Colonia and St. Thomas Aquinas to get together for another likely epic battle, this time with GMCT finals berth on the line

For the past several years, Colonia and St. Thomas Aquinas have been the hot ticket in the GMC.

Both have been fantastic in recent years, Trojans’ coach Bob Turco coached Patriots’ coach Jose Rodriguez when the latter was playing at Carteret, and they always seem to meet in a big game.

Turco may be in Piscataway, but the rivalry is still there. Their two games this year – both of which went Colonia’s way – were decided by eight and 16 points.

So, when the top-seeded Patriots and fourth-seeded Trojans meet Tuesday night at 7, in the second game of a GMC Tournament doubleheader at Monroe High School, everyone can’t wait to see what kind of fireworks ensure.

You can hear the doubleheader exclusively on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with the Colonia-Aquinas game immediately following the 5 pm game between second-seed Piscataway and third-seed Sayreville. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel will call all the action. Click here to listen.

St. Thomas is past all the distractions of the early season, and they’ve managed to navigate the choppy waters remarkably well, going 15-9 with head coach Victor Verdecia, a former standout at Perth Amboy who played for Colonia assistant Edwin Santana when he was with the Panthers – there’s the mentor-student storyline again! – leading the way.

Aiden Ur has been the scoring leader all year, at 16.1 points a game. Aidan Carter – at 14.5 points per game – only joined the team less than a month ago, making his season debut in a 69-53 loss at Colonia on January 23rd, heard here on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Junior Dan Jennings – a St. Joe’s transfer – is scoring 10.9 points per game.

Colonia – the defending champion at 21-4 – is looking to get back to the title game for the third time in four season, and has eyes on a repeat. They can do it with one of the best players in the league in junior Aiden Derkack, who’s going for 25.4 points a game, and has 1,584 career points. He’s also the team’s top rebounder at 8.6 per game, and has a club best 21 blocks and 46 steals.

But R.J. Wortman can score, too. He’s second on the team at 11.2 points per game, along with 8.6 rebounds. And then there’s the coach’s son, Jayce Rodriguez, who’s hit more threes (45) than anyone else in blue and gold.

Click below for preview interviews with both head coaches with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel: