It was a good run, but the Phillipsburg Stateliners unfortunately witnessed the end of their 20-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell just short of Vernon by a score of 56-54. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as Phillipsburg came into the match with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' New Jersey basketball rankings (they are ranked 11th, while Vernon is ranked 125th).
Despite the loss, Phillipsburg still got an impressive performance from Matthew Scerbo jr., who 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. Ameer Herran was another key contributor, scoring 14 points along with six rebounds.
Phillipsburg's loss dropped their record down to 20-2. As for Vernon, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 14-6 record this season.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Phillipsburg will take on Hunterdon Central at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Phillipsburg is coming into the contest with eight straight losses on the road, meaning Hunterdon Central will have to defend against a team hungry for a win. As for Vernon, they will square off against West Milford at 4:00 p.m. on Monday. Vernon will roll in looking for their fifth straight win, something West Milford surely won't give up without a fight.
