Category: Girls Basketball

Gill St. Bernard's celebrates a North Jersey Non-Public B championship on March 9th, 2026 (Photo: Alec Crouthamel).
by Alec Crouthamel

Gill St. Bernard’s girls take control early, defeat Saddle River Day in North Non-Public B Final

It’s a Gill St. Bernard’s sweep in Paterson!

Hours after the boys won a sectional title of their own, the top-seeded Knights (23-5) on the girls side finished the job at JFK High School, with a 57-40 win over second-seeded Saddle River Day in the North Jersey Non-Public B final.

Gill took control early on, executing at a high level on both ends of the floor. The Knights took a double-digit lead early in the second quarter and never looked back, comfortably taking the sectional title with a workmanlike effort on offense and defense.

Addy and Kaity Platt led the way for Gill, with 16 and 15 points, respectively. They both got to the basket, shot the ball, and defended at a high level, especially given the Rebels’ (19-10) ability to shoot the ball at a high level.

Point guard Melina Miller also scored in double figures with 10 points, with much of her scoring and passing production coming off drives. Junior Sadie Finn added eight points.

Emily Mattson and Grace Darling each scored 13 points to pace Saddle River Day in the loss, as Giada Celetti and Harper Cohn each scored six.

The Rebels were able to stay within arm’s reach throughout much of the first with some tough shotmaking, led by seven points in the opening frame from Darling.

The elder Platt matched that with seven of her own to open the game, as the Knights took a five-point lead.

That advantage grew incrementally throughout the second quarter, as Gill tightened up its defense and passing to operate like the well-oiled machine it’s turned into in March. It took its first double-digit lead of the night, and eventually took an eight-point lead at the half. Both Platts combined for 19 of the Knights’ 27 points, and matched the Rebels’ team total.

Gill kept its foot on the gas in the third quarter, fully taking control and pulling away with some more ball movement and drives to the rim. Miller converted on three baskets in the paint in the frame, the younger Platt added seven more points. Finn proved to be a major piece to the puzzle as well, as a switchable defender and connecting passer in both the Knights’ transition offense and half-court sets.

That all led to a 17-point lead after three quarters, and Gill cruised to the finish to win by that same number. It wasn’t all smooth sailing, as Saddle River Day kept up the energy and cut into the lead with its pressure and pace. The Knights never faltered, though, and eventually forced some turnovers in the back half of the fourth quarter to fully bury the Rebels.

Gill St. Bernard’s will advance to the Non-Public B title game, where it will face South Jersey Non-Public B champion Gloucester Catholic, which beat Rutgers Prep 44-31 Monday night. This will be the second time the two teams face off this year, with the Rams winning 60-45 at the Shore Games in December.

Click below to hear postgame reactions with Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mark Gnapp and guards Addy and Kaity Platt, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Franklin girls seek trip to Group 4 title game when Warriors make long trip down to South Jersey for state semis against Lenape

While Tuesday’s Group 4 girls’ state semifinal game will officially be at a neutral site, Deptford High School is a lot closer to Lenape High School than it is to Franklin. So this one will be more like a “road” game for the Warriors than the Indians.

But as far as Franklin is concerned, who cares?

Just look at two of their key wins this season.

On January sixth, they pulled off a huge win at Hillsborough, 72-44, against the same team they rallied against to beat at home last Thursday in the Central Jersey Group 4 final.

Nine days later, they beat Westfield, 46-41, also on the road. The Blue Devils are also in the Group 4 semis, the North 2 champs facing North 1 winner West Orange, the team Hillsborough beat in last year’s state final.

So what’s one more quasi-road game?

Tuesday night at 7:00, Central Jersey Group 4 champ Franklin (22-8) will play South Jersey Group 4 winner Lenape (27-4) for a trip to the state finals which will be Saturday at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena. The game can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 6:45, following our live broadcast of the boys semi between Montgomery and Cherry Hill East. Both games can be heard live at this link.

Lenape has won eleven straight coming in, including a 59-40 win over third-seed Howell in the South 4 final last Friday. Junior El-Anita Jo-Samuel led all scorers with 20 points in that game, and is averaging 28.5 points per game in the state tournament, more than four above her average. She even dropped 40 on Moorestown in the Burlington County Tournament Final.

However, she was held to just two first-half points against Howell.

But Franklin head coach Jimmy Kreie believes Lenape has played better games than that one, and he prefers to look at some of their other wins – like perhaps the Moorestown contest – to game plan for the Indians. He wants to figure it out based on their best games.

But Franklin has some outstanding players, too. And against Hillsborough last Thursday, it was the whole cast of characters.

The team’s top scorer – junior Aleah Sunkins, averaging 18.4 per game – was not the high scorer in that game, but that’s okay. After all, she had 11 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double – a regular feat for Sunkins – while Jamila McRiney and Kayla Duncan were noted by Kreie as really helping to fuel the comeback with their stellar defensive efforts.

Click below to hear Franklin coach Jimmy Kreie talk about the Warriors’ journey to the Group 4 semifinals, and the matchup against Lenape, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Alec Crouthamel

Gill St. Bernard’s girls peaking at the right time for Non-Public North B title bout against Saddle River Day

Gill St. Bernard’s had plenty of re-tooling to do.

That’s to be expected when losing a senior class with as much talent and accolades as that previous class. But the Knights (21-5) trusted the development of their younger players ready to shine, and the trust was reciprocated as those same players stuck around, even in a reduced role, with the hope of starring on the floor in the near future.

The future has arrived.

Top-seeded Gill St. Bernard’s heads into the Non-Public North B final against second-seeded Saddle River Day with a versatile and dangerous group that’s also finding its stride right when it needs to. You can hear the game on Monday at 7 pm, with pregame coverage starting at roughly 6:45, as Alec Crouthamel will call the action. Click here to listen.

Addy and Kaity Platt get the primary attention — as they should, as two of the team’s top options on both ends of the floor — but it’s been a full team effort for the Knights all year long.

Other contributors, such as junior point guard Melina Miller — who paces the team with nearly six assists per game — and junior wing Sadie Finn had to wait their turn and work behind the scenes. What the rest of the public didn’t see, Gill St. Bernard’s coaching staff did. They knew they had depth waiting in the wings and it has paid off at the right time.

The Knights are playing some of their best basketball of late, working through their first two games of the sectional tournament with ease in dominant wins over Pioneer Academy and Villa Walsh.

The Rebels (19-9) present a new challenge in the sectional title. While not the deepest team, Saddle River Day does have the top-end talent to compete. 88 percent of the Rebels’ scoring comes from their top four options, and they all have stepped up to the task as a dangerous team rebounding the ball and shooting it from the perimeter.

This won’t be the first time they’re featured on Central Jersey Sports Radio, as they fell to St. Thomas Aquinas on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, but their go-to stars have only gotten more dangerous. Point guard Harper Cohn has fully re-acclimated to action after missing the early weeks of the season due to injury, and sophomore guard Grace Darling has turned up the heat scoring the basketball.

Both teams come into the matchup with plenty of tradition and history — Saddle River Day as one of Bergen County’s top programs, and Gill St. Bernard’s the same in Somerset County recently — but only one will come out victorious.

The Knights look for their first sectional title in 12 years, without now-closed Montclair Immaculate in the fold, who had defeated Gill in three of the last four years.

The bracket’s top two seeds have met the task all year long, and each have one more with a sectional title on the line.

