BASKETBALL

Boys Basketball: This week's GMC/HNT Top 10

Lauren Knego
Courier News and Home News Tribune

1. Piscataway (6-1): Piscataway has opened this season on a tear and sits atop the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division with wins over St. Joseph (Met.), Old Bridge, Perth Amboy and South Brunswick. The Chiefs' lone loss came at the hands of East Orange on Dec. 27, but they bounced back with back-to-back wins. Piscataway will look to make it three in a row when it hosts Woodbridge on Saturday. 

2. Linden (5-1): Linden continues to be Linden this season despite the loss of a number of last year's playmakers. The Tigers opened the season with five straight wins, but fell to Porter-Gaud in South Carolina during their holiday tournament. Linden has yet to open its division schedule, with Thursday's game against Plainfield being snowed out, but will face Timber Creek on Saturday. 

3. St. Joseph (5-1): St. Joseph (Met.) is another team that lost a number of big names from last season's team, but continues to find ways to win. The Falcons, second in the Red Division with their lone loss coming at the hands of Piscataway, have defeated East Brunswick, Monroe, J.P. Stevens, Asbury Park and Lenape. St. Joseph will face Christ the King on Saturday. 

4. Old Bridge (5-2): Old Bridge has experienced success in the Red Division, with its lone loss coming at the hands of Piscataway. Julius Belton leads the way, as he's averaging 16.9 points per game, with big contributions coming from Mike Oliva, Jared Meyer and Ryan Delecuesta. The Knights will face St. John Vianney on Saturday. 

5. Sayreville (6-1): Sayreville opened the season with five-straight wins before falling to Colts Neck on Dec. 30, but still sits on top of the GMC White Division at 3-0. Behind Elijah Clark, who is averaging 14.3 points per game, the Bombers, who made it the GMC Tournament final for the first time since 2000 last year, will look to keep winning when they face North Brunswick on Saturday. 

6. Bishop Ahr (7-1): Bishop Ahr has been on a six-game winning streak since falling to Sayreville 57-54 on Dec. 16. The Trojans, who are atop the GMC Blue Division at 4-0, have been averaging 67 points per game this season. Bishop Ahr will play Metuchen on Friday and travel to East Brunswick on Monday. 

7. Colonia (4-3): Colonia opened the season 0-3, with narrow losses coming at the hands of Hackettstown and Sayreville. The Patriots have won their last four games over Franklin, J.F. Kennedy (twice) and Woodbridge. Colonia will look to extend its win streak against Perth Amboy on Saturday and North Brunswick on Thursday. 

8. Woodbridge (4-1): Woodbridge was cruising this season having opened the season 4-0 with wins against Edison, New Brunswick, J.F. Kennedy and Franklin. The Barrons then fell to rival Colonia on Dec. 30 by four points for its first loss of the season, but will look to bounce back against a tough Piscataway team on Saturday. 

9. Carteret (5-3): Carteret is another team that has opened the season strong, with wins over Spotswood, South Plainfield and Middlesex before a loss to Bishop Ahr on Dec. 22. The Ramblers have gone 2-2 in their last four games and will look to put another check in the win column against Perth Amboy on Monday. 

10. Perth Amboy (3-3): Perth Amboy has a new look this season having lost eight seniors and bringing in a new coach in Julius David, Sr. The Panthers opened the season 1-3, with losses against Piscataway, Old Bridge and Memorial, but have won their last two games against Kearny and Monroe. Perth Amboy has a tough test coming with games against Colonia on Saturday and Carteret on Monday. 

Records through Wednesday, Jan. 3. Staff Writer Lauren Knego: lknego@gannettnj.com; on Twitter: @laurenknego