NJ Boys Basketball: Group 3 Power Rankings

<p><em><span style="font-size: 8pt;">Photo by NJ.com</span></em></p> <p>As January comes to an end, county and conference tournaments are beginning to form. Following those tournaments, the state brackets will begin to come out and teams will fight for the most coveted prize. There is plenty of talent in every group around New Jersey. Here are the top teams in Group 3.</p> <p><strong>1. Timber Creek (15-1)</strong></p> <p>Timber Creek has won seven in a row, six of which have come by double-digits. Their lone loss on the season came against Cherry Hill West. Timber Creek is a senior heavy team this season. Justin Bladen and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/eric-benjamin/">Eric Benjamin</a> have been scoring machines to lead the way. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/demetrius-paynter/">Demetrius Paynter</a> is another dynamic scorer and rebounder for Timber Creek.</p> <p><strong>2. West Morris (14-1)</strong></p> <p>West Morris was off to a 10-0 start before losing to Watchung Hills. They have since won four in a row and seem to be back on track. All but one of their wins has come by double-digits this season. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ryan-hillier/">Ryan Hillier</a> has been the leader for West Morris during their dominant season. Junior <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/christian-cevis/">Christian Cevis</a> is averaging 9.5 assists and is a true point guard.</p> <p><strong>3. Irvington (15-1)</strong></p> <p>Group 3 is full of strong teams who know how to win. Irvington is just another one loss team with high hopes for the postseason. They dropped a game to Newark Tech but have been perfect otherwise. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/moses-pierre/">Moses Pierre</a> is averaging 20 points and 10.8 rebounds per game for Irvington this season.</p> <p><strong>4. Carteret (15-3)</strong></p> <p>Carteret has losses to Plainfield, Union, and St. Thomas Aquinas this season. Their three losses have come by a combined 12 points. They will have a chance to redeem themselves against St. Thomas Aquinas this week. Carteret is one of the top teams in a very tough GMC. Starrell Hearns has emerged as a star in the conference and Camron McCargo is second on the team behind Hearns in scoring and rebounding.</p> <p><strong>5. Moorestown (13-1)</strong></p> <p>Moorestown suffered an early season loss to Westampton Tech 45-44. They have since won 10 in a row including impressive wins over Trenton Catholic and Rancocas Valley. Moorestown could be the team to watch in the state tournament because of their depth and unselfish play. Hayden Greer is the team’s leading scorer this season. Evan Francisco, Logan Jagodzinski, and Kevin Muhic are also averaging double-digit points per game.</p> <p><strong>6. Summit (14-2)</strong></p> <p>Summit is on a big 11 game win streak since dropping two in a row early on. They will have a tough stretch coming up against Union and Rahway. Eric Baier has been the catalyst all season long and has led Summit to 14 wins thus far. Summit is another dark-horse team to keep an eye on come state tournament time.</p> <p><strong>7. Rahway (13-2)</strong></p> <p>This is a UCC team that plays a tough schedule and has been successful. They have two losses this season to Summit and Carteret by a combined five points. Rahway has won five games in a row and have a chance to keep it going down the stretch. Juniors <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/ernest-carter/">Ernest Carter</a> and Amari Thompson are the leading scorers this season and have Rahway set up for the future.</p> <p><strong>8. Wall (13-4)</strong></p> <p>Wall came into the season with expectations of being one of the top teams in the Shore Conference. They suffered some early season losses but have turned it around since. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/quinn-calabrese/">Quinn Calabrese</a> is once again the leader on the floor for Wall. Patrick Lacey is another strong option on both ends of the floor. When it comes to the state tournament, Wall will be a tough out because they are well coached and a disciplined team.</p>