Before the top four seeds enter into it we have four second round games scheduled to be played Wednesday night and they are all fine matchups as the 82nd annual boys’ basketball Union County Tournament continues.
Three of the four matchups were previously played. Here they are:
9-Scotch Plains at 8-New Providence
10-Summit at 7-Union Catholic
14-Johnson at 6-Rahway
13-Elizabeth at 5-Union
New Providence (18-3) is on an eight-game winning streak and has won 11 of its last 12. The Pioneers won a share of the Union County Conference’s Sky Division championship with two-time defending champion Johnson.
In a two-day stretch, New Providence first defeated 16-0 Rahway 63-55 at home on Feb. 2 and then on Feb. 3 the Pioneers downed 15-2 Scotch Plains 61-57 at Scotch Plains. Rahway was the last Union County basketball team to lose this year.
Scotch Plains (17-4) began its season 9-0 before falling at Rahway 54-50 on Jan. 16.
Rahway, which begins the week with the most wins of any team in Union County with 19, defeated Johnson 74-68 at home in the first round of its own holiday tournament back in December.
Rahway (19-2) is 3-2 since its 16-0 start, including a 48-42 loss at Carteret.
The Indians, sparked by senior Keyshawn Cummings and junior Zion Pendleton, won the UCC’s Valley Division championship outright for the third straight season.
Johnson (13-6) edged Rahway 36-35 in last year’s Rahway Tournament final, with the Crusaders seeking to win again in Rahway’s gym for an unprecedented second UCT victory in the same season.
Senior 6-4 guard George Visconti enters Monday’s scheduled game at Delaware Valley just 17 points shy of 2,000.
Summit (16-3) has won five straight and seven of eight. Union Catholic (14-8) had won five of six before falling to Roselle Catholic at Kean University Sunday night.
Although not in the same division, Union (13-9) and Elizabeth (7-16) played twice this season. On Opening Night in the third annual St. Jude Classic at Union, Elizabeth prevailed by the overtime score of 67-63.
Union then defeated Elizabeth 54-49 in Elizabeth on Feb. 6.
The top four seeds that will be ready to go for Friday’s quarterfinals include top-seeded Roselle Catholic, second-seeded The Patrick School, third-seeded St. Mary’s of Elizabeth and fourth-seeded Linden.
Roselle Catholic has appeared in the final three times since 2012, but has still not yet won the UCT. The Lions are 0-4 in the final.
The Patrick School has appeared in 23 of the last 25 finals – 2015 and 2012 being the exceptions – and has won the UCT 18 times since 1993. The Celtics have the second most titles with 20, one behind leader Elizabeth (21).
Linden is third with 11, while St. Mary’s has won four.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT
SEEDS: 1-Roselle Catholic. 2-The Patrick School. 3-St. Mary’s, Elizabeth. 4-Linden.
5-Union. 6-Rahway. 7-Union Catholic. 8-New Providence.
9-Scotch Plains. 10-Summit. 11-Plainfield. 12-Westfield.
13-Elizabeth. 14-Johnson. 15-Gov. Livingston. 16-Roselle
17-Hillside. 18-Oratory Prep. 19-Dayton. 20-Koinonia Academy.
21-Cranford.
PRELIMINARY ROUND:
Koinonia Academy 59, Cranford 55
FIRST ROUND:
Rahway 44, Dayton 30
Union Catholic 61, Oratory Prep 42
Scotch Plains 59, Roselle 56
Summit 55, Gov. Livingston 44
Johnson 62, Plainfield 52
Elizabeth 58, Westfield 55
Union 90, Koinonia 34
New Providence 89, Hillside 72
SECOND ROUND:
Wednesday, Feb. 14
9-Scotch Plains at 8-New Providence
10-Summit at 7-Union Catholic
14-Johnson at 6-Rahway
13-Elizabeth at 5-Union
QUARTERFINALS:
Friday, Feb. 16
2 doubleheaders
Times and venues, TBA
SEMIFINALS:
Tuesday, Feb. 20
At Kean University
6 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
FINAL:
Saturday, Feb. 24
At Kean University, 7 p.m.