South Brunswick and Monroe play a Central Jersey Group 4 quarterfinal in Monroe on February 26, 2024. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Monday night’s girls’ basketball action in the NJSIAA state tournament saw South Brunswick win a buzzer-beater, high seeds Rutgers Prep and Gill St. Bernard’s win in blowout fashion, and St. Thomas Aquinas get upset at home, while Hillsborough also advanced.
In a game broadcast live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, 6-seed South Brunswick knocked off 3rd-seed Monroe on the road, 46-43, on a buzzer-beating bank-shot triple by Avery Jenne. Read the full recap here.
St. Thomas Aquinas was knocked off at home in Non-Public South A. The third-seeded Trojans – the GMC Tournament champs for a fifth straight year – were eliminated in the first round, 71-64. It was their first opening round exit since 2018, when they lost to St. Rose in Non-Public South A.
Pingry and Mount St. Mary also were eliminated from that section Monday, leaving no CJSR-area teams remaining.
In Non-Public South B, there was little surprise as top-seed Rutgers Prep cruised to an 86-49 win over 8th-seed Bishop Eustace. Vandebrilt-bound Mikayla Blakes scored 21, while Leah Crosby (16 points, 12 rebounds) and GiGi Battle (14 points, 13 boards) both had double-doubles. Ava LaMonica (ankle) did not play for Prep after suffering an injury against Franklin in the SCT semifinals on February 15th. The Argonauts will take on 4-seed Gloucester Catholic at home on Thursday.
And in Non-Public South B, third-seed Gill St. Bernard’s scored an 84-38 win over 6-seed Villa Walsh, moving on to play at 2nd-seed Montclair-Immaculate Thursday night.
Metuchen, Ridge, Franklin, and Old Bridge also were knocked out of the state tournament Monday. In all, eleven CJSR-area girls’ teams remain alive in the state playoffs.
MONDAY’S RESULTS
Central Jersey Group 4
(1) Hightstown def. (8) Old Bridge, 54-40
(4) Jackson Memorial def. (12) Freehold Twp., 49-41
(6) South Brunswick def. (3) Monroe, 46-43 (GAME RECAP)
(2) Howell def. (10) Middletown South, 45-39
Central Jersey Group 2
(2) Manasquan def. (9) Metuchen, 69-19
No more CJSR-area teams remain in this section.
North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 4
(1) Plainfield def. (8) Phillipsburg, 52-45
(5) Elizabeth def. (13) Ridge, 48-37
(3) Bayonne def. (6) Franklin, 57-46
(2) Hillsborough def. (7) Hunterdon Central, 62-43
Non-Public North B
(1) Morris Catholic def. (8) St. Mary-Rutherford, 84-8
(4) Saddle River Day def. (5) Roselle Catholic, 73-61
(3) Gill St. Bernard’s def. (6) Villa Walsh, 84-38
(2) Montclair-Immaculate def. (7) DePaul, 68-16
Non-Public South A
(1) Red Bank Catholic def. (9) Mount St. Mary, 75-25
(4) St. John Vianney def. (5) Pingry, 68-30
(6) Our Lady of Mercy def. (3) St. Thomas Aquinas, 71-64
No more CJSR-area teams remain in this section.
Non-Public South B
(1) Rutgers Prep def. (8) Bishop Eustace, 86-39
(4) Gloucester Catholic def. (5) Trenton Catholic, 62-50
(3) St. Rose-Belmar def. (6) Holy Spirit, 76-34
(7) Ranney def. (2) Wildwood Catholic, 52-50
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Central Jersey Group 3
(4) Colts Neck at (1) Ewing
(12) Carteret at (4) Red Bank Regional, 5 pm
(6) Neptune at (3) Somerville, 5 pm
(10) Brick Memorial vs (2) Ocean Twp.
Central Jersey Group 1
(8) South Hunterdon at (1) Middlesex, 5:30 pm
(5) Manville at (4) Point Pleasant Beach, 5 pm
(6) Highland Park at (3) Shore, 5 pm
(7) New Egypt vs (2) Dunellen, 5 pm
North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 3
(8) Summit at (1) Chatham
(12) West Morris at (4) Cranford
(6) Warren Hills at (3) Mendham
(7) Payne Tech vs. (2) Colonia, 4:30 pm
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinals
(4) Jackson Memorial at (1) Hightstown
(6) South Brunswick at (2) Howell, 5:30 pm
North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 4 Semifinals
(1) Plainfield winner vs. (5) Elizabeth
(3) Bayonne at (2) Hillsborough, 5 pm
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29
Non-Public North B Semifinals
(1) Morris Catholic winner vs. (4) Saddle River Day
(3) Gill St. Bernard’s at (2) Montclair-Immaculate, 5:30 pm
Non-Public South B Semifinals
(4) Gloucester Catholic at (1) Rutgers Prep, 5 pm
(7) Ranney at (3) St. Rose-Belmar
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