Bound Brook
Alex Rosario, Fairleigh Dickinson
Jordan Hawkins, Kean

Bridgewater-Raritan
Andrew Marbach, Adelphi 

Immaculata
Gamal Mohamed, LeMoyne 

North Hunterdon
Carl Baptiste, St. Joseph's

Rutgers Prep
David McDaniel, Montclair State

And secondly, here are those who are hanging up the sneakers, at least competitively, and will simply continue their education:

Gill St. Bernard's
Guy Perez, The Citadel

Governor Livingston
Hoddy Mahon, Villanova
Jeff Trivella, Boston College

Hillsborough
Tim Gendimenico, Ithica
Dennis McGill, Colorado
Jason Smartt, South Florida

Montgomery
Andy Singley, Middlebury (for football)

Piscataway
Aaron Hush, Temple (football)
Justin Blake, Stony Brook (football)
Thomas Bennett, Rutgers-Newark

Ridge
Ryan Whalen, Villanova
Eric Cosentino, Drew
Paul Sullivan, Rutgers
Dan Zinner, Baylor

Some other notes:

According to head coach Kris Grundy, Montgomery' A.J. Shadrach is deciding between Case Western, Polytechnic Institute of NYU or Alma College, while teammates Misha Miljanic and Jake Stewart are both undecided. As far as underclassmen go, Plainfield's Isaiah Epps has committed to Pittsburgh, while Hillsborough's Frank Mitchell had an individual workout the other day at the high school for Princeton, Penn, Yale, Columbia and Cornell.

Staff Writer

PERTH AMBOY … Jeff Adkins is officially 'rated.'

Named to the Home News Tribune's All Underrated Team at the end of the season, the Piscataway High School point guard put on a show at Wednesday night's Greater Middlesex Conference All-Star Game, held at Perth Amboy High School.

Although his team … the Black … Team lost to the Red Team 71-70, Adkins was chosen as the Most Valuable Player. Adkins, who helped lead the Chiefs to the GMC Tournament championship, finished with 21 points, a handful of assists, a handful of steals, a made dunk and a missed dunk.

For the winning team, the Home News Tribune's Player of the Year, Julio Rosario from McCarrick, led the way with 15 points, while Colonia's J.J. D'Amico added 12. Mike Burton of South Plainfield added 12 for for the Black Team.

Adkins made a 3-point play with 23 seconds left to bring his team within one point. Anthony Patterson of Perth Amboy then hit a bucket for the Red Team with 15 seconds left for a 3-point lead. Adkins answered with a put-back with 10 seconds left. The Red Team missed a one-and-one with three seconds left, but Adkins' three-quarters court shot was off the mark.

rdup>GIRLS GAME: In the girls game, the Red Team beat the Black 50-46 as Danielle Stanski of Woodbridge scored 17 points and was named Most Valuable Player. Simone Smith of Colonia led the Black Team with nine points.

rdup>COACHES GAME: In between the boys and girls games, the GMC coaches played a 20-minute game against each other. A total of 13 players participated. Katie Adams, the head girls coach at South Amboy who played at Rutgers for four years before graduating last year, was a show-stopper, while McCarrick assistant coach Donnie Reid, who finished with 184 career 3-pointers, proved he still has the shooting touch as he nailed several long-range shots.

rdup>MONEY RAISED FOR CANCER, HALEY FUND: Money raised from the evening went to the American Cancer Society and to the Gene Haley Memorial Scholarship Fund, which is an award presented annually to the top senior male and female athlete in the GMC.

Former Sayreville boys coach Gus Jaworski, whose story of battling brain cancer was detailed in the Home News Tribune on Tuesday, addressed the crowd and thanked them for coming out to support the cancer society.

Jaworski said the support he has received from the coaching fraternity has helped with his battle.

So many people donated to the cause.

Not only did nine officials work all three game for free, but all donated to the two funds. In addition, more than 40 state basketball officials showed up to watch the game and donate money. Vic Dudka, the assigner for officials in the GMC, was behind getting the officials to show up for the event.

Game shirts for the players were donated by former Bishop Ahr standout Anthony Rosa, the owner of GOT G.A.M.E.? located in Woodbridge Center. The game jerseys worn by the coaches were donated by the Monogram Center in Perth Amboy.

All the Perth Amboy security guards, the Perth Amboy auxiliary police, custodians and several members of the Perth Amboy staff all worked the game for free as well.

Perth Amboy Athletics Director Greg Ficarra, who also donated his time, hit one of the 50-50s for $90 and donated it back to the cancer society.

The girls game will start at 6 p.m. with the boys scheduled for 8 p.m. In between the two games, boys and girls head coaches and assistant coaches from the GMC will play a 20-minute game against each other.

Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students. All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society and to the Gene Haley Memorial Scholarship Fund.

The Rosters:

BOYS
RED TEAM: Coaches: Joe Lewis, McCarrick; Dennis O'Keefe, Bishop Ahr.
Roster: Alec Mayo, East Brunswick; Steve Migliore, Edison; Matt Fiorino, Bishop Ahr; J.J. D'Amico, Nnamdi Usuwa, Colonia; Mark Stockton, Middlesex; Anthony Patterson, Perth Amboy; Joey Castro, Perth Amboy Tech; Matt Richmond, South Amboy; Steve Blish, Monroe; Brenton Widgeon, Julio Rosario, McCarrick; Gerard Bullock, Woodbridge.
BLACK TEAM: Coaches: Guy Jensen, Piscataway; Bernie Buniak, Dunellen.
Roster: Mike Burton, South Plainfield; Mark Switzer, Metuchen; Jeff Adkins, Thomas Bennett; Ross Gerhart, Spotswood; James DeMild, Sayreville; Kevin Powell, East Brunswick Tech; Nick Perez, Old Bridge; Andrew Buckner, South Brunswick; Nikko Vastola, Gerard Lewis, St. Joseph; Mike Perone, Middlesex.

GIRLS
WHITE/BLUE TEAM: Coaches: Lynn Ust, McCarrick; Deanna Cuozzo, Colonia.
Roster: Simone Smith, Colonia; Monique Wagner, Mel Galella, Bishop Ahr; Heather Roy, Kiera Williams, Sayreville; Candace Vigo, Ebony Jennings, New Brunswick; Taylor Deskins, South Plainfield; Tiana Mayer, Michelle Casale, Middlesex; Chantel Cabassa, John F. Kennedy; Brindell Jennings, South River; Chrissy Keir, Jessica Costa, Cardinal McCarrick.
RED TEAM: Coaches: Pat Mayo, Piscataway; John Moyer, Woodbridge
Roster: Cat Saunders, Dreshonda Willianms, Jasmine Belcher, Alesha Jones, Piscataway; Danielle Stanski, Cristina Jordan, D'Aisha Smith, Woodbridge; Maggie Kowalska, J.P. Stevens; Dionna Roberts, Bianca Jimenez, Perth Amboy; Shannon O'Brien, South Brunswick.

Final Standings

Immaculata (27-4) ............... 9-1
Hillsborough (14-12) ............ 6-4
Watchung Hills (14-13) ......... 6-4
Franklin (10-13) ................... 5-5
Montgomery (10-15) ............ 4-6
Bridgewater-Raritan (9-18) ... 0-10

Quick Shots

Team of the Year: Immaculata
Player of the Year: Gamal Mohamed, Immaculata.
Coach of the Year: Justin Salton, Watchung Hills.
Rookie of the Year: Sal Vitello, Bridgewater-Raritan.
All-Division Team: Mohamed; Matt Dudzinski, Immaculata; Zach O'Brien, Watchung Hills; Frank Mitchell, Hillsborough; James Loupos, Montgomery.

Team-By-Team

IMMACULATA SPARTANS (27-3)
Last season, head coach Mike Frauenheim told his team that its state title and berth in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Guess again, Coach.
The veteran Spartans once again made a run to a Non-Public A title, capped by a rousing comeback over favored Christian Brothers, before finally falling in the Tournament of Champions semifinals against Science. With five senior starters including C-N Player of the Year Gamal Mohamed, 'Lata also won the division title, just barely missing a 10-0 Delaware East season, and beat Ridge to finally win the Somerset County Tournament.
The question isn't where this group of players ranks among the Courier-News Area this year; in terms of accomplishments, they're up there will some of the best ever.
S 12/20 at Hillsborough 57-45 W
T 12/23 Warren Hills 57-35 W
S 12/27 Pennsauken* 50-51 L
Su 12/28 Penn Charter (Pa.)* 50-37 W
T 12/30 Notre Dame* 46-36 W
T 1/6 Bridgewater-Raritan 73-50 W
Th 1/8 at Voorhees 88-55 W
T 1/13 Watchung Hills 65-52 W
Th 1/15 at Ridge 57-49 W
S 1/17 Somerville 55-46 W
T 1/20 at Franklin 43-35 W
Th 1/22 at Montgomery 39-31 W
F 1/23 St. Joseph** 49-59 L
T 1/27 Hillsborough 60-69 L
Th 1/29 at Bridgewater-Rar. 50-30 W
S 1/31 at Wayne Hills 54-51 W
Th 2/5 Franklin 69-58 W
S 2/7 at Watchung Hills 58-55 W
T 2/10 Montgomery 65-28 W
Th 2/12 Scotch Plains-Fanwood 55-46 W
S 2/14 Franklin*** 62-48 W
T 2/17 Irvington 65-60 W
S 2/21 Bridgewater-Raritan*** 48-30 W
T 2/24 Toms River North 67-43 W
Th 2/26 at Red Bank 62-55 W
S 2/28 Ridge*** 58-49 W
Th 3/5 Don Bosco Prep-# 58-52 W
S 3/7 at St. Joseph-Montvale-# 61-58 W
W 3/11 Seton Hall Prep-# 58-50 W
S 3/14 Christian Brothers-# 61-50 W
F 3/20 Science-# 49-59 L
* Trenton Catholic Holiday Tournament
** Prime Time Shootout
*** Somerset County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

HILLSBOROUGH RAIDERS (14-12)
After coming into the season with pretty high expectations, the Raiders seemed like they were in trouble midway through January. Sitting at just 3-7, head coach Ian Progin's club was in the midst of a six-game slide that started with an embarrassing 31-point loss to eventual Group IV champion Lenape.
But a couple of narrow wins over division rivals Montgomery and Bridgewater seemed to wake Hillsborough up, as the Raiders went on a six-game winning streak that included a monumental upset of Immaculata.
The season ended with a heartbreaking last-second lost to West Winsdor South in the Central Group IV quarterfinals, but Hillsborough will likely be a breakout candidate again as they return nearly everybody and should boast a trio three-year starters.

