JCC of Central New Jersey Men's Basketball

Week 13 brought good fortune for some and a harsh reality check for others. As we officially enter the homestretch, the intensity is boiling. Playoff positioning is tightening, the margin for error is shrinking, and every possession carries more weight. The marquee matchup featured two of the top seeds squaring off in a game that came right down to the final seconds. Across the league, the theme of the week was offense. Eight of ten teams poured in 63+ points as the buckets were flying. And in a twist only this league could script, the lowest-scoring game of the week featured the two highest-scoring teams entering Week 13.  Special shoutout to Osaze for stepping in this week and pulling double duty as both ref and scorekeeper.  Let's get right into the game action:

Money Ball 74 – Ball Don’t Lie 64: This one was all about Andi Hasaj. Andi opened the season in dominant form before an ankle injury sapped some of his explosiveness. To his credit, he still played at an MVP level, but the game shifted to more perimeter jumpers and fewer downhill assaults. After a month in Florida, though, the sunshine seems to have done what ice and tape couldn’t. Since returning, Andi has looked like an entirely different animal. That version showed up in full force here. From the opening tip, Andi was living in the paint. If he wasn’t finishing through contact, he was drawing it over and over again.

And as everyone in the gym knows, sending Andi to the line is basically a donation. He came in shooting 93% from the stripe and finished this one 15/17 (a disappointing 88%). Overall Andi scored 43 points on 13/20 shooting, plus 10 rebounds and 4 assists (and is now leading the league in scoring).

It’s the classic pick your poison dilemma with Andi. Give him space and he buries the jumper. Crowd him and he blows by you with strength and speed. There isn’t a great option, just slightly less painful ones. The game hovered in the 8–12 point range most of the night where it was close enough to glance at the scoreboard, but never quite feeling like Money Ball was in real danger. Money Ball did it without Alex Stolls, while Ball Don’t Lie was missing Dan Amsellem and Jon Kanarek, with Mike Pollack filling in. (Pollack will now permanently join Household Hoopers, replacing the injured Ed Seiden). For Ball Don’t Lie, it was the longtime duo of captain Adam Hynes and Ben Carr carrying the load. They’ve been hooping side by side since the Maryland blacktop days and at this point it’s basically basketball telepathy. Hynes unveiled all 57 varieties of his scoring package on the way to 30 points (10/19 shooting), mixing mid-range pull-ups, curls off screens, and timely threes. Carr, who is more like a Mack truck once he gets downhill, added an efficient 23 points of his own. The problem was that no one else scored more than 3 points. As well as Hynes and Carr played, it wasn’t enough to offset Andi and company. Captain Adam Driansky embraced his Robin role with 17 points and 7 rebounds, Justin Dank flirted with a double-double (8 points, 10 boards), and Herb Smith chipped in 6 points and 5 rebounds. Money Ball has now won three straight by double digits, scoring 70+ in each. The win moves them to 7–5 and squarely in the hunt for a top-three seed. Ball Don’t Lie drops to 5–8 and appears headed toward the dreaded play-in tournament. 

Money Ball vs Ball Don't Lie Highlights

Laub & Order 92 – Shortland Blazers 75: The 92 points from Laub & Order were a league-high this season, eclipsing the 90 that Shortland Blazers dropped earlier in the year. Ironically, that previous high-water mark belonged to the very team that just surrendered 59 points in the second half. This one was tight early. Laub & Order led just 33-31 at the break in what felt like a standard JCC grind. Then halftime happened and so did the complete disappearance of defense on Shortland’s end. To be fair, Shortland was without defensive stopper Brian Schiller for the second straight game. But even accounting for that, 59 second-half points allowed is less "just missing one guy" and more All-Star Game style defense. Offensively, Shortland brought fireworks. Captain Jason Narod entered the night having made just four threes all season (2-for-24 through 10 games). So naturally, he went 7-for-11 from deep, pouring in a season (and possibly career) high 26 points, along with 8 boards and 6 assists.

He also made sure fill-in ref Osaze heard about every single one of those seven makes. Postgame testing was conducted on Naroids but the results are still pending. Less shocking was the 29-point explosion from Jakub Zabek, the JCC’s answer to Steph Curry. Jakub was launching from deep, flipping in runners, reversing layups and essentially doing what he wanted on offense. Shamar Mason added 11 points and the 75 points Shortland put up is typically enough to win most nights in the JCC league. This was not most nights. Laub & Order, the league’s only squad with three players averaging over 15 per game, had all three clear that mark again. Eric Sass led the way with 29 points on 13-of-21 shooting, plus 17 rebounds and 5 assists. It was less Eric Sass and more Eric Sassquatch, because Shortland simply had no answer for the large, dominant creature living in the paint. He was everywhere.

