Basketball Preview: Ridgefield Park Scarlets vs. Cliffside Park Raiders
After five games on the road, Ridgefield Park is heading back home. They will take on the Cliffside Park Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this match.
Last Thursday, Ridgefield Park ended up a good deal behind the Huskies and lost 51-37. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Ridgefield Park in their matchups with the Huskies: they've now lost five in a row.
Meanwhile, Cliffside Park fought the good fight in their overtime matchup against the Bridgemen on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They were just a bucket shy of victory and fell 58-57 to the Bridgemen. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Cliffside Park came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while the Bridgemen are ranked 308th).
Despite their defeat, Cliffside Park saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Jerelz Ortiz, who scored 16 points along with six rebounds and two steals, was perhaps the best of all. Another player making a difference was Jamil Gonzalez, who scored 11 points along with five rebounds and three steals.
Ridgefield Park's defeat dropped their record down to 9-12. As for Cliffside Park, their loss dropped their record down to 11-9.
Ridgefield Park came up short against the Raiders in their previous matchup back in January, falling 46-41. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Ortiz, who dropped a double-double on 20 points and ten rebounds. Now that Ridgefield Park knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
