By Patrick Falco

Parsippany Hills Guard Julio Tatis looks on before an interview after the Vikings overtime win vs Mahwah.

TOP 5 SMALL SCHOOLS (Group I & II)

  1. Madison- The Dodgers dominated against Summit 70-51 in their only game after the JP Flynn Tournament. Madison trailed 18-15 after the first quarter. They outscored Summit 55 to 33 over the final three quarters. Madison sophomore Gavin Randall matched his season high with 22 points to lead all scorers. 
  2. High Point- The Wildcats have gone 1-1 in the New Year so far. They blew out division rival North Warren 63-44 but lost to Newton in overtime 56-51. High Point senior Brayden Franko set a new season high in points with 20 in the win over North Warren. High Point sits on top of the colonial division with a 3-0 division record.
  3. Sussex Tech- The Mustangs have piled up some wins since their last loss against High Point on December 20th. Sussex Tech won the Belvidere Holiday Classic with ease and is currently on a four-game winning streak. All their wins in that span have been decisive. Senior duo Justyn Hetman and Will White lead the Mustangs with 92 points and 84 points respectively. White has made a whopping 17 three-pointers. 
  4. Hackettstown- After losing both games in the Joe Pepe Memorial Holiday Tournament, the Tigers have bounced back to win two straight contests in NJAC play. Hackettstown survived a thriller against division rival Wallkill Valley 59-57. They came back from a 24-13 deficit after the first quarter. Hackettstown sophomore Troy Strelec scored the most points in his young career with a 26-point performance. Strelec made all 13 of his shots from inside the three-point line. Senior Ryan Due’s 18 points led the Tigers to a close 46-39 victory over Mount Olive in the Hoops to Help Showcase.
  5. Jefferson- The Falcons split their first two games after the calendar turned to 2024. Jefferson earned a huge 52-47 OT win over their division rival Lenape Valley. They came out on top despite Lenape Valley senior guard Anthony Kali pacing everyone in scoring with 25 points. Jefferson outscored Lenape Valley 12-6 in OT to get the win. In the second game of the New Year, Randolph defeated Jefferson in an interconference clash 64-58. 

Teams almost there: Boonton, Lenape Valley, North Warren

TOP 5 LARGE SCHOOLS (GROUP III, IV, V & NON-PUBLIC)

  1. Morris Catholic- The No. 19 ranked Crusaders keep on rolling. They remain the last unbeaten team in the NJAC conference at 10-0. Morris Catholic has left no doubt as to who the better team is in any of their games. Senior Michelangelo Oberti has filled up the stat sheet in every game. So far, Oberti has scored 207 points, 129 rebounds, 48 blocks and 20 steals.
  2. Delbarton- The Green Wave continued their early season success into 2024. Delbarton won a nail biter against division rival Randolph 56-53. Star players Lincoln Zimmermann and Ryan Kress dueled for supremacy in this one. Delbarton was victorious even though Kress scored four more points than Zimmermann. Michael Van Raaphorst’s 23 points led the Green Wave over Sparta two days later.
  3. Parsippany Hills- The Vikings have won two of their three games in 2024. The only game they dropped was against the powerhouse that is Morris Catholic. Parsippany Hills did rebound, however, to take down Roxbury a day later. Star senior guard Julio Tatis tallied a career high of 30 points with 6 steals. The Vikings defeated Roxbury 63-46.
  4. Mendham- The Minutemen carried over their winning streak into the New Year. The streak sits at four games. The win that stands out most is the 50-40 victory over their rival West Morris. It is always a fierce battle when these two teams take the court against each other. Mendham stud junior guard Kevin King put in an amazing performance as he scored a season-high 32 points.
  5. Morris Knolls- The Golden Eagles have extended their winning streak to three games in early 2024. Two of those wins have come against critical division opponents. Morris Knolls owns a perfect 4-0 record in their division. They breezed past Mount Olive behind double-doubles from Brody Hallik and Kieran Durkin. Hallik had 19 points with 10 rebounds while Durkin had 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Teams almost there: Vernon, Morris Hills, Roxbury