Click below to hear a preview interview with Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mark Gnapp and Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Central Jersey Group 1 Final (Girls): (1) New Providence 57, (2) Bound Brook 42

Senior Annie Conover scored 22 points – including six threes – part of a barrage of 12 triples on the day, to power top-seed New Providence past second-seed Bound Brook, 57-42, to win its second straight Central Jersey Group 1 title, and third sectional championship in four years.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the play-by-play from New Providence High School on March 7 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

New Providence three-point barrage dooms Bound Brook; Pioneers take second straight CJ1 title in 57-42 win

It’s not every day New Providence hits 12 three-pointers in a game – even if they have hit at least ten on four separate occasions this year, including 13 in an early January game against Fair Lawn – but they have that potential.

Saturday at home in the Central Jersey Group 1 final, they needed to hit against second-seed Bound Brook, and that’s exactly what the top-seeded Pioneers did, en route to a 57-42 victory that claimed their second straight sectional title, and third in the last four seasons.

Bound Brook never led, but it wasn’t like they never had a chance. They never trailed by double-digits in the first half, and were only down eight at halftime. This is the same team that fell behind 17-2 in the semifinals against Roselle Park – and the state’s top scorer in Sidney Smith – but rallied to take a double-digit halftime lead and win.

But New Providence (28-1) is the defending Group 1 champion for a reason. Senior Annie Conover led the way with 26 points, including six threes. Four of those came in the first half, and she had 14 at the break.

But it was sophomore Addy Fitzgerald – the only non-senior in the starting five – who may have buried Bound Brook. Even though the Crusaders had their opportunities as late as midway through the fourth quarter – and they had many throughout the game as well – Fitzgerald had three big third quarter treys, and finished with 14 points on the day.

Bound Brook (25-4) was led by Peytan Pugh, who had 22 points, two from beyond the arc, while senior Ty’asjah Ferguson added eight. Lauren Polakiewicz added six, on a pair of third-quarter triples.

Bound Brook senior Ty’asjah Ferguson drives to the basket in the Central Jersey Group 1 title game at New Providence on March 7, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

New Providence moves on to the state Group 1 semifinals Wednesday at 5 pm at Monroe Twp. H.S. against the winner of the South Jersey Group 1 final, featuring second-seed Wildwood at top-seed Haddon Twp.

Click below for postgame reaction on New Providence’s Central Jersey Group 1 title from head coach Cap Pazdera and senior Annie Conover, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

New Providence senior Annie Conover. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA switches South Jersey non-public finals sites due to travel concerns, moves Rutgers Prep girls and St. Joseph-Metuchen title games

Typically, the NJSIAA has its sites chosen for neutral site state tournament games well in advance. And the championship games for the same sections are placed at the same venues, that way one school doesn’t have its boys’ and girls’ teams playing at the same time at different locations.

But one thing has been an issue among schools in the “south” half of the state, at least according to NJSIAA geography: travel.

And now that the non-public sectional finals are set after Thursday night games, the NJSIAA is making a change

Originally, Non-Public South B finals were supposed to be at Jackson Twp. High School (formerly Jackson Liberty), while the South A finals were to be held at Lenape H.S. in Medford Lakes.

But on Friday, the NJSIAA announced a change. All the South A finals have been moved from Lenape to Jackson, while the South B finals are going from Jackson to Lenape.

Locally, that means the South A boys’ final between St. Joseph-Metuchen and St. Peter’s Prep – yes, both are considered “south” due to the prevalence of teams up in North Jersey and the paucity of teams in South Jersey – will be in Jackson, while Rutgers Prep’s game against Gloucester Catholic for the South B girls’ title will be down at Lenape.

All the times remain the same, with St. Joe’s playing at 5 pm and Rutgers Prep at 7 pm.

There had been some chatter on social media about the methodology that left two teams from Middlesex and Hudson Counties playing a title game in Burlington County. It’s unknown, however, whether anyone from the participating schools contacted the NJSIAA about the matter.

None of the Non-Public North games were changed.

