Boys’ Non-Public Power Points Update: SCT finalists Gill St. Bernard’s, Rutgers Prep appear to hold on to top seeds in upcoming state tourney

With playoff qualification in high school basketball closing Saturday at the NJSIAA cutoff, it looks like Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep – ranked Nos. 3 and 9 in the statewide rankings, and both Somerset County Tournament semifinalists – will be getting the NO. 1 seeds in their respective playoff sections.

Below is a look at all the area teams in the Central Jersey playoff brackets, based on NJ.com power point standings as of 2 pm on Sunday, February 15, 2026. It should be noted that the standings could change as the NJSIAA confirms records and details of the formula heading into Tuesday’s seeding meeting in Robbinsville, at which point the brackets will be announced. They become official (pending any discrepancies) as of noon on Wednesday.

First round action begins on Tuesday, March 24th.

Below is our analysis of the sections, and unofficial projected matchups, in the North Jersey, Section 2 playoff sections. Click on the header for each section to visit the NJ.com standings for that section. Please note that unlike football, there is no “head-to-head” jump of teams, unless they are tied in power points, in which case head-to-head is merely the first of several tiebreakers.

Who gets home games and byes depends on how many teams qualify in each section, with some having fewer than 16 eligible teams. There is a 16-game minimum to qualify for the postseason, and some teams won’t make it, while others who have not had much success could opt-out.

Non-Public North B:

Nothing changed at the top since our last update, with Gill St. Bernard’s (23-2) getting the top seed by more than two points over Roselle Catholic (18-6). Morris Catholic (20-4), and St. Mary-Rutherford (21-3) round out the top four, which has three 20-game winners. After Morristown-Beard and Montclair-Kimberley at five and six, Timothy Christian at 5-18 – which went 2-1 this past week – finishes as a solid seven.

Then, it’s Pioneer Academy, Eastern Christian, Saddle River Day, and Wardlaw-Hartridge (4-12) checking in at 11, followed by Koinonia (4-16) at 12. We think that will be the field, as Golda Och and Franklin School (Jersey City) didn’t meet the 16-game minimum, while Hawthorne Christian did, but is 0-20. We think they’ll opt out.

Assuming a 12-team field, the top four would get byes. Here are the projected first round matchups:

• (12) Koinonia at (5) Morristown-Beard, winner at (4) St. Mary-Rutherford
• (11) Wardlaw-Hartridge at (6) Montclair-Kimberley, winner at (3) Morris Catholic
• (10) Saddle River Day at (7) Timothy Christian, winner at (2) Roselle Catholic
• (9) Eastern Christian at (8) Pioneer Academy, winner at (1) Gill St. Bernard’s

Non-Public North A:

The top three seeds here were unchanged from a week ago, and it looks like No. 1 will go to Paul VI (18-3), followed by Christian Brothers (19-3) and St. Peter’s Prep (18-3). But St. Joseph-Metuchen (24-1) pulled all the way up to No. 4 after their out-of-state opponent records were added in; they had not been updated as of last Sunday. That knocks Red Bank Catholic (18-6) down to five and Immaculata (17-6) down to six. After that, it’s Camden Catholic, St. Augustine and Union Catholic before you get to Pingry (12-8) at ten, followed by St. Thomas Aquinas (11-13), a GMC Tournament semifinalist, where they’ll play St. Joe’s. Ironically, it looks like the Trojans will face Immaculata in the opening round, just as they did in football this year. The last three are St. John Vianney, Donovan Catholic and Notre Dame.

We don’t anticipate any opt-outs here, so here are the projected first round matchups in what we believe will be a 14-team field, with the top two seeds getting byes:

• (14) Notre Dame at (3) St. Peter’s Prep
• (13) Donovan Catholic at (4) St. Joseph-Metuchen
• (12) St. John Vianney at (5) Red Bank Catholic
• (11) St. Thomas Aquinas at (6) Immaculata
• (10) Pingry at (7) Camden Catholic, winner at (2) Christian Brothers
• (9) Union Catholic at (8) St. Augustine, winner at (1) Paul VI)

Non-Public South B:

We don’t anticipate any opt-outs here, but St. Joseph-Hammonton – which finished 8th at 9-14 – is disqualified from the tournament after an early-January benches-clearing brawl in a game against LEAP Academy. Somerset County Tournament finalist Rutgers Prep (16-8) gets the top seed, followed by Holy Cross Prep (21-4) and Holy Spirit (18-6) rounding out the top three, all getting first round byes in what we anticipate will be a 13-team field. Calvary Christian (6-14) gets to 12 seed, should they play.

Here are the projected first-round matchups:

• (13) Moorestown Friends at (4) Doane Academy
• (12) Noor-ul-iman at (5) Bishop Eustace
• (11) Calvary Christian at (6) Ranney, winner at (3) Holy Spirit
• (10) Wildwood Catholic at (7) Gloucester Catholic, winner at (2) Holy Cross Prep
• (9) Princeton Day at (8) St. Rose, winner at (1) Rutgers Prep