Border rivalry takes center stage Monday as Monroe visits Spotswood in boys’ hoops

One of the great things about high school sports is when two rivals get together.

Of course, Spotswood is big rivals with South River, since students from the first of those used to attend high school in the second, up until 1976.

But a close second is the Chargers’ rivalry with the Monroe Falcons. The communities not only border each other, but many play youth sports with and against each other, and even have families in both communities.

Monday night, the two boys’ basketball teams face off in a Greater Middlesex Conference crossover game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 6:15 and tipoff at 6:30. Mike Pavlichko has the call; click here to listen.

The two appear to come in on opposite sides of the spectrum, at least on paper. Monroe has struggled to a 2-7 record through nine games, 0-5 in the GMC Red Division. They’re scoring just under 40 points a game, while Spotswood is averaging over 60 through eleven.

And while the Chargers struggled early, dropping their first three, and five of their first six, they have now won five straight since returning to GMC play and find themselves 5-6, 2-2 in the GMC Gold.

Spotswood has four players scoring in double figures, and head coach Steve Mate says it can be a different guy every night. Friday, in an 85-51 road win at North Plainfield, Joseph Nardino scored a career high 33, including four treys, while the team hit eleven. They also nailed ten in a win over South Hunterdon in their opener at the West Windsor-Plainsboro Holiday Tournament.

Monroe’s top scorer is Logan Fotiadis, an outstanding football player for the Falcons, averaging eight per game, with a team-high five blocks. Braeden Hoiberg has connected on a team-best 20 triples to provide a threat from beyond the arc.

Click below to hear audio previews of Monday night’s game from both head coaches: