Rutgers Prep joins Dunellen as likely top seeds in girls’ hoops state tournament, with deadline just a week away

With the NJSIAA state tournament cutoff coming up this Saturday for high school basketball, a handful of teams in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area are still in the mix for top seeds.

We’re breaking down all the sections with CJSR-area teams, with likely landing spots, based on official power point totals taken from NJ.com as of 12 pm on February 4, 2024.

Central Jersey Group 4: Despite going 1-1 since our last update, East Brunswick made up little ground on the top team in their section, Hightstown. The Bears are 13-8 with 425 points, 25 behind Howell (14-6, 450) and 42 behind Hightstown (17-3, 467). There are a lot of variables here with just a week to go, but with the Bears already set to play Thursday in the first round of the GMC, it might mean getting to – and winning – in the quarterfinals Saturday, potentially against Colonia, a team they lost to twice this year, the first time by 30, the next time by just one, 58-57, just a week-and-a-half ago. South Brunswick (11-9, 406) gained a lot of ground, winning all three since out last update. They jump from sixth to fourth, which would give them home court advantage through the sectional semis, at least. Monroe (13-8, 389) dropped a spot to sixth, but we think they’ll be a top eight team, meaning at least a first round home game. Can Old Bridge (8-13, 286) get one? The Knights dropped a spot from eighth to ninth, but are just ten points behind Middletown South (8-10, 296). Montgomery (8-11, 246) remains in 12th and is most likely to finish in the bottom eight, getting a first round road game at some place like Jackson Memorial or South Brunswick.

Central Jersey Group 3: Here, we’ve got Ocean Township (18-3, 542) in first, with a slightly slimmer lead over Somerville (18-2). Both teams were 2-0 since our last update, but both teams have 18 wins already, which means wins replace larger scores at this point than smaller ones (i.e., a team that’s 14-5 probably has 2 losses factored in, but a 16-5 team has all wins factored in). We think it will be tough for the ‘Ville to take over Ocean, but also think they’re not likely to get caught from behind by Ewing (15-5, 483) in third or Red Bank Regional (12-5, 446) in fourth. So we think Somerville is fairly well locked in at No. 2, meaning they’d host through at least the sectional semifinals. The rest of the local teams here all should wind up on the road, in the bottom eight. South Plainfield sits in 12th at 10-9, with 272 points, and might be able to nudge up one spot if things go well this week. Carteret (12-8, 264) is in 13th, with JFK on the right side of the bubble at 3-17, with 197 points. They have a 21-point lead over the next team, Hamilton West, at 17, but they’re 4-16, so the likelihood they make up much ground is small, though it’s not impossible.

Central Jersey Group 2: Despite both teams winning since our last update, others perhaps beat some better opponents, so Spotswood (18-3, 489) and Metuchen (15-6, 449) each fell two spots this week, behind Wall (16-5, 509) in fourth and Rumson-Fair Haven (13-6, 498) in fifth. The Chargers now are sixth, followed by the Lady Bulldogs, but Spotswood is a bit closer to the teams above them, only 20 points behind Wall, but with 18 wins already it’s unlikely they can make up that ground. South River (16-4, 412) is just two points behind Bordentown (16-3, 414) for eighth, and it’s possible the Rams could sneak into the top eight. Piscataway Magnet (8-9, 189) is still on the outside looking in, but probably a longshot, 81 points out of the 16th and final playoff spot.

Central Jersey Group 1: With a 3-0 record since our last update, Dunellen (15-5, 386) has strengthened its position in the top spot, increasing its lead over second-place from four to 22. But now, that second place team is Shore (12-6, 364), while Middlesex (12-11, 352) wasn’t helped by going 1-2 since our last update. The Blue Jays fall to third, then the two teams behind them have flip-flopped, but are still very close: Highland Park is 10-8 with 291 points, with Manville seven points behind at 9-12, with 284 power points. It’s all the way down to 11th for the next team, Perth Amboy Magnet (6-10, 183), followed by South Amboy (5-15, 179), then Woodbridge Magnet (3-14, 136) in 15th, followed by Somerset Tech (1-14, 125). All four should start on the road, and all should make it. Somerset Tech is still 34 points ahead of 17th-place College Achieve Central (5-10) and STEMCivics (2-13) with 91 points each.

