COLTS BEAT EAGLES IN BIG DIVISIONAL MATCHUP

Brian Neller's 23 points led CBA over Middletown South 52-36 to set the Colts up to wrap up the A-North Championship next week.

CBA led 20-10 after the first quarter, but then the Eagles held them to 4 points in the second quarter to fight back to 24-20 at the half.

The Eagles could not get it going consistently on the offensive end in the second half, however, and the Colts began to pull away. The lead was 41-30 going into the final period.

Matt Callori led South with 14 points, while Kyle Cancilleiri added 9 before leaving with 4 minutes left in the game after catching an elbow in the nose from Pat Light.

The Eagles (11-5, 8-3) have a quick turnaround, as they play Rumson-Fair Haven tomorrow at 1 p.m. at home.

WEEKEND UPDATE

I forgot to get an update about this in on Friday night, but senior Danielle Pankey scored her 1,000th career point in the first quarter of the girls game versus Middletown North. Ironically, she reached the milestone on the night the Eagles Hall of Fame honored all the 1000-point scorers in school history at halftime of the boys game.

Both the boys and girls teams have tough week ahead of them. The sixth-ranked boys travel to Manalapan before hosting #2 CBA and Rumson-Fair Haven on Friday and Saturday. The Lady Eagles host Manalapan on Tuesday night before going on the road to play #4 RFH.

EAGLES TRAVEL TO SOUTHERN TO PICK UP THIRD STRAIGHT WIN

Middletown South continued on its recent hot streak with a 60-38 road win over Southern Regional.

After holding off a strong start by Southern, South led 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. The Eagles then extended their lead in the second quarter by winning the period 17-7 despite having Kyle Cancilleiri on the bench in foul trouble.

Cancilleiri scored 9 of his 11 points in the fourth quarter, while Jake Brodsky led the way with 16. Will Low and Pat O’Connell each added 10 in the Eagles third-straight win.

DOUBLEHEADER ON TAP AT SOUTH

Both the boys and girls basketball team will play against Middletown North tonight. The number-6 ranked Lady Eagles play at 6:00 p.m. while the boys team, also ranked #6 in the Shore, will play immediately after the girls, at 7:30 p.m.

BASKETBALL TEAMS IN TOP 10, ALUMNI UPDATE

Today, Scott Stump of All-Shore Media released his Shore Conference Basketball rankings, and both the boys and the girls were ranked number 6 in the Shore. The next game for both teams is a double header against cross-town rival Middletown North on Friday night, starting at 5:00 p.m.

ALUMNI UPDATE
Last night, former Eagles basketball player Garret Thiel started his first game of the season for the Ramapo College Roadrunners. He scored 12 points in 29 minutes of action in a 79-72 win over NJCU.

John Healy, who ran cross country and track at Middletown South, competed for Quinnipiac University on Saturday, January 17 at the University of New Hampshire. He ran a personal best of 9:31 in the 3000 meter run. He will run the 1600 meter race at Boston University this Saturday.

Rob Dill competed at the Gotham Cup on Friday, January 16 for The College of New Jersey. Dill ran the 1000 meter run in 2:44.

LESS THAN JAKE: BRODSKY LEADS EAGLES IN UPSET OF PATRIOTS

Middletown South pulled off a big upset of number-four ranked Freehold Township in a convincing 71-42 win.

Jake Brodsky led the Eagles through the Patriots' full-court pressure on his way to a game-high 22 points. Freehold went up 3-0 at the start of the game, but a couple of quick Brodsky three-pointers put the Eagles up for good.

"Jake came up huge for us today. The way he handled the ball for us against the press was pretty impressive," head coach Kevin Cullen said. "He and Kyle working together in the backcourt got us a bunch of wide open layups on fastbreaks."

Matt Callori and Kyle Cancilleiri continued their consistent play on offense, contributing 14 and 13 points, respectively.

The real story of the game, however, was South's defense, which has not been as strong this season as in recent years. The Eagles held Township to just six points in the first quarter and a total of 18 in the first half. The Patriots were only able to make 9 shots from the field all game.

"The key to the game was playing extremely disciplined basketball," Cullen said. "Our
zone was finally up to the level we needed it to be. We let up some open threes, but overall it was a good performance."

The defense has improved over the last couple of games for the Eagles, who averaged under 45 points per game last season.

"We were very pleased with the effort," Cullen said. "We've been improving each game."

The Eagles are going to need another solid effort on both offense and defense when the play Neptune at the Battle of the Boardwalk a 6 p.m. at Asbury Park Convention Hall.

EAGLES SURVIVE MUSTANG SCARE

Middetown South survived a scare from Marlboro with a 66-52 win over the Mustangs. The Eagles held only a two-point lead at halftime, but came out in the second half to open up the score, and got some breathing room.

Matt Callori led South with 22 points, while Kyle Cancillieri scored 16. Rob Callori and Will Low scored 10 points each to help the Eagles to victory, with both players hitting free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

MORENO DECLARES ELIGIBILITY FOR NFL DRAFT

Knowshon Moreno has played his last game for the Georgia Bulldogs, today announcing that he was leaving college early for the NFL Draft. The former Middletown South standout finishes his collegiate career with 2736 yards and 30 rushing touchdowns. He is listed as #18 on the Scouts, Inc. Top 32. If those rankings hold up (which is highly unlikely) that would set Moreno up to go to the Chicago Bears. Holding the #17 pick, much to the delight of local fans, are the New York Jets. However, they already have Thomas Jones and Leon Washington on the roster, but with a new head coach on the way, things can change. The NFL Draft takes place on April 25 and 26 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Moreno will look to prove himself to NFL teams at a University of Georgia Pro Day and possibly the NFL Combine.

SOURCES: MORENO TO NFL

According to ESPN.com, citing "multiple sources with knowledge of the players' decisions," have reported that former Middletown South star Knowshon Moreno will enter the NFL draft, with an announcement coming later today. Check back later for more information.

EAGLES TAKE CARE OF MANALAPAN, CBA LOOMS

Middletown South was able to finally pull away from Manalapan to win 71-51 in a A-North divisional game before heading into CBA on Tuesday. Manalapan was able to fight within 7 points at the end of the half, but the

Matt Callori once again led the Eagles with 22 points, while Kyle Cancilleiri also put up 21, including going nine for twelve from the free-throw line. Will Low and Rob Callori stepped up on the offensive end, with both of them adding 8 points each.

The Eagles will go on the road tomorrow to take on CBA at 4:00 PM.