Top Midweek Performers Jan 18\19

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As we prep for a huge weekend of showcases across the Garden State, it's a perfect time to look at the players and teams who have been impressive this week thusfar. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>The Top Game: </em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Without question, it came from the Prep ranks, as Saint Benedict's outlasted Blair 84-81 in a battle between the top two prep schools in the Garden State. A rivalry that goes back many years only gets more intense with each meeting between the two rivals. The matchup always features up to a dozen D1 prospects between the teams and some of the top players in the region. Senior big man <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1400487' first='Ladji' last='Dembele']</strong> had 19&amp;9, cementing himself as one of the top bigs in the Tri State. The 6'8" 235lb bruiser of a post player is committed to Iowa. 6'0" Navy commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1013073' first='Carnegie' last='Johnson']</strong> led Blair in defeat with 19. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Manasquan ripped the lid off the Shore Conference seeding argument by downing Saint Rose 41-37 at home. Sophomore guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1411642' first='Evan' last='Romano']</strong> led the Purple Roses with 12 but was outdone by fellow sophomore <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1411404' first='Darius' last='Adams']</strong>, one of the top sophomores in the state, who finished just ahead of him with 14. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Slightly off the radar, Timothy Christian outlasted JFK of Iselin in a double OT battle. TCS bruising post player <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1456844' first='Jalen' last='Fleming']</strong> had 23&amp;13 and continues to build on a strong freshman season. He's got the ability to draw contact and get to the line but is getting more explosive with the ball in his hands as well. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the upset of the week thusfar at the Shore, Mon Don defeated Shore Regional, coming from behind by outscoring the Blue Devils 17-4 in the fourth quarter. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1273929' first='Alex' last='George']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1019862' first='Liam' last='Gajewski']</strong> combined for 36 in defeat. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In an Essex County Showdown, Louisville commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1050393' first='TJ' last='Robinson'] </strong>and Immaculate Conception survived a trip Down Neck and defeated Newark East Side in OT. East Side had a great performance from 6'6" senior forward <strong>Quattrell Wilson</strong>, who had a double double, but Robinson's 22 and 18 from 6'5" senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150465' first='Tavian' last='Pullock']</strong> was just enough to outlast the Ironbound side. Pullock is a versatile wing who can light it up from deep and remains one of the top available players in the state. Anthony Tavares and Bryant Garvin's charges have now lost 6 games in a row and face another tough contest at the weekend in undefeated Trenton Central. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Questions swirled at the Group I level as to how Keyport would respond to losing its best senior class in 20 years...The Red Raiders have responded by going 9-3 to the midpoint of the season and have had a leadership boost from the lone key returning contributor from last year in 6'4" senior <strong>Max Judson</strong>. He's a talented multi-sport athlete who is at his best fighting in the post for the basketball team, but he's also been a star on the volleyball and football teams. They're in the hunt for the B-Central title, which is exclusively public schools now. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Breakout Player To Follow:</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6'3" Manalapan junior wing <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2111534' first='Anthony' last='Leger']</strong>. After spending his first two years of high school seeing significant minutes for Mater Dei, Leger returned to his hometown after Mater Dei was abruptly shuttered by its board this past spring. He's transitioned well from playing in B-Central to the largest classification in the shore and has gone over 20 multiple times and came right up to 20 against CBA and Freehold Twp. He's going to be a player to watch in A-North the next year. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->