Captain Mike Gerstein kept rolling with 21 points, including 5-12 from deep. And Mike Huberman, the JCC’s version of Russell Westbrook, stuffed the stat sheet yet again with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, flirting with another triple-double. And it didn’t stop there. Dave Laub knocked down a pair of threes. Gabe Berkowitz added 9 points and 8 rebounds. Jason Stern feasted on the offensive glass with 9 points, 8 boards, and 4 assists. The rebounding numbers tell the real story as Laub & Order won the battle 49-26 and grabbed 24 offensive rebounds, nearly as many as Shortland had total. When one team gets that many second chances, the other team better shoot 90%. Shortland shot well. Just not that well. Laub & Order completely took control in the second half, and Shortland had no answers defensively. The win moves Laub & Order to 6-6 and safely out of the play-in picture for now. The loss drops Shortland to 5-6 and still barely clear of danger, but with a tough stretch looming. 

Laub & Order vs Shortland Blazers Highlights

Household Hoopers 81 - Big Ballers 71: Household Hoopers came in clinging to the all-important #2 seed, but they’d have to do it shorthanded as they were playing without Ed Seiden, Seth Niessen, and Cory Rothbort. King Lo and John Potamousis stepped in to plug the gaps. On the other side, Big Ballers had first-round pick Dave Moreno available, but only for the second half, and the Hoopers wasted no time exploiting that window. This was the first game without the injured commish, and apparently the Hoopers decided the best way to honor #23 was with a little box score symmetry. In a coincidence even the basketball gods would appreciate, the Hoopers’ top three scorers all finished with exactly 23 points. Colin Neff, Jonathan Roy and Jason Pompeo finished with 23 points apiece. A box score tribute to #23 even if he was in street clothes. The Hoopers were humming offensively in a way we haven’t seen all season. Their previous high was just 60 points and they blew past that mark with 15 minutes still to play. Colin nearly recorded the league’s first triple-double with 23 points, 16 rebounds, and 8 assists. Pompeo flirted with a double-double of his own (23 and 9), while Roy added 23 and 6 boards. The ball movement was crisp, the spacing was clean, and from two-point range they were clinical in converting 58% of their attempts. The game was tight for the first 18 minutes, but the Hoopers began separating late in the first half and never looked back, stretching the lead past 20 in the second. Still, Big Ballers didn’t fold. James Floyd continued his recent tear, putting up a monster 29 points and 12 rebounds on 12-of-24 shooting. As mentioned in a recent recap, his game reminded me of the great Eric "Sleepy" Floyd and in a twist this writer learned after the fact, Sleepy Floyd is actually his uncle. Basketball bloodlines confirmed. Bryan Minasian added an efficient 12 and 9. Moreno, in just one half, was dominant with 14 points, 9 boards, and 2 blocks. Shane Calendar drained a pair of early “Shane-bombs” to keep things close. And the most shocking play of the night came courtesy of the dentist. It wasn’t the three-pointer from Dr. Smulewitz that stunned the crowd, it was this blocked shot.

Smuly didn’t just contest the shot, he extracted it. Big Ballers did trim the deficit to 10 late after trailing by more than 20 for much of the second half, but the outcome was never in doubt. One stat that really stood out in this game was the FT shooting: Household Hoopers were 14-18 while Big Ballers were just 2-14. For Household Hoopers, this was the kind of offensive breakthrough that they've been waiting for. If they can consistently crack 60+, they go from being a solid playoff team to legitimate contenders. The win moves the Hoopers to 9-4 and keeps them firmly in second place. Big Ballers fall to 1-10 but if they get Moreno for a full game and Floyd keeps cooking, no one will be thrilled to see them in a play-in scenario.

Household Hoopers vs Big Ballers Highlights

Billy Hoyle 75 – We Got Game 65: Both Wednesday night matchups went down to the wire, including this game. It was tight throughout and ultimately decided by late-game execution. Matt Ceccarelli, captain of We Got Game, came out firing and set the tone early. He poured in 21 points, matched by 21 from Steve Shelton. Shelton was especially efficient, shooting 7/14 from the field, adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists. He was one of the few We Got Game players able to knock down shots in crunch time, keeping them within striking distance. For Billy Hoyle, it was a true team effort but one clearly anchored by Pat O'Donnell.

