Tag: boys’ basketball

by Mike Pavlichko

Heady Montgomery point guard Ethan Lin repeats as CJSR Somerset County Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year

Basketball is a team sport, but without Ethan Lin, it’s highly likely Montgomery isn’t Central Jersey Group 4 champions three years running.

The smart, skilled, and unflappable point guard was the Central Jersey Sports Radio Somerset County Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year in 2024-25, and now he’s repeated the feat in 2025-26.

Last season, he was coming off a horiffic broken leg injury that truncated his sophomore season. He came back stronger than ever for his junior year, and that trajectory continued this season.

He’s the first back-to-back winner since another pretty good player did it in 2022, and 2023: Mikayla Blakes of Rutgers Prep. She’s doing alright these days, only the leading scorer in the nation in D1 women’s basketball, scoring 27 points per game for Vanderbilt, where she was just announced Thursday as a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy, given to the Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year. A two-seed in the NCAA Tournament, they open play at home Saturday against High Point.

Lin reminds us – in the way he runs the game – of former East Brunswick standout point guard Amir Bell, who lead the Bears to a Central Jersey Group 4 title in 2013 as a junior. He then went on to be a standout at Princeton, where he was a thousand-point scorer, and most recently played in the German Bundesliga.

In the Group 4 semifinals against Cherry Hill East – a 30-point blowout win, 67-37 – Lin scored “just” nine points. And while many would look at that and say he was “held” to nine, he more realistically held himself to nine points. An unselfish player, he saw opportunities to get the ball to teammates Shree Mallavarpu and Connor Benedict, who scored a career-high 23 and a near-career high 28 points, respectively, as they dominated the game.

Or, as his father said to us afterward, “I think they game planned a lot for Ethan, but they forgot everyone else.”

That’s what makes Lin special, his feel for the game that not every player has.

Lin will be headed to play at the University of Pennsylvania next year. The Quakers of the Ivy League won the Ivy Madness Tournament title, and are in the NCAA Tournament as 15 seed, playing third-seed Illinois of the Big Ten Thursday evening at 9:25.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio Boys’ Basketball two-time Player of the Year Ethan Lin:

Honorable Mentions:

  • Prosper Highlander, Gill St. Bernard’s: The senior from Cameroon – full name Prosper Highlander Sonkoua, who dropped the Highlander this year and went by Sonkoua – averaged 15.6 points and 72. rebounds a game this year, and emerging as a big prospect in the class of 2026, currently uncommited. He also hit 37 treys and had 33 blocks and 74 steals for the first-time Non-Public B state champs.
  • Dorsett Mulcahy, Gill St. Bernard’s: The senior point guard – who will head to Canisius next year – has been a rock for Mergin Sina’s Knights, even during a downturn a couple of years ago during a season where the roster was very much in flux. But this year, he upped his game and scored career-high 502 points, averaging 18.6 points per game, with a career-best 66 treys. The Knights finished second in the state – behind only Rutgers Prep – with 254 triples on the year.
  • Will Brunson, Rutgers Prep: Merely a sophomore, Brunson scored 22.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game this season for a squad that reached the Somerset County Tournament finals. He also hit 53 treys, part of a 282-three barrage by the Argonauts that led the entire state of New Jersey
  • Riley Gorman, Immaculata: A senior, Gorman graduates with 1,238 points, cracking the 1k barrier in the Somerset County Tournament, in a win over Bernards. Averaging 22 points a game, he hit 91 threes, and finished his career with 168. And in 28 games played this season, he scored in double figures in all but one, a two-point effort against Westfield where he wasn’t feeling well and sat the second half.
  • Aaron Feath, Hillsborough: Also just a sophomore, he plays on a team with his older brother Derek, but not at all in his shadow. The kid hit big shots all year for a team that won 22 games and lost just eight, and scored at a team-best 18.5 point per game clip, while dishing out 103 assists.
  • Josh D’Ambrosio, Manville: Going 19-9 for a second straight year, D’Ambrosio – also an excellent football player – brought that physicality to the hardwood. He averaged 14.5 points per game, dished 100 assists for the second straight year, and hit 66 treys, giving him 219 in a four-year varsity career.

by Mike Pavlichko

From 6-16 to GMC Tournament champs, rejuvenated St. Joseph-Metuchen named CJSR Boys’ Basketball Team of the Year

A year ago, St. Joseph boys’ basketball was a mess. Karl Towns, Sr. – the father of Falcon great Karl-Anthony Towns, who brought the Metuchen school a Tournament of Champions title in 2014 – was on his way out after a disastrous 6-16 season, where he barely coached the team, and seemed to spend more time watching his famous son play at Madison Square Garden after being traded from Minnesota to the Knicks.

Oh, how things changed quickly.

St. Joseph went with a known commodity: Mark Taylor, a 1983 graduate who later coached Jay Williams and Andrew Bynum and won two GMC titles in his first go-round, then later coached at Ridge and St. Benedict’s Prep.

He brought in key transfers, including Aidan Carter from nearby St. Thomas Aquinas, Andrew Kretkowski from Rutgers Prep, and Joel Patrick from Union, among others. The last two played right away, but Carter had to sit 30 days due to NJSIAA transfer rules.

A beautifully-voiced singer once told us it’s “never as good as the first time,” but this one proved the exception to the rule.

The Falcons won their first 16 games before taking a loss, a 55-54 defeat on the road at South Plainfield. It prompted a nearly 45-minute postgame meeting in the visiting lockerroom, but Taylor later called it the best thing that could have happened to his team.

It must have been, because they won their next 13 games, too – blitzing through the GMC Tournament to win the championship, making it all the way to Jackson for the Non-Public South A finals, where they eventually lost to St. Peter’s Prep, a juggernaut that beat five different Central Jersey Sports Radio-area squads this year.

And while they may not have finished the year No. 1 – that went to Gill St. Bernard’s, which won its division, county tournament, state sectional and first-ever state championship – the Falcons’ turnaround and league title earns Team of the Year honors from Central Jersey Sports Radio.

By the way, the Falcons aren’t done yet. Who knows what Taylor has up his sleeve for next year, with Alijah Muprhy the biggest senior graduation, as the core of Kretkowksi, Carter and Patrick will return.

Click below to hear from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Boys’ Basketball Team of the Year, including juniors Aidan Carter and Andrew Kretkowski, along with head coach Mark Taylor:

by Mike Pavlichko

Four titles earns Gill St. Bernard’s No. 1 ranking in final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

When high school basketball teams open their preseason, hitting the gym in earnest for the first time, they can set all kinds of different goals. For most with high-end aspirations, there are four main ones: win the division, win the county, win a sectional, win a state championship.

In 2025-26, it was check, check, check, and check one more time for Gill St. Bernard’s. And that’s why they finish as the No. 1 team in the final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings of the year.

With a mark of 28-2, the Knights won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, and while they played though the division only once due to the new alignment, they decided to play Rutgers Prep twice anyway, the last meeting coming after the SCT seeding meeting, and took both matchups. They then beat the Argonauts in the Somerset County Tournament final, went on to avenge a defeat at the hands of Roselle Catholic in the Non-Public Group B title game, then put on a defensive masterclass in the Non-Public B state final at Rutgers, beating Holy Cross Prep of Delran to win the program’s first state title in school history

The Knights are followed by a very close second in St. Joseph-Metuchen. In their first season under alum Mark Taylor – in his second go-round coaching the Falcons – they went 29-2, their lone loss coming to South Plainfield by one on the road before falling in the Non-Public South A final to St. Peter’s Prep – which, by the way, beat every Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team it played this year: Colonia, Gill St. Bernard’s, Rutgers Prep, St. Thomas Aquinas (twice) and St. Joe’s.

Montgomery finishes in third. At 26-5, the two-time defending champion Cougars won a third straight Central Jersey Group 4 title, but this time had to go on the road to do it after being the top seed each of the last two seasons. Not only did they win at top-seed Hillsborough in the final, but the Cougars dominated Cherry Hill East in the Group 4 semifinals, and made it all the way to Rutgers for the state Group 4 final, where they lost back on Saturday to Plainfield for a second straight season, in a tight game most of the way.

Close behind in fourth is Colonia, which finished 21-11 after a 2-6 start, and having lost several key starters, including Aiden Derkack (transfer to Spire Academy in Ohio) and R.J. Wortman (early football enrolee at Rutgers) among others. The Patriots bowed out to Piscataway in a tight GMC Tournament semifinal game, but wound up getting the top-seed in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3, and won the sectional title for a fifth straight year, and sixth time in the last seven playoff seasons, all under head coach Jose Rodriguez. They made their first state final ever, too, but fell to Ocean City Sunday in the Group 3 finals at Rutgers, giving the Red Raiders their first state title in over 60 years.