NON-PUBLIC SOUTH FINALS SCHEDULE

At Jackson Twp. (formerly Jackson Liberty)

  • South A Boys’ Final: (4) St. Joseph-Metuchen vs. (3) St. Peter’s Prep, 5 pm
  • South A Girls’ Final: (2) St. John Vianney vs. (1) Red Bank Catholic, 7 pm

At Lenape

  • South B Boys’ Final: (5) Bishop Eustace vs. (2) Holy Cross, 5 pm
  • South B Girls’ Final: (1) Rutgers Prep vs. (2) Gloucester Catholic, 7 pm
by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Central Jersey Group 4 Final (Girls): (1) Franklin 52, (3) Hillsborough 41

Top-seed Franklin won its first sectional title since 2020, beating third-seed Hillsborough 52-41, behind 20 points from Alissa Myers and a double-double of 11 points and 14 rebounds from Aleah Sunkins, to win the Central Jersey Group 4 championship.

Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play from Franklin High School in Somerset on March 5, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Girls’ Basketball Roundup: Franklin tops Hillsborough a day early to win CJ4 crown; Pingry upsets Immaculate Heart in North A semis to make first-ever final; Rutgers Prep, Gill St. Bernard’s cruise; St. Thomas Aquinas bows out down the Shore

After a light Wednesday, it was a busy Thursday for girls basketball in the NJSIAA state tournament, highlighted by Franklin’s win over Hillsborough in the Central Jersey Group 4 title game.

The Warriors won their first title since 2020 and ended Hillsborough’s two-year run as sectional champions, with one in North 2, Group 4 in 2024 – the school’s first ever – and another last season in Central Jersey Group 4.

Meanwhile, Pingry pulled an upset in Non-Public North A, as the 6th-seeded Big Blue beat second-seed Immaculate Heart, sending them to their first ever title game. Rutgers Prep rolled in the South B semis to make their 6th straight title game. And Gill St. Bernard’s cruised as well to go to the North B final.

However, St. Thomas Aquinas fell to Red Bank Catholic in the South A semifinal down the Shore.

Scroll through for recaps, audio, and links to separate stories, followed by an updated upcoming schedule with dates and times.

Central Jersey Group 4

Top-seed Franklin is back on top, with a coach who’s been there before. Before coming to the Warriors this season to bring the program back to Audrey Taylor/Diamond Miller levels, Jimmy Kreie was at the controls at Montclair-Immaculate, which ended Gill St. Bernard’s season last year in the North B title game, then won the state Group B title over Gloucester Catholic. This year, he has the Warriors at 22-8 – coming off an 11-16 season – and they’re champions for the first time since 2020, when they beat Ridge to win CJ4. They also won their state semifinal game against Randolph before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the tournament early.

Click here for Alec Crouthamel’s game recap and postgame reaction, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Non-Public North A

Pingry is in a sectional final for the first time ever, as the sixth-seeded Big Blue knocked off second-seed Immaculate Heart on the road, 46-43. Pingry (17-10) led 13-11 after one, but went into the locker room at the half tied at 23, before taking a four-point lead heading into the final quarter, and they held on to win. Charlotte Huntzinger led all scorers with 14, while Sadie Dalmon added 11 and Val Triana chipped in ten. They’ll play in the North A final at Franklin High School Monday at 7 pm against either top-seed Morris Catholic or fourth-seed DePaul.

  • (6) Pingry def. (2) Immaculate Heart, 46-43
  • (4) DePaul at (1) Morris Catholic, 7:30 pm
Click hear to listen to Pingry head coach Robert Hoepfl talk about the Big Blue’s historic win to reach their first-ever sectional final!

