If any one day last week seemed to be one of predetermined eminence for Top 20 teams, it would have been last Thursday.
Among the 15 games involving ranked squads, only one – Gill St. Bernard’s vs. Montgomery – was a Top 20 matchup. All the other elites were facing unranked teams and expected to prevail against those unheralded foes accordingly.
What is it they say about making assumptions?
The first sign of trouble occurred that afternoon when unranked Pingry had put together an outstanding third quarter that set the tone for a 64-58 upset over then-No. 9 Rutgers Prep, which had entered that game feeling great about its 89-73 victory two days earlier against No. 11 Montgomery.
Just an hour or so after that result, unranked Sayreville had rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half to stun then-No. 17 Piscataway, 68-67. That same Piscataway team would fall to another unranked club, East Orange, on Sunday at the Stay Public Showcase in Plainfield, 74-53.
And a bit later that evening, it was unranked Union formulating a big surprise with a 60-58 triumph over then-No. 5 Seton Hall Prep.
Along with those three Top 20-rattling upsets, No. 7 Morris Catholic needed overtime to tame unranked Madison, 84-76, and No. 13 St. Benedict’s had difficulty getting by unranked Arts, 46-41, that same day.
As a result of Upheaval Thursday, Piscataway drops from the Top 20, as does a Rumson-Fair Haven team that dropped a 68-54 loss to unranked Middletown South on Saturday.
Entering the rankings are Paul VI, which began the season in the Top 20, and Tenafly. We are also keeping a close eye now on the likes of Union, Pingry, Sayreville and East Orange.
Scroll through below and introduce yourselves to the teams that comprise the Top 20 for Jan. 13.
1-Plainfield (10-1)
Last week: No. 1
Junior guard Micah Gordon averaged 24.3 points over three games to steer the Cardinals to victories over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, Slam Academy (NY) and Woodbury. Senior forward Devin Thomas scored 19 points in the 73-64 win over Slam and had 15 against Woodbury as Plainfield won its fifth straight game and 17th straight against in-state competition. The Cardinals battle fifth-ranked Roselle Catholic at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Roselle.
2-Bergen Catholic (9-1)
Last week: No. 2
The Crusaders went 3-0 this past week, including a pair of league games against Don Bosco Prep and DePaul. Bergen also got through Roselle Catholic by 10 points, which saw Jaden Brown and Julius Avent each record a double-double. Coming up, Bergen will face CBA and SJR before facing two more out-of-state opponents.
3-St. Peter’s Prep (9-1)
Last week: No. 3
The Marauders rolled to lopsided wins against Kearny and Bayonne, but needed a big second half to erase a one-point deficit against Don Bosco Prep, 48-38, Saturday at the Big Jersey Showcase at Gill St. Bernard’s. Junior wing Oscar Martinez led the way against Bosco with 20 points and 10 rebounds, and senior forward Mason Santiago collected 10 points, five rebounds and five assists.
4-Christian Brothers (10-1)
Last week: No. 4
The Colts went 4-0 this past week, but the key ones came over Linden and Rumson-Fair Haven. The 31-point victory over RFH was a battle of the top two Shore squads, and CBA’s road effort cements their status as top dogs for now.
5-Roselle Catholic (7-4)
Last week: No. 8
The Lions were 3-1 last week, with wins against No. 7 Linden, Scoth Plains-Fanwood and Forest Hills (NY) and a 72-62 loss to No. 2 Bergen Catholic Saturday at the Big Jersey Showcase at Gill St. Bernard’s. Senior guard Tyrease Hunter scored 20 points and sophomore guard Chase Bray netted 16 against Linden, and senior guard Trevon Lewis did all he could to change the outcome against Bergen Catholic with 23 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Roselle Catholic faces top-ranked Plainfield Tuesday at home.
6-Morris Catholic (10-1)
Last week: No. 7
Morris Catholic choreographed convincing wins against Mountain Lakes, Hanover Park and St. Elizabeth (DE), but struggled to best Madison for a second time this season, escaping with an 84-76 overtime victory on Thursday. The Crusaders had edged Madison, 68-67, in overtime Dec. 29. Junior guard Cameron White pumped in 26 points and senior wing Austin Workman scored 25 points and took down 19 rebounds Thursday against the Dodgers. He followed that up with 22 points against St. Elizabeth, 75-61.
7-Linden (8-5)
Last week: No. 6
Linden opened its week with a 53-46 loss to then-No. 8 Roselle Catholic, and fell later in the week to No. 4 Christian Brothers, 64-56, though fell only one spot in the rankings. Recent victories over No. 8 Gill St. Bernard’s and No. 10 Montgomery helped the Tigers preserve their general location. Jekhi Burnam scored 18 points to steer Linden to a 57-50 win over Elizabeth on Thursday, and Asante Jones led a balanced attack with 13 points to spearhead a balanced effort Sunday in a 69-55 win against Irvington.
8-Gill St. Bernard’s (10-2)
Last week: No. 10
The Knights are winners of six games in a row, including two big victories over Rutgers Prep and Montgomery to grab an early lead in the Somerset County ranks. Jahmal Dixon poured in a season-high 22 points vs. Montgomery, then Prosper Sonkoua led with 33 and 10 against Rutgers Prep. Pingry and Bridgewater-Raritan await Gill St. Bernard’s next.
