tooltip player_id='2504899' first='Chase' last='Pettiford'] profiles as a potent perimeter threat who can stretch defenses with his dangerous outside shooting touch— and Friday night's championship winning performance very much backed that notion up. Capitalizing on the consistent open looks created out of St. Joe's different actions and penetration from its ball handlers paired with specific instincts that make him far more dangerous beyond makes, Pettiford demonstrated his ability to excel as both a spot up shooter and a movement shooter— efficiently burying up open looks by sprinting to the corner in transition and relocating in passing windows off the ball. Capable of finishing with strength and solid body control, Pettiford also displayed his ability to get ahead of the defense finish plays at the rim in transition opportunities.     A physically imposing forward with a solid frame built with strength and power, [player_tooltip player_id='1948970' first='Donald' last='Nwaigwe'] made a steady impact around the rim, much like he usually does throughout the course of any game. Nwaigwe generated persistent and constant paint pressure, combining his strength and athletic tools to attack the basket with intent whenever he touched the ball finding ways to collapse the defense almost every time he handled the ball and finish with strength and solid body control around the basket.     Operating as the catalyst for Piscataway's offense in this contest versus St. Joe's Metuchen, the confident [player_tooltip player_id='2748965' first='Landon' last='Pernell'] leveraged his on ball dynamism coupled with his off ball scoring to really control the flow of the offense. Turning in a strong performance that showcased his scoring versatility Pernell demonstrated his ability to knock down outside shots both as a spot up shooter as well as create a little bit of separation off the bounce and also knock down perimeter looks off the dribble while mixing in some strong and swift attacks at the basket when certain driving angles opened up in the flow of the offense.     Having settled into a unique role of being a steady and highly productive guard in the backcourt up to this point in the season for this St. Joe's Metuchen group of guards, [player_tooltip player_id='2917859' first='Alijah' last='Murphy'] continued his excellence as a relentless downhill attacker who generates an immense amount of rim pressure with the ball in his hands, showcasing much of that ability once again in their championship matchup against Piscataway. Persistent and nonstop in getting downhill and attacking driving angles with purpose and force, Murphy displayed his ability to get in the lane and effectively finish around the basket while also allowing some of that downhill aggression to open up additional offense at the free throw line for himself.     Very much what's been the case all season and extremely instrumental in the overall success of this St. Joe's Metuchen unit, [player_tooltip player_id='2895818' first='Imaad' last='Johnson'] has continued to solidify himself as a steady and high impact connector amongst this talented group— bringing tremendous value on both ends as a natural and seamless offensive fit and a tough and high effort on ball defender. Offensively, while his numbers weren't necessarily eye popping, Johnson still made an efficient impact within the flow of the game, demonstrating his ability to knock down perimeter shots, attack closeouts decisively, and finished with strength at the rim. Johnson's defensive instincts also stood out, applying relentless ball pressure, picking up full court, battling through screens, and consistently holding his ground at the point of attack.

The GMC conference tournament championship returned for another year to Monroe Township High School in Monroe Township, NJ— this year featuring a third matchup on the year between two of Middlesex county's best teams this season, St. Joseph Metuchen and Piscataway High School. With St. Joe's defeating Piscataway for this year's Greater Middlesex Conference county title in commanding fashion, let's take a look at the prospects who had strong performances over the course of last night's action.