Games to Watch Feb. 16-20

Monday started off a great slate of games this week. We will definitely learn which teams are for real this week with some key matchups. Let’s take a look at the games to watch from Feb. 16-20. <strong>Montville at Sparta, Feb. 16: </strong>Montville is on a two-game slide after falling to Pope John in back-to-back games. The Mustangs (5-3) also lost to Sparta in the second game of the season. Senior [player_tooltip player_id="155551" first="Bella" last="Vito"] has been a go-to playmaker for Montville. Sparta remains unbeaten at 5-0. With some tough games on the horizon with the likes of Morris Catholic and Pope John, this will be a big game for Sparta as well. <strong>Paul VI at Stuart Day, Feb. 16: </strong>Paul VI (5-1) continues to be challenged this season. One day after giving No. 1 St. John Vianney everything it wanted in a 10-point loss, the road continues Tuesday with Stuart Day, a top prep school that plays a very daunting schedule itself. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="134645" first="Hannah" last="Hidalgo"] leads Paul VI, and a number of other players are able to contribute. Stuart Day (4-2) has losses to state powers Trenton Catholic and Rutgers Prep. <strong>Monroe at St. Thomas Aquinas, Feb. 16: </strong>Jumping to Middlesex County, Monroe and St. Thomas Aquinas will do battle Tuesday night. Monroe sits at 7-0, cruising past its competition thus far. Seniors Rosie Regan, Joanna Giustino and Nina Branchizio have led the Falcons. St. Thomas Aquinas will rely on senior Akyia Baker, who is averaging 21.2 points per game. St. Thomas Aquinas will meet Stuart Day in another tough game on Thursday. <strong>Shawnee at Lenape, Feb. 17: </strong>Shawnee is 3-0 and will go up against Lenape on the road on Wednesday. Lenape sits at 4-1, with three straight victories over Eastern, Winslow and Delsea. Lenape’s lone loss came to state-ranked Cherokee. <strong>River Dell at Westwood, Feb. 18: </strong>River Dell is off to a sizzling 7-0 start. Westwood, which River Dell defeated 47-37 on Jan. 27, gave the undefeated team its toughest battle thus far. Westwood enters the week on a six-game winning streak since that lone loss to River Dell. Senior Katy Gashler has five double-doubles on the year, and she is averaging 4.4 blocks per game. <strong>Red Bank Catholic at Red Bank Regional, Feb. 18: </strong>Red Bank Catholic will come back from a two-week shutdown and takes on Red Bank Regional twice this week. RBC has one of the top starting lineups in the state. Red Bank Regional has been on a roll as of late since losing to Rumson-Fair Haven twice to open the season. Chloe Teter and [player_tooltip player_id="134613" first="Caitlyn" last="Decker"] lead the way for Red Bank Regional. RBC will take on No. 1 St. John Vianney this Saturday in a major test. <strong>Franklin at Rutgers Prep, Feb. 20: </strong>Heading to Somerset County, Franklin and Rutgers Prep will meet in a top-15 matchup on Saturday. There is always extra motivation for this meeting between the neighboring rivals. With some big-time games in the past, especially in the Somerset County Tournament, Rutgers Prep and Franklin are no strangers to one another. Both programs have great coaching and some Division I athletes on a yearly basis. Villanova commit [player_tooltip player_id="134611" first="Christina" last="Dalce"] has led Rutgers Prep. She has been a force down low and is a usual double-double player. Franklin is a balanced group with a number of contributors. This will be one to keep an eye on in Somerset County. <strong>Other Games: Camden Catholic at Bishop Eustace, Feb. 18; Middlesex at Bound Brook, Feb. 20; Shawnee at Camden Catholic, Feb. 20; Paul VI at Trenton Catholic, Feb. 20; Manchester Township at Donovan Catholic, Feb. 19; Middle Township at Wildwood Catholic, Feb. 19</strong>