Power Points Analysis: Immaculata, Rutgers Prep eying top 4 finishes in South A, North B

We’re just two weeks from the NJSIAA cutoff for the state playoffs – coming up on May 17th – and teams across the area continue to jockey for position in the standings.

In the non-public sections, Immaculata and Rutgers Prep are looking at top four finishes in their respective sections. Of the four non-public sections in New Jersey, our local teams only occupy two of them: North B and South A.

Here’s a closer look beyond the numbers at where teams stand and what their chances are, based on NJ.com’s official standings as of games played on May 4th. For a full explanation of the new power point formula, click here.

Non-Public South A: This one is a tough section, with the top three teams all state-ranked. Christian Brothers (14-1, 30.573, #9 in NJ) has a good lead over second-place St. Augustine (13-3, 27.131, #10 in NJ), which in turn has a decent lead over Red Bank Catholic (12-4, 25.503, #20 in NJ). Then, in fourth, is Immaculata (9-4, 23.939). They have a decent beat on a top four seed, 3.654 points ahead of fourth-place Union Catholic. St. Joseph-Metuchen checks in at No. 6 with an 8-6 mark and 20.141 points, right at the midway point of what now is a 12-team field. That could change if anyone opts out, and there are some struggling teams here including Camden Catholic (3-11), Donovan Catholic (1-11) and Pingry, which is just 2-13 with 10.589 points. Everyone who wants to make it here will do so, it’s just a question of how many.

Non-Public North B: There’s a good amount of spacing behind the top couple of teams for now, starting with Montclair-Kimberley (11-2, 24.058) at No. 1 and St. Mary-Rutherford (12-5, 22.182) in second. Not too far back in third is Rutgers Prep (10-4, 20.752), but the Argonauts are bunched in with two other teams that We thing will be battling for the last two spots in the top four, which would guarantee home field advantage through at least the first two rounds. Those two others are Morristown-Beard (9-5, 20.498) in fourth, and St. Thomas Aquinas (12-5, 19.704) in fifth. And while Gill St. Bernard’s (8-7, 15.896) is in sixth, they’re realistically about five power points away from the top four and that might be too much a hill to climb in the next two weeks. Even a deep run in the Somerset County Tournament might not help, as the upset wins that would help them would come after the cutoff. Timothy Christian (0-10, 6.18) sits last, in 12th, if they don’t opt out.