It's been well documented on this website in how valuable Michael Glover (in photo) is to any team he plays with. It was obvious again last night at Madison Square Garden as the 6-foot-6 New Yorker battled his way to 19 points and 11 rebounds in 23 minutes worth of action.
Glover's effort helped the City slip past the Suburbs, 114-112. Hofstra recruit Nathaniel Lester also had a sparkling game. Lester scored 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help juice the City offense.
Glover, a player who should help Seton Hall University in the 2007-2008 season as a freshman, is a hard-hat type of player who is always around the ball near the basket. It's because of his persistence that helps him score against the bigger bodies inside the paint.
Lester is an extremely talented and balanced offensive player who should be an impact player in the future for Tom Pecora's Hofstra program.
"I had a lot of fun out there," Glover said. "It was exciting to play at Madison Square Garden and have a good game."
The City led 60-58 at the half. They extended the lead to double digits several times in the second half. But the Suburbs never quit.
Matthew Bryan-Amaning was very impressive. He scored a game-high 24 points on 10 of 11 from the field. He also grabbed 10 rebounds in the contest.
Alex Wangmene also made a big contribution for the Suburbs. He added 21 points on nine of 12 from the field.
The Suburbs did an excellent job on the boards. They recorded 29 points to 18 for the City in the area of second-chance points. However, the City's active hands on the defensive side led to 34 points off turnovers compared to 21 for the Suburbs. This proved to be the biggest area in deciding the very competitive contest.