S 12/20 Immaculata 45-57 L
T 12/23 Hunterdon Central 71-59 W
F 12/26 Pennington* 63-61 W
S 12/27 Lawrence* 68-67 W
S 1/3 Lenape 40-71 L
T 1/6 at Watchung Hills 46-62 L
F 1/9 at Phillipsburg 46-61 L
T 1/13 Franklin 62-67 L
Th 1/15 North Hunterdon 40-60 L
S 1/17 at WW-P North 65-68 L
T 1/20 Montgomery 48-43 W
Th 1/22 Bridgewater-Raritan 54-52 W
S 1/24 at Wayne Valley 70-55 W
T 1/27 at Immaculata 69-60 W
Th 1/29 Watchung Hills 58-55 W
S 1/31 Manville** 75-38 W
W 2/4 at Franklin 53-63 L
Th 2/5 at Montgomery 60-47 W
S 2/7 at North Plainfield** 75-47 W
T 2/10 at Bridgewater-Rar. 47-43 W
S 2/14 at Ridge** 51-65 L
T 2/17 at Warren Hills 47-48 L
T 2/24 Westfield 39-55 L
Th 2/26 Toms River East 67-64 W
T 3/3 Hunterdon Central-# 49-47 W
W 3/4 at WWP-South-# 56-58 L
* Hopewell Valley Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

WATCHUNG HILLS WARRIORS (14-13)
Oh, how close the Warriors came to turning head coach Justin Salton's first season in Warren from a borderline pedestrian one into a memorable one.
Salton got a lot out of a team that lost plenty over the offseason, but just missed reeling in the big one in a 50-49 overtime loss to Ridge in the Somerset County Tournament. The defending champions had the Red Devils on the ropes at halftime, but couldn't quite hold on as Colin Heinle's potential game-winner fell short in the extra session.
The Delaware West Division proved to be a thorn in the Warriors' side all season, accounting for a quarter of their 13 losses. The true test for Salton will be his sophomore campaign, as he loses centerpieces Jesse Ross and Zach O'Brien.

T 12/23 at Phillipsburg 80-82 L
S 12/27 Bloomfield Tech* 63-59 W
M 12/29 Piscataway* 43-48 L
T 12/30 Somerville* 51-65 W
S 1/3 Kearny 77-63 W
T 1/6 Hillsborough 52-46 W
Th 1/8 at Union 61-70 L
F 1/9 at North Hunterdon 58-61 L
T 1/13 at Immaculata 52-65 L
W 1/14 Pingry 63-39 W
F 1/16 Hunterdon Central 49-52 L
S 1/17 at Morristown 75-56 W
T 1/20 Bridgewater-Raritan 60-49 W
F 1/23 at Franklin 63-49 W
T 1/27 Montgomery 59-61 L
Th 1/29 at Hillsborough 55-58 L
Th 2/5 at Bridgewater-Rar. 56-43 W
S 2/7 Immaculata 55-58 L
T 2/10 Franklin 65-64 W
S 2/14 Gill St. Bernard's** 65-59 W
M 2/16 Ferris 75-56 W
W 2/18 WW-P North 74-48 W
S 2/21 Ridge** 49-50 L
M 2/23 at Montgomery 60-44 W
T 2/24 North Plainfield 52-60 L
Th 2/26 Westfield 50-57 L
T 3/3 at Elizabeth-# 47-71 L
* Len Sepanak Tournament at Ridge
** Somerset County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

FRANKLIN WARRIORS (10-13)
More than anyone else in the division, Franklin skipper Joe Whalen rode  a roller coaster this year with his team, which only had one winning streak of more than two games, but only one losing streak within the same parameters.
More than anything, the Warriors seemed to beat the teams they should but lose the rest. The highlight of the season was either a season sweep of a solid Hillsborough team, or perhaps a Somerset County Tournament win over Montgomery to avenge an ugly loss a week earlier.
Despite finishing three games under .500 and missing the state tournament, Franklin did improve on its six-win campaign in Odie Paige's final season, and will have star Barry Wilson back for his junior campaign in Whalen's second season.

S 12/20 at Bridgewater-Rar. 69-64 W
T 12/23 Voorhees 64-79 L
S 12/27 St. Joseph* 39-60 L
M 12/29 Roselle Catholic* 47-38 W
S 1/3 North Hunterdon 55-58 L
T 1/6 Montgomery 51-40 W
Th 1/8 at Ridge 45-65 L
T 1/13 at Hillsborough 67-62 W
F 1/16 Warren Hills 56-62 L
S 1/17 Westfield 56-58 L
T 1/20 Immaculata 35-43 L
F 1/23 Watchung Hills 49-63 L
T 1/27 Bridgewater-Raritan 63-51 W
Th 1/29 at Montgomery 48-52 L
W 2/4 Hillsborough 63-53 W
Th 2/5 at Immaculata 58-69 L
S 2/7 Montgomery** 54-38 W
T 2/10 at Watchung Hills 64-65 L
S 2/14 at Immaculata** 48-62 L
T 2/17 Create Charter 63-60 W
F 2/20 Somerville 69-50 W
S 2/21 Marlboro 72-37 W
W 2/25 St. Benedicts Prep 47-77 L
* Roselle Catholic Holiday Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament

MONTGOMERY COUGARS (10-15)
The Cougars might just be the most successful team relative to their final record in the entire area. Half of their wins for head coach Kris Grundy came during a key five-game winning streak in late January that propelled them into the state tournament, including commendable victories over Gill. St Bernard's, Watchung Hills and Franklin.
But their biggest win might have come a month later, when they upset Colts Neck, 38-36, in the Central Group IV tournament. You aren't going to find many teams win a state game but finish five games under .500. But in an unremarkable year in Skillman, that little stat is certainly impressive.

T 12/23 Ridge 32-51 L
S 12/27 Somerville* 39-44 L
M 12/29 Rutgers Prep* 50-67 L
S 1/3 Steinert 45-29 W
T 1/6 at Franklin 40-51 L
Th 1/8 at Warren Hills 46-44 W
T 1/13 at Bridgewater-Rar. 54-45 W
F 1/16 at Voorhees 50-72 L
S 1/17 Princeton Day 61-50 W
T 1/20 at Hillsborough 43-48 L
Th 1/22 Immaculata 31-39 L
M 1/26 at Gill St. Bernard's 58-56 W
T 1/27 at Watchung Hills 61-59 W
Th 1/29 Franklin 52-48 W
S 1/31 Somerset Tech** 77-23 W
T 2/3 Bridgewater-Raritan 60-45 W
Th 2/5 Hillsborough 47-60 L
S 2/7 at Franklin** 38-54 L
T 2/10 at Immaculata 28-65 L
Su 2/15 at Pennington*** 56-61 L
W 2/18 North Plainfield 47-53 L
F 2/20 Watchung Hills 44-60 L
F 2/27 at Hopewell Valley 39-49 L
T 3/3 at Colts Neck-# 38-36 W
W 3/4 at Monroe-# 49-57 L
* Len Sepanak Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament
*** Prime Time Shootout
#-NJSIAA Tournament

BRIDGEWATER-RARITAN PANTHERS (9-18)
Even in a rare off-year, it was tough to keep this county power down. Under head coach Gene McAteer, fresh off a successful run at Watchung Hills, the Baby Panthers struggled mightily out of the gate, losing eight of their first nine. They finished winless in the division, missed states by a mile and earned a middling seed in the Somerset County Tournament.
But even this young club found a way to shine under the lights of counties, pulling off road upsets of Rutgers Prep and Somerville to reach the semifinals as the 12th seed and giving McAteer something to work with next winter. They have a strong core coming back, and though they aren't going to magically appear back on top of the county, don't be surprised if they have a little more bite.

S 12/20 Franklin 64-69 L
T 12/23 North Hunterdon 40-66 L
S 12/27 Steinert* 51-58 L
Su 12/28 Notre Dame* 56-66 L
T 12/30 Penn Charter (Pa.)* 58-55 W
S 1/3 Lawrence 51-57 L
T 1/6 at Immaculata 50-73 L
Th 1/8 at Hunterdon Central 49-59 L
T 1/13 Montgomery 45-54 L
Th 1/15 Phillipsburg 44-27 W
S 1/17 Academy Charter 63-45 W
T 1/20 at Watchung Hills 49-60 L
Th 1/22 at Hillsborough 52-54 L
S 1/24 Perth Amboy 67-46 W
T 1/27 at Franklin 51-63 L
Th 1/29 Immaculata 30-50 L
S 1/31 Bernards** 68-59 W
T 2/3 at Montgomery 45-60 L
Th 2/5 Watchung Hills 43-56 L
S 2/7 at Rutgers Prep** 63-58 W
T 2/10 Hillsborough 43-47 L
Th 2/12 New Brunswick 45-42 W
S 2/14 at Somerville** 49-46 W
W 2/18 at Irvington 39-51 L
S 2/21 Immaculata** 30-48 L
W 2/25 Scotch Plains-Fanwood 50-63 L
F 2/27 Toms River North 67-53 W
* Trenton Catholic Holiday Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament

Final Records

Watchung Conference-
Plainfield ......................... 23-7
Scotch Plains-Fanwood ... 15-14
Westfield ......................... 10-13

Mountain Valley Conference-
Governor Livingston ... 16-10
New Providence .......... 15-10
Union Catholic ............. 9-17

Quick Shots

Team of the Year: Plainfield.
Player of the Year: Isaiah Epps, Plainfield.
Coach of the Year: Ben Martinez, Scotch Plains-Fanwood.
All-Area Team (Union County): Epps; Tyrone Johnson, Plainfield; Ishmil Raymond, Scotch Plains-Fanwood; Jack Cole, New Providence; Hoddy Mahon, Governor Livingston.