Checking in at five is Piscataway (23-8). The Chiefs – despite a lack of height – were tough again in the GMC Red American Division this year, and took St. Joe’s to overtime in early January. They made it all the way to the county final, where they fell to the Falcons in the title game, and bowed out of a brutal North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 playoff section in the semifinals to eventual state Group 4 champion Plainfield.

At six, it’s Rutgers Prep (18-10). The Argonauts still had Will Brunson, but had to deal with the loss of Andrew Kretkowski, who transferred to St. Joseph-Metuchen. But they still showed out this season, reaching the Somerset County Tournament final, where it was another battle with Gill St. Bernard’s, who won the championship.

Hillsborough (22-8) checks in at No. 7, after putting together their first 20-win season under head coach Tim Palek, who just wrapped up his fifth season on the bench. The Raiders had fans enthralled through their playoff run, with an exciting win over Jackson Twp. in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, and they took Montgomery to overtime in the championship before taking the loss.

At No. 8, it’s Immaculata (21-7), the Skyland Conference Raritan Division champs. Season highlights included a home win over in-town rival Somerville, and handing Bridgewater-Raritan its first loss on the road after an 8-0 start by the Panthers.

The last three teams were unranked in the final poll before the postseason.

East Brunswick comes in at nine – going 21-7 this season, and winning the GMC Red National Division with an 8-0 mark – while two others share the tenth and final spot.

We put Perth Amboy (22-6) in at the ten spot along with Manville (19-9), honoring two teams for their full body of work, teams that might not otherwise get recognized in a crowded field of 48 teams between Middlesex and Somerset Counties. The Panthers won their first division title since 1993, claiming the GMC’s White American with an unblemished 12-0 record. The Mustangs, meanwhile, were Skyland Conference Mountain Division champions at 8-0, and beat rival Bound Brook twice this season, with the first of their two victories being their first against the Crusaders in 20 years.

Dropping out were Pingry (13-10) and South Plainfield (18-11).

Below is the complete final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for 2025-26:

by Mike Pavlichko

History repeats itself for Montgomery boys’ basketball coach Kris Grundy, as third straight CJ4 title nets his 350th win

Sometimes a milestone comes at the oddest time.

For Montgomery boys’ basketball coach Kris Grundy, his 300th career coaching win came on a big night: Friday, March 1st, when his top-seeded Cougars beat second-seed Marlboro to win the Central Jersey Group 4 championship.

That was Monty’s first title win since 2010, making the moment doubly meaningful.

This year, in his 21st season, a milestone struck again, in almost the same place.

While that title was won in Montgomery’s own gym, as was last year’s, this year’s squad had to go “on the road” – albeit just up the road, with that main road being Route 206 – to win the title. And that victory was No. 350 for Grundy.

The math was easy to do. After winning his 300th, the Cougars lost to Lenape in the Group 4 semifinals. They won 25 games the following year, last season, and are 25-4 this season.

Montgomery will move on to play Tuesday down at Deptford High School in Gloucester County in the state Group 4 semifinals, where they’ll face Cherry Hill East (25-4), the top-seeded South Jersey Group 4 champion.

READ MORE:

2024 Title, Grundy’s 300th Win: Cougars are Champs! Montgomery overcomes early speed bump to top Monroe for CJ4 title before packed house

2026 Title, Grundy’s 350th Win: Three-peat! Montgomery overcomes raucous road crowd, stingy Hillsborough defense to win third straight CJ4 crown

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Central Jersey Group 4 Final (Boys): (3) Montgomery 55, (1) Hillsborough 47 (OT)

Senior Ethan Lin scored 22 points, while sophomore Mike Simborski added 15, as third-seed Montgomery won their third straight Central Jersey Group 4 title with a 55-47 overtime win at top-seeded Hillsborough.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play from Hillsborough High School on March 5, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Newly state-ranked Hillsborough seeks first sectional finals berth when top-seeded Raiders host Jackson Twp. in CJ4 semis

The 2013-14 Hillsborough boys’ basketball team will be remembered as one of the greats in school history, going 22-3 and beating Gill St. Bernard’s to win the Somerset County Tournament championship.

But the 2014-15 team was a pleasant surprise.

