Girls basketball Greater Middlesex Conference, southern Union County notebook
Despite a preseason appearance from one of its greatest alumni – and one of America’s most decorated women’s basketball players – the Piscataway High School girls basketball team’s 2023-24 season got off to a slow start.
The Chiefs (9-9) lost their first three games, but are playing some of their best basketball, and thanks to a stretch of four wins in five games, has evened their record.
With senior Courtney Edmundo and freshman Sarae Croley-Battle leading the way, Piscataway defeated second-ranked Colonia, 52-40, and No. 4 Monroe, 55-39, the latter avenging an early-season loss.
“We’re definitely playing more like a team than we were at the beginning of the season,” said Piscataway senior Alyssa Rice, who is averaging 12.5 points pe game. “We had been in a slump, but we’re more connected. We proved that last week.”
More: Girls basketball rankings: Greater Middlesex Conference and area UCC Top 10
The club was treated to a late November meeting inside a classroom with Asjha Jones, an Olympic Gold Medalist, a national champion at UConn, and a 2,000-point scholastic scorer for the Chiefs. Jones won WNBA titles as a player and a coach, before joining the front office of the NBA’s Portland Trail Blazers.
“I saw her name on the school’s wall of fame and on some awards, but I didn’t really know who Asjha Jones was,” Rice said. “I was blown away when I learned about all of her accomplishments. She talked about how a team is like a family and that’s what it was like for her at Piscataway High School. Her visit was very interactive and very interesting. I wasn’t bored/ I don’t think anybody was.
“Meeting Asjha Jones and hearing her talk definitely made me even more motivated to play for my team and teammates. It was a great experience.”
Planting county seeds
The GMC Tournament is scheduled to be seeded on Friday, with play-in games slated for Saturday. The preliminary round is set for Feb. 5 and the first round Feb. 8. The quarterfinals will be held at Spotswood on Feb. 10, the semis and final at Monroe on Feb. 13 and Feb. 16.
The Union County Tournament will be seeded Wednesday, with opening-round games at higher-seeded schools on Feb. 5 and Feb. 7. The quarterfinals are slated for Feb. 9 at A.L. Johnson and Rahway, with the semis Feb. 14 at ALJ. The final is scheduled for Feb. 18 at Kean University.
We will have the brackets for both tournaments as soon as they become official, at MyCentralJersey.com.
More: Girls Basketball: Edison's Ghelsey Go puts up career-high 37 points in win over JFK
Around the GMC
The Gold Division has gotten a lot tighter. Dunellen, which was undefeated in league play entering last week, absorbed losses to division foes it had defeated earlier this season, falling to Timothy Christian, which got 32 points from Rhaiyna Brown, and Wardlaw-Hartridge, which has won six straight. The Destroyers are now tied with Wardlaw, with the Tigers just a game behind.
North Plainfield, despite suffering its first division loss of the season last week -- to Woodbridge in overtime -- continues to lead the White Division with a 13-1 record and a half-game lead on J.P. Stevens. The Canucks also hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Hawks.
In the Blue Division, Spotswood is on an 11-game winning streak and yet to lose in 2024. The Chargers are also undefeated in division play and have wrapped up the crown. Spotswood defeated division rival South River on Saturday, 52-21, snapping the Rams’ 13-game winning streak.
St. Thomas Aquinas, also unbeaten against division foes, sealed the Red Division title with a victory over North Brunswick on Monday.
GAMES OF THE WEEK:
Colonia at Piscataway, 5:30 p.m. Tuesday: Rematch of the game Piscataway won 52-40 two weeks ago. Courtney Edmundo posted 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Chiefs, while Taylor Derkack posted 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Patriots in the first meeting. Second-ranked Colonia plays home against top-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas on Thursday.
Timothy Christian at Wardlaw-Hartridge, 4 p.m. Wednesday: A key Gold Division game with the winner likely in a first-place tie with Dunellen. Both teams avenged losses to the Destroyers last week to enhance the significance of this contest. Wardlaw-Hartridge defeated Timothy Christian earlier this season, 54-43.
North Plainfield at J.P. Stevens, 5:30 p.m. Thursday: These Top 10 teams boast a combined 25-2 record against White Division competition. North Plainfield, which has occupied first place all season, defeated J.P. Stevens 73-53 earlier this month.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Girls basketball Greater Middlesex Conference, area UCC notebook
