Boys’ Basketball Cutoff Projections: ’24 sectional champs Colonia and Montgomery appear to lock down top seeds, plus Gill St. Bernards in North B

Saturday was the NJSIAA’s cutoff date for state tournament qualification in high school, and 37 of 47 Central Jersey Sports Radio-area teams appear to have qualified.

Both public schools that won championships last season look to have earned top seeds this year, with Colonia No. 1 in North 2, Group 3, and Montgomery the top seed in Central Group 4. Gill St. Bernard’s also looks to have clinched a top-seed in Non-Public North B with a bounce-back year after a rare sub-.500 campaign last season

Here’s a section-by-section look of projections – along with likely first round matchups for local clubs – based on standings published on NJ.com as of the noon closing on Sunday, February 16th. Please remember all projections are unofficial. The NJSIAA will release official seeding and brackets on Tuesday.

Central Jersey Group 4: The top-two seeds will go to Central Jersey Sports Radio-area teams, with Montgomery (18-5) holding on to its second seed despite a tough loss to Rutgers Prep in Saturday’s Somerset County Tournament semifinals. Sayreville (20-3) – which is on to the GMC Tournament semifinals Wednesday against Piscataway – held on to the No. 2 spot. Old Bridge (14-10) went 2-1 this week, and it appears to have helped them pull up into the fourth slot, which would get them home games in the first two rounds if they go that far. Hillsborough (13-10) climbed from seventh to fifth, while East Brunswick (13-11) held in ninth. Toward the bottom, North Brunswick (9-15) maintained its position at No. 10, while Franklin (5-19) dropped one spot since our last update a week ago to 14. Edison (12-11) and Monroe (6-10) held the 15th and 16th spots, respectively, a week ago, and hung on to make the playoffs in the very same spots. With so many area teams here, it’ll make for some intriguing first-round matchups, but we’ll reserve our analysis until the brackets are official.

(16) Monroe (7-17) at (1) Montgomery (18-5)
(15) Edison (12-11) at (2) Sayreville (20-3)
(14) Franklin (5-19) at (3) West Windsor-Plainsboro North (19-4)
(13) Manalapan at (4) Old Bridge (14-10)
(12) North Brunswick (9-15) at (5) Hillsborough (13-10)
(9) East Brunswick (13-11) at (8) Hightstown (12-13)

Central Jersey Group 2: The top three teams held court in the final week, with the top-seed going – by a mile – to Manaasquan (19-3), the defending sectional champs. The highest area team here is Metuchen (18-7), which held in seventh over the past week. The other two locals stayed pat, too: Spotswood (14-8) in tenth and South River (10-9) in 12th.

(12) South River (13-10) at (5) Wall (17-5)
(10) Spotswood (15-9) at (7) Metuchen (18-7)

Central Jersey Group 1: Thrive Charter (16-3) held on to the top spot here, and Middlesex hung on to the No. 2 seed, by a slim 0.301 points over Point Pleasant Beach (17-7), which jumped over Manville (16-7), dropping the Mustangs – who reached the finals here last year – to fourth. Dunellen (15-7) – the GMC Silver champs – hold at No. 5. Bound Brook (12-13) had a 2-1 week but surged ahead from 13 a week ago all the way up into the top eight, meaning they would open up the playoffs at home. Piscataway Magnet (17-7) dropped from seven to nine. Highland Park (12-10) fell one place from 11 to 12, but Perth Amboy Magnet (11-10) managed to stay in the field at 15 – same spot as a week ago – despite an 0-2 week.

(15) Perth Amboy Magnet (11-10) at (2) Middlesex (16-8)
(130 Shore (16-7) at (4) Manville (16-7)
(12) Highland Park (12-10) at (5) Dunellen (15-7)
(9) Piscataway Magnet (17-7) at (8) Bound Brook (12-13)

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: Plainfield (21-3) narrowly held on to the top seed here, but Elizabeth (17-6) pulled ahead of Ridge (17-4) into second, by about a half a power point. That leaves the Red Devils third, but Piscataway – on the strength of reaching the GMC Tournament semifinals Wednesday, where they’ll face Sayreville – was able to make it from fifth to No. 4, giving them home games for the first two rounds, should they make it that far. It’s all the way down to 13 for the next area team, with Bridgewater-Raritan (13-9) dropping one spot in the week gone by on a 1-1 week. Woodbridge (12-10) edged up one from 16 to 15, while Perth Amboy (11-10) dropped from 14, but just hung on to the 16th spot by nearly a full point over Watchung Hills (10-13).

(16) Perth Amboy (12-11) at (1) Plainfield (21-3)
(15) Woodbridge (12-10) at (2) Elizabeth (16-5)
(14) Union (9-17) at (3) Ridge (17-6)
(13) Bridgewater-Raritan (13-9) at (4) Piscataway (21-4)

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3: Three-time defending champion Colonia (18-4) had a 3-0 week and solidified itself as the top-seed over Mendham (18-3) by more than two points, after leading them by just over a quarter of a point a week ago. Somerville (16-6) dropped out of the top four to number five, but they’ll at least get a first-round home game out of it. South Plainfield (16-8) is the last area team, checking in at No. 6, same as last week.

(16) Cranford (7-17) at (1) Colonia (21-4)
(11) Orange (13-8) at (6) South Plainfield (16-8)
(10) Summit (9-11) at (5) Somerville (18-7)

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: The top three remain in place here, with Caldwell getting the top seed at 16-2. The only area team here is Bernards (13-9), which should get the 11 seed.

(11) Bernards (13-9) at (6) Hackettstown (13-6)

Non-Public South A: This should be a 14-team bracket, meaning the top two seeds – Paul VI (21-3) and St. Peter’s Prep (18-4) should get opening round byes. Immaculata (15-6) held steady at six, while St. Thomas Aquinas – which will play Colonia Wednesday in the GMCT semis, a rematch of last year’s final – fell from seven to eight, but still should get a first round home game. Pingry (8-11) holds in 11th, while St. Joseph of Metuchen (6-13) – which got knocked out of the GMC Tournament in the first round by Timothy Christian – fell to No. 13.

(13) St. Joseph-Metuchen (6-13) at (4) Camden Catholic (17-5)
(11) Pingry (8-11) at (6) Immaculata (17-6)
(9) St. Augustine (13-12) at (8) St. Thomas Aquinas (15-9)

Non-Public North B: In what likely is a 14-team section (we figure Eastern Christian at 0-19 won’t be in, but there could be more opt-outs), Gill St. Bernard’s – which is back in the SCT Finals this year after beating Ridge in the semis Saturday – should be the No. 1 seed, by a slim 0.297 over Roselle Catholic (19-5). Both shuld get first round byes. Timothy Christian (14-8) held steady in the past week at No. 8, while Wardlaw-Hartridge (5-17) dropped a spot to 13.

(13) Wardlaw Hartridge (5-17) at (4) Morristown-Beard (18-3)
(9) Pioneer Academy (11-10) at (8) Timothy Christian (14-8), winner at (1) Gill St. Bernard’s (19-4)

Non-Public South B: Despite a 3-0 week – including a come from behind win Saturday in the SCT semifinals over Montgomery, a rematch of last year’s final – Rutgers Prep (17-8) dropped from the three to the two seed, with Holy Cross Prep (18-6, 2nd) and St. Rose (17-7, 1st) above them. There are 14 teams in the section, but Noo-rul-iman has only played two games, and Calvary Christian (1-17) could opt out as well. That would leave it as a 12 team field, but even if it’s 13, that would give the Argonauts a first-round bye, so that’s our current projection.