Non-Public South A

Fourth-seed and seven-time GMC Tournament champion St. Thomas Aquinas (24-7) saw its season come to an end with a 68-31 loss at top-seed and perennial state power Red Bank Catholic. Down 14-6 after one, the Trojans trailed 29-12 at the half, and only managed single-digit scoring in each of the first three quarters, with the Caseys pulling away in the first eight minutes after halftime on a 22-8 run. Leah Kearney was the only Aquinas player in double figures, finishing the night with ten points. Addy Nyemchek led all scorers with 37 points, and had 14 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

  • (1) Red Bank Catholic def. (4) St. Thomas Aquinas, 68-31
  • (2) St. John Vianney def. (3) Paul VI, 63-54

Non-Public North B

Top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s is back in the sectional finals for the second straight year, after beating fourth-seed Villa Walsh, 78-37, at home. The Knights put up a whopping 37 points in the first quarter and led by 22 after one, then 62-22 at the half to kick in a running clock for the entire second half. The Knights will face second-seed Saddle River Day in the North B Final at 7 pm Monday at Paterson Kennedy.

  • (1) Gill St. Bernard’s def. (4) Villa Walsh, 78-37
  • (2) Saddle River Day def. (3) Hudson Catholic, 39-38
Click hear to hear Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mark Gnapp talk about Gill St. Bernard’s win over Villa Walsh in the North B semifinals.

Non-Public South B

Make it six straight sectional finals for Rutgers Prep, as the top-seeded Argonauts were 79-46 winners over 5th-seed Stuart Day Thursday night. Prep cruised from the beginning, jumping out to a 24-9 lead at the end of one, and Natalia Valdez was a big reason why. She hit six treys in the game and finished with 21 points, while Cali McCoy added 14. Prep will rematch with second-seed Gloucester Catholic in the South B final Monday night at 7 at Jackson Township (formerly Jackson Liberty) High School.

Click here to read our game story and hear postgame reaction from Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko.

  • (1) Rutgers Prep def. (5) Stuart Day, 79-46
  • (2) Gloucester Catholic def. (3) Wildwood Catholic, 72-29

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

SATURDAY, MARCH 7

Central Jersey Group 1 Final

MONDAY, MARCH 9

Non-Public North A Final

  • (6) Pingry vs. (1) Morris Catholic/(4) DePaul, 7:00 pm at Franklin HS

Non-Public North B Final

  • (1) Gill St. Bernard’s vs. (2) Saddle River Day, 7 pm at JFK Paterson HS

Non-Public South B Final

  • (1) Rutgers Prep vs. (2) Gloucester Catholic, 7 pm at Jackson Twp. H.S. (formerly Jackson Liberty)
Franklin Girls Basketball celebrates the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional title on March 5th, 2026 (Photo: Alec Crouthamel).
by Alec Crouthamel

Franklin wakes up with monster fourth quarter, defeats Hillsborough for first sectional title in six years

It might have been apparent which team was playing for its third straight sectional title, and which team was playing in its first in six years heading into the fourth quarter in the Central Jersey Group 4 final.

In the final eight minutes, though, that perception flipped 180 degrees.

Top-seeded Franklin claimed its first sectional title since 2020, rallying from a nine-point deficit at the end of the third quarter to stun third-seeded Hillsborough 52-41. The Warriors (22-8) turned up the heat exponentially in the final frame, holding the Raiders (21-7) without a field goal in the entire fourth quarter, with just two free throws, leading to a 22-2 scoring margin in the final eight minutes.

Senior guard Alissa Myers proved to be the hero, tying her career high with 20 points, 12 coming in the fourth quarter alone. She knocked down a trio of three-pointers and got Franklin back into the game with her shooting, while the Warriors’ swarming defense stifled Hillsborough the entire way.

Franklin had three scorers in double figures, as star forward Aleah Sunkins shook off a slow start and apparent third-quarter hand injury to finish with 11 points, six coming in the fourth quarter. She knocked down four consecutive free throws in the final minute to put the game out of reach. Sophomore guard Jamila McRiney scored ten points, including two three-pointers in the first quarter to help kickstart the Warriors’ offense.

Juniors Kayla Cebedo and Victoria Liedl each scored 12 points to lead the Raiders, as Liedl converted on four big-time three-pointers to help Hillsborough build its lead to begin with. Cebedo hit two free throws in the final 45 seconds for the Raiders’ only fourth-quarter points. Isabella Ruh scored ten points before fouling out late, attempting to extend the game. Junior guard Nevya Loniewski also fouled out early in the fourth quarter, finishing with five points.

