NJ Boys Basketball: Can’t Miss Games for the Week of Jan. 28-Feb. 2

It is the final week of January basketball in New Jersey. Teams have completely found themselves and contenders have separated themselves from the rest of the pack. With county and conference tournaments on the horizon, every game is important for these teams moving forward. Here are the top games to watch in the upcoming week. <h2>Tuesday, Jan. 28</h2> Camden at Washington Township, 7:00 PM Camden is officially the threat that everyone expected coming into the season. They are coming off a 12-point statement win over Roselle Catholic. They have won nine in a row heading into this rivalry matchup against Washington Township. Future Kentucky Wildcat <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/lance-ware/">Lance Ware</a> has been a force along with freshman D.J. Wagner and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cian-medley/">Cian Medley</a>. This is a talented team and one that has Tournament of Champions aspirations. Edison at New Brunswick, 7:00 PM New Brunswick has just one loss this season. That loss came in early January to Edison. Ahyan Brown-Miller and Tahjay Moore create the duo that make New Brunswick go. This will be a big time matchup early in the week. New Brunswick will have revenge on their mind. Edison is looking for a sweep led by Nasir McLean and Emanuel Davila. <h2>Wednesday, Jan. 29</h2> Ranney vs. Roselle Catholic at Brookdale Community College, 7:30 PM This will be a rematch of last season’s Non-Public B championship. Ranney will come into this matchup without Scottie Lewis and Bryan Antoine. Roselle Catholic has played some nationally ranked opponents and struggled but they seemed to get back on track against Olympus Prep behind C.J. Wilcher and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/cliff-omoruyi/">Cliff Omoruyi</a>. Ranney, led by <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/elijah-perkins/">Elijah Perkins</a>, are riding a three-game win streak into this matchup in the Jersey Shore Challenge. Montclair Immaculate vs. Bergen Catholic at Teaneck, 7:30 PM Bergen Catholic lost in the final game of the Tournament of Champions last season. They are a team that can get back this season. They have won three straight games and have not lost to a New Jersey opponent yet. Notre Dame commit <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/matt-zona/">Matt Zona</a> has been dominant along with sophomores <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/will-richardson/">Will Richardson</a> and Julien Brown. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/zion-bethea/">Zion Bethea</a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/amare-marshall/">Amar’e Marshall</a> lead a Montclair Immaculate team that has won seven of nine. <h2>Thursday, Jan. 30</h2> Middletown South at CBA, 5:30 PM CBA is starting to come alive in the Shore Conference. After a disappointing 3-6 start, they have won three in a row including statement wins over Mater Dei and Marlboro. Middletown South has been hot all season. They are riding a 10-game win streak and will look for the season sweep of CBA. Fans could get another instant classic. These two met earlier in the season and it ended after three overtimes with Middletown South grabbing a three point victory. St. Peter’s Prep at Hudson Catholic, 7:00 PM Two teams ranked in the top 20 of the state will meet in this one. Hudson Catholic defeated St. Peter’s Prep 57-51 earlier in the season behind 24 points from <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/zion-cruz/">Zion Cruz</a>. They have won nine in a row and will look to make it 10. St. Peter’s Prep is coming off a win over Union which was their seventh win in eight games. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/mark-armstrong/">Mark Armstrong</a>, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/rayshawn-ford/">Rayshawn Ford</a>, and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/will-white/">Will White</a> have been catalysts all season. They will have their hands full with Cruz, <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/phil-brown/">Phil Brown</a>, and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/justin-glover/">Justin Glover</a>. Paterson Kennedy at Don Bosco, 7:00 PM Don Bosco has lost four of their last five games. Three of those losses have come to top-20 opponents and they will have another on their schedule in Paterson Kennedy. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/myles-ruth/">Myles Ruth</a> has been the leader all season for Don Bosco who is looking for that big statement win. Paterson Kennedy is ranked 16th behind the strong play of Mark Heber and Deishon Harrison. <h2>Friday, Jan. 31</h2> Burlington City vs. Penns Grove at Holy Cross, 4:00 PM Burlington City had won 13 in a row before losing to South Brunswick. They will look to get back on track in the Holy Cross Prep Showcase against Penns Grove. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/kavon-lewis/">Kavon Lewis</a> and Jamar Johnson are both 1,000 point scorers for Penns Grove. They will both have to be on top of their game if they want to pick up a huge out of conference win. St. Thomas Aquinas at Carteret, 6:00 PM This matchup will feature two of the top teams in the GMC. St. Thomas Aquinas is a perfect 8-0 in conference play. Carteret is 7-1 and that one loss came against St. Thomas Aquinas when these two met earlier in the season. It was a 45-40 win for the Trojans last time out led by <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/quadry-adams/">Quadry Adams</a>. Carteret will be home for this one and will look for Starrell Hearns and Donte Prioleau to keep up with the speed of St. Thomas Aquinas. St. Augustine at Atlantic City, 8:00 PM Atlantic City is hosting the Battle of the Bay this weekend and this will be the final game of day one. Atlantic City has won their last 10 games. St. Augustine is playing good basketball minus a loss to Wildwood Catholic. Atlantic City got Stephen Byard back after missing time with a high ankle sprain and this has sparked their offense. He will have a tough matchup with Kevin Foreman of St. Augustine. <h2>Saturday, Feb. 1</h2> Hillside vs. Manasquan at Roselle Catholic, 3:30 PM This matchup will be part of Roselle Catholic’s Tom Richel Memorial Hoopfest. Hillside has been on a major hot streak. They are led by Kalleem Lambert and Joseph Hinton but they will have their hands full with Manasquan. The Shore Conference powerhouse opened eyes when they played Roselle Catholic down to the final three seconds. Class of 2022 stud <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ben-roy/">Ben Roy</a> has led Manasquan along with future Louisville baseball player <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/alex-galvan/">Alex Galvan</a>. The Patrick School at Roselle Catholic, 5:00 PM The Patrick School and Roselle Catholic will meet as the top two teams in the state. This game will follow Hillside-Manasquan during Roselle Catholic’s Tom Richel Memorial Hoopfest. This will be the second meeting of the season between these teams. The Patrick School defeated Roselle Catholic earlier in the season in the 2019 Kyrie Invitational at the Barclays Center. Wilcher has been one of the best players in New Jersey this season. He is scoring just over 20 points per game while Omoruyi is averaging a double-double. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/zarique-nutter/">Zarique Nutter</a> has led the Celtics all season long. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/adama-sanogo-2/">Adama Sanogo</a> has dominated since returning from sitting out due to the transfer rules. This will be the game of the week and has a chance to be the game of the year in New Jersey. Seton Hall Prep vs. Wildwood Catholic at Atlantic City, 8:00 PM Wildwood Catholic will headline the Battle of the Bay against Seton Hall Prep. Wildwood Catholic has dominated conference play. They have won nine in a row, all by 19 or more points. They have not lost since Jan. 4 when they were taken down by No. 3 Elizabeth. Seton Hall Prep has won seven in a row including an impressive win over No. 15 Montclair Immaculate. Seton Hall Prep will have to find a way to slow down <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/taj-thweatt/">Taj Thweatt</a> and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jahlil-white/">Jahlil White</a> if they want to come away with a victory.