Tri-State basketball Top 20: Week 3

The Friars got 15 points and three blocks from Tim Coleman and 14 points, nine rebounds from Josh Brown as they stretched their winning streak to 78 games Monday with a 54-51 win over Tift County (Ga.) in Springfield, Mass. Next up is Boys & Girls of Brooklyn Friday at the SNY Invitational.

Shaq McFarlan had 16 points to pace the Railsplitters to a 95-68 win over Capital Prep (Conn.) at the HoopHall Classic. Next: Transit Tech (Jan. 31, 5 p.m.)

The Crusaders have 13 straight wins, most recently against Bayside and Gill St. Bernards

The Lions fell to Walnut Hill (Oh.) on Saturday, but flourished earlier in the week with wins over the Patrick School and Linden. Hakim Saintil, Tyler Roberson and Asante Gist all played key roles in the victories.

Rob Ukawuba and Dan Leung combined for 23 points and the Bears dug in defensively last Wednesday to post their second win this season over St. Joseph (Met.), 52-45. Amir Bell also provided steady play that night.

The Cardinals enjoyed a 2-0 week, beating Mount St. Michael and Holy Cross. Next: Long Island Lutheran @ CCNY (Friday, 6 p.m.)

Kentucky-bound junior Karl Towns dropped in 17 points, but his team's offense struggled overall in a 52-45 loss to East Brunswick last Wednesday. The Falcons look to rebound tonight on the road against Piscataway.

The Pirates have won five-straight behind the consistent leadership of Spencer Weisz and the contributions of Tom Lacey, Temple Gibbs and Kelly Hogan.

Damon Miraud averaged 13.3 ppg. in the last three games to spark wins over St. Mary, Union and Shabazz. Hakeem Rogers and Jahad Thomas lend a hand on this balanced club.

Wings has won five straight games since a loss to South Shore and face a stiff test in rival JFK Friday. Next: John F. Kennedy (Friday, 6 p.m.)

The Bulldogs added to their already-impressive resume a heart-stopping 52-51 victory over prep power Blair on Saturday. Zaire O’Neil. who answered the bell in the closing moments with a couple of clutch buckets, and De’Ashia Jones, whose putback with 13 seconds left gave Shabazz a 52-49 lead, each finished with 17 points.

Selfless distribution, balanced scoring and seamless defensive switches along the perimeter powered the Caseys past Jackson, 67-31, at the Hoop Group Boardwalk Showcase. RBC shot 50 percent from the floor (25 of 52) and 55.5 percent from behind the arc (10 of 18). The win came on the heels of a dramatic 48-46 triumph over No. 12 St. John Vianney that ended on a Grace Fallon tip-in with 0.3 seconds left in regulation.

Who needs depth? The Knights don’t. They’ve been doing just fine with their seven-player rotation. Idle last week, they get back into the thick of things with a matchup on Tuesday opposite a young, hungry Franklin squad that plays exhaustive man-to-man defense.

A 53-49 triumph over No. 9 Northern Highlands on Sunday at the Benefit Games went a long way toward solidifying IHA’s bid for the top seed in the upcoming Bergen County Tournament, which gets seeded on Wednesday night. Sophomore guard Caitlin Roche stepped up big time in the critical win, scoring 13 of her 16 points in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons suffered their first home loss in two and a half years, losing to Long Island Lutheran, 53-48, Monday. Next: Archbishop Molloy (Thursday, 5 p.m.)

After a week off, Brianna Fraser and the Lady Vikings return to the court Thursday against Boys & Girls. Next: Boys & Girls (Thursday, 5 p.m.)

The Panthers slip three spots after absorbing their first loss, a 51-42 setback to No. 12 St. John Vianney, on Saturday at the Boardwalk Showcase despite a combined 31 points from senior twins Kelly and Lauren Hughes. This week doesn’t get any easier with No. 8 Middletown South paying a visit on Thursday.

Wins against Sacred Heart and OLMA eliminates the bad taste out of the Friars mouth from last week's loss to St. Mary's

The Crusaders have won eight straight, with seven of those victories coming by at least 35 points.

With much of the focus steered toward junior point guard Katelynn Flaherty (30.9 ppg.) and sophomore swing Marina Mabrey (24.2 ppg.), the Garnett Gulls saw Eva Motto come forward to supply an emerging tertiary option. The senior hit five 3-pointers and totaled a season-best 15 points during a 71-38 showing against Keansburg.