Few top seeds in play for GMC, Skyland girls’ hoopsters just two weeks from NJSIAA seeding

The state tournament brackets will be out two weeks from today, but only a handful have a shot at a top seed in any of the playoff sections when they’re announced.

The state cutoff is Saturday, February 10th, with the seedings coming out the following Tuesday, the 13th. Below is our breakdown of where teams stand – and their prospects – heading into play on Tuesday, January 30th. 

Power point totals are the official calculations found on NJ.com as of 11 am today. The top 16 power point values count towards a team’s number.

Central Jersey Group 4:  The first place team is Hightstown (14-3, 427 power points), with Howell (12-4, 414) right behind them. In third, not far behind, is East Brunswick (12-7, 382). The Lady Bears are just 45 points out of first, but have two fewer wins than Hightstown, so they can potentially make up more ground if they can secure four wins before next Saturday’s cutoff. After Jackson Memorial (12-3, 358) in fourth, there are two GMC teams: Monroe (11-7, 353) is in fifth – just five points out of a top four finish and home court through the sectional semis – followed by South Brunswick (8-9, 328) in sixth. Then Old Bridge – despite just being 6-12 – is in eighth with 276 points. Only one team behind them has a legitimate shot to challenge them for a top eight finish, most likely: Middletown South, which is 8-7, just six points behind. Just one other CJSR-area team is “in” the field: Montgomery (6-10, 207) is in 12th. 

Central Jersey Group 3: Ocean Township still leads the pack at 16-3 with 490 points, but although Somerville (16-2, 461) has narrowed the gap a bit from 38 to 29 points, both have 16 wins, so it may be difficult for the Pioneers to make up any ground. For the next area team, you have to go all the way down to ninth to find South Plainfield (10-6, 271), but they’re just 14 points from a top eight finish and at least one guaranteed home game. Carteret is in 12th at 10-7 with 240 points. JFK is in 17th, on the outside of the bubble, but while they’re just 14 points behind 3-13 Allentown, the Mustangs are only 1-16 on the season.

Central Jersey Group 2: Two GMC teams have moved up here, but neither has a shot at a No. 1 seed. New Providence (16-3, 590) leads the pack, with Voorhees (14-2, 472) and Manasquan (15-3, 463) next. But then there’s Spotswood, which climbed four spots in the last week or so, and is now in fourth with a 15-3 mark and 441 points. They probably won’t finish top two, but could be in the top four. Behind them is Metuchen (14-6, 437), trailing the Chargers by just four power points. Close behind are Rumson-Fair Haven (11-6, 429) and Wall (13-5, 425). In ninth is South River (14-3, 362), just four points out of a top eight finish, but the road will be a bit tougher for Bound Brook (11-5, 347), although the Crusaders, with 11 wins, could make up ground more easily with a strong finish down the stretch. And despite being in 17th, one spot out of a playoff berth, it may be a challenge for Piscataway Magnet (8-9, 189) to make the field, as they’re 75 points behind the 16th place team, Point Pleasant Boro, which is 9-7 with 264 points.

Central Jersey Group 1: The top seed is probably going to come down to whoever finishes strong these last two weeks. And like our last update a week or so ago, it’s Dunellen (12-5, 326) and Middlesex (11-9, 322) atop the pile. But look out: close behind is Shore, nipping at their heels with a 10-6 record and 316 points, six out of second and ten out of first. Then, Manville (8-10, 269) checks in fourth, while Highland Park (8-8, 263) is just six points behind the Mustangs. Four of the last five teams are from the GMC. Perth Amboy Magnet (6-7) is 12th with 159 points, then after Florence (5-10, 144) in 13th, the last three spots are occupied by South Amboy (3-14, 141, 14th), Woodbridge Magnet (3-11, 112) and Somerset Tech (1-11, 97).

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 4: There are six teams from our coverage area firmly in the race, with one more squarely on the bubble. After Plainfield (12-5, 436) in first and Bayonne (13-3, 420) in second, Hillsborough – despite a tough 0-3 week gone by – is in third at 11-6, with 405 points. They’re just 21 out of first, with an extra win possible, and have two big ones this week that could help: Rutgers Prep on the road Thursday, and at Montgomery Saturday. In fifth is JP Stevens (15-2, 387), followed by Piscataway (9-9, 377). But a top eight finish is not assured, with Scotch Plains Fanwood (11-6, 372) just five behind in seventh and Hunterdon Central (12-5, 362) and Woodbridge (11-8, 362) tied for eighth. Next is Ridge (7-12, 305) – which likely won’t make the top eight – and Franklin (9-10, 304). All the way down to 16th, you’ll find Watchung Hills (3-13, 235) hanging in precariously, just one point ahead of Union (5-12, 234).

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 3: The only two CJSR-area teams in this section are Colonia and North Plainfield. Chatham is first at 16-1, with 578 points and neither of those GMC teams will catch them. Will Colonia hold on to a top-two spot? They might, at 14-6 with 475 points, they’re 34 ahead of North Plainfield which is almost at that 16-win magic number, at 15-3, with 441 points.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Madison is in first place here, 15-2 with 506 points. The only local team here is Bernards (8-9, 295), which sits in 12th, and most likely assured a bottom eight finish and a first round road game.

Non-Public North B: Morris Catholic – the defending Group B champ – leads here at 16-0, with 655 points. They should finish first, and after Montclair-Immaculate (15-4, 615) in second, there’s Gill St. Bernard’s (17-2, 604), which is just 11 points away from a top-two finish. Next down the list is 11-3 Wardlaw-Hartridge in eighth with 273 points, then after DePaul (7-8, 273), it’s Mother Seton at 9-3 with 217 points, in tenth. This is a 16-team field.

Non-Public South B: Defending champ Rutgers Prep – which lost to Morris Catholic in last year’s Group B final – is in third here, with a 14-4 record and 488 points. They probably won’t catch St. Rose of Belmar (15-5, 538) in first, but could catch second-place Wildwood Catholic, which would guarantee first round through the sectional semis. (The finals are typically held at neutral sites for non-publics.) It’s down to ninth in the 16-team field to find Timothy Christian (10-4, 270), and then Calvary Christian (3-9, 154) is in 15th.

Non-Public South A: Red Bank Catholic is the leader here. The Caseys are 15-3 with 559 points, but look out for St. Thomas Aquinas (16-4, 534) which is just 25 points back. But with 16 wins, they may have trouble making up all that ground. Again, though, with the finals at a neutral site, a second-place finish does just fine. They’re also 41 points ahead of Our Lady of Mercy (18-1), so we think they’ll hold that position. Pingry (10-5, 410) is in sixth in the 14-team field, with Mount St. Mary (8-9, 300) and Immaculata (8-9, 292) right behind them.