Pat stuffed the stat sheet with a game-high 24 points and 16 rebounds, plus 5 assists and 4 steals for good measure. He went 4/7 from three, scored in the midrange, and did damage on the block. Each week it feels like he’s adding something new to the arsenal.

We Got Game was without Jake Lillie, while Billy Hoyle missed Eddie Ford and Eric Lai (but did have John Potamousis suiting up for his second game in two nights). Captain Siri Carpien added 19 points, including several big baskets late. And the supporting cast answered the call in a big way. Dan Lantz scored 8 points, taking advantage of defenders sagging off him. Dave Steinbruck delivered 12 points on 5/7 shooting, very much not Stein-brick and he also chipped in 5 assists. Zach Sicherman added an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double. As Zach has often done in his music career, he played his part in the ensemble beautifully, and this may have been the most complete Billy Hoyle performance of the season. Still, it wasn’t easy. We Got Game held their final lead with just over three minutes to play. Ben Huber turned in another strong outing with 16 points and 8 rebounds, but it was an uncharacteristically quiet night from Omer Nimrodi, who scored just 2 points on 1/9 shooting (though he did contribute 7 rebounds and 6 assists). In the end, it was Billy Hoyle’s composure and execution that made the difference. The loss drops We Got Game to 5–7 and currently in the play-in if the season ended today, a costly setback for Matt Ceccarelli’s squad. The win moves Billy Hoyle to 4–7, but more importantly, it provides a clear blueprint. If they bottle this version of themselves, they could make some real noise once the playoffs arrive.

Billy Hoyle vs We Got Game Highlights

Going Buck 52 – Fast Break 48: No Will Howarth for Going Buck. No Gary Levine for Fast Break. On paper, that’s advantage Fast Break. Will is Going Buck’s 20-and-10 machine and their paint anchor, and taking him off the floor against the highest-scoring team in the league is no small thing. But games aren’t played on paper. The first half was a back-and-forth grind. Jake Granoff, fresh off a huge performance last week, stayed scorching from deep. Jake buried 4 of his 8 threes on his way to 16 points and 10 rebounds, continuing what has quietly become one of the hottest shooting stretches in the league. It was an uncharacteristically rough shooting night for Fast Break across the board. Mike Glanzman, usually the model of efficiency, finished just 4/16 for 9 points but he turned every miss into a personal rebounding drill. Mike ripped down 20 boards (8 offensive) and added 5 assists, dominating on the glass all night. Jorge Mangui poured in a game-high 26 points, but needed 27 shots to get there. He added 7 rebounds and 6 steals, stuffing the stat sheet despite the cold shooting. TJ Farrell, coming off a big game last week, couldn’t buy one in this one (1/12 for 3 points), though he chipped in 9 rebounds. Despite the struggles, Fast Break built what felt like a commanding lead midway through the second half. Up 46-38 with just under 11 minutes to play, they appeared in control. Then the offense just completely vanished. Fast Break scored just 4 points the rest of the way with credit going to Going Buck’s defense, which tightened every passing lane and contested everything at the rim, but also a handful of shots that normally fall simply refused to cooperate. Captain Jon Ackerman delivered one of his patented all-around efforts: 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals, plus his usual flair for timely buckets. But the engine of the comeback was Rory Schulman. Rory led Going Buck with 19 points and 11 rebounds, knocking down three massive second-half threes and finishing 7/14 from the field. Every time Going Buck needed oxygen, Rory, Jake or Ackerman supplied it. And while the box score won’t scream it, Matt Birnbach’s impact was enormous. With no Will Howarth, Matt drew the unenviable task of wrestling with Glanzman all night. He scored just 2 points, but grabbed 10 rebounds, dished out 6 assists, and battled in the paint possession after possession to keep Fast Break from fully taking over. The final minute was chaos. Going Buck trailed by a point with under a minute to play when Jake Granoff drove and finished with 38 seconds left to give them a 51-50 lead. After a timeout, Glanzman attacked the rim but appeared to have his shot altered, possibly by Jake, missing with 20 seconds remaining. Fast Break fouled Ben Gerstein with 15 seconds left. Ben split the pair, pushing the lead to two. Jorge secured the rebound after the miss and fired a beautiful outlet to a wide-open Seth Frankel under the basket, but the layup rolled off with 8 seconds to go.

Jake grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 6 seconds left. He missed the front end of the one-and-one, giving Fast Break one last chance. Jorge raced coast-to-coast and got a clean look on a five-foot runner in the lane but it rimmed out as time expired.

A gritty, gutsy win for Going Buck, who move to 9-4 and keep pace near the top. A tough one for Fast Break, who fall to 9-3 but remain the #1 seed. This one won’t be remembered for shooting percentages but it will be remembered for heart, hustle, and the frantic final 38 seconds.

Going Buck vs Fast Break Highlights

Leaders:

Scoring:

Andi Hasaj - 28.4 ppg

Jakub Zabek - 28.0 ppg

Jorge Mangui - 27.4 ppg

Adam Hynes - 22.0 ppg

Rebounds:

Dan Amsellem - 17.6 rpg

Colin Neff - 13.3 rpg

Pat O'Donnell - 12.3 rpg

Bryan Minasian - 11.8 rpg

Assists:

Mike Huberman - 5.5 apg

Ben Carr/Andrew Merel - 5.1 apg

Omer Nimrodi - 3.7 apg

Blocks (total):

Eric Sass - 18

Pat O'Donnell - 17

Dave Kobi - 16

Matt Ceccarelli/Adam Driansky/Alex Fisher - 10

Steals:

Jorge Mangui - 3.91 spg

Mike Huberman - 3.5 spg

Pat O'Donnell - 2.27 spg

Andrew Merel - 2.25 spg

Three-pointers made:

Jakub Zabek - 48 (29.8%)

James Floyd - 34 (33.3%)

TJ Farrell - 34 (25.6%)

Jorge Mangui - 32 (32.7%)

Power Rankings:

1. Fast Break - I think an argument can be made for any of the top three to be in this spot. But Fast Break still has the best record, the defending MVP, lots of outside shooters and several great on-ball defenders
2. Going Buck - They just keep winning and this week did it without their best player against the top team. They play "team ball" and have lots of guys that can score. Will and Ackerman get it done every week. Jake and Rory have been playing great. This team can definitely win it all
3. Money Ball - Andi Hasaj is back and reminding everyone of how good he is. Driansky plays well every week. They have great individual defenders and have been putting up 70+ points consistently
4. Household Hoopers - They just keep winning games and this week they really got the offense going. Colin is having a first-team all-JCC season, getting it done in all aspects of the game. The father-son duo of Pompeo & Roy seem to have emerged from their respective shooting slumps. I've said it several times. if this team can score 60 points they will win.
5. Laub & Order - When this team plays well, they are as good as anyone. The Sass/Huberman/Gerstein trio have been great. Stern and Gabe have been consistently good complementary pieces. I really think this team can make some noise especially if they make sure to run the offense through Sass
6. Shortland Blazers - They've lost two in a row but both were without Schiller. Jakub and Shamar are killing teams every week. Naroids might have found the stroke from deep. They can put up plenty of points but the question is if they can prevent their opponents from doing the same
7. Ball Don't Lie - They have been missing key parts in many of their losses this season but they have the players to get it done. Adam Hynes is an elite scorer. Ben Carr is a great floor geneeral. Dan Amsellem is a beast down low. I think they'll need some more consistent offense from Brandon Wendel and ASJ
8. We Got Game - This team looks great for 3/4 of games and then seem to go into a shell and can't get it done in crunch time. They've been right their in most of their losses and also have the lineup to get it done. Matt Ceccarelli has picked up his offense in the second half of the season. Ben Huber has been Mr. Consistent. I think it comes down to Omer and Shelton playing like they are capable of playing
9. Billy Hoyle - They looked great this week and will get Eddie Ford back too. Siri and Pat have both been great all season long. This team does well when the supporting cast gets it done and Zach, Steinbruck, Lantz and co all stepped up this past week. If that happens consistently, this team is better than their record
10. Big Ballers: I know what the record says. Their biggest issue all season long has been on the defensive end. They can score. James Floyd is on a tear recently. Andrew Merel and Bryan Minasian provide great veteran presence in different ways. This team's success will come down to Dave Moreno dominating like he is capable of doing and better team d.