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

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Here's what's happening this weekend.

1. Bishop Ahr (8-0) – Preseason No. 1: The young Trojans have been tested at times in the early going. The result? Key conference wins, a Lady Wave Holiday Tournament championship and a showcase of their moxie and skills. Bishop Ahr beat three Shore Conference teams in the tournament at Long Branch and sits at 4-0 in the Greater Middlesex Conference White Division. In six of the games, sophomore Emma Boslet (20 ppg, 11 rpg) has scored at least 20 points and has six double-doubles. Sophomore forward Megan Herka has kicked in 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds a game. Senior forward Sara Decker is back after missing the first few game with a foot injury.

2. Piscataway (7-0) – Preseason No. 3: Everyone knew that the Chiefs were returning an experienced team led by Stony Brook-bound LaNiya Miller. Add in the emergence of freshman forward Ariel Jenkins and, well, Piscataway is just that much more dangerous. The Chiefs have showed guts in two early signature wins after trailing at halftime. In the 53-52 win over No. 6 Edison on Dec. 19, Jenkins drilled two free throws with no time left. In the 37-34 win over No. 3 South Brunswick on Jan. 2, Jenkins and Miller each had a double-double. Miller has 18 ppg and 7 rpg, Jenkins has 14 ppg, 11 rpg and 14 blocks with Yamirah Bennett chipping in seven ppg.

3. South Brunswick (5-1) – Preseason No. 4: The Vikings faced some questions after graduating seven letterwinners following back-to-back Red Division titles. So far, so good. The only blemish has been that close loss to No. 2 Piscataway. Guard Alexis Adams, who has committed to the University of Buffalo, has been the leader with 14.1 points and 9.2 rebounds a game. Luese Ufuah has made 10 three-pointers and is the team’s second-leading scorer with 9.7 ppg and has 3 assists a game. Onoseta Ufuah chips in 8.2 points and 3.7 assists a game, while Sydney Coleman has 3.2 assists a game. A big game against No. 1 Bishop Ahr looms on Monday.

4. East Brunswick (6-0) – Preseason No. 5: On opening night, fans did a double-take at East Brunswick’s impressive 76-55 win over Edison. It’s just one game, but it has set the tone and shouted that the experienced and deep Bears are primed for a run at the Red Division title. Alyssa Bondi and Nicole Johnson have led the way with a supporting cast that includes Krystin Goodman, Lauren Krinsky, Bianca Nakar, Layla Newson and Brianna Sliwinski. The Bears face tests next week against No. 2 Piscataway and No. 5 Woodbridge.

5. Woodbridge (5-2) – Preseason No. 8: Sandwiched between losses to No. 1 Bishop Ahr and No. 10 South Plainfield, the Barrons won five in a row keyed by veteran leadership. With six seniors graduating, it’s been seniors Brooke Timinski (19.4 ppg, 4.4 assists, 3 steals per game) and Kameron DeVoogd filling the stat sheet. Timinski can get hot at any given moment as she’s made 21 three-pointers for the season. Sophomore center Skylar De Vogd has emerged in the paint. The Barrons get tested this week with games against No. 4 East Brunswick, No. 7 Sayreville and a key White Division matchup against North Brunswick.

6. Edison (3-4) – Preseason No. 2: The fact is eye-popping: Edison’s four losses are against teams with a combined 21-3 record. That includes defeats to No. 2 Piscataway, No. 4 East Brunswick and non-conference Pingry and West Morris. Coaches want tough games early, and the Eagles should be just fine as the GMC games heat up. A pair of juniors lead the way in Daniella Marmol (18 ppg, 12 rpg and 3 bpg) and Samira Sargent (14 ppg, 3 apg, 4 rpg), who is 215 points away from 1,000 career points. The Eagles face No. 1 Bishop Ahr and No. 3 South Brunswick this week.

7. Sayreville (3-3) – Preseason No. 6: The Bombers were an enigma entering the season. Simply, they had to replace all five starters from last winter’s 29-3 team. Early indications are that Sayreville will once again be a player down the GMC stretch. The team doesn’t have one superstar, just a gritty, balanced unit. Jackie Ventricelli leads with nine points and five rebounds a game. Lyssandra Delacosta has eight ppg and Stephanie Van Note adds in five points and five rebounds a game. Sayreville’s three losses were against tough Shore Conference teams and they’re unbeaten in GMC play, including a win over No. 10 South Plainfield.

8. Middlesex (6-0) – Preseason No. 10: The Blue Jays have been one of the best stories so far in the county. First-year head coach Kevin Harper, who previously coached at Bishop Ahr and Piscataway Vo-Tech, earned his 600th career win on Dec. 27 and became the GMC’s all-time career wins leader with No. 598 on Dec. 15. But Harper would much rather talk about his current players, who are quickly adding to that total. Middlesex became the front runner in the GMC Blue Division with a 53-42 win over Spotswood on Jan. 3. An anticipated game against South River on Friday was postponed because of the weather. Junior guards Carly Santucci (16.8 ppg) and Gianna Canavesio (9.5 ppg) lead the way.

9. Spotswood (4-3) – Preseason No. 9: It’s shaping up to be a fun GMC Blue Division race and Spotswood, once again, is right in the mix. The Chargers have key division wins over Carteret, South River and Metuchen. Their only division blemish was the defeat to Middlesex. Spotswood has a balanced squad with different players chipping in on a nightly basis. Senior forward Courtney Potter (11 ppg, 7 rpg), senior center Erin Malin (10 ppg, 8 rpg), sophomore guard Maddie Hellerich (8 ppg, 7 rpg, 5 apg) and sophomore guard Jessica Addesso (6 pg) have led the way. Hellerich had a triple-double against Metuchen and has two double-doubles, while Potter chipped in a double-double thus far.

10. South Plainfield (3-3) – Preseason Not Ranked: A few teams were considered for the Top 10’s final spot. Certainly, South River (6-1) and Piscataway Tech (5-1) are off to great starts. J.P. Stevens (3-3) lost to No. 3 South Brunswick, No. 4 East Brunswick and No. 6 Edison and looks to be in good shape. The Tigers, however, get the nod fueled by its impressive win over No. 5 Woodbrige on Dec. 15. South Plainfield has played a tough schedule with losses to No. 1 Bishop Ahr, No. 7 Sayreville and non-conference North Hunterdon. 

Andy Mendlowitz can be reached at AMendlowitz@njpressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @andy_mendlowitz

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