Raiders Blow Away Zebras, Smith Lost in the Process, 61-39
NORTH BRUNSWICK–It’s deja vu once again for the North Brunswick Raiders. Last year after a 2-3 start, they reeled off 7 straight wins to catapult themselves into the state playoffs, where they won their first round game at West Windsor-Plainsboro South. It looks like the Raiders are set to make another run at it, as they win their 4th straight game with a romp over the New Brunswick Zebras, 61-39 at NBTHS.
   It started with North Brunswick seniot C.J. Brathwaite (21 points) going in for a quick layup after the opening tip to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead, and the home team never looked back. Early turnovers helped lead to the Zebras early demise, as North Brunswick took advantage with 13 collective points from Brathwaite and senior center Jeff Ashamole (15 points, 10 rebounds) to close the first quarter with a 19-8 lead.
   Then, the second period put the exclamation point on the game, as North Brunswick shut down the Zebra offense, allowing only 4 points – all to Brandon Smith – as Brathwaite and Ashamole gave a good defensive effort, and led North Brunswick into the half, 34-12.
   Unfortunately, the only event worth reporting in the second half was at 6:46 in the fourth quarter, when New Brunswick’s Brandon Smith left the court, and was lying down on his back in front of the Zebras bench for 15 minutes with an apparent leg injury, but the specifics were not known. Smith was carried off the court by members of his family, and it did not look good.
   Once play resumed, North Brunswick maintained their sizeable lead throughout, and won easily, handing New Brunswick their 6th straight loss, dropping them to 1-6 on the season.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Brunswick (5-3) | 19 | 15 | 11 | 16 | 61 |
| New Brunswick (1-6) | 8 | 4 | 12 | 15 | 39 |
High Scorers: New Brunswick – Brandon Smith (12 points)
North Brunswick – C.J. Brathwaite (21 points); Jeff Ashamole (15 points)
   I give credit to North Brunswick for not falling into the trap of playing a 1-5 team. They were up for this rivalry game, and came out to show everybody that what happened to them last year, losing to New Brunswick at NBTHS was not going to happen again. C.J. Brathwaite has come into his own as the big scorer on this team, and Jeff Ashamole, of course, continues to develop into one of the bigger low post threats in Middlesex County. Next up is Woodbridge, and then the schedule starts to get a little rough with 4-4 Carteret, followed by 8-1 Colonia. We’ll see just how long this team can sustain its good run.