GMC Hoops Top Ten–December 24, 2021

December 24, 2021 Greg Machos Colonia Hoops, East Brunswick Hoops, Edison Hoops, J.P. Stevens Hoops, Middlesex Hoops, Monroe Hoops, Old Bridge Hoops, Perth Amboy Hoops, Piscataway Hoops, South Brunswick Hoops, South Plainfield Hoops, South River Hoops, Spotswood Hoops, St. Joseph's Hoops, St. Thomas Aquinas Hoops, Timothy Christian Hoops, Wardlaw Hoops, Woodbridge Hoops 0

Despite the lingering dark shadow of COVID-19, which has led to numerous cancellations, postponements, and shutdowns, the first week of GMC boys basketball is complete. Here’s how the GMC stacks up after week one.

Current records in parenthesis

  1. St. Thomas Aquinas (4-0) – The Trojans run off four straight victories to begin the season despite not having Jaquan Harris, Jalen Pichardo, and Chris Santner in the lineup. Biggest win was over St. Joseph’s at Friends of South Amboy Charity Basketball Games on December 18th. Aquinas is outscoring its foes by an average of 37.3 points per contest.
  2. St. Joseph’s (2-1) – Falcons defeat Monroe and Perth Amboy, and battle St. Thomas Aquinas before falling 64-57 at Friends of South Amboy Charity Basketball Games on December 18th. All of this despite not having the likes of Darren Tuck, Amari Campbell, and Anthony Williams in the lineup.
  3. Colonia (2-0) – After having its season opener with Carteret postponed, the Patriots defeated No. 4 Edison (59-57) on the road, and Sayreville (88-40). Billy Anderson and Saivon Pressley have led the way for Pats.
  4. Edison (2-1) – The Eagles defeated A.L. Johnson (61-50) at the Friends of South Amboy Charity Basketball Games on December 18th, and rolled past J.F. Kennedy of Iselin (75-40) after losing to Colonia on December 21st.
  5. Monroe (2-1) – After falling to St. Joseph’s in Metuchen on opening night (60-49), the Falcons regrouped with back to back wins over Timothy Christian (81-46) on December 20th, and neighborhood rival Old Bridge (59-44) on Thursday night. The Okocha triplets: John, Josh, and Elijah as well as sophomore guard Myles Marabuto have led the way.
  6. South River (3-0) – The Rams are off to a strong start with three straight wins including a wild 63-56 victory over previously ranked No. 6 South Plainfield in South River on opening night. Juniors Lazaro Rodriguez and Jeremy Grospe are off to solid starts while St. Thomas Aquinas transfer Roman Santos has made his presence felt in the middle and on the rebounding front.
  7. South Plainfield (2-1) – After losing its GMC Blue Division opener to now No. 6 ranked South River, the Tigers recovered to defeat Middlesex (69-49) at home on Monday, and then downing East Brunswick (70-60) on the road on Thursday. Brandon Dean has led the way for SPHS with an effort that included a 27 point performance in the win over EB.
  8. East Brunswick (1-1) – The Bears defeated Old Bridge on opening night, but then lost to South Plainfield at home on Thursday. Senior guard, Justin Black has led the way thus far with a 19.5 points per game average that included a 24 point effort in the loss to South Plainfield.
  9. Old Bridge (1-2) – Although the Knights lost to East Brunswick (64-48) on opening night, and Monroe on Thursday night (59-44), they do have a feather in their cap with a win over J.P. Stevens (64-53) on Tuesday. Junior guard, Ryan Witte is averaging 12 points per game, and recently scored his 200th career point.
  10. J.P. Stevens (2-1) – The Hawks turned in the upset of opening night and the first week of the season by edging previously fourth ranked South Brunswick (44-40), and then coming back the next day to defeat Timothy Christian on the road (61-45) before losing to Old Bridge several nights ago. Sophomore Elijah Peters leads JPS in scoring with an average of 13.7 points per game.

Other teams considered: South Brunswick (0-1), Piscataway (1-0), Perth Amboy (2-1), Woodbridge (0-0), Wardlaw-Hartridge (1-1), Timothy Christian (1-2), Middlesex (1-1), and Spotswood (1-2).