By Warren Rappleyea
South Brunswick High School’s boys basketball team bounced back from just its second loss of the season with a convincing 60-46 win over Old Bridge High School Jan. 21.
Jaier Garrett’s 25 points to led the Vikings, who outscored the Knights, 23-16, over the final quarter to pull away. Ryan Moran added 15 points and Eric Savage, South Brunswick’s leading scorer, chipped in with 13 points.
The win comes on the heels of a disappointing 62-51 loss to Saint Joseph High School of Metuchen Jan. 19. The Vikings jumped out to a 13-8, first-quarter lead, but the Falcons turned the tables in the second quarter, outscoring South Brunswick, 24-7. Savage scored 25 points for the second time this season to pace the offense.
After opening the campaign with a loss to St. Joe’s, the Vikings reeled off eight straight wins before bumping into the Falcons again. Savage, who averages 18.3 points, has keyed the surge. South Brunswick has balance after that, though, as junior Michael Ugarte averages 11.8 points, Garrett averages 8.6 points, Danesh Thirukumaran averages six points and Moran, another junior, is averaging 5.5 points.
Girls basketball
South Brunswick’s girls basketball has won two games in a row following a four-game losing streak. The Lady Vikings are coming off a 70-27 win over Old Bridge Jan. 21. Amber Brown scored 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, and Natalia Louhisdon scored 19 points.
On Jan. 19, the Lady Vikes downed Woodbridge High School, 54-50, as Brown again led the offense with 24 points, upping her scoring average to 15.2 points, which is tops on the team. Louhisdon contributed 16 points and is averaging 13.8 points on the year.
South Brunswick (8-4) opened the campaign with six straight wins before dropping four in row.
indoor track and field
South Brunswick’s winter track team kept its perfect season intact Jan. 19, winning the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Championships. The Lady Vikings piled up 75 points to finish well ahead of runner-up Piscataway Township High School’s 31 points.
Desirae Osley won a thrilling 400-meter race with an indoor personal best of 58.56, giving her the GMC title for the second year in a row. Osley also anchored on the 4×400 relay, coming from behind to seal the victory. She combined with Brianna Araque, Latisha Witherspoon and Chloe Hypolite to run the event in 4:05.11. Osley also finished third in the 55 with a personal best of 7.48.
Saniella Izzo tied the meet record of 10-0 to capture the pole vault for the first time indoors after winning the outdoor title last year. Courteney Campbell jumped 5-4 to win the high jump.
Other medal winners included Maggie Kaplan, who took second in the pole vault (9-6); Miranda Irizarry, who finished second in the shot put; and Sydney Schneider, who was second in both the 55 hurdles and the high jump. Ominay Robertson was third in the 55 hurdles, Essence Baker finished third in the 800, Nicole Notarianni finished fifth in the 55 hurdles and Natalie Ginez was sixth in both the 1,600 and the 3,200.
North Brunswick
North Brunswick Township High School’s boys basketball team looks to get on a winning track after dropping six straight games. The Raiders (3-9) fell, 61-53, to Piscataway Jan. 21 despite a 19-point performance by junior Francis Omowole, who averages 15.7 points to lead the team. He also scored 15 in a 64-44 loss to Old Bridge Jan. 14. Guard Prenay Bhandare is averaging 15.2 points, including a 24-point outing in a loss to Hillsborough High School in December.
Girls basketball
North Brunswick’s girls have also been struggling, having lost three straight since a 48-25 victory over Colonia High School Jan. 19. Tatum Altman and freshman Kayla Scher scored 13 points apiece in the win, and Samantha Mehalick added 11 points — season highs for all three players.