While they didn’t get close to winning the SCT that year, they made an improbably run in the state tournament, stunning Freehold Township on the road in the Central Jersey Group 4 championship game. Their record at the time was 15-12, and they were knocked out in the state semifinals a few nights later by Cherry Hill East.

Tuesday night, the Raiders – the top seed in Central 4 this season – will look to get back to a title game for the first time since 2015 when they play fifth-seed Jackson Township out of the Shore Conference. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with tip-off set for 5:30 and pregame starting around 5:15. Click here to listen.

Hillsborough (21-7) picked up its first state ranking in years last week, checking in at No. 20, and this week is up to 19. They have a signature win over Rutgers Prep, which came late in the season, on February 10th, right after losing at Montgomery in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals.

That’s a Montgomery team they could face again in the finals, but one game at a time.

The Raiders are led by sophomore Aaron Feath, who’s averaging nearly 19 points per game, while his older brother Derek, a senior, keeps adding to a school record for three-pointers in a single season, now at 77 and counting.

Meanwhile, Jackson Twp. (18-6) began the season in a unique situation, with the talents of the district’s two former schools, Jackson Liberty and Jackson Memorial coming together. Declining enrollment led the announcement last spring the two schools would merge this year, and use the Jackson Liberty campus.

That left Jackson Memorial coach Randy Holmes taking on some Liberty players, as well as head coach Don Connor, who’s an assistant. But the starting five is essentially Memorial’s starting five from last year. The Jaguars are led by senior George Boley – a two-time transfer who started out at Roselle Catholic, then followed Dave Boff to College Achieve before coming back home last year for his junior season. – who’s averaging 17.8 points per game. Senior Jimmy Pappalardo is second in scoring at ten a game, with a team-best 45 treys.

The winner moves on to Friday night’s championship game against either third-seed Montgomery or second-seed Marlboro.

Click below to hear preview interviews with both head coaches and Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Hillsborough head coach Tim Palek
Jackson Twp. head coach Randy Holmes

by Mike Pavlichko

Sunday NJSIAA State Tourney Notebook: Big challenges ahead for Piscataway boys, Metuchen girls, while Ridge nearly pulls second huge upset

The tip-off of the NJSIAA state basketball tournament had to wait two days, but we’ve seen a lot of basketball since things actually got underway on Thursday, and it was everything it always was: blowouts, expected wins, upsets and thrilling action.

With an off-day on Saturday before a full week ahead – starting with Group 1 and 3 sectional quarterfinal action Monday, and wrapping with public sectional title games Friday and Saturday – we thought we’d look back at a few storylines from the first three days of play.

Piscataway is ready for the challenge…

Everyone knows North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 on the bots’ side is an absolute best. Piscataway is far from chopped liver at 23-7, to be sure; they reached the GMC finals a little over a week ago for the second year in a row, and both years under head coach Bob Turco, who instilled a defensive philosophy that instantly turned the Chiefs into contenders in Middlesex County. But a couple of big state-ranked teams finished behind them in power points. Statewide No. 8 Linden – runner-up in the Union County Tournament to Roselle Catholic – got the two seed right behind Piscataway, while 16th-ranked Elizabeth got the seven seed.

Piscataway senior Donald Nwaigwe heads to the basket in the GMC Tournament semifinals against Colonia at Monroe Twp. High School on February 18, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

And what happened in the first round? Ridge knocked them the Minutemen, 54-53 Thursday night, on a buzzer-beater by Sidd Narayanabhatla. Keep in mind, that game was on the road as well. It just proves anything can happen year.

Then there’s Plainfield, the No. 6-ranked team in New Jersey, which got the fourth-seed, behind Linden. The Cardinals got through the first two rounds easily, beating 13-seed Bridgewater-Raritan 66-39, then fifth-seed Bayonne, 85-58. Meanwhile, Piscataway has rebounded nicely with three straight wins heading into Tuesday night’s semifinal matchup with fourth-seed Plainfield. Can they take them? It’s a huge challenge, no doubt, but that’s why they play and that’s why we watch.

Click below to hear Piscataway head coach Bob Turco talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Back to the Red Devils…

Speaking of upsets, that Ridge win over Elizabeth was a big one, and the Red Devils’ nearly pulled off a second one at Linden Saturday evening. The Tigers led 26-25 at the half, but trailed for the first 15 minutes and 59 seconds. They went ahead on a bucket with one second left before halftime. Ridge wouldn’t lead again, but kept it tight before falling by ten, 55-45. It was Linden’s lowