There are plenty of local scholastic sporting events to get excited for this week.
The action is heavy on the boys’ basketball courts …
The Shore Conference offers a full slate Feb. 2.
Howell High School welcomes its neighboring rival, Freehold Township High School, for a 3:45 p.m. game. In another local showdown, Freehold High School is home for a 5:30 p.m. encounter with Marlboro High School.
The 6:30 p.m. starting time is quite popular. Manalapan High School journeys to Neptune High School, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School takes on host Holmdel High School and Saint John Vianney High School is home to Matawan High School in Holmdel. Also at 6:30 p.m., Long Branch High School visits Monmouth Regional High School in Tinton Falls.
The day is capped when the showdown of Middletown takes place at 7 p.m, with Middletown High School South hosting Middletown High School North.
Over in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Feb. 2, the earliest game that will have Monroe Township High School paying a visit to Piscataway Township High School at 5:30 p.m. At 6 p.m., East Brunswick High School pays a call to meet South Brunswick High School.
The two 7 p.m. games of interest are Edison High School at North Brunswick Township High School and Old Bridge High School at John P. Stevens High School in Edison.
On Feb. 3, South River High School is at Middlesex High School and Spotswood High School is home to South Plainfield High School at 6 p.m., while Jackson Memorial High School travels to Bayville to play Central Regional High School at 6:30 p.m.
Allentown High School is the host at 7 p.m. to West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North. Also at 7 p.m., Metuchen High School welcomes nearby Bishop George Ahr High School of Edison and rivals Long Branch High School and Red Bank Regional High School meet in Red Bank.
More competitive games will be offered Feb. 4. At 11:30 a.m., Monroe visits Old Bridge and at 12:30 p.m., Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch will greet Middletown South. The 1 p.m. time slot features South Brunswick at Saint Joseph High School in Metuchen, Monmouth Regional at Matawan Regional High School, Jackson Liberty High School at Wall High School and North Brunswick at Colonia High School.
The girls’ basketball schedule is equally loaded …
The busiest day of the week is Feb. 2. The Shore Conference kicks off that day with a 3:45 p.m. game when Manalapan is home to Neptune. One half-hour later, Freehold pays a visit to Marlboro.
At 5:15 p.m., Matawan is home to Saint John Vianney and Monmouth Regional visits Long Branch. The 5:30 p.m. slot offers Howell at Freehold Township as well as the showdown in Middletown, where Middletown North comes to play Middletown South. At 6:30 p.m., Rumson-Fair Haven is the host to Holmdel.
The action is heaviest for the GMC at 7 p.m. The schedule includes J.P. Stevens at Old Bridge, South Brusnwick at East Brunswick, Monroe home to Piscataway, Perth Amby at Edison and Sayreville War Memorial High School in Edison to meet Bishop Ahr in a showdown between two of the top teams in the conference.
Games of interest Feb. 3 include Long Branch at Red Bank Regional at 5 p.m., Freehold at Mater Dei Prep at 5:15 p.m., West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North at Allentown at 5:30 p.m., Middlesex at South River at 6 p.m and Highland Park High School home to Spotswood at 7 p.m.
On Feb. 4, powerful Saint John Vianney, the defending NJSIAA Tournament of Champions winner, makes a trip to Marlboro, where the Mustangs bid for the upset at 1 p.m. Also at 1 p.m., Rumson-Fair Haven plays at Manasquan High School.
There are plenty of wrestling matches to pin down …
The schedule is robust Feb. 1. At 5 p.m., Marlboro entertains Matawan and Holmdel is the host to Freehold. A half-hour later, Howell invades Middletown North and Freehold Township pays a visit to Middletown South.
The evening matches include South Brunswick at Piscataway at 6 p.m. and Edison wrestling at East Brunswick and Monroe traveling to Perth Amboy at 7 p.m.
Howell wrestles at Christian Brothers Academy at 6 p.m. Feb. 2 in Lincroft in a showdown between two high-profile teams, while in another 6 p.m. meet has South Brunswick wrestling at Spotswood.
Three quad meets in the area are worth attending Feb. 4. Host Manchester Township High School will be joined by Marlboro, Matawan and Rumson-Fair Haven at 9 a.m. At the same time, Red Bank Regional hosts Shore Regional, Neptune and John F. Kennedy Memorial High School of Iselin, while Toms River High School East hosts Middletown South, Freehold and Central Regional.
Swimming over to the pools …
The Shore Conference championships are scheduled for Feb. 3 and 4 at the Ocean County YMCA in Toms River.
On Feb. 3, the girls will swim for the conference titles at 3:30 p.m., while the boys will compete for the championships Feb. 4 at 1 p.m.
To the frozen water …
Two elite ice hockey teams clash Feb. 1, when Christian Brothers Academy meets Red Bank Catholic High School at the Red Bank Armory. The game is slated to start at 8:15 p.m.