Piscataway’s Landon Pernell drives to the basket against Plainfield in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals on March 3, 2026. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)
Somerset County basketball fans will get the matchup they wanted to see this Friday night, as both top-seed Hillsborough and third-seed Montgomery – neighbors along Route 206 – will meet in the Central Jersey Group 4 final Friday night, after both won sectional semifinal games on Tuesday.
Central Jersey Sports Radio-area boys’ basketball teams went 2-1 Tuesday evening, with top-seed Piscataway falling to defending Group 4 state champion Plainfield at home.
Scroll down for brief recaps and links to coverage in separate stories, complete with postgame comments from the head coaches, then check out the upcoming schedule below.
Central Jersey Group 4
Top-seed Hillsborough was locked in a tight game with fifth-seed Jackson in the first half, which saw seven ties, and five lead changes. The last change came when Hillsborough took a late 30-28 heading into the locker room, after which they pulled away in the third quarter for a 73-44 win that sends them to a sectional title game for the first time since the Raiders won their only title, in 2015.
Meanwhile, two-time defending CJ4 champion Montgomery will get a crack at a three-peat, after they came from behind to beat second-seed Marlboro on the road, 61-49, behind 30 points from senior point guard Ethan Lin, one shy of a career high.
- (1) Hillsborough def. (5) Jackson Twp., 73-44
- (3) Montgomery def. (2) Marlboro, 61-49
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4
Top-seed Piscataway had all it could handle against fourth-seed Plainfield – the defending state Group 4 champions and sixth-ranked team in New Jersey – in taking a 73-57 loss at home. The Chiefs hung in early with the game tied 17-all after one, but a 24-8 second quarter proved to be too much a hole for Piscataway to dig out of.
- (4) Plainfield def. (1) Piscataway, 73-57
- (2) Linden def. (3) Union, 54-35
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4 (SEMIFINALS)
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3
- (5) Mendham at (1) Colonia, 6 pm
- (6) South Plainfield at (2) Chatham, 7 pm
Central Jersey Group 1
- (4) Shore at (5) Thrive Charter, 7 pm
- (6) Manville at Pt. Pleasant Beach, 5:30 pm
THURSDAY, MARCH 5 (SEMIFINALS)
Non-Public South A
- (4) St. Joseph-Metuchen at (1) Paul VI, 7 pm
- (3) St. Peter’s Prep at CBA, 6 pm
Non-Public North B
- (4) St. Mary-Rutherford at (1) Gill St. Bernard’s
- (3) Morris Catholic at (2) Roselle Catholic
Non-Public South B
- (5) Bishop Eustace at (1) Rutgers Prep, 7 pm
- (3) Holy Spirit at (2) Holy Cross Prep, 6 pm
FRIDAY, MARCH 6
Central Jersey Group 4 Final
(3) Montgomery (24-4) at (1) Hillsborough (22-7), 6 pm
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