The Vernon Vikings waltzed into their game on Saturday with three straight wins but they left with four. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Phillipsburg and snuck past 56-54. The victory was all the more spectacular given Vernon's disadvantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 125th, while Phillipsburg is ranked 11th).
When it comes to explaining why Phillipsburg lost, one person who can't be blamed is Matthew Scerbo jr.. Despite the final result, he scored 30 points along with two steals. That was a full 55.6% of Phillipsburg's points, marking the third time in a row he's earned more than a third of the team's points. The team also got some help courtesy of Ameer Herran, who scored 14 points along with six rebounds.
Vernon is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine games, which provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season. As for Phillipsburg, their defeat dropped their record down to 20-2.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Vernon will face off against West Milford at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. As for Phillipsburg, they will head out on the road to square off against Hunterdon Central at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Phillipsburg is coming into the match with eight straight defeats on the road, meaning Hunterdon Central will have to defend against a team hungry for a win.
