Bergen County is going to be fun

There are some big-time teams in Bergen County this season and the opening weekend showed us that the race for the Bergen County Jamboree title is going to be fun.

At the top of it all is No. 7 Bergen Catholic, which took care of business with an 89-43 win over Paterson East Side and an 81-70 win over St. Thomas Aquinas. Will Richardson has looked incredible in the early-going, while fellow sophomore guard Julian Brown has emerged as a go-to-option and Notre Dame-forward Matt Zona handles the play down low.

No. 13 Don Bosco Prep opened the year with a 72-64 win over Newburgh Free Academy (N.Y.) before falling to No. 5 Elizabeth, 78-68. Senior guard Myles Ruth is playing like a man possessed and has the ability to take over games.

St. Joseph (Mont.) is off to a nice start with a 73-36 win over River Dell and a 71-67 win over Ramsey. St. Joe's has some nice depth - especially at the guard position with Daniel Lans, Dyree Rogers and Nazir Williams leading the way. Ansley Almonor is St. Joe's big.

Hackensack is led by guard Seth Sharif-Brown and he is an absolute beast. He opened the season with 30 points in an 83-66 win over Passaic Tech. This team reached the North 1, Group 4 final last year and has its sights set on championships.

Fair Lawn is off to a very nice start. It won a nail-bitter over Northern Highlands, 57-56, with Or Sundjyvsky posting a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards. John Burek added 12 points and blocked Northern Highlands’ buzzer-beater attempt, while Jami Reyes had 14 points. In less dramatic fashion it improved to 2-0 with a 58-51 win over Secaucus. Burek led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

There was some hype surrounding Ramsey after it reached the North 1, Group 2 final and although it dropped its first two games, this team still has the talent to be a player in Bergen County.

https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2019/12/boys-basketball-observations-analysis-and-more-from-opening-weekend.html