Two Shore Boys Basketball Teams Head to Stockton For 2026 Metro Classic
The three-day 2026 Metro Classic is on deck for the end of this week, beginning with an abbreviated slate on Thursday and Friday, followed by a full day of action on Saturday.
For the first time, Stockton University with host the Metro Classic and two Shore Conference programs will be on the lineup for Friday and Saturday, plus College Achieve of Asbury Park. Jackson was scheduled to play Hudson Catholic but opted to withdraw to make up its Shore Conference Class A South division game with Donovan Catholic
The top two teams in New Jersey will help kick things off on Thursday night, with No. 1 Plainfield taking on Union County rival Scotch Plains-Fanwood at 4:30 and No. 2 Bergen Catholic taking on national power Spire Academy of Ohio at 7 p.m. Here is a look at the second two days of the event.
Metro Classic Day 2
Friday, Jan. 30, 2026
At Stockton University (I-Wing Gym)
Jackson vs. Hudson Catholic, 8:30 p.m.
**Note from the author: Jackson vs. Hudson Catholic has been canceled so that Jackson may make up its division game vs. Donovan Catholic on Saturday. I wrote all these words on the game, so go ahead and read it. Some of it still applies.
On the main stage at the Metro Classic, two of New Jersey’s best players will be featured in back-to-back games, although neither plays for an NJSIAA member school. Former Colonia star Aiden Derkack will be back in his home state with Spire Academy to play College Achieve of Asbury Park – a game that features to of New Jersey’s most accomplished high school coaches of the last 20 years in Spire’s Kevin Boyle (formerly of St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth and Montverde in Fla.) and College Achieve coach Dave Boff (former head coach at Roselle Catholic). After that showdown, Duke commit Derron Ripley Jr. and Blair Academy square off vs. St. Thomas More (Conn.) in the final game of the day.
Meanwhile, on the second court, one of the Shore Conference’s top guards will be in action at 8:30 p.m. with his Jackson team looking for a name-brand victory. Led by senior guard George Boley, the Jaguars will tackle a Hudson Catholic team that has been a perennial non-public contender but is still looking to find its footing as a 7-7 team.
Jackson senior George Boley. (Photo: Patrick Olivero)
Boley is averaging 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists for a Jackson team that may have saved its season last week, when the Jaguars erased a 12-point third-quarter deficit at Central Regional with a 26-3 run that resulted in a 58-48 win. The Jaguars then followed that up with a 64-40 drubbing of Southern Regional to take over first place in the Class A South division, with senior Jimmy Pappalardo and sophomore Mi’Aire Anderson each scoring 12 points to back up Boley’s 23. Pappalardo and Anderson have been secondary offensive options who play both ends of the floor, while seniors Paul Bradshaw, Yaseer Johnson and Sean Hallihan have stepped in in their roles while senior starter Randy Holmes Jr. has been out due to injury.
Hudson Catholic is 1-1 vs. the Shore Conference this season, including a lopsided loss at Christian Brothers Academy in December and a narrow, 67-62 win over Point Pleasant Boro on Jan. 17. The two teams have one common opponent in Bayonne, which Hudson Catholic beat at the buzzer and Jackson lost to, 70-37, at a Martin Luther King Day showcase in Jersey City.
Metro Classic Day 2
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026
At Stockton University
Point Boro vs. Rahway, Noon
CBA vs. Middle Twp., 3:45 p.m.
Point Boro leads off a long Saturday of action that will feature some of the state’s best teams, with the Panthers going up against Rahway in their second Saturday showcase game outside of the Shore area. As previously mentioned, Point Boro dropped a competitive game to Hudson Catholic, 67-62, in Jersey City on Jan. 17, and while that was a signal to the rest of the Shore that the Panthers can be dangerous come tournament time, they are still trying to find their stride following that performance.
The most important games of Point Boro’s season to date will be Wednesday and Thursday vs. Class B South division rivals Point Beach and Brick Memorial as the Panthers attempt to position themselves to win a share of the division championship by winning a rematch of a 60-54 loss to Point Beach and sweeping the Mustangs after beating them by two in the first meeting.
Point Boro junior Hunter Hynes puts up a shot at Point Beach. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)
Whatever the result of those games, Point Boro will have a chance to lead off Saturday against Rahway with a win. The Indians enter Wednesday with a 2-15 record, which includes an 11-point loss to Rumson-Fair Haven – their only meeting with a Shore Conference team this season. The Panthers are led by junior Hunter Hynes (17.2 points per game) and senior Jovin Steinmetz (16.3 points, 7.1 rebounds), with senior guards Dean Cardia and Nick Carmino play key starting roles and junior Landon Hoyle coming on strong of late with an average of 13 points and 7.5 rebounds over his last four games.
The run of marquee games featuring some of the state’s top state-championship contenders begins at 2:30 with Gill St. Bernard’s vs. Spire’s International Team, followed by CBA vs. Middle Township. CBA will be one week removed from dropping a 64-52 decision to GSB at Caldwell University and coming off a second meeting vs. Rumson-Fair Haven, set for Thursday at CBA.
After starting the year on a tear, CBA has been going through its version of a malaise recently. It started with a 92-75 loss at Bergen Catholic – the No. 2 team in the state behind Plainfield – on Jan. 14 and continued with a win over Red Bank Catholic that required the Colts to rally from a 13-point third-quarter deficit to win in overtime. Three days later, CBA watched a 17-point third-quarter lead shrink to one in the final minutes of the fourth quarter before ultimately escaping Manasquan with a 50-46 victory.
CBA sophomore Izayah Cooper drives by St. Mary’s Rutherford senior Xavier Sam. (Photo: Patrick Olivero)
Altogether, CBA is 5-2 over its previous seven games heading into a rematch with Rumson on Thursday. Junior Avery Lynch and sophomore Izayah Cooper – both transfers from St. Rose – have been the leading scorers at 13.7 and 12.4 points per game, respectively, and Cooper is also sparking the offense with 4.7 assists per game.
CBA’s strength is its balance and depth, which continues with its 2024-25 holdovers, senior Connor Andree, senior Charlie Marcoullier, junior David Buley and senior Charlie Messano. Throw in a third St. Rose transfer in sophomore Oymere Rene, breakout senior guard Matt Viesz, junior wing Will Grier and sophomore Aidan Dotzler and the Colts can throw a lot of looks at opponents.
On Saturday, that opponent will be a battle-tested Middle Township squad that hopes to challenge Camden for the South Jersey Group II championship this coming March. Senior Chase Moore and junior Mason Murawski have led the way for the 8-6 Panthers, with Moore averaging 13 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists while Moore boasts an average of 12.9 points.
Atlantic City will follow that game as a de facto host against Roselle Catholic before Blair and Spire play back-to-back again as part of the home stretch of the showcase – Blair against Crestwood Prep of Toronto and Spire vs. Group IV contender Linden. Roselle Catholic and Linden are two of CBA’s better wins of the season.
The evening finishes up with New Jersey’s No. 1 team, Plainfield, taking on local rival Union Catholic, with the Patrick School and Westtown (Pa.) closing out the 2026 Metro Classic.
