By Patrick Falco

TOP 5 SMALL SCHOOLS (Group I & II)

1. Madison- The Dodgers went 1-1 in the past week. They had their five-game winning
   streak snapped against a very good New Providence team 59-52. Madison had a
   difficult time containing Jackson Zarinko. Zarinko, a senior guard, scored a game-
   high 20 points. Even with the loss, Madison is in a good position in their division.
2. High Point- The Wildcats had some highs and lows this week. First, they took down
   an upstart Sussex Tech team in a showdown for first place 65-47. Brayden Franko
   carried them to the big win. He scored 23 points with five three pointers. High Point
   pulled away from Sussex Tech with a gigantic 30-point third quarter where Franko
   could not miss a shot. The Wildcats would get stifled by Whippany Park in their next
   game. Whippany Park limited High Point to just 29 points.
3. Hackettstown- The Tigers extended their three-game winning streak as they went
   on a mid-season road trip to the Sunshine State. Hackettstown won both of their
   games in Florida. The matchup with Canterbury was a much closer contest. Senior
   Ryan Due’s hot shooting continued into the Florida escape. Due drained 24 points
   and made four threes’ in the 54-53 victory over Canterbury.
4. Vernon- The Vikings rebounded from a two-game losing streak the previous week to
   win the next two this week. Vernon’s biggest win during the mini streak was a 62-53
   upset of Parsippany Hills. Parsippany Hills had been on a two-game winning streak
   of their own coming into the game. Vernon was able to pull away from Parsippany
   Hills with a 25-point 4 th quarter.
5. Hanover Park- The Hornets have been buzzing recently. They are on a four-game
   winning streak. Senior Johnny Karpinski put his team on his back against the
   Boonton Bombers. Karpinski was lethal from beyond the arc. He made seven threes’
   in a row at one point! Karpinski totaled 27 points with five rebounds in the huge 71-
   43 win over Boonton.

Honorable mentions: Jefferson, Lenape Valley, Sussex Tech.
TOP 5 LARGE SCHOOLS (GROUP III, IV, V & NON-PUBLIC)

1. Morris Catholic- The Crusaders suffered their first loss of the season to St. Joseph Prep (PA)
   88-87 on an overtime buzzer beater. Morris Catholic, ranked no. 15 at the time, lost
   despite Michelangelo Oberti putting up 31 points and 18 rebounds. With a bump up into
   the no. 14 spot in the rankings, the Crusaders blew past St. Augustine 70-52 in the Winter
   Classic Showcase.
2. Delbarton- The Green Wave were involved in two nail-biting games this week. Delbarton
   lost a tough 46-44 game to a struggling Chatham team. After making some adjustments,
   the Green Wave would regroup to take down their longtime rival DePaul 64-63. Michael

Van Raaphorst was clutch in the win over DePaul. Van Raaphorst notched a double-double
with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

3. Parsippany Hills- The Vikings were riding high after their 78-70 victory over Pequannock.
   Parsippany Hills found a way to win even though Pequannock star Karson Culuko went off
   for 34 points. Braylon Moore led the Vikings with 25 points. Parsippany Hills then lost a
   tough one to Vernon in a battle of top teams in the NJAC. Both teams got it going in the
   second half with each team having a 25+ quarter.
4. Mendham- The Minutemen were able to get back in the win column after a disappointing
   55-51 loss to Morristown. Kevin King led Mendham to a huge 59-52 overtime win over
   Randolph. King dropped 25 points with nine three throws made. The win against Randolph
   helped alleviate the pain of losing to Morristown.
5. Morris Knolls- The Golden Eagles picked up two enormous division wins against Montville
   and Morris Hills. Morris Knolls remain undefeated in division play at 7-0. They blew out
   Montville 78-57 and won a close one against Morris Hills 46-37. Morris Knolls Junior Justin
   Hanson led all scorers with 21 points.
   Honorable mentions: Roxbury, Morris Hills, West Morris Central.