PLAINFIELD CARDINALS (23-7, 13-3 & T-1st Watchung Conference)
The relative success (or lack thereof) for Plainfield this season really depends on which set of standards to which they're held. For a high school team trying to deal with the weight of expectation while adjusting to a new coach and a new system, the Cardinals had an exceptional season, knocking off perennial powers Paterson Catholic, St. Peter's Prep and St. Anthony on the way to finally getting over the hump and winning a sectional title.
But then there's the other school of thought, which saw the Cardinals -- a team with more talent than any in the area -- still as underachievers, who got shellacked by a New York prep school in a star-packed holiday tournament, who stumbled badly in the Union County Tournament against Elizabeth, and who dropped a game they could have won in the Group IV semifinals against Paterson Eastside.
Ultimately, the truth probably falls somewhere in between. This wasn't a perfect team, which had to work through defensive lapses and was hot-and-cold with its front court. They played a handful of local heavyweights, winning some and losing some. The probably shouldn't have been swept by conference rival Shabazz, but the Bulldogs won their own section, and the Cards were 13-1 against their other seven Watchung foes. That's no small feat.
It might take another year or two for new head coach Jeff Lubreski to put his stamp on the program, if he gets that much time, but for his first go-around, this wasn't too shabby.

Su 12/21 Paterson Catholic* 73-61 W
T 12/23 at East Side 64-61 W
S 12/27 St. Peter's Prep** 61-53 W
Su 12/28 Paterson Kennedy** 87-75 W
T 12/30 Bishop Loughlin (NY)** 59-77 L
S 1/3 at Shabazz 77-81 L
Su 1/4 Seton Hall Prep*** 58-63 L
Th 1/8 North Bergen 59-49 W
S 1/10 at Irvington 49-46 W
T 1/13 Union 57-42 W
F 1/16 East Side 54-51 W
S 1/17 St. Anthony**** 51-48 W
T 1/20 Shabazz 50-60 L
F 1/23 Piscataway***** 68-56 W
S 1/24 Linden 53-41 W
T 1/27 Irvington 63-53 W
Th 1/29 at Linden 60-70 L
S 1/31 Elizabeth 91-70 W
T 2/3 Kearny 85-40 W
Th 2/5 at Scotch Plains-Fan. 68-56 W
S 2/7 at Westfield 77-46 W
Th 2/12 at Lakewood 90-61 W
W 2/18 Roselle Catholic****** 79-48 W
W 2/18 Rahway****** 65-59 W
W 2/25 Elizabeth****** 78-88 L
T 3/3 North Hunterdon-# 70-57 W
W 3/4 Linden-# 67-55 W
F 3/6 at Ridge-# 52-49 W
M 3/9 Piscataway-# 70-52 W
W 3/11 Paterson Eastside-# 67-70 L
* Tip Off Classic
** Jingle Bells Jubilee at Paterson Catholic
*** New Years Kick Off
**** Dan Finn Classic
***** Prime Time Shootout
****** Union County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

SCOTCH PLAINS-FANWOOD RAIDERS (15-14, 6-7 T-6th Watchung Conference)
Before the season started, rookie head coach Ben Martinez probably seemed lucky; after all, his job would likely be made much easier by the six seniors he had returning, including five with experience from the 2008 team that won Group III. But that luck dried up quickly, as the Raiders lost four-of-five to start the season, including three games by a combined seven points.
But things began to turn around with a three-point win over eventual conference co-champ Elizabeth, which sparked a run of seven wins in nine games, getting Scotch Plains back to 8-6. A three-game slide relegated them to the .500 range for the rest of the season, but they were able to sneak into the state tournament and nearly defended their North 2 title before fading in the fourth quarter against Shabazz. Next year will be trickier without those six seniors, but after navigating his way through this season, Martinez has to feel good about his chances.

M 12/22 at Colonia 39-41 L
T 12/23 at Union 41-57 L
F 12/26 Holmdel* 55-43 W
S 12/27 J.P. Stevens* 52-55 L
M 12/29 Rahway* 55-57 L
S 1/3 Elizabeth 56-53 W
T 1/6 Kearny Christian 62-14 W
Th 1/8 at East Side 29-48 L
S 1/10 Mariana Braceti (Pa.) 74-43 W
T 1/13 at Kearny 60-44 W
Th 1/15 Irvington 59-49 W
S 1/17 Union 61-51 L
T 1/20 Westfield 54-45 W
Th 1/22 Shabazz 73-47 W
Sat 1/24 St. Mary's** 54-64 L
M 1/26 at Westfield 49-53 L
T 1/27 at Elizabeth 53-74 L
Th 1/29 Kearny 72-48 W
S 1/31 at Linden 51-54 L
W 2/4 Bloomfield Tech 47-42 W
Th 2/5 Plainfield 56-68 L
S 2/7 Cardinal McCarrick*** 62-61 W
Th 2/12 Immaculata 46-55 L
T 2/17 Roselle**** 41-51 L
W 2/25 at Bridgewater-Raritan 63-50 W
T 3/3 at Summit-# 50-31 W
Th 3/5 at Mendham-# 53-48 W
S 3/7 at Fort Lee-# 55-47 W
T 3/10 Shabazz-# 48-55 L
* Butch Kowal Games at Rahway
** Housing Coalition Tournament
*** Bernoski Games
**** Union County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

WESTFIELD BLUE DEVILS (10-13)
The Blue Devils 35-point loss to Elizabeth in the Union County Tournament was anything but pretty, but at least they finished strong. That was Westfield's only loss in its last four games, and even though only one of those wins came against a state tournament team (Hillsborough), it has to feel good to finish on an upswing.
The biggest win came Jan. 26 against rival Scotch Plains-Fanwood. Not only was that Westfield's only conference game outside of winless Kearny, but it avenged a loss six days early in Scotch Plains. And at the end of the day, 10 wins was a slight improvement from 8-17 the year before, so head coach Kevin Everly can't feel too bad, even in a losing season.

F 12/26 Colonia* 42-54 L
S 12/27 South Plainfield* 59-51 W
M 12/29 Summit* 60-36 W
T 1/6 Linden 49-50 L
Th 1/8 Kearny 71-43 W
S 1/10 Union 58-67 L
T 1/13 at East Side 25-56 L
Th 1/15 Elizabeth 54-53 L
S 1/17 Franklin 58-56 W
T 1/20 at Scotch Plains-Fan. 45-54 L
S 1/24 at Kearny 67-42 W
M 1/26 Scotch Plains-Fan. 53-49 W
Th 1/29 at Irvington 35-57 L
S 1/31 at Union 46-73 L
T 2/3 at Elizabeth 49-71 L
Th 2/5 at Shabazz 42-66 L
S 2/7 Plainfield 46-77 L
T 2/10 Piscataway 40-50 L
Su 2/15 Dayton** 63-34 W
W 2/18 Elizabeth** 27-62 L
F 2/20 Cranford 58-54 W
T 2/24 at Hillsborough 55-39 W
Th 2/26 Watchung Hills 57-50 W
* Butch Kowal Tournament at Rahway
** Union County Tournament

GOVERNOR LIVINGSTON HIGHLANDERS (16-10, 6-8 & 5th Mountain Valley Conference/Mountain Division)
As balanced a team as there was in the area, the Highlanders had a rotating cast of leading scorers, albeit a carousel of results, as well. Things started off well, with a nine-point upset of Rahway, and head coach Steve Petruzzelli's team stayed in contention for the division through most of the season before fading a bit down the stretch with losses to Cranford and Union Catholic. The only real head scratcher was a two-point defeat at the hands of Roselle Catholic, which snapped a five-game winning streak.
At one point, the Highlanders were 9-3, and despite going .500 the rest of the way, they bumped their win total from 10 last year to 16 this year. They gave league bigwigs Roselle, Rahway and St. Mary's good games for the second year in a row, and found a couple of solid starters for next season in Rob Ingebretsen and Max Machado. Ultimately, the program seems to be in solid shape heading into Petruzzelli's third decade in Berkeley Heights.

S 12/20 at Rahway 61-52 W
T 12/23 at St. Mary's 52-61 L
M 12/29 Highland Park* 51-51 W
T 12/30 Brearley* 53-47 W
S 1/3 Roselle Catholic 43-40 W
T 1/6 Hillside 45-41 W
F 1/9 at Cranford 50-39 W
S 1/10 at Roselle Catholic 42-44 L
T 1/13 Roselle 53-58 L
Th 1/15 at Hillside 44-43 W
S 1/17 Metuchen 70-57 W
T 1/20 Union Catholic 58-49 W
Th 1/22 at Roselle 55-57 L
F 1/23 Rahway 41-50 L
T 1/27 St. Mary's 52-61 L
F 1/30 Cranford 56-61 L
F 2/6 at Newark Central 56-52 W
T 2/10 Johnson 64-29 W
Th 2/12 Brearley 43-27 W
T 2/17 at Oratory Prep 67-54 W
W 2/18 Rahway** 40-60 L
S 2/21 at Union Catholic 48-56 L
T 2/24 at New Providence 48-45 W
Th 2/26 Wallkill Valley 50-44 W
T 3/3 Metuchen-# 63-61 W
W 3/4 at Spotswood-# 49-67 L
* Brearley Holiday Tourney
** Union County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

NEW PROVIDENCE PIONEERS (15-10, 11-3 T-1st MVC/Valley Division)
Say what you will about the Pioneers backing into a division title in the weaker half of the weaker league spanning Union and Essex counties. The bottom line is that behind 6-foot-6 sophomore Jack Cole, head coach Art Cattano fielded a solid, solid team this year, and a division title is still a division title. Things were looking bleak after a second loss to then-leader Technology on Feb. 5, which left New Prov two games back in the loss column with one game to play. The Panthers had three left, but with lowly Dayton on the schedule, along with Brearley and Newark Central (both of whom Tech had already beaten), it seemed a foregone conclusion they'd hold on.
But first, the Panthers fell to Brearely by a point; the next night, New Providence beat the Bears themselves, while Dayton sprung the big upset on Technology to somehow clinch at least a share of the title for the Pioneers. Tech eventually beat Central, keeping them from winning the division outright, but the improbable co-championship was in the books. Unfortunately, New Providence's season came to an end in Newark against the rival Panthers in the North 2 Group I semifinals, but with two more years of Cole, the Pioneers will have plenty of time to get over that hump.

