GMC's best seniors offer two fitting swan songs

On March 22, the best senior basketball players the Greater Middlesex Conference had to offer got together for one last game.

When the GMC All-Star games were held at Perth Amboy High School, players who have engraved themselves in the record books of their respective schools took the court looking to end their careers on a winning note, playing with many of the players they've created rivalries with over the last four years.

In the boys game, the Light Team jumped ahead early, led by Cardinal McCarrick's Vince Rosario - no stranger to being the top offensive player of the floor.

But the Dark Team, which was down by as much as 23 points in the second half, made a strong run, and actually tied the game in the closing minutes when Spotswood's Bryan Osofsky drilled a 3-pointer from the right side with just 41 ticks on the clock.

But Rosario scored two straight baskets in the closing minutes, giving him a game-high 19 points and sealing his MVP honors, to give the Light Team the 101-97 victory.

While Rosario was the Light Team's top player, the Dark Team had a more balanced attack, led by East Brunswick's John McLaughlin (17 points), Old Bridge's Lance Rogers (12 points) and South Brunswick's Martin Soaries (10 points).

What looked like a blowout early on developed into a highly competitive game, and a fitting end to some tremendous high school careers.

The girls game featured another inspired comeback, only this time, the comeback resulted in victory.

After trailing for most of the game, the Blue and White team finally took the lead for good in the fourth quarter, and then launched an 18-3 fourth-quarter run to win the game, 72-62.

New Brunswick's Asia Jennings and Shaquanna Oloyede each dropped in 15 points to lead the way for the Blue and White team, while South Brunswick's Jordan Confessore led the Red and Gold squad with 12 points. Piscataway's Tiffany Patrick also put forth a strong effort, scoring 11 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.