9-Cherry Hill East (10-0)
Last week: No. 12
The Cougars are coming off back-to-back Olympic American victories over Eastern and Cherokee. They will host No. 10 Lenape on Thursday in the first of two division contests, looking to avenge a loss in last year’s South Jersey Group 4 final. Sophomore guard Jamieson Young is among state scoring leaders at 23 points per game, while junior guard Chris Abreu is averaging 15.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Senior guard Chris Delgado also enters the week needing 41 points to reach the 1,000-point milestone.
10-Lenape (9-0)
Last week: No. 14
The Indians should be well rested, traveling to Seneca on Tuesday after having beaten Cherokee a week ago. They’re then slated to take on No. 9 Cherry Hill East on Thursday in a big early-season Olympic American showdown and a Rumson-Fair Haven squad that was ranked last week on Saturday in the Jimmy V Showcase at Central Regional. The defending South Jersey Group 4 champions have played a strong schedule over the first few weeks, with the 1-2 punch of Nolan Barnes and Jaidyn Boyd leading the attack.
11-St. Joseph (Met.) (10-0)
Last week: No. 16
The Falcons topped St. Thomas Aquinas, Old Bridge, Archbishop Carroll (PA) and Wings Academy (NY) by an average score of 69-42 with a balanced attack sparked by newcomer Aidan Carter and also Imaad Johnson, Andrew Kretkowski and Alijah Murphy. Carter, a 6-7 junior transfer from St. Thomas Aquinas, became eligible Thursday against Old Bridge and struck for 25 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and seven steals in his debut. The point guard averaged 17.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 9.0 assists in the victories against Archbishop Carroll and Wings.
12-Rutgers Prep (6-5)
Last week: No. 9
Producing 19 3-pointers against Montgomery, the Argonauts showed the state that they are among the best shooting units. Rutgers then lost three games in a row to Pingry, Gill St. Bernard’s and St. Francis (NY). They will oppose Bridgewater-Raritan and Hunterdon Central next.
13-Seton Hall Prep (8-3)
Last week: No. 5
Two nights after defeating then-No. 13 St. Benedict’s, 65-55, the Pirates faded in the fourth quarter against unranked Union and lost, 60-58, on Thursday. Seton Hall rebounded Saturday with a 76-55 win against Payne Tech that was sparked by junior Anthony Gonzalez with 20 points and eight rebounds and sophomore Infinite Sincere-Amen Ra with 18 points and four assists. Sincere-Amen Ra scored 18 points in the loss to Union and 16 against St. Benedict’s.
14-Montgomery (9-3)
Last week: No. 11
The Cougars ended their three-game skid with a win over Overbrook in the Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout. Mike Simborski’s 19 points led the way. Up next, Montgomery will face Hillsborough, Phillipsburg and St. Thomas Aquinas.
15-St. Benedict’s (8-2)
Last week: No. 13
The Gray Bees lost to No. 13 Seton Hall Prep, 65-55, on Tuesday, then built a large early lead against Arts and held on for a 46-41 victory on Thursday. Junior guard Daniel Hinkov led St. Benedict’s in both games, hitting for 18 points against Seton Hall and 16 against Arts. Junior guard Terrance Jamison chipped in with 14 points against Arts.
16-Teaneck (10-1)
Last week: No. 19
The Highwaymen enter the new week with four straight wins against Hillside, Pascack Valley, Demarest, and DePaul. Senior Mickell Taylor Jr. is averaging almost 29 points per game following a 33-point effort against DePaul. Teaneck will face Tenafly, Franklin, and Old Tappan next.
17-Paul VI (6-3)
Last week: Not ranked
A team that opened the year in the Preseason Top 20, Paul VI has won five in a row. Included in the recent surge are victories over No. 6 Morris Catholic in non-league action on the road and an improving Camden team in Olympic National play. Seth Dozier, Toussant Malukila and Isaiah Thatcher have combined to average better than 44 points per game, with Thatcher draining a team-leading 27 3-pointers. Paul VI will take on Shawnee and Bishop Eustace before hosting Don Bosco Prep and St. Augustine this weekend in the Paul VI Winter Classic.
18-Thrive Charter (8-1)
Last week: No. 18
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but Thrive Charter did just enough Monday to hold off Holy Cross Prep, 39-36, in a matchup of BCSL Liberty frontrunners. The Titans extended their winning streak to eight in a row, with their lone loss coming at the hands of No. 7 Linden on Dec. 17. Thrive has another division game Friday against Westampton Tech before facing No. 5 Roselle Catholic on Saturday and Mercer County rival Trenton on Monday.
19-Shabazz (11-0)
Last week: No. 20
Fast-paced Shabazz averaged 88.3 points over its four games last week to post dominating wins over West Caldwell Tech, Cedar Grove, Science Park and Dickinson. Sophomore guard Anthony Blackmon averaged 23.2 points and 3.5 steals in that span, senior guard Zaim Barnes scaled 1,000 career points, and junior transfer guard Elijah Colon (Hudson Catholic) made a splash in his arrival. Barnes reached 1,000 with 15 points in a 78-42 win against Science Park, and Colon dropped in a combined 67 points in his three games.
20-Tenafly (8-0)
Last week: Not ranked
Among all public schools, only Lenape has more power points than Tenafly entering the new week. The Tigers have been led by junior Adin Goldschneider’s 26 points per game, along with 12.5 from Nick Baldini and 11.8 from Nick Lewin. Watch out for Thursday’s game, as they host fellow Top 20 team and Big North-National Division rival Teaneck.