M 12/22 at Dayton 45-23 W
T 12/23 at Newark Central 53-35 W
F 12/26 Morristown* 54-46 W
M 12/29 Millburn* 32-53 L
T 12/30 Chatham* 61-55 W
T 1/6 Oratory Prep 56-57 L
Th 1/8 at Technology 60-70 L
S 1/10 at Roselle Park 59-37 W
Th 1/15 Johnson 56-41 W
T 1/20 Roselle Park 53-35 W
Th 1/22 at Brearley 58-33 W
S 1/24 Dayton 35-33 W
T 1/27 Newark Central 64-60 W
Th 1/29 at Oratory Prep 75-58 W
T 2/3 at Johnson 52-33 W
Th 2/5 Technology 49-53 L
T 2/12 at Roselle Catholic 41-47 L
F 2/13 at Roselle 40-52 L
T 2/17 Linden** 29-65 L
F 2/20 Brearley 33-29 W
M 2/23 St. Mary's 41-55 L
T 2/24 Governor Livingston 45-48 L
Th 2/26 North Plainfield 56-54 W
Th 3/5 at Secaucus-# 72-48 W
S 3/7 Technology-# 47-50 L
* Chatham Holiday Tournament
** Union County Tournament

UNION CATHOLIC VIKINGS (9-17)
This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for Jim Reagan, who started three sophomores, and after a pair of nailbiting wins over Dunellen and Hillside to start the season, reality set in pretty quickly with six losses in seven games. Still, the Vikings are only losing a couple seniors and their core players will be back next year.  Late season wins over Governor Livingston and Brearley are probably a sign of good things to come, though the Vikes ended the season with a couple of duds, falling to Somerville and Rahway by 44 combined points. This is the second straight year of nine wins, so UC will be gunning to reach double digits with this group next winter.

S 12/20 at Dunellen 58-57 W
T 12/23 Hillside 45-43 W
S 12/27 Red Bank Catholic* 29-63 L
M 12/29 Morristown-Beard* 42-58 L
F 1/3 at Cranford 55-47 W
T 1/6 at Rahway 36-58 L
Th 1/8 St. Mary's 41-53 L
F 1/9 at Roselle 35-44 L
T 1/13 Roselle Catholic 50-54 L
M 1/19 at Roselle Catholic 46-44 W
T 1/20 at Gov. Livingston 49-58 L
F 1/23 Cranford 48-66 L
M 1/26 at St. Mary's 54-70 L
T 1/27 at Hillside 44-59 L
W 2/4 Roselle 52-55 L
F 2/6 at Roselle Park 76-57 W
S 2/7 at J.P. Stevens 53-77 L
T 2/10 Dayton 64-57 W
F 2/13 Technology 48-65 L
Su 2/15 Brearley** 55-51 W
T 2/17 St. Patrick's** 38-82 L
Th 2/19 Bergen Tech 41-26 W
S 2/21 Governor Livingston 56-48 W
M 2/23 St. Mary-Jersey City 66-68 L
T 2/24 Somerville 45-65 L
F 2/27 Rahway 47-61 L
* St. Mary's Tournament
** Union County Tournament

Final Standings

Ridge (25-3) ....................... 10-0
Phillipsburg (14-10) ........... 6-4
Voorhees (12-12) ............... 5-5
Hunterdon Central (14-8) ... 4-6
North Hunterdon (11-13) ... 3-7
Warren Hills (13-11) ........... 2-8

Quick Shots

Team of the Year: Ridge
Player of the Year: Ishaq Pitt, Ridge.
Coach of the Year: Sparky Nanni, Voorhees.
All-Division Team*: Pitt, Andrew Madlinger, Ridge; Jimmy Ray, Voorhees; Rob Silvus, Hunterdon Central; Carl Baptiste, North Hunterdon.

* Just in case anyone in Warren County feels like sending an angry e-mail, it's only listed as an All-Division Team for simplicity's sake; it encapsulates just the Courier-News area teams.

Team-By-Team

RIDGE RED DEVILS (25-3)
It's hard to beat the number of W's listed below, but for Mark Taylor and Co., the season seems spoiled, ever so slightly, by the magnitude of those three L's.
First came a regular season home loss to Immaculata with bragging rights on the line, then came the county final rematch, in which the Red Devils were in great shape at halftime only to be smothered in the second half. Finally, they bowed out in an intense North 2 Group IV semifinal against Plainfield, though they did prove they could hang with one of Union County's best.
They also swept through the division and dominated nearly everyone they played, outside of 'Lata and Plainfield. They didn't lose every marquee game, beating Piscataway in their holiday tournament final and Long Island powerhouse Our Savior New American in a game originally scheduled as part of the Prime Time Shootout.
With three key juniors back next winter, Taylor has plenty to work with as they try and get over either the county or state hump now that the division is squarely under their thumb.
F 12/22 Hunterdon Central 61-49 W
T 12/23 at Montgomery 51-32 W
S 12/27 Rutgers Prep* 73-49 W
M 12/29 Somerville* 82-52 W
T 12/30 Piscataway* 73-36 W
S 1/3 Bernards 79-37 W
Th 1/8 Franklin 65-45 W
T 1/13 at Phillipsburg 51-41 W
Th 1/15 Immaculata 49-57 L
S 1/17 at Middlesex 53-40 W
M 1/19 Warren Hills 51-47 W
T 1/20 Voorhees 65-38 W
Th 1/22 North Hunterdon 66-51 W
T 1/27 at Hunterdon Central 59-47 W
Th 1/29 at Warren Hills 73-52 W
W 2/4 Phillipsburg 52-27 W
Th 2/5 at Voorhees 59-44 W
T 2/10 at North Hunterdon 62-47 W
Th 2/12 Gill St. Bernard's 76-65 W
S 2/14 Hillsborough** 65-51 W
Su 2/15 New American 52-42 W
W 2/18 at Bound Brook 56-44 W
S 2/21 Watchung Hills** 50-49 W
M 2/23 at Somerville 59-36 W
W 2/25 North Bergen 61-46 W
S 2/28 Immaculata** 49-58 L
W 3/4 Bayonne-# 66-56 W
F 3/6 Plainfield-# 49-52 L
* Len Sepanak Tournament at Ridge
** Somerset County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

VOORHEES VIKINGS (12-12)
The Vikes made strides in Sparky Nanni's sixth season, more than doubling their win total from last year, but in some respects, they might have missed a big chance to make waves in Hunterdon County. With a strong senior trio of Jimmy Ray, Trevor Cummings and Tom Dellaventura, Voorhees jumped out to a 10-5 start and beat county power Hunterdon Central twice, setting themselves up nicely for a shot at a Hunterdon/Warren title.
But a four-game slide seemd to take some of the air out from under the Vikings' wings, and they couldn't beat Central a third time to bow out of the HWT in the semifinals. They were then bounced in the opening round of the North 2 Group III tourney by Millburn; both losses came in Lebanon.
Still, Nanni has earned a tip-of-the-hat, and he'll get some benefit of the doubt next year despite losing the three key seniors. And maybe just maybe, they'll finally knock of Central when it matters most.

F 12/19 at Phillipsburg 52-50 W
T 12/23 Franklin 79-64 W
S 12/27 Mt. Olive* 50-39 W
T 12/30 Hopatcong* 72-61 W
T 1/6 Hunterdon Central 63-47 W
Th 1/8 Immaculata 55-81 L
T 1/13 North Hunterdon 47-50 L
F 1/16 Montgomery 72-50 W
T 1/20 at Ridge 38-65 L
F 1/23 Warren Hills 57-40 W
S 1/24 at Princeton 50-64 L
T 1/27 Phillipsburg 59-62 L
F 1/30 at Hunterdon Central 61-54 W
S 1/31 at North Warren 66-54 W
T 2/3 at North Hunterdon 62-57 W
Th 2/5 Ridge 44-59 L
T 2/10 at Warren Hills 49-64 L
W 2/11 at Somerville 55-57 L
F 2/13 Middlesex 78-56 L
T 2/17 at Monroe 57-73 L
F 2/20 North Warren** 66-51 W
T 2/24 Hunterdon Central** 50-62 L
Th 2/26 Oratory Prep 69-63 W
T 3/3 Millburn-# L
*Hopatcong Tournament
** Hunterdon/Warren Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

HUNTERDON CENTRAL RED DEVILS (14-8)
Another year, another Hunterdon/Warren Tournament title for Brian Glennon.
For the eighth time in the past decade and the 10th time in school history, the Red Devils won what amounted to their Super Bowl, outlasting Phillipsburg in double overtime. Central started strong, winning seven of their first 10 games, though a four-game mid-season losing streak, all within the Delaware West, kept them from being a contender in the division.
Central went 7-0 in February, a late-season push that has become common-place in Raritan Township in Glennon's 22 seasons. They made states, and bowed out in a down-to-the-wire game with Hillsborough. After winning 29 games in two seasons, next winter might feature some rebuilding for the Red Devils. But even then, watch out once counties roll around.

