   As 2007 comes to a close, the Norh Brunswick Raiders look to keep striving in the right direction. After a 1-3 start, Ed Breheney and crew have bounced back to even things at 3-3 with two holiday tournament wins over Rutgers Prep and Perth Amboy, winning two of the three tournament games that they played.
    Now, even at 1-3, I wasn’t set to call for panic, based on the fact that this team was 2-3 last season. After that, they went on to win 8 of the next 9 games, and make the state playoffs. So, now that the Raiders are back at .500, it’s once again time to make their run in 2008.
   First, the last two games of the Len Sepanak Memorial Tournament. Battling against Rutgers Prep to an 84-78 win, and then toppling Perth Amboy, 67-42, after losing to them in the tournament’s opening round by one. It would seem the more remarkable of the two was the Rutgers Prep game. C.J. Brathwaite and Jeff Ashamole both put in career performances, with 22 and 20 points, respectively. Aside from that, North Brunswick survived the onslaught of Rutgers Prep junior Jordan Robinson, a familiar face from last year’s opening round state tourney win at West Windsor-Planisboro South, who scored 40 points off the Raider defense. Outslugging the opponent was the recipe for success, but the Raiders shouldn’t count on that moving forward.
   Speaking of going forward, Brathwaite and Ashamole have begun to establish their leadership on the floor, leading by example. As for the complimentary pieces, Justin Morgan and freshman Tait Pirkle will be important, as the team goes into the meat of its schedule.
   As I do segue into the schedule, South Plainfield (1-5) is up next. Then, New Brunswick (1-4) and Woodbridge (1-4) loom in the horizon. That’s a combined 3-13 record from the opposition for the next 3 games. That means games that this team should win.
   My strong advice would be not to get trapped in any of those games, because assuming that they do win them, North Brunswick’s next 3 games following those are just the opposite – brutually tough. Their opponents, you ask? J.P. Stevens (6-1), Monroe (5-2) and Sayreville (4-1). That’s a combined 15-4 record. Throw in Carteret (3-3) and undefeated Colonia (7-0) after that, and the Raiders are looking at a two and a half week stretch where they will be facing the best that the GMC White division (and J.P. Stevens) has to offer.
   So, the road to the states will not be an easy one. Can they do it? Yes. Obviously, what they can do, and what they will do are not always the same. For this North Brunswick Raiders team, they would like to see history repeat itself, because that means getting into the state playoffs just one more time.