Preview: Ridge Red Devil vs. Phillipsburg Stateliners
Ridge is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Phillipsburg is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Ridge Red Devil will take on the Phillipsburg Stateliners at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Ridge knows how to get points on the board -- the squad has finished with flashy point totals in its past six games -- so hopefully Phillipsburg likes a good challenge.
Ridge stacked a third blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Thursday. They blew past Hunterdon Central 62-39. Given Ridge's advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 12th, while Hunterdon Central is ranked 71st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Meanwhile, Phillipsburg scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Thursday. They came out on top against Parsippany Hills by a score of 74-64. Having run the score up that high, both teams probably have some extra defensive drills coming up.
Phillipsburg's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Matthew Scerbo Jr. led the charge by dropping a double-double on 23 points and 11 rebounds. That's the first time this season that Scerbo Jr. pulled down eight or more rebounds. Andrew Martin was another key contributor, scoring 19 points along with six assists and six rebounds.
Ridge's win bumped their record up to 9-1. As for Phillipsburg, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.
Ridge came up short against Phillipsburg in their previous meeting back in January of 2023, falling 61-54. Will Ridge have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
