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Boys basketball rankings: Greater Middlesex Conference and area UCC Top 10

josh rosenfeld
·3 min read

Here are the latest boys basketball rankings in the Greater Middlesex Conference and southern Union County Conference, through Feb. 10

1. Linden (14-10) – last week No. 1 — The Tigers defeated Hackensack, lost to Plainfield for the second time in five days, then fell to Roselle Catholic in the Union County Tournament quarterfinals. The defending North 2 Group 4 champions, who have lost five of their last six outings, await their state tournament matchup. The state bracket is slated to be seeded Tuesday.

2. St. Joseph (18-7) – last week No. 2 — The Falcons fell to Saddle River Day before eliminating North Plainfield and Timothy Christian from the GMC Tournament. Top-seeded St. Joseph faces three-time defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas in the GMCT semifinals at Monroe on Wednesday.

3. Colonia (16-8) – last week No. 3 — The Patriots rebounded from a non-conference loss to Middle Township by dealing Perth Amboy and Woodbridge 27-point setbacks in the GMCT. Colonia faces South Plainfield in the opening game of Wednesday’s GMCT semifinals.

4. St. Thomas Aquinas (15-9) – last week No. 4 – The Trojans schlepped up to Northern Highlands for a non-conference loss before defeating North Brunswick and East Brunswick in the GMCT. St. Thomas gets its third crack at St. Joseph, who it has lost to twice, in Wednesday’s semifinal nightcap.

5. South Plainfield (18-6) – last week No. 7 – The sixth-seeded Tigers ensured the GMCT semifinals aren’t strictly a Red-Division affair by eliminating Piscataway and third-seed Monroe. South Plainfield renews acquaintances with Colonia, whom it lost to in a surreal sectional semifinal last year, on Thursday.

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6. Monroe (15-7) – last week No. 6 – The Falcons fell to Westfield and defeated Sayreville in the first round of the GMCT before dropping a seven-point verdict to South Plainfield in the quarterfinals.

7. East Brunswick (12-13) - last week unranked — The Bears return to the Top 10 in the same spot they were ranked in the preseason after GMCT triumphs over South River and Old Bridge (for the second time). They then fell to St. Thomas Aquinas in the quarterfinal round. East Brunswick is, unofficially, ranked eighth in Central Jersey Group 4 power points race.

8. Old Bridge (13-9) – last week No. 5 – The Knights fell to East Brunswick for the second time, this time by a single point, in the GMCT first round. That snapped a five-game winning streak, which Old Bridge hopes to revive during state tournament play.

9. Woodbridge (14-6) – last week No. 9 – The Barrons eliminated Gold Division champion Calvary Christian before incurring a one-sided loss to Colonia in the GMCT quarterfinals. Woodbridge is another side hoping to makes a splash in the state tournament.

10. Timothy Christian (12-5) – last week unranked – The Tigers return to the Top 10 after GMCT victories over Edison -- their first against a non-Blue Division foe -- and Spotswood, snapping the Chargers’ 11-game winning streak. The junior-laden Piscataway private school looks to gain some valuable experience in the state tournament in preparation for, what it hopes to be, a serious bid for next year’s GMCT crown.

ALSO RECEIVING CONSIDERATION: Calvary Christian (17-3), North Brunswick (14-10), Piscataway (11-14), Rahway (10-14), Sayreville (15-9), Spotswood (16-6).

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Boys basketball rankings: Greater Middlesex Conf., area UCC Top 10