Hillsborough hosts East Brunswick in a girls’ basketball game on January 22, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Tuesday night’s Central Jersey Group 4 semifinal for the Hillsborough girls’ basketball team was a roller coaster, and from the start they were a little out of sorts.
But by the second half, the Raiders figured things out, and the rest of the game was like coasting to the ride’s finish line on a straightaway.
It all amounted to a 60-49 win for second-seeded Hillsborough at third-seed East Brunswick, sending the Raiders to a third straight sectional final, after they won North 2, Group 4 in 2024, and Central Jersey Group 4 last season, along with the overall state Group 4 Championship.
Isabelle Ruh notched her 18th double-double of the season in 27 games – and second straight in the state tournament – with a 17-point, 15-rebound night, while Morgan Bice added 13 and Kayla Cebedo added 15.
Head coach Courtney Tierney said with Gaspar out, some players had to slip into different roles, and it took a little while to get accustomed to that. But once they did, the Raiders (21-6) looked like the championship team they’ve been the last two seasons.
But they will have a stiff test Thursday night in the final at top-seed Franklin. To begin with, the game was moved one day earlier to accommodate a state wrestling event Franklin is hosting on Friday. Tip-off will be 6 pm.
That also means they’ll have one less day to prepare for the Warriors (21-8), who beat them in their only regular season meeting this year, 72-44, back on January 6th in Hillsborough.
East Brunswick’s season ended at 23-6. Sophomore Ava Catanho finished with 17 points – tying Ruh for game-high honors – and added nine rebounds.
Click below to hear postgame comments from Hillsborough girls’ basketball coach Courtney Tierney with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
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