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 4: Call it a good week for JP Stevens, which is 17-2, with 460 points, and now just 20 out of the top spot. Whether they can claim it over Plainfield (14-5) is the question, since the Cardinals still have two more wins to get to that 16-win mark. But the Hawks did jump up all the way from fifth, and not only got into the top four, but the top two. However, it’s a narrow lead over Bayonne (15-3, 459) by just one point. Hillsborough (13-6, 444) is also close, just 16 points back of JP, so there’s a lot that can happen here. Still, we think it likely those will be the top four teams; it just remains to be seen in what order they finish. Meanwhile, Piscataway (10-10, 385) moved from sixth to seventh, followed by Scotch Plains-Fanwood (11-9, 378), then three CJSR-area teams in rapid succession: Woodbridge (12-10, 369) in ninth, followed by Franklin (10-11, 345) and Ridge (8-14, 337). Watchung Hills (3-15, 241) and Edison (8-14, 236) are on the outside looking in, at 18 and 19, respectively. The 16th place team is Newark East Side at 8-12, with 255 points, so neither is without a shot, slim as it may be.

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 3: The margin is slimmer, but still a wide one here, where it looks like Chatham (19-1) has wrapped up the top spot, and Colonia (16-7, 540) looks like a very solid two-seed at the moment, getting them home court through at least the sectional semifinals. North Plainfield (16-4, 461) has slipped, though, falling from third to fifth despite going 1-1 since our last update. The Canucks are just a point out of the top four, though, trailing Cranford (14-6, 462) by one point. But the Cougars still have two wins to get to the 16 plateau, while North Plainfield already has reached that mark.

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 2: The only area team here, Bernards, moved up two spots this week to tenth. They’re 10-10 with 243 points, but 61 out of the top eight, which may be too much ground to make up in a week. Madison is the top team in this section at 16-3, with 527 points, just ten ahead of Rutherford (14-5, 517).

Non-Public North B: Very little movement here, with defending Group B champ Morris Catholic (18-0, 694) still in first, but by a slightly slimmer margin over Montclair Immaculate (18-4, 670). Gill St. Bernard’s (18-2, 627) remains in third, and we think they’ve hit their ceiling and are locked in there in this currently 15-team field. Wardlaw-Hartridge (13-3, 329) sits in seventh, while Mother Seton (9-6, 241) is in tenth.

Non-Public South B: Defending sectional title winner Rutgers Prep (16-4, 551) has taken over the top spot, rising from third last week, hitting that 16-win plateau. But they only maintain a ten-point lead over St. Rose of Belmar (15-6, 541), while they have one more win to reach 16. And just two points behind St. Rose is Wildwood Catholic, but they’re well over 16 wins, at 19-2, with 539 points. The Lady Argonauts likely just have to fend off St. Rose. Otherwise, in what is now a 16-team field (the NJSIAA doesn’t inform about teams that opt-out until the seeding). In ninth is Timothy Christian (12-5, 336), which may have a shot at No. 8, just five behind Ranney (9-9, 341). Calvary Christian (4-10, 18) is in 15th, and should end up there, or at No. 14; they’re four behind St. Joseph-Hammonton (8-8, 184).

Non-Public South A: St. Thomas Aquinas (17-6, 569) remains in second, and by an even larger margin this time behind Red Bank Catholic (18-3, 639), but with title games held at neutral sites, the one or the two hardly matter, as both guarantee home court advantage as long as you can get it. But Aquinas may need to look out for St. John Vianney, nipping at their heels just five points back at 16-6 with 564 power points. Pingry (13-5, 466) is in sixth, with Mount St. Mary (11-9, 387) in eighth, and Immaculata at No. 10 with an 8-11 record and 309 points. The section is currently a 14-team field.