Tourney time leaves teams scrambling for wins
BY DOUG McKENZIE
Staff Writer

SCOT PILLING staff East Brunswick goalie Ray Lanzi is in perfect position to block the shot of South Brunswick's Kory Kelly during the Bears' 15-14 loss to the GMC's top team on Tuesday. The Bears, in need of three straight wins to clinch a state playoff berth, get another shot at the Vikings today in South Brunswick.

Welcome to bubble week, the spring edition.This is the week that the middle-of-the-road high school sports teams fight to lengthen their seasons, as the NJSIAA state playoff deadlines approach this weekend.

While many of the local teams in various spring sports have long ago wrapped up their postseason berths, there are still a handful of baseball, softball and lacrosse teams that have some work to do this week.

It can make for some tension-filled moments for local athletes, but as a fan, it only adds to the excitement as the schedule heads toward championship season.

Here's a rundown of teams that have locked up their playoff berths, and those whose fate will be decided this week.

Boys lacrosse

When the boys state lacrosse tournament deadline hits on Monday, the Old Bridge Knights may be the only team waiting for a seed.

While the Knights are in at 9-5 heading into the weekend, the East Brunswick Bears need to win their next three games to get back to the .500 mark in time to qualify.

That run starts today, and the Bears couldn't have picked a tougher opponent, as they travel to Monmouth Junction to take on the top-ranked South Brunswick Vikings.

South Brunswick High School has been the top boys lacrosse team in the Greater Middlesex Conference all spring long. However, earlier this week the Bears proved they can play with the Vikes, giving them quite a scare in East Brunswick.

East Brunswick was game from the start on Tuesday, as the host Bears trailed just 9-7 at the half. After getting a 4-3 scoring edge in the third quarter, the Bears trailed just 12-11 heading into the final frame, but were unable to pull off the upset, as the Vikings, led by senior Kory Kelly's seven goals, escaped with the 15-14 win. Kelly's performance continues his ascent up the state's scoring leaders list - he now has 62 goals on the year, to go with 15 assists.

Teammate Chris Laurita is also among the state's top point-scorers, with 26 goals and 32 assists on the year.

With the victory, the Vikings, who are currently ranked 16th in the state and third in Group IV behind Hunterdon Central and Montclair, improved to 13-1 on the season, while the Bears fell to 4-7.

Should the Bears find a way to win today, and hand the Vikings their first conference loss of the year, they'll also need to win two GMCT games (Saturday and Monday) to get back to the .500 mark in time for the state cutoff.

Girls lacrosse

Both East Brunswick's and Old Bridge's girls lacrosse teams have locked up their spots in the state tournament heading into GMCT action this week.

The Bears are 6-5 on the year, and even with a loss in the conference tourney's first round, will be at the .500 mark for Tuesday's deadline.

Old Bridge, meanwhile, is 9-4 on the season.

Baseball

With three local teams assured of their state playoff berths - Spotswood (15-3), Monroe (12-7) and Old Bridge (9-8) - there is one other local team that needs to win a game over the next two days.

Sayreville enters today's game with Carteret in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament's first round with an 8-7 mark on the year. The Bombers, the 18th seed in the tournament, could wrap up a state tournament berth with a win over the 15th-seeded Ramblers today.

Should they lose, however, they'll need to beat Perth Amboy (10-5) tomorrow to secure a spot in the Central Jersey Group IV tournament.

The Old Bridge Knights got a much-needed win over East Brunswick on Monday, 14-3, to get to 9-8 on the season. The Knights, who scored seven runs in the fourth to erase a 3-2 deficit, are back in action today in the first round of the GMC Tournament against Metuchen. However, even with a loss, they'll be at .500 for Friday's deadline.

Other baseball teams in action today in GMCT play include 16th-seeded East Brunswick, who hosts 17th-seeded South Plainfield; and 13th-seeded Monroe, who hosts Dunellen, the 20th seed.

South River (5-13) was knocked out of the GMCT with a 6-1 loss to Woodbridge on Tuesday in preliminary-round action.

Softball

South River's girls need to beat Metuchen today to get back to the .500 mark. The Rams enter the contest at 7-8 on the year, making them a true bubble team.

Among the local teams already assured of state berths are Old Bridge (14-2), Monroe (14-2), Spotswood (14-7) and East Brunswick (14-5).