The physicality and athleticism on both sides were apparent from the jump ball, as Franklin ended the first quarter with a 13-11 lead, but Hillsborough continued to play solid defense to open the game as Ruh nailed two treys. Loniewski hit another to open the second quarter to put the Raiders back in the lead, and neither team scored for the next four minutes as the championship pressure appeared to speed up both teams.

Hillsborough eventually gained an edge with two minutes left in the half, but the Warriors managed two straight baskets in the final minutes to head into the locker room with a slim one-point lead.

The Raiders’ championship experience and poise both shone through in the third quarter, outscoring Franklin 19-9 as Cebedo controlled the pace with the ball in her hands, and Liedl knocked down two more three-pointers. Ruh added two baskets at the rim of her own, while containing the Warriors’ offense by speeding them up and forcing turnovers. By the time the dust settled, Hillsborough sat with a 39-30 lead with eight minutes to play, and all of the momentum headed in the visitors’ direction.

But Franklin never lost faith.

The Warriors cranked up the energy on defense, forcing several turnovers in the fourth quarter with its full-court pressure, and the shots finally started to fall. Franklin made four three-pointers in the final period, three from Myers and McRiney added another, while forward Alivia Stewart got downhill and scored four key points. The trio of McRiney, Myers, and senior Kayla Duncan wreaked havoc in the backcourt and carried Franklin back into the game.

By the time the Raiders knew what hit them, the Warriors had ripped off a 20-0 run and taken a double-digit lead.

It wasn’t totally over just yet, as Hillsborough’s strategy to foul with 90 seconds left worked to perfection with six straight missed Franklin free throws, but it ultimately didn’t matter as the Raiders still couldn’t get anything to go on offense. The Warriors then gave the ball to Sunkins to bring the ball up, and she calmly knocked down four straight at the charity stripe, even with a wrap on her hand.

Franklin clinched its first sectional title since a run of four straight from 2017-20, when Audrey Taylor had the Warriors rolling as one of the top teams in the state. Now, in Year One under head coach Jimmy Kreie, Franklin has climbed one mountain and has a chance for another in the state tournament.

The Warriors will face off against the winner of the South Jersey Group 4 finalists, top-seeded Lenape and third-seeded Howell, in the Group 4 semifinals on Tuesday at Deptford Township High School.

Click below to hear postgame reactions with Franklin head coach Jimmy Kreie and senior guard Alissa Myers with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls clinch 6th straight trip to sectional finals, win 79-46 over Stuart Day, to set up championship rematch with Gloucester Catholic

No matter how many finals they make, or championships they win, it never gets old for Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger.

The top-seeded Argonauts easily won their Non-Public South B semifinal game Thursday night in Somerset, defeating fifth-seed Stuart Day, 79-46.

Another laugher from the start, Prep led 24-9 after one quarter and 42-16 at the half, with many outstanding performances throughout.

Natalia Valdez was on fire from downtown, hitting six times from beyond the arc, and finishing with a 20-point night. Ava LaMonica added 13 points and eight rebounds, Cali McCoy finished with 14 – and was 4-of-4 from the foul line, while Ava Frith added eight, and 11 rebounds.

Next up for the Argonauts (25-3), a trip down to Jackson Twp. High School (formerly Jackson Liberty) for the Non-Public South B championship against a familiar foe: Gloucester Catholic.

The second-seeded Rams pummeled third-seed Wildwood Catholic, 72-29, at home Thursday night to improve to 24-4.

Last year, Gloucester Catholic beat Prep 46-33 in the sectional final, before losing to Montclair-Immaculate – in the school’s final game before it closed last summer – in the Non-Public B Final at Rutgers.

Click below for postgame reaction from Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: