Union Catholic vs. St. Joe’s Metuchen: 5 Key Questions
A GMC powerhouse took on one of the dark-horse teams in the UCC. Up-and-coming Union Catholic took on St. Joe’s Metuchen in the middle game of the Hearts 2 Hands Invitational on Sunday. For Union Catholic, it was s good…
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Continue ReadingA GMC powerhouse took on one of the dark-horse teams in the UCC. Up-and-coming Union Catholic took on St. Joe’s Metuchen in the middle game of the Hearts 2 Hands Invitational on Sunday. For Union Catholic, it was s good a start as they could have imagined. They scored nine of the first 11 points and led 21-10 after the first. They maintained their lead and held a 33-20 advantage at halftime.
The second half saw a completely new St. Joe’s team come out. They outscored Union Catholic 23-13 in the third quarter to climb back into the game. The comeback was complete when Tyree Ford made a layup with less than two minutes left to give the Falcons a 56-55 lead. Union Catholic would score the next four points but could not put the game away.
With St. Joe’s trailing 61-58, Ethan Simmons knocked down two of three free throws to get within one. After two Elihaj Barlow free throws, St. Joe’s had one last chance to tie the game. K-Shawn Schulters came up just short on a three at the buzzer that would have sent the game to overtime.
How do you stop Elijah Barlow?
Barlow led Union Catholic to victory with 18 points on 6-10 from the field. He knocked down one three-pointer and finished 5-6 from the free throw line. St. Joe’s tried to put Schulters, their best defender, on Barlow and pick him up full court. Barlow still found some room and scored five points against that pressure. Barlow is a lightning quick guard who thrives at getting to the rim. He is a guard that needs to have someone in his face at all times. Help defenders need to be aware when he begins to drive the ball.
Is there a better backcourt than Tyree Ford and K-Shawn Schulters?
St. Joe’s is a program that is used to success. They have had excellent players over the years who have played professionally such as Jay Williams, Karl Anthony-Towns, and Wade Baldwin. The Falcons have another strong duo in Ford and Schulters. Ford scored eight points in the loss and Schulters led the team with 15 points. Schulters served as their go to guy in the second half. This is one of the best backcourt duos in the GMC. They will win a lot of games this season behind Ford and Schulters.
What is Union Catholic’s ceiling?
Coming into the season, Union Catholic was expected to be a strong team. They were labeled as a dark-horse team in the UCC and they are proving that they are more than that. Barlow, along with AJ Sepulveda, give Union Catholic an identity. They are a team that can win in a multitude of ways. Those ways are shooting, scoring inside, or shutting down their opponent. Union Catholic is not a team that will compete for the Tournament of Champions, but they are a team that can make some noise come tournament time for the UCC.
What level prospect is Amari Campbell?
Campbell is just a sophomore but he is the leading scorer on St. Joe’s. In this game, he scored just eight points. He did not make a three and finished 2-2 from the free throw line. Campbell is a player with great length. He is a lightning quick guard who can step out and shoot or drive to the basket. Union Catholic was able to take him out of the game early on and credit them for that. This does not change the fact that Campbell is going to be a high level prospect over the rest of his high school career.
What is Union Catholic missing?
Union Catholic snapped a three-game losing streak with this win over St. Joe’s. Those losses came to Westfield, Plainfield, and Linden. There were two games in that streak that were winnable. Union Catholic needs to become more consistent and this win could jump start another streak. Their biggest need is another big man. Caleb Reed serves as Union Catholic’s center and he is a good one. But he is alone. The Vikings have two strong guards in Barlow and Sepulveda. Al Richardson and Bradley Young are elite shooters. Union Catholic has multiple players who are elite at a certain thing.