Connor Junker of Gill St. Bernard’s lays one up against St. Mary Rutherford in the Non-Public North B semifinals in Peapack, NJ, on March 5, 2026. (Source: Hudle)
As Meatloaf once sang, “Two out of three ain’t bad.”
Gill St. Bernard’s and St. Joseph-Metuchen won their sectional semifinals Thursday night in the state tournament, the Knights in North B and the Falcons in South A, and now both are headed opposite directions in the state Monday for sectional title games.
Meanwhile, Rutgers Prep was upset at home by Bishop Eustace in the Non-Public South B semifinals.
Scroll through to read game recaps and hear postgame interviews with coaches, then check out the upcoming schedule below.
Non-Public South A
Now on a 13-game winning streak, St. Joseph-Metuchen is in the sectional finals for the first time in three years. The Falcons were 54-52 winners Thursday night, knocking off top-seed Paul VI, 54-52, on the road. Up 21-12 after one quarter, Joe’s saw its lead cut to six at the half. And in the end game, up 54-52, Paul VI got a steal of f the inbound, and fired a 30-foot three from just about straight on for the lead. It missed, St. Joseph got the rebound, but the Eagles inexplicably didn’t foul, even though there were about four seconds left. They had four fouls at the time, and could have sent the Falcons to the line, where a split would have left them with a chance at a miracle to at least tie. Aidan Carter and Andrew Kretkowski shared game-high honors with 18 points apiece, while Joel Patrick had seven and 16 rebounds. St. Joseph (29-1) will play third-seed St. Peter’s Prep at 5 pm Monday in the South A Final at Lenape High School in Medford Lakes.
- (4) St. Joseph-Metuchen def. (1) Paul VI, 54-52
- (3) St. Peter’s Prep def. (2) CBA, 59-46
Non-Public North B
Top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s (26-2) is back in the finals for a second year in a row, after a 58-50 win over fourth-seed St. Mary Rutherford in Peapack Thursday night. That’s 22 straight wins for the Knights, who got 19 points from Proper Sonkoua, and 13 points and six boards from Jahmal Dixon, but even more impressive was the eleven rebounds grabbed by Connor Junker, known more as a sharp-shooter from beyond the arc. Gill led by just one after one, but took a 12 point lead at the half on the strength of a strong second quarter. Now, the Knights get a rematch with second-seed Roselle Catholic in the final, which beat them last year, 43-35. That final is at JFK High School in Paterson at 5 pm.
- (1) Gill St. Bernard’s def. (4) St. Mary-Rutherford, 58-50
- (2) Roselle Catholic def. (3) Morris Catholic, 60-55
Non-Public South B
Top-seed Rutgers Prep was upset at home Thursday night by fifth-seed Bishop Eustace, falling 77-70 on their home floor. It was a tight one throughout, with Prep down 14-13 after one, and by four at the half. A big third quarter for Eustace upped the lead by seven heading into the fourth, and it was just too much to overcome. Julian Ceberio led the Argonauts (18-10) in defeat, scoring 19, including five triples, while also grabbing six rebounds. Nicolas Nsenkyrie added 16 points and five boards.
- (5) Bishop Eustace def. (1) Rutgers Prep, 77-70
- (2) Holy Cross Prep def. (3) Holy Spirit, 41-34
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, MARCH 6
Central Jersey Group 4 Final
- (3) Montgomery (24-4) at (1) Hillsborough (22-7), 6 pm
SATURDAY, MARCH 7
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Final
- (2) Chatham (24-5) at (1) Colonia (19-10), 2 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
MONDAY, MARCH 9
Non-Public South A Final
- (4) St. Joseph-Metuchen (29-1) vs. (3) St. Peter’s Prep (27-3), 5 pm at Lenape H.S. (Medford Lakes)
Non-Public North B Final
- (1) Gill St. Bernard’s (26-2) vs. (2) Roselle Catholic (22-6), 5 pm at JFK Paterson (LIVE on CJSR)
TUESDAY, MARCH 10
Group 4 Semifinals
- (3) Montgomery/(1) Hillsborough (Central 4 Champion) vs. (2) Lenape/(1) Cherry Hill East (South 4 Champion)
Discover more from Central Jersey Sports Radio
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.