‘I like the spot my team is in,” said East
Brunswick varsity boys basketball coach, Bo Henning, while watching the eighth-grade team play Friday afternoon. “We’re tied for first place [Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division], and last week we defeated two of the four teams in the race.”
The veteran mentor refers to victories against Perth Amboy, 49-43, and Piscataway, 71-56, which avenged a 60-39 loss in December. After disposing of Spotswood, 83-52, the next day, the Bears took their 11- 2 record (7-2 in the division) Tuesday night to St. Joseph of Metuchen, which sported identical overall and division marks. The Bears edged the Falcons in December, 51- 49, but St. Joe’s played without highly regarded Monroe transfer Danny Brix, who wasn’t eligible until this month.
Win or lose, the Bears are poised for what’s ahead. Henning hoped one of the top guards in the GMC, Joe Ross, would be available this season following surgery in the summer for a collapsed lung. The highly touted Ross could only play three games in December before suffering a relapse. He may return in mid-February for the GMC and state playoffs.
Henning has been encouraged, though, with how his team has persevered without Ross.
“We’ve picked up the slack by altering some things,” he said. “We’re fortunate to have players who adapted well since we lost Joe.”
Seniors 5-foot-9 Anthony Giusti, 5-foot- 8 John Genco, 5-foot-9 Dan Sclafani, and 5-foot-11 freshmanAmir Bell have made up for Ross’ absence. Giusti is the scoring leader with a seven-point average, but each is capable of hitting from the outside and opponents know it.
“Teams have been forced to lock in on our perimeter,” Henning observes, “and that has allowed us to look to our post strength.”
The Bears have capitalized with the scoring from rugged 6-foot-2 sophomore Robert Ukawuba, (12.2 points per game) and 6-foot-3 junior Mike Summerer (8.9 points per game). And with East Brunswick’s whirlwind rotation, Henning substitutes 6-foot-2 sophomore Jake Krantz, 6-foot-1 senior Bob Fullem, 5-foot-9 senior Nick Gudzak and 6-foot junior Abu Bestawros, and still gets enough point production and rebounding to win.
With about a month left in the regular season, the Bears look to not only win the Red Division but also secure high seeds in both the GMC and state tournaments in February.
They host Old Bridge in a 5:30 p.m. game today. On Saturday, EBHS travels to Marlboro from the Shore Conference. Another important contest is Tuesday at South Brunswick. The Vikings were tied with East Brunswick and Piscataway for the division lead in the loss department as of Tuesday.
East Brunswick’s first-round game in the GMC Tournament is Feb. 15, against an opponent to be determined after the seeding meeting. If the Bears advance, the quarterfinals are Feb. 20 at Middlesex County College. The semifinals are Feb. 23 at South Brunswick High School, and the finals are Feb. 25 at Rutgers University’s Louis Brown Athletic Center. First-round state tournament action begins Feb. 28.