NJ Boys Basketball: Must See Games for the Week of Feb. 3-9
Photo by Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media February in New Jersey means one thing for boys high school basketball– crunch time. Teams are approaching the end of their schedules and tournament time is right around the corner. As the…
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Continue ReadingPhoto by Scott Faytok | NJ Advance Media
February in New Jersey means one thing for boys high school basketball– crunch time. Teams are approaching the end of their schedules and tournament time is right around the corner. As the days go by, these games get more intense. Here are the best games for the upcoming week.
Tuesday, Feb. 4
Rutgers Prep at Montgomery, 7:00 PM
Trey Patterson has led Rutgers Prep to a top 10 rank in the state this season. They are 18-0 this season and are the final undefeated team in New Jersey. Rutgers Prep was beaten by Montgomery twice last season so they will be looking for revenge. Montgomery will need Ryan Curry and Chris Rubayo to step up if they want to hand Rutgers Prep their first loss.
Elizabeth at Linden, 7:00 PM
This will be a rematch of a 61-54 victory for Elizabeth a month ago. Head coach Phil Colicchio will be coaching for the first time against his old school on the court that was named after him. There will be plenty of star power in this game led by Jordan Price and DJ Watkins of Elizabeth. Linden is led by Amir Willians and Nashawn Holmes.
Gill St. Bernard’s at Watchung Hills, 7:00 PM
This is a rematch of the Somerset County Tournament from a year ago. Gill St. Bernard’s won that matchup and took the first meeting of the season 57-46. That was Watchung Hills’ only loss of the season. They have won seven in a row while Denver Anglin has led Gill St. Bernard’s to nine straight victories. This is a top 12 matchup in New Jersey.
Wednesday, Feb. 5
Roselle Catholic at Linden, 7:00 PM
Linden will be playing one of the toughest back-to-backs any team has had this season. After taking on the No. 4 team in the state on Tuesday, Linden will host No. 3 Roselle Catholic. Cliff Omoruyi and C.J. Wilcher led the Lions to a huge second half in this first matchup. Linden has played an extremely tough schedule and this is another game against a top 20 opponent.
Thursday, Feb. 6
Middletown South at Marlboro, 4:00 PM
Middletown South has not lost in almost two months. They are on a 13-game winning streak and have defeated Marlboro twice this season. James Anderson is one of the top shooters in the state and he leads a strong group of guards for Middletown South. Alex Ratner has been a scoring machine this season and ranks in the top 10 in points per game.
Roselle Catholic at Elizabeth, 7:00 PM
This is the game of the week in New Jersey. Roselle Catholic will look to make it two in a row against Elizabeth as they won the first matchup 68-63. Elizabeth blew a fourth quarter lead in that matchup. Corey Floyd Jr. had a massive game for Roselle Catholic in the first meeting. These are two of the top four teams in the state. The atmophere is going to be incredible and the game will not disappoint.
Watchung Hills at Rutgers Prep, 7:00 PM
This is a huge week around New Jersey basketball full of ranked matchups. This is just another example. Patterson and Rutgers Prep will host the one-loss Watchung Hills team. Noah Harris and Nico Galette have been solid for Rutgers Prep as well. Michael Bressler and Chad Martini will try to lead Watchung Hills to an upset victory in this game.
St. Joe’s (Mont.) at Bergen Catholic, 7:00 PM
St. Joe’s will continue their tough schedule with a game at Bergen Catholic. Will Richardson and Julian Brown have been two sophomore sensations for Bergen Catholic. Notre Dame commit Matt Zona has dominated the inside. This is a rematch of a 78-70 win for Bergen Catholic against St. Joe’s. Dyree Rogers will need another breakout performance for St. Joe’s.
Friday, Feb. 7
Sierra Canyon (CA) vs. Gill St. Bernard’s at RWJBarnabas Health Arena, 8:30 PM
This game will be apart of session two of the 2020 Metro Classic. Zach Martini will look for another double-double against one of the top teams in the nation. Sierra Canyon will bring their star power of Bronny James, B.J. Boston, and Zaire Williams to New Jersey. Gill St. Bernard’s has a chance to get a signature win with their Division I talent as well. Martini will play at Princeton next season while Will Soucie is heading to North Alabama.
Saturday, Feb. 8
Camden vs. Gill St. Bernard’s at RWJBarnabas Health Arena, 6:00 PM
Gill St. Bernard’s will have two games in the Metro Classic this weekend. Their Saturday matchup will be with the new No. 1 team in the New Jersey rankings. Camden’s Lance Ware has emerged as a Player of the Year candidate and D.J. Wagner is an elite scorer as a freshman. Camden has won 11 straight games heading into the week and they will look to keep it going.
The Patrick School vs. Wildwood Catholic at RWJBarnabas Health Arena, 7:30 PM
This game has a chance to be a preview of the Non-Pubic B state championship game. Wildwood Catholic has one of the best duos in the state. West Virginia commit Taj Thweatt has been a monster this season for Wildwood Catholic along with Temple commit Jahlil White. The Patrick School was ranked No. 1 all season before being jumped by Camden. Zarique Nutter has been the leader all season for The Patrick School with Noah Farrakhan. Adama Sanogo is now fully back to action after serving his 30 day transfer penalty.