Old Bridge and P-Way to Play in Aliyah Outscores Diabetes Classic at Marist

Knights and Chiefs to Represent GMC in Marist Showcase This Coming Weekend

BAYONNE, NJ—This coming weekend, Marist High School, which recently announced that it will be closing in June, will conduct a boys basketball showcase starting on Friday evening, and concluding on Sunday night.

Over the three days, there will be 15 games played including three girls basketball contests. Teams from all over New Jersey as well as one from Connecticut will be participating in the event.

Conferences involved include: Big North Conference, Cape Atlantic League, Colonial Valley Conference, Greater Middlesex Conference, Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League, Mid-Atlantic Prep League, Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, Shore Conference, Skyland Conference, Super Essex Conference, and Union County Conference.

The GMC will be represented in the showcase by two teams from the Red Division: Old Bridge and Piscataway. Both teams will be playing back to back on the final day of action on Sunday with the Knights taking on North Bergen at 12:00 PM and Piscataway battling CBA at 1:30 PM.

Both OBHS and P-Way are coming off solid seasons from a year ago with the Knights winning the Red Division, and finishing at 21-5 while the Chiefs reached the GMCT Championship for the first time since 2011 en route to an 18-11 final record. Each team has struggled in the first half of the season with Old Bridge coming into this week at 2-9 while Piscataway fell to 4-8 after losing to New Brunswick at the MLK Roundball Classic in The Hub City on Monday.

Marist, which defeated Monroe on December 23, 2019, is coached by former Cardinal McCarrick boys basketball head coach, Ben Gamble, and has former North Brunswick and St. Thomas Aquinas standout, Hassan Jackson on the roster. The Royal Knights are currently 10-2 overall following an 83-30 win over Matawan at the NAACP Scholarship Showcase in Long Branch on Monday.

The Royal Knights only two losses have come to Non-Public B state powers, Gill St. Bernard’s (78-67) at the Hoop Group Tip-Off Classic on December 22nd, and Wildwood Catholic on Saturday (63-59). Marist will be playing Notre Dame of Lawrenceville on Saturday, January 25th at 6:00 PM, and The Hun School on Sunday, January 26th at 4:00 PM.

Old Bridge’s opponent, North Bergen, enters the week at 6-4 with the Bruins losing to the likes of Passaic (76-71), St. Peter’s Prep (53-47), Dickinson (48-46), and Hudson Catholic (76-63). Dunellen defeated Dickinson at the Kayla Spooner Showcase at Plainfield on January 4th (68-63).

The Knights have played North Bergen in the recent past. Back on February 12, 2016, Old Bridge hosted the Bruins in a non-conference game, and won 96-89. In that game, the built up a 46-27 halftime lead, but needed a 36-33 showing in the fourth quarter to put the visitors from Hudson County away. Current Ramapo College standout, Connor Romano led the Knights with 34 points while Kyle Parris chipped in with 22 and Stephen Strom added 20.

Piscataway will be taking on a CBA squad that is coming off a 50-43 victory over Mater Dei Prep in the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout at Central Regional in Berkeley Township on Saturday afternoon. The Colts also defeated St. Joseph’s (55-50) in the Shore Classic at Brookdale Community College back on January 4th. It was the last loss suffered by the Falcons to date.

Below is the schedule for the three days at the 2020 Aliyah Outscores Diabetes Classic:

2020 Aliyah Outscores Diabetes Classic—Day One—January 24th

  • University (Newark) vs. Lincoln, 5:00 PM
  • Passaic vs. Ferris, 6:30 PM

2020 Aliyah Outscores Diabetes Classic—Day Two—January 25th

  • Notre Dame (Conn.) vs. Hudson Catholic (Girls), 12:00 PM
  • Morris Catholic vs. Union City (Girls), 1:30 PM
  • Mater Dei Prep vs. Marist (Girls), 3:00 PM
  • Pleasantville vs. Don Bosco Prep, 4:30 PM
  • Notre Dame vs. Marist, 6:00 PM
  • Rutgers Prep vs. Irvington, 7:30 PM

2020 Aliyah Outscores Diabetes Classic—Day Three—January 26th

  • Great Oaks Academy vs. Newark Eastside, 10:45 AM
  • Old Bridge vs. North Bergen, 12:00 PM
  • CBA vs. Piscataway, 1:30 PM
  • Matawan vs. Plainfield, 3:00 PM
  • Hun School vs. Marist, 4:30 PM
  • Newark Central vs. Dickinson, 6:00 PM
  • Hillside vs. Hackensack, 7:30 PM

GMC Hoops plans to cover some of the action including games involving Old Bridge and Piscataway on Sunday, January 26th.