Purdue basketball freshman Gicarri Harris talks road win at Rutgers
Gicarri Harris made a big 3 and played solid defense Thursday at Rutgers. Hear what he said after the victory.
Down the stretch they come in the Greater Middlesex Conference races, with the GMC Tournament looking:
(records in parenthesis, through Saturday)
1. Colonia (16-3) — last week No. 1 — The Patriots extended their winning streak to 13 games with a divisional triumph over Monroe, then fell to Old Bridge and Phillipsburg for their first back-to-back losses since last January. With its league schedule complete, Colonia will face some fierce competition from outside the GMC this week by hosting Newark Collegiate, then taking on La Lumiere (IN), followed by Camden in the Metro Classic at Franklin.
2. Piscataway (16-4) — last week No. 3 — The Chiefs blasted Lincoln and St. Joseph, the latter a divisional matchup. Piscataway concludes league play by hosting Monroe, then takes on host Franklin at the Metro Classic.
3. Linden (9-7) — last week No. 2 — The Tigers lost twice in, arguably, the state’s toughest division last week, losing to Plainfield and Westfield, before confronting Union Catholic on Sunday. Linden has divisional dates with Roselle Catholic and Union, before taking the short drive to face Rahway this week.
4. Sayreville (16-2) — last week No. 5 — The Bombers have clinched the GMC White Division title and have won eight in a row after dispatching East Brunswick and Princeton last week. Sayreville concludes league play against South Plainfield, before hosting Snyder.
5. St. Thomas Aquinas (11-6) — last week No. 4 — The Trojans lost to Paul VI and beat Monroe last week, and will venture out of conference for this week’s slate against Arts, Point Pleasant Boro and College Achieve Asbury Park.
6. South Plainfield (13-5) — last week No. 7 — The Tigers prevailed in divisional clashes with North Brunswick and Woodbridge last week, holding each to 44 points. South Plainfield’s busy week began with a meeting with Cranford on Sunday followed by tests with Sayreville, Ridge and Timothy Christian.
7. Woodbridge (10-7) — last week No. 8 — The Barrons split two White Division encounters last week, beating South Brunswick and falling to South Plainfield. Woodbridge follows Sunday’s game against Scotch Plains-Fanwood by taking on Old Bridge this week.
8. Rahway (9-6) — last week No. 9 — The Indians went 2-1 in division play last week, knocking off Cranford and Oratory Prep, before succumbing to Summit. Rahway travels to Irvington and Hillside this week before hosting Linden.
9. Perth Amboy (9-9) — last week unranked — The Panthers return to the Top 10 after registering a trio of double-digit triumphs last week, topping Carteret, South Brunswick and Edison. With its division schedule complete, Perth Amboy takes on North Plainfield, Old Bridge and St. John Vianney this week.
10. Metuchen (15-4) — last week unranked — The Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five games with a big divisional verdict over Middlesex, followed by victories over Roselle and Calvary Christian, before falling to North Plainfield. Metuchen will oppose J.F. Kennedy, Highland Park and Perth Amboy Magnet this week.
OTHERS RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: East Brunswick (11-9), North Brunswick (7-13), Old Bridge (9-9), Spotswood (11-7), Timothy Christian (9-6).
Metuchen took a giant step toward clinching at least a share of the Gold Division title with its 67-47 verdict Monday over Middlesex, earning a split between the two. Cameron Hayes-Durina sparked the Bulldogs with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in a contest Metuchen led wire-to-wire. The victory was an emotional one for Metuchen, which played without head coach James Cardillo, who was with his wife, Melissa, as she underwent surgery for breast cancer.
Old Bridge (9-9) registered, perhaps, the biggest upset of the year in the GMC, so far, when it snapped Colonia’s 13-game winning streak on Thursday, 65-59. Brandon Medel delivered a team-high 22 points for the Knights, who built a 23-10 lead after the first quarter. Old Bridge was able to withstand a 26-point salvo from Colonia’s Aiden Derkack to move into fourth place in the Red Division.
Dunellen claimed the Silver Division title with Friday’s 48-35 triumph at Piscataway Magnet. Ryan Hutchins led the way with 20 points and Danny Watts contributed 12 points off the bench as the Destroyers completed a sweep of their divisional rival. With the victory Dunellen is assured of no lower than the 12th seed in the upcoming GMC Tournament.
It wasn’t until Friday, the final day of January, that J.P. Stevens (1-17) celebrated its first victory of the season by edging Carteret, 64-61, in double overtime. Kerem Ozdemir, Nameer Burch, Lalith Gundla and Logan Patel all scored in double figures to power the Hawks. Stevens will try to escape the Blue Division cellar and post its first winning streak of the campaign on Monday when it hosts New Brunswick (3-12), which it lost to by a point last month.
Both of the area’s county tournaments are slated to be seeded this week.
The Union County Tournament seeding meetings is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, while the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament bracket is slated to be set at 9 a.m. Friday.
You can follow the boys seedings live as they are chosen on X at @joshprosenfeld. Brackets and first-round matchups will also be posted, as will brackets for both girls tournaments.
South Plainfield at Sayreville, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday: Sayreville has already clinched the GMC White Division, but both teams will be seeking to build their momentum heading into the postseason. Sayreville won the first meeting, 73-56, the third victory in its current eight-game winning streak. South Plainfield has split its last eight contests and would get a huge lift if it could prevail in the Bomb Shelter.
Middlesex at Spotswood, 4 p.m. Thursday: The Gold Division title could be up for grabs, although Metuchen will also have a say in the matter. All three schools enter the final week of the campaign with two losses in the division. Middlesex blasted Spotswood 62-42 to open the season, but Spotswood has won six in a row, including an 18-point verdict over Metuchen.
Edison at Timothy Christian, 5:45 p.m. Thursday: Timothy Christian won the first meeting, 52-33, but Edison could win the Blue Division by beating J.P. Stevens on Wednesday and this rematch. Timothy Christian’s loss to North Brunswick last week put the Tigers in jeopardy. Jalen Fleming had 23 points, six rebounds and six assists for Timothy in the first meeting and Chukwudi Raphael Mamah contributed 12 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots, and Edison will need to do a better job of containing both if it is to prevail.
The Metro Classic returns to Franklin High School this weekend and several local outfits will appear along with some national powerhouses.
Here’s the schedule:
Thursday, Feb. 6
Legacy (TX) vs. Monteverde CBD (FL), 3:30 p.m.
Franklin vs. Piscataway, 5 p.m.
Plainfield vs. Union Catholic, 6:30 p.m.
Monteverde (FL) vs. College Achieve, 8 p.m.
St. Peter’s Prep vs. St. Rose, 9:30 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 7
St. Thomas More (CT) vs. Blair Academy, 3 p.m.
Paul VI vs. South Shore (NY), 4:15 p.m.
SoCal Academy vs. Lawrence Woodmere (NY), 5 p.m.:45 p.m.
Gill St. Bernards vs. Manasquan, 7 p.m.
La Lumiere (IN) vs. Colonia, 8:15 p.m.
Camden vs. Roselle Catholic, 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 8
Hill School (PA) vs. Legacy (TX), 9 a.m.
Phelps vs. Monteverde CBD (FL), 10:30 a.m.
St. Joseph (Met.) vs. Rumson, 11:45 a.m.
Franklin vs. Pingry (GIRLS), 1:15 p.m.
St. Thomas More (CT) vs. Penn Charter (PA), 2:30 p.m.
College Achieve vs. SoCal Academy, 4 p.m.
Colonia vs. Camden, 5:30 p.m.
St. Peter’s Prep vs. Plainfield, 7 p.m.
Monteverde (FL) vs. Union Catholic, 8:30 p.m.
La Lumiere (IN) vs. St. Rose, 9:45 p.m.