M 12/22 at Ridge 49-61 L
T 12/23 at Hillsborough 59-71 L
S 12/27 Washington Twp.* 62-61 W
M 12/29 Burlington Twp.* 56-48 W
S 1/3 Hopewell Valley 48-40 W
T 1/6 at Voorhees 47-63 L
Th 1/8 Bridgewater-Raritan 59-49 W
T 1/13 Warren Hills 48-44 W
F 1/16 Watchung Hills 52-49 W
S 1/17 Lawrence 69-64 W
T 1/20 at North Hunterdon 50-52 L
F 1/23 at Phillipsburg 49-63 L
T 1/27 Ridge 47-39 L
F 1/30 Voorhees 54-61 L
T 2/3 at Warren Hills 49-63 W
F 2/6 North Hunterdon 59-50 W
T 2/10 Phillipsburg 57-54 W
S 2/14 at Hamilton West 61-45 W
F 2/20 Delaware Valley** 70-49 W
T 2/24 Voorhees** 62-50 W
F 2/27 Phillipsburg** 45-43 W
T 3/3 at Hillsborough-# 47-49 L
* Blue Devil/Red Devil Classic
** Hunterdon/Warren Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

NORTH HUNTERDON LIONS (11-13)
A promising season in Clinton went down the tubes quickly, starting with a blowout defeat against Ridge and a surprising loss to lowly New Brunswick. The Lions started 7-3 before those two setbacks, but dropped 10 of their final 14 games, saw the St. Joseph-bound Carl Baptiste suspended for several games, and couldn't get things going upon his return as North dropped its Hunterdon/Warren opener to Warren Hills.
They did hang closer to Plainfield in the North 2 Group IV playoffs than many people thought, but even then, they lost by 13. First-year head coach Jeff Tagliareni will lose Baptiste and several other key players heading into 2009-10, so there will be plenty of work to do this offseason. But for this inconsistent bunch, that might not be the worst thing in the world.

T 12/23 Bridgewater-Raritan 66-40 W
S 12/27 Mahwah* 33-52 L
T 12/30 St. Mary-Rutherford* 50-41 W
S 1/3 at Franklin 58-55 W
T 1/6 Phillipsburg 40-51 L
F 1/9 Watchung Hills 61-58 W
T 1/13 at Voorhees 50-47 W
Th 1/15 at Hillsborough 60-40 W
S 1/17 North Plainfield 46-51 L
T 1/20 Hunterdon Central 52-50 W
Th 1/22 at Ridge 51-66 L
S 1/24 at New Brunswick 45-46 L
T 1/27 Warren Hills 50-46 W
F 1/30 at Phillipsburg 43-53 L
S 1/31 Hopewell Valley 48-47 W
M 2/2 at Warren Hills 48-53 L
T 2/3 Voorhees 57-62 L
F 2/6 at Hunterdon Central 50-59 L
T 2/10 Ridge 47-62 L
Th 2/12 Trenton 42-51 L
S 2/14 at Delaware Valley 45-40 W
F 2/20 Warren Hills** 43-44 L
Th 2/26 Hamilton West 43-31 W
T 3/3 at Plainfield-# 57-70 L
* Fort Lee Holiday Tournament
** Hunterdon/Warren Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

Final Records

Piscataway ........... 24-6
Middlesex ............ 21-7
Dunellen ............... 13-11
Piscataway Tech ... 6-13
South Plainfield .... 8-16

Quick Shots

Team of the Year: Piscataway
Player of the Year: Tristan Benjamin, Piscataway.
Coach of the Year: Brian Feath, Middlesex.
All-Area Team (GMC): Benjamin; Wayne Newsom, Piscataway; Mike Perone, Middlesex; Mark Stockton, Middlesex; Mike Burton, South Plainfield.

PISCATAWAY CHIEFS (24-6, 15-1 & 1st place Red Division)
Head coach Guy Jensen couldn't pull off the very tricky back-to-back sectional titles, but all in all, it was another strong season for the Chiefs. They won the division and the county tournament, while coming up one win shy of repeating in North 2 Group IV against Plainfield. Still, they continue to prove their rise to among the Middlesex County elite is no fluke under Jensen, who has shown you can win with football players on the hardcourt.
They made their run through the GMC as the top seed in the county, culminating in a rubber match with St. Joe's, the only team in the county to beat Piscataway this year. The Chiefs won by seven, their eighth straight win at the time. After a stretch of three losses in four games to Plainfield, Elizabeth and Newark Tech in late January, Piscataway won 14 of 15 games on its way to the sectional final, where it finally ran out of steam in the second half against Plainfield.
M 12/22 at South Brunswick 72-32 W
M 12/29 Watchung Hills* 48-43 W
T 12/30 Ridge* 36-43 L
S 1/3 at J.P. Stevens 45-43 W
W 1/7 at Woodbridge 79-39 W
F 1/9 Edison 67-27 W
T 1/13 at Old Bridge 57-41 W
Th 1/15 St. Joseph's 55-41 W
S 1/17 East Brunswick 50-46 W
W 1/21 at Perth Amboy 72-30 W
F 1/23 at Plainfield** 56-68 L
S 1/24 Elizabeth*** 41-58 L
T 1/27 J.P. Stevens 55-52 W
Th 1/29 Newark Tech 49-60 L
S 1/31 Woodbridge 63-39 W
M 2/2 at Edison 55-32 W
W 2/4 Old Bridge 64-48 W
F 2/6 at St. Joseph's 50-58 L
S 2/7 Perth Amboy 77-59 W
M 2/9 at East Brunswick 56-38 W
T 2/10 at Westfield 50-40 W
F 2/13 South Brunswick 53-38 W
Th 2/19 Metuchen**** 69-37 W
Su 2/22 Sayreville**** 58-47 W
W 2/25 Monroe**** 63-51 W
F 2/27 St. Joseph**** 63-56 W
T 3/3 East Orange-# 55-51 W
W 3/4 at Colonia-# 62-57 W
F 3/6 at Columbia-# 62-57 W
M 3/9 Plainfield-# 52-70 L
* Len Sepanak Tournament at Ridge
** Prime Time Shootout
*** Housing Coalition Tournament
**** Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

MIDDLESEX BLUE JAYS (21-7, 9-3 & T-2nd Blue Division)
If there was a year for the Blue Jays to make a run, this was it, and Brian Feath's club took full advantage. Led by five savvy, senior starters the Jays were in the thick of the division race all season, but never did get over the hump against eventual champ Bishop Ahr. The took a tough last-second loss to Spotswood, but more than avenged that defeat, winning by 16 in their second regular season meeting, then dumping the Chargers in states.
Senior forward Mark Stockton joined Feath as the only 1,000-point scorers in Middlesex history, reaching the mark in a Central Group II quarterfinal. They got all the way to the final before finally falling to Manasquan, but at the end of the day, they were one of just six area teams to reach 20 wins and one of five to reach a sectional final. Not bad company.

S 12/20 Metuchen 81-49 W
M 12/22 at Bishop Ahr 51-57 L
M 12/29 Manville* 64-34 W
T 12/30 Cranford* 50-39 W
S 1/3 Highland Park 67-37 W
W 1/7 J.F. Kennedy 52-34 W
Th 1/8 at Spotswood 50-51 L
W 1/14 at South River 78-54 W
S 1/17 Ridge 53-40 L
T 1/20 at Metuchen 76-46 W
Th 1/22 Bishop Ahr 40-42 L
S 1/24 South Amboy 73-41 W
M 1/26 at Highland Park 91-54 W
F 1/30 at J.F. Kennedy 58-39 W
S 1/31 at Belvidere 57-43 W
Th 2/5 Hillside 41-45 L
F 2/6 South River 78-23 W
T 2/9 Spotswood 64-48 W
W 2/10 Newark Central 63-48 W
F 2/13 at Voorhees 56-48 W
T 2/17 Perth Amboy** 70-42 W
Th 2/19 at Monroe** 51-58 L
T 2/24 Dunellen 59-34 W
F 2/27 at Bound Brook 84-57 W
T 3/3 Bordentown-# 51-46 W
W 3/4 Shore-# 41-34 W
F 3/6 Spotswood-# 54-48 W
M 3/9 Manasquan-# 36-59 L
* Middlesex Holiday Tournament
** Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

DUNELLEN DESTROYERS (13-11, 8-0 & 1st Gold Division)
It was a solid season for head coach Bernie Buniak's club, which swept through the Gold Division but never reeled in any of the bigger fish in Middlesex County. They came really close against Spotswood, but only two of their other 10 losses came by single digits, including a one-point loss to Union Catholic opening day.
The marquee win was probably a 17-point victory over a solid Brearley team in the Bernoski Games, in which they held the Bears to just 21 points. They also swept defending division champ South Amboy to regain the throne, which they had held or shared the three years prior. Juniors Jonard Hall and Luke Francisco will both be back next year, so a fifth title in six years will certainly be in reach.

S 12/20 Union Catholic 57-58 L
T 12/23 J.F. Kennedy 59-51 W
M 12/29 Cranford* 32-42 L
T 12/30 Manville* 54-39 W
Th 1/8 at E. Brunswick Tech 65-54 W
S 1/10 Monroe 48-75 L
M 1/12 Perth Amboy Tech 44-40 W
W 1/14 at Piscataway Tech 48-23 W
Th 1/15 Keansburg 50-42 W
S 1/17 at Carteret 40-32 W
T 1/20 at South Amboy 47-37 W
F 1/23 Millburn 39-56 L
S 1/24 at Sayreville 38-51 L
M 1/26 East Brunswick Tech 54-49 W
F 1/30 at Spotswood 55-57 L
S 1/31 South Amboy 54-46 W
M 2/2 Piscataway Tech 55-24 W
W 2/4 at South Brunswick 41-49 L
M 2/9 at Perth Amboy Tech 55-50 W
S 2/7 Brearley** 38-21 W
Th 2/19 at Sayreville*** 53-74 L
T 2/24 Middlesex 34-59 L
F 2/27 Delaware Valley 42-56 L
T 3/3 Bound Brook-# 42-65 L
* Middlesex Holiday Tournament
** Kowalski Games
*** Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

PISCATAWAY TECH RAIDERS (6-13, 1-7 & 5th Gold Division)
In an otherwise bland year for the Raiders, the most memorable moment was easily a stirring comeback that ranks up there with the best in school history. The date was Jan. 26, and head coach Karl Towns found his team down 24 points in the fourth quarter, but somehow rallied to win on a 3-pointer by Mohamed Contah at the buzzer. In 14 years at Piscataway Tech, Towns said he had never seen anything like it.
Unfortunately, that was the Raiders only division win, but they did go a respectable 4-5 against their fellow Tech schools. Their best stretch came in late January, when they won three-of-four, including the comeback against Amboy Tech.

M 12/22 South River 45-53 L
M 12/29 Warren Tech* 68-46 W
T 12/30 Perth Amboy Tech* 37-50 L
T 1/6 East Brunswick Tech 38-65 L
Th 1/8 Perth Amboy Tech 40-47 L
F 1/9 Warren Tech 44-38 W
M 1/12 at South Amboy 41-59 L
W 1/14 Dunellen 23-48 L
Th 1/15 Bound Brook 30-75 L
T 1/20 Noor-Ul-Iman 61-48 W
Th 1/22 at E. Brunswick Tech 35-51 L
F 1/23 Somerset Tech 50-36 W
M 1/26 at Perth Amboy Tech 57-54 W
Th 1/29 South Amboy 47-54 L
M 2/2 at Dunellen 24-55 L
Th 2/5 Kearny Christian 41-44 L
F 2/6 at Wardlaw-Hartridge 69-59 L
M 2/9 Sussex Tech 53-47 W
Th 2/19 North 13th Street Tech 46-52 L
* NJTAC Holiday Tournament

SOUTH PLAINFIELD TIGERS (8-16, 5-9 & T-5th White Division)
The Tigers had the experience, but things just never came together as they struggled in a rugged White Division that featured three 20-game winners. They started 1-8, and recovered somewhat to go 7-8 over the second half of the season, but it was too little to late for head coach Bill Shulte and company.
South Plainfield did sweep North Brunswick, but those were easily its best wins, and the Raiders were up-and-down this year. A loss to Carteret hurt, and it's difficult to not wonder how the season might have changed if the Tigers could have swung a 64-60 loss to division champion Cardinal McCarrick in their favor opening day. The biggest problem Shulte faces is figuring out where after his senior-laden team underachieved a bit; players like Mike Burton and Tramane Lewis will be gone, and the Tigers will be hard-pressed to a third straight losing season as they retool next year.

S 12/20 Cardinal McCarrick 60-64 L
T 12/23 at Montville 30-38 L
F 12/26 Rahway* 52-72 L
S 12/27 Westfield* 51-59 L
M 12/29 Holmdel* 40-43 L
S 1/3 Sayreville 44-55 L
M 1/5 at North Brunswick 52-49 W
W 1/7 Monroe 45-53 L
F 1/9 at Colonia 29-57 L
Th 1/15 at New Brunswick 52-39 W
T 1/20 at Edison 50-46 W
W 1/21 at Cardinal McCarrick 45-64 L
S 1/24 Carteret 52-42 W
T 1/27 at Sayreville 55-57 L
Th 1/29 North Brunswick 53-41 W
S 1/31 at Monroe 44-47 L
M 2/2 Colonia 36-67 L
W 2/4 at Carteret 43-50 L
F 2/6 New Brunswick 44-43 W
S 2/7 St. Joseph 64-75 L
W 2/11 at South Brunswick 51-33 W
T 2/17 East Brunswick Tech** 82-48 W
Th 2/19 at Colonia** 52-65 L
T 2/24 Bishop Ahr 50-53 L
* Butch Kowal Tournament at Rahway
** Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament

Final Standings

North Warren (10-12) ........ 8-5
South Hunterdon (13-11) ... 7-6
Bound Brook (13-14) .......... 6-7
Manville (6-17) .................. 2-11
Belvidere (5-20) ................. 1-12

Quick Shots

Team of the Year: South Hunterdon
Player of the Year: Alex Rosario, Bound Brook.
Coach of the Year: Jason Miller, South Hunterdon.
All-Division Team*: Rosario, Jordan Hawkins, Bound Brook; Justin Roy, South Hunterdon; Kyle Battell, South Hunterdon; Matt Zangara, Manville.

* Just in case anyone in Warren County feels like sending an angry e-mail, it's only listed as an All-Division Team for simplicity's sake; it encapsulates just the Courier-News area teams.

Team-By-Team

SOUTH HUNTERDON EAGLES (13-11)
The Eagles nearly went two decades without a state tournament berth, but used went 4-0 during the final week of qualifying to get in. That included a victory over eventual division winner North Warren, a team South hadn't beaten in three years.
Though they bowed out with a first-round loss to Brearley in the Central Group I bracket, Jason Miller's team also picked up a late-season win over Bound Brook to stay alive in the division race, clinching a winner record in the Valley while relegating the defending division champs to third place.

S 12/20 at North Warren 54-72 L
T 12/23 at North Plainfield 57-81 L
M 12/29 New Hope (Pa.)* 66-63 W
T 12/30 Cavalry Baptist (Pa.)* 63-52 W
T 1/6 Noor-Ul-Iman 54-28 W
W 1/7 Morrisville (Pa.) 61-51 W
F 1/9 Delaware Valley 74-76 L
M 1/12 Robbinsville 46-50 L
T 1/13 at Belvidere 62-55 W
F 1/16 at Hackettstown 57-60 L
T 1/20 at Manville 57-55 L
F 1/23 Somerville 51-80 L
T 1/27 at Bound Brook 62-71 L
F 1/30 Bernards 61-50 W
M 2/2 at Warren Tech 59-36 W
T 2/3 North Warren 68-54 W
F 2/6 Warren Tech 63-41 W
S 2/7 Morris Tech 62-33 W
Th 2/12 Metuchen 52-63 L
F 2/13 Belvidere 56-42 W
T 2/17 Manville 51-39 W
W 2/18 Hackettstown** 36-48 L
F 2/20 Bound Brook 70-58 W
T 3/3 at Brearley-# 61-67 L
* New Hope Holiday Tournament
** Hunterdon/Warren Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

BOUND BROOK CRUSADERS (13-14)
Something seemed off as early as a 24-point opening weekend loss at home to Gill St. Bernard's, and despite a 6-2 start, its tough to say the Crusaders ever really recovered. Despite the dynamic combination of guards Jordan Hawkins and Alex Rosario, head coach Anthony Melesurgo couldn't find much consistency, as Bound Brook lost to a down Bernards team and was swept by North Warren.
The team did snap a late five-game slide by upsetting Dunellen in the first round of the Central Group I tournament, but the momentum ended in a hurry after a 20-point loss at Point Beach in the quarters.

M 12/22 Gill St. Bernard's 39-63 L
T 12/23 Hackettstown 74-50 W
S 12/27 Somerset Tech* 80-50 W
M 12/29 Spotswood* 67-69 L
Th 1/8 South Amboy 62-50 W
S 1/10 Highland Park 82-70 W
T 1/13 Manville 73-47 W
Th 1/15 Piscataway Tech 75-30 W
F 1/16 at Bernards 51-56 L
T 1/20 at North Warren 75-89 L
F 1/23 North Plainfield 79-84 L
S 1/24 at Sussex Tech 70-48 W
T 1/27 South Hunterdon 71-62 W
F 1/30 at Somerville 42-60 L
S 1/31 Pingry** 42-59 L
W 2/2 at Belvidere 53-41 W
F 2/6 at Delaware Valley 54-57 L
T 2/10 Belvidere 53-41 W
Th 2/12 J.F. Kennedy 75-66 W
F 2/13 at Manville 78-61 W
T 2/17 North Warren 72-66 L
W 2/18 Ridge 44-56 L
F 2/20 at South Hunterdon 58-70 L
F 2/27 Middlesex 57-84 L
S 2/28 Timothy Christian 51-54 L
T 3/3 at Dunellen-# 65-42 W
Th 3/5 at Point Beach-# 43-63 L
* Bound Brook Holiday Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

MANVILLE MUSTANGS (6-17)
It was another long year for the Mustangs, but they did take a small step forward in their second year under Marty Geiger, even if hardly anyone noticed.
Coming off a miserable two-win campaign, Manville swept division rival Belvidere, beat Sussex Tech twice and even knocked off a team from mighty Union County (albeit 3-22 Roselle Park) on their way to six wins. And while those teams weren't beating down the door to get into the NJSIAA Tournament, you have to start somewhere. The trick next year will be replacing three key seniors as the Mustangs try not to take two steps back.

M 12/22 at Belvidere 46-38 W
T 12/23 at Gill St. Bernard's 30-87 L
M 12/29 Middlesex* 34-64 L
T 12/30 Dunellen* 39-54 L
Th 1/8 North Warren 43-57 L
F 1/9 Hackettstown 45-46 L
T 1/13 at Bound Brook 47-73 L
Th 1/15 Roselle Park 48-32 W
F 1/16 Somerville 33-57 L
T 1/20 South Hunterdon 55-57 L
Th 1/22 Sussex Tech 51-47 W
M 1/26 Bernards 45-56 L
F 1/30 at Delaware Valley 35-52 L
S 1/31 at Hillsborough** 38-75 L
M 2/2 at Sussex Tech 60-40 W
Th 2/5 Belvidere 67-52 W
F 2/6 North Plainfield 52-62 L
M 2/9 at Somerset Tech 54-48 W
T 2/10 at North Warren 63-68 L
F 2/13 Bound Brook 61-78 L
T 2/17 at South Hunterdon 39-51 L
F 2/20 at Roselle Park 43-44 L
M 2/23 at Perth Amboy Tech 46-64 L
* Middlesex Holiday Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament

Final Records

Patriot Conference Teams-
Rutgers Prep ............. 22-6
Gill St. Bernard's ........ 17-10
Timothy Christian ..... 15-12
Wardlaw-Hartridge ... 1-20

Others-
Somerset Tech ... 6-16
Pingry ............... 6-18

Quick Shots

Team of the Year: Rutgers Prep
Player of the Year: Justin Robinson, Rutgers Prep.
Coach of the Year: Dave Pasquale, Gill St. Bernard's.
All-Patriot/Other Team: Robinson; David McDaniel, Rutgers Prep; Dominic Hoffman, Gill St. Bernard's; Morgan Dixon, Gill St. Bernard's; Francis Decker, Timothy Christian.

Team-By-Team
RUTGERS PREP ARGONAUTS (22-6)
It wasn't a pretty opener. A 24-point loss to Patriot Conference rival Pennington could have set the tone for the Argos this year, but instead, head coach Tony Mento's club rallied around the loss, winning 22 of their next 27. Along the way, the avenged that loss not once, but twice, including in the state Prep B final.
In that game, 1,000-point scorer Jordan Robinson led a comeback charge from an early 15-point deficit to clinch the state title. Prep also picked up a banner win over Bloomfield Tech in Ridge's holiday tournament and swept local league foes Timothy Christian and Wardlaw.
The only blemish for the Argonauts was a surprising Somerset County Tournament loss to 12th-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan, but despite the impending loss of Robinson to graduation, there will a strong core returning to Franklin next year to try and right that wrong.

W 12/10 Pennington 51-75 L
M 12/15 at Collegiate School 95-62 W
Th 12/18 Princeton Day 65-50 W
S 12/20 Oratory Prep 56-41 W
S 12/27 Ridge* 49-73 L
M 12/29 Montgomery* 67-50 W
T 12/30 Bloomfield Tech* 62-57 W
S 1/3 at North Plainfield 60-58 W
T 1/6 at Gill St. Bernard's 53-62 W
Th 1/8 Somerville 51-63 L
F 1/9 Somerset Tech 64-42 W
M 1/12 Peddie 48-46 W
W 1/14 Monmouth Academy 65-28 W
F 1/16 at Princeton Day 53-38 W
Su 1/18 at Poly Prep 48-58 L
S 1/24 at Timothy Christian 78-54 W
Th 1/28 Collegiate School 78-60 W
S 1/31 at Pennington 70-61 W
M 2/2 Hun 43-57 L
F 2/6 Edison 78-42 W
S 2/7 Bridgewater-Raritan** 58-63 L
M 2/9 at Wardlaw-Hartridge 69-37 W
T 2/10 Academy Charter 86-58 W
S 2/15 Oratory Prep*** 76-63 W
W 2/18 Highland Park 69-66 W
Th 2/19 Timothy Christian 66-46 W
Su 2/22 Solomon Schechter*** 65-59 W
Th 2/26 Pennington*** 79-72 W
* Len Sepanak Tournament at Ridge
** Somerset County Tournament
*** Prep B Tournament

GILL ST. BERNARD'S (17-10)
Nowhere in the area does the future seem quite as bright as it does in the northern tip of Somerset County, where Gill head coach Dave Pasquale had three freshman break onto the scene this year.
Rookies Dominic Hoffman, Morgan Dixon and Alex Mitola all played key roles in the Knights eight-game improvement in the win column. Next year, Gill will have its sights set squarely on a Prep B title after taking its leave in this year's semifinals. And while winning a Non-Public North B title may ever be a real possibility as long as St. Patrick's and St. Anthony are roaming around, the Knights would probably like to get out of the first round of states. But by the looks of things, they'll have three years with a good chance to do so.

M 12/22 at Bound Brook 63-39 W
T 12/23 Manville 87-30 W
S 12/27 Montclair Kimberley* 76-45 W
M 12/29 Timothy Christian 56-35 W
T 12/30 Newark Academy* 82-38 W
S 1/3 Mount Olive 42-58 L
T 1/6 Rutgers Prep 53-62 L
Th 1/8 at Pennington 77-82 L
F 1/9 Park East (N.Y.) 81-57 W
S 1/17 at Montville 58-49 W
T 1/20 Wardlaw-Hartridge 99-46 W
F 1/23 Princeton Day 88-46 W
M 1/26 Montgomery 56-58 L
Th 1/29 Bloomfield Tech 67-77 L
M 2/2 at Somerset Tech 66-37 W
Th 2/5 at Oratory Prep 60-62 L
S 2/7 Pingry** 58-51 W
M 2/9 at Pingry 68-48 W
Th 2/12 at Ridge 65-76 L
S 2/14 at Watchung Hills** 59-65 L
Su 2/15 Morristown-Beard*** 67-50 W
W 2/18 at Morristown-Beard 39-38 W
F 2/20 Bernards 86-57 W
S 2/22 at Pennington*** 72-53 L
T 2/24 Spotswood 63-60 W
Th 2/26 Morris Catholic 70-38 W
W 3/4 St. Joseph-W.N.Y.-# 63-69 L
* Gill Holiday Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament
*** Prep B Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

TIMOTHY CHRISTIAN TIGERS (15-12)
The Tigers prepared for their impending move into the Greater Middlesex Conference after one more season in the Patriot Conference by scheduling nine games against GMC foes, winning six of them. Other than that, this season wasn't much different from last year's 16-10 campaign.
Timothy head coach Chris Hobbs will want to work on a 1-4 finish, which saw the Tigers eliminated from the state tournament after just one game. They'll bring back plenty of size for their defensive-minded skipper, but the key next year will be replacing three senior guards.

S 12/20 South River 56-34 W
M 12/22 Perth Amboy Tech 61-43 W
M 12/29 at Gill St. Bernard's 35-56 L
F 1/2 Ross Corners Christian* 59-28 W
S 1/3 Delmarva Christian* 52-50 W
M 1/5 Princeton Day 64-62 W
T 1/6 at Pennington 27-62 L
F 1/9 Highland Park 53-32 W
T 1/13 Wardlaw-Hartridge 44-23 W
F 1/16 at Spotswood 45-62 L
F 1/23 J.F. Kennedy 57-40 W
S 1/24 Rutgers Prep 54-78 L
M 1/26 at Academy Charter 42-39 W
F 1/30 Christian Heritage** 64-67 L
S 1/31 Kings Christian** 71-42 W
T 2/3 at Wardlaw-Hartridge 64-41 W
Th 2/5 at Princeton Day 48-56 L
F 2/6 at South Amboy 57-48 W
M 2/9 Pennington 54-68 L
T 2/10 at Highland Park 66-73 L
F 2/13 Gloucester Christian 63-41 W
T 2/17 at Perth Amboy Tech 76-48 W
Th 2/19 at Rutgers Prep 46-66 L
S 2/21 Barnegat 54-55 L
T 2/24 at East Brunswick Tech 52-63 L
S 2/28 at Bound Brook 54-51 W
F 3/6 Mater Dei-# 49-58 L
* Valley Forge Christian College Invitational
** TCS Invitational
#-NJSIAA Tournament

SOMERSET TECH JAGUARS (6-16)
It wasn't that long ago that Marvin Gordon had his Jags in the NJSIAA Tournament, and hopefully joining up with the North Jersey Technical Interscholatic League and making a return to the county tournament has Tech moving in the right direction. Gordon withheld the team from the Somerset County Tournament during last year's one-win season, so despite a 54-point loss to Montgomery in this year's tourney, it's good to see them back.

T 12/23 at Sussex Tech 43-46 L
S 12/27 Bound Brook* 50-80 L
M 12/29 North Plainfield* 59-75 L
T 1/6 North 13th Street Tech 60-57 W
Th 1/8 at Morris Tech 63-41 W
F 1/9 at Rutgers Prep 42-64 L
M 1/12 Newark Tech 40-54 L
W 1/14 at Warren Tech 44-41 W
F 1/16 at Perth Amboy Tech 46-61 L
T 1/20 Sussex Tech 46-42 W
Th 1/22 Noor-Ul-Iman 72-46 W
F 1/23 at Piscataway Tech 36-50 L
S 1/24 Warren Tech 40-44 L
M 1/26 at North 13th St. Tech 48-70 L
W 1/28 at East Brunswick Tech 49-60 L
S 1/31 at Montgomery** 23-77 L
M 2/2 Gill St. Bernard's 37-66 L
T 2/3 Morris Tech 72-46 W
M 2/9 Manville 48-54 L
W 2/11 at Newark Tech 32-57 L
W 2/18 East Brunswick Tech 57-58 L
W 2/25 Perth Amboy Tech 47-58 L
* Bound Brook Holiday Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament

PINGRY BIG BLUE (6-18)
After upsetting Bound Brook in their Somerset County Tournament opener, Pingry could have snuck into the state tournament with wins over Morristown-Beard and Gill St. Bernard's. But the Big Blue dropped both games ... and the next eight after that to close the season on a 10-game slide.
But it's easy to forget that through January, this hadn't been a bad sophomore season for Jason Murdock. The team had the SCT win and four wins in the Colonial Hills Conference before things went south. But the Big Blue could only hold out for so long after losing a pair of four-year starters; next year won't be any easier as they try to replace three key seniors, but sophomore forward Scott Sowinski will help.

M 12/22 Cedar Grove 33-40 L
M 12/29 Brearley* 36-38 L
T 12/30 Highland Park* 55-44 W
T 1/6 at Montclair Kimb. 51-50 W
F 1/9 Newark Academy 44-70 L
T 1/13 at Morristown-Beard 34-44 L
W 1/14 at Watchung Hills 39-63 L
F 1/16 Morris Catholic 44-37 W
M 1/19 at Immac. Conception 49-58 L
T 1/20 Glen Ridge 30-40 L
Th 1/22 Immac. Conception 56-55 W
T 1/27 at Cedar Grove 38-59 L
Th 1/29 Montclair Kimberley 50-48 W
S 1/31 at Bound Brook** 59-42 W
W 2/4 Morristown-Beard 45-50 L
S 2/7 Gill St. Bernard's 51-58 L
M 2/9 Gill St. Bernard's 48-68 L
T 2/10 at Morris Catholic 40-51 L
Th 2/12 at Glen Ridge 34-42 L
T 2/17 at Arts 54-67 L
W 2/18 at Newark Academy 51-56 L
F 2/20 Kinnelon 46-48 L
T 2/24 at Whippany Park 46-54 L
F 2/27 Boonton 41-58 L
* Brearley Holiday Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament

WARDLAW-HARTRIDGE RAMS (1-20)
This would have been a tough capsule to get through had the Rams not pulled out a shocking 19-point victory in their season finale against a state tournament team in East Brunswick Tech. Instead, seniors E.J. Blair and Chris Georgevich went out on a winning note, and rookie head coach Pete Linderman didn't have to wait until next winter to get his first victory. Once Wardlaw does take the floor again, they should be better as the bulk of the team will return. But for now, here's to avoiding 0-21.

F 12/5 at Pennington 32-71 L
T 12/9 at Solomon Schecter 44-63 L
S 12/27 Oratory Prep* 44-85 L
M 12/29 Whippany Park* 33-60 L
S 1/3 at Montclair Kimberly 43-63 L
T 1/6 Ranney 41-43 L
W 1/7 Henry Hudson 33-47 L
F 1/9 at Princeton Day 29-59 L
T 1/13 at Timothy Christian 23-44 L
W 1/14 at Perth Amboy Tech 41-68 L
S 1/17 J.F. Kennedy 31-47 L
T 1/20 at Gill St. Bernard's 46-99 L
W 1/21 Collegiate School 51-67 L
S 1/24 at Metuchen 39-69 L
T 1/27 at Ranney 52-65 L
F 1/30 Highland Park 38-58 L
T 2/3 Timothy Christian 41-64 L
Th 2/5 at Staten Isl. Academy 40-50 L
F 2/6 Piscataway Tech 59-69 L
M 2/9 Rutgers Prep 37-69 L
Th 2/12 East Brunswick Tech 60-41 W
*Oratory Prep Holiday Tournament

Final Standings

North Plainfield (16-8) .... 12-1
Somerville (15-9) ............ 11-2
Delaware Valley (12-11) ... 9-4
Bernards (7-13) ............... 5-8
Hackettstown (8-16) ........ 4-9

Quick Shots

Team of the Year: North Plainfield
Player of the Year: Mark Kolb, Bernards.
Coach of the Year: Dave Hooker, North Plainfield.
All-Division Team*: Kolb; Mike Naples, Somerville, Kevin Ohen, Delaware Valley, Sam Bautista, North Plainfield, Jevoy Whyte, North Plainfield.

* Just in case anyone in Warren County feels like sending an angry e-mail, it's only listed as an All-Division Team for simplicity's sake; it encapsulates just the Courier-News area teams.

Team-By-Team

NORTH PLAINFIELD CANUCKS (16-8)
With a quartet of senior starters and sophomore spark Lance Rivera, head coach Dave Hooker put out a fine team this year and captured the Canucks' first division title since joining the Skyland Conference. A six-point loss at Somerville in their opener was the only division loss, and they avenged the defeat Feb. 4 by beating the Pioneers, 67-59.
North Plainfield also validated its success by knocking off Group IV schools North Hunterdon, Watchung Hills and Montgomery, all of whom made the NJSIAA Tournament, albeit with little margin for error. The only real regret has to be first-round, upset losses in the Somerset County and Central Group II tournaments. Good chances for wins in both tournaments are few and far between for all but the best in the county and state, and the Canucks will unfortunately be a candidate to regress next winter.

M 12/22 at Somerville 62-68 L
T 12/23 South Hunterdon 81-57 W
S 12/27 Spotswood* 80-82 L
M 12/29 Somerset Tech* 75-59 W
S 1/3 Rutgers Prep 58-60 L
F 1/9 North Warren 76-68 W
T 1/13 Hackettstown 59-48 W
Th 1/15 Brearley 50-54 L
S 1/17 at North Hunterdon 51-46 W
F 1/23 at Bound Brook 84-79 W
T 1/27 Delaware Valley 60-39 W
F 1/30 Belvidere 58-37 W
W 2/4 Somerville 67-59 W
F 2/6 at Manville 62-52 W
S 2/7 Hillsborough** 47-75 L
T 2/10 at Cranford 63-65 L
Th 2/12 at Bernards 49-44 W
F 2/13 at Hackettstown 48-36 W
T 2/17 Bernards 84-68 W
W 2/18 Montgomery 53-47 W
F 2/20 at Delaware Valley 84-67 W
T 2/24 at Watchung Hills 60-52 W
Th 2/26 at New Providence 54-56 L
T 3/3 Shore-# 53-55 L
* Crusader Classic
** Somerset County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

SOMERVILLE PIONEERS (15-9)
It wasn't quite a vintage season for the 'Ville, which had a strong showing in the division but not much else. The Pioneers did knock off Rutgers Prep and Voorhees, but got bit by a little karma in the Somerset County Tournament. One year after head coach Joe D'Alessandro's team knocked off top-seeded and heavily-favored Bridgewater in the quarterfinals, the rebuilding Panthers returned the favor as the 12th seeded, beating the fourth-seeded Pioneers in their opener. Somerville also made the move up to Group III, and bowed out of the North 2 playoffs on a last-second shot up at Fort Lee.
They opened the season by beating eventual Raritan champ North Plainfield, but a head-scratching loss to Bernards ended up costing Somerville the division title after the Cancucks avenged their loss in early February. While D'Alessandro will lose a couple mainstays in Mike Naples and Sal Garfi, there will be several guys back with varsity experience next year, at which point they might climb back on top.

M 12/22 North Plainfield 68-62 W
T 12/23 at Belvidere 66-43 W
S 12/27 Montgomery* 44-39 W
M 12/29 Ridge* 52-82 L
T 12/30 Watchung Hills* 51-65 L
T 1/6 at Bernards 38-39 L
Th 1/8 at Rutgers Prep 63-51 W
F 1/16 at Manville 57-33 W
S 1/17 at Immaculata 46-55 L
T 1/20 Delaware Valley 57-44 W
F 1/23 at South Hunterdon 80-51 W
T 1/27 at Hackettstown 63-51 W
F 1/30 Bound Brook 60-42 W
W 2/4 at North Plainfield 59-67 L
F 2/6 at North Warren 64-61 W
T 2/10 Bernards 68-45 W
W 2/11 Voorhees 57-55 W
S 2/14 Bridgewater-Raritan** 46-49 L
T 2/17 at Delaware Valley 72-62 W
F 2/20 at Franklin 50-69 L
M 2/23 Ridge 36-59 L
T 2/24 Union Catholic 65-45 W
F 2/27 Hackettstown 61-46 W
Th 3/5 at Fort Lee-# 65-67 L
* Len Sepanak Tournament at Ridge
** Somerset County Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

DELAWARE VALLEY TERRIERS (12-11)
It was an unremarkable season for Eric Jacobs and company out on the banks of the Delaware. The Terriers have started a combined 24-8 the past two seasons, only to finish 2-12 in those campaigns. They didn't have any glaring losses this year, but the only win worth bragging about was against a decent Dunellen team. The bright spot might have been senior Kevin Ohen, who was among the leading scorers in the area and certainly could take over a game.
But Ohen couldn't get DelVal over the hump against either Somerville or North Plainfield, and the Terriers only non-conference wins came against aforementioned Dunellen, plus Hopewell Valley and Pius X. Next year might not be much better as Bernards is looking to reload and Somerville figures to be stronger.

S 12/20 Hopewell Valley 54-48 W
T 12/23 at Pius X (Pa.) 57-40 W
S 12/27 Phillipsburg* 43-55 L
M 12/29 Wilson (Pa.)* 41-56 L
S 1/3 Warren Hills 51-63 L
W 1/7 Hackettstown 55-42 W
F 1/9 at South Hunterdon 76-74 W
T 1/13 Bernards 70-50 W
F 1/16 North Warren 82-74 W
T 1/20 at Somerville 44-57 L
F 1/23 at Belvidere 55-40 W
T 1/27 at North Plainfield 39-60 L
F 1/30 Manville 52-35 W
F 2/6 Bound Brook 57-54 W
S 2/7 West Winsdor-Plainsboro South 71-78 L
T 2/10 at Hackettstown 45-42 W
F 2/13 at Bernards 61-48 W
S 2/14 North Hunterdon 40-45 L
T 2/17 Somerville 62-72 L
F 2/20 at Hunterdon Central** 49-70 L
M 2/23 North Plainfield 67-84 L
F 2/27 Dunellen 56-42 W
T 3/3 Rumson-Fair Haven-# 55-60 L
* Easton Holiday Tournament
** Hunterdon/Warren Tournament
#-NJSIAA Tournament

BERNARDS MOUNTAINEERS (7-13)
It was probably a lost season in Bernardsville even before star junior Mark Kolb went down for a couple weeks with a wrist injury, and once that happened, the Mountaineers were toast. They did pick up an early win over Somerville, which is never anything to scoff at, but after losing a ton from a 20-win squad in 2008-09, head coach Jeff Caswell had to know this was coming.
Seniors Cory Barfuss, Lee Peters and Sean Connor played well in Kolb's absence, but the big question will be whether Bernards can find a next supporting cast for Kolb next winter. If that happens, they should at least be back in the mix in the division, and will try to return to the North 2 Group II playoffs.

T 12/23 North Warren 63-45 W
S 12/27 Newark Academy* 66-83 L
T 12/30 Montclair-Kimberley* 61-38 W
S 1/3 at Ridge 37-79 L
T 1/6 Somerville 39-38 W
F 1/9 Belvidere 57-62 L
T 1/13 at Delaware Valley 50-70 L
F 1/16 Bound Brook 56-51 W
F 12/19 at Hackettstown 35-47 L
M 1/26 at Manville 56-45 W
F 1/30 at South Hunterdon 50-61 L
S 1/31 at Bridgewater-Rar.** 59-68 L
T 2/3 Hackettstown 35-26 W
F 2/6 Boonton 53-57 L
T 2/10 at Somerville 45-68 L
W 2/11 North Plainfield 44-49 L
F 2/13 Delaware Valley 48-61 L
T 2/17 at North Plainfield 68-84 L
T 2/19 South Amboy 71-53 W
F 2/20 at Gill St. Bernard's 57-86 L
* Gill Holiday Tournament
** Somerset County Tournament