It was a rough week for the Edison High School boys basketball team as it fell to 3- 11 on the season after suffering tough losses at the hands of Old Bridge and South Plainfield.
Despite Anthony Green’s 20 points and Steve Migliore’s 17, Edison fell to Old Bridge 61-53 in overtime Friday night. Tyler Abad led Old Bridge with 21 points and teammate Nick Perez finished with 18.
“This was another disappointing loss for us,” Edison head coach Charlie Mohr said. “We’ve been in several close games, losing by one to South Brunswick, by five to Perth Amboy, four to Woodbridge, and now four to Old Bridge. We’re just having trouble finishing games and playing for the entire 32 minutes without letdowns. The Red Division is tough year in and year out, and we’re taking our lumps this year.”
Earlier in the season, the Eagles suffered a major blow when starting center Steve Nappe went down with a sprained ankle. Nappe just returned to the lineup after missing five games.
“Nappe is playing well again,” Mohr said. “We were forced to go with a freshman at center with Nappe sidelined. Will Thomas came in and really gave us some good minutes. Thomas proved he can play at the varsity level, and we’re hoping to have both Will and Steve on the floor together to add a new dimension to our attack.”
When Nappe went down, guards Migliore and Erik Janz gave the Eagles a much-needed boost and elevated their games. Migliore leads the team with 25 three-pointers on the season. He knocked down three in Friday night’s loss to Old Bridge.
“Steve has been shooting the ball well lately,” Mohr said. “He can really put some points on the board when he gets hot.”
Janz, the team’s defensive specialist, has been holding his own while guarding some of the Red Division’s most prolific scorers.
“Erik was the starting quarterback on the football team the last couple of seasons, so he brings a football mentality to the court,” Mohr said. “He’s done a great job against opposing teams’ top offensive threats.”
Just a sophomore, Green continues to emerge as one of the team’s top performers. His 20 points in the Old Bridge loss was well above his average of 12 points per game.
“Anthony has a very quick first step, so he can beat a lot of people off the dribble,” Mohr said. “The varsity level is a big jump from freshman basketball, but he’s adjusted well. We hope he can continue to improve and add depth to his game.”
Despite the record, Mohr continues to be impressed with his team’s effort and is hoping his players can finish games a little better and win some of the close ones.
“We’re really focusing on getting better every day,” Mohr said. “The concentration is on defense and rebounding. We have a big week ahead of us.”
The Eagles will look to pick up wins this week against South Brunswick and J.P. Stevens. South Brunswick comes to town for a 7 p.m. tip-off Jan. 29. Edison will travel across town to take on Stevens at noon on Jan. 31.