Saturday Games To Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the final big weekends of the regular season also overlaps county tournament play and Saturday features a full slate of "win or go home" and showcase games across the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Linden vs Gill St Bernards is one of the marquee showcase games today at the Metro Classic. Anthony Drejaj's Tigers come in at 17-4 and are led by what can only be classified as the mold of "Linden Basketball"--A strong backcourt. 5'10" junior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1213555' first='Nas' last='Robinson']</strong> has emerged as an explosive scorer while the rest of the backcourt--fellow junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1213571' first='Elijah' last='Butler']</strong> and seniors <strong>Jaylen Hodge</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1396264' first='Elijah' last='Motley']</strong>, give Linden one of the elite backcourts in the I-95 corridor. Gill is 13-5 and features the combo of senior guards <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1773015' first='Mario' last='Castro-Sanchez']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150545' first='Nick' last='Losada']</strong>, as well as East Orange transfer <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1269775' first='Ebrahim' last='Kaba']</strong> battling in the front court. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Newark East Side continues its roller coaster season in the Essex County Quarters against a team that it has already seen three times--Losing twice in the season and then nicking Newark Arts in the NPS final at Christmas. Coach T's Raiders look to even the score with their second tournament win of the season over their new center city rival. Senior guard <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150278' first='Sutan' last='Fitzpatrick']</strong> has been the steady force for East Side and can always be counted on to get buckets and fellow senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1407084' first='Amir' last='Abdullah']</strong> has stepped it up offensively in the last two weeks. Arts brings a loaded roster of scholarship talent, led by Boston University commit <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='850754' first='Spencer' last='Joyner']</strong> in the backcourt. He's joined by D1 prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1406993' first='Anthony' last='Akande']</strong> in the backcourt and 6'6" junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1213560' first='Savod' last='Godwin']</strong> in the frontcourt. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Every team that wins a county title always has the trap game in the tournament. That game could be today for Seton Hall Prep as the Pirates tangle with Irvington. High scoring <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1773075' first='Sean' last='Agard']</strong> has powered Irvington back to the contender level in Essex County and has dropped nearly 500 pts this season. With a good 6-10 games to go, it's not out of the question for Agard to reach 1,000 points in two seasons of Irvington varsity hoops. They also got a boost when<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1213545' first='Kordell' last='Philemon']</strong> transferred in. Can those two do enough damage to thwart <strong>Jackson Bleecker</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='609754' first='Darrius' last='Phillips']</strong>--Who recently committed to West Chester and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1773033' first='Ethan' last='Maynard']</strong>? We'll find out today. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Interesting matchup down the shore today as Saint Rose--a program with a storied history of B-Central divisional and Parochial Playoff dominance going back 60+ years and one that has now gone to state power level overnight--travels to Lincroft to take on the once Gold Standard of Shore Conference Basketball, CBA. While the Colts aren't the feared program that Ed Wicelinski had, Geoff Billett has plenty of talent at his disposal and when they're playing as a unit, CBA can beat you. It'll be up to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150543' first='Will' last='Bradley']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1213556' first='Peter' last='Noble']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1402101' first='Joe' last='White']</strong> to be selective with their shots and to play patient to slow down the Hodge brothers, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1153991' first='Gio' last='Panzini']</strong> and the rest of the new look Roses. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The marquee game along the Northeast Corridor line(Don't you just love our hometown references?) brings Ewing and Colonia together. The pair of teams are both thinking that it's county final or bust in the next two weeks, so expect a high intensity battle today. Senior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1013098' first='Noah' last='Taylor']</strong> leads the line for the Patriots in the post, junior football prospect <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1407083' first='Jaeden' last='Jones']</strong> is an athletic guard and freshman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1595674' first='Aiden' last='Derkack']</strong> is one to watch. Senior balance leads Ewing, as<strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1401569' first='Kenny' last='Rankin']</strong>, <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1773085' first='Naire' last='Preston']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1773086' first='Darnelle' last='Forrest'] </strong>are top scorers as a unit, with fellow senior <strong>Grady Griffin</strong> also chipping in when needed. Should be a good one. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>While there are a host of others, such as Roselle Catholic vs Montverde, we've circled the Immaculata-Bound Brook game as a cross-highway rivalry to watch. There will be talent on display with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1150271' first='Jordan' last='Summers']</strong> leading the Crusaders against <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1402099' first='Davis' last='Adams']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1402100' first='Sean' last='Givens']</strong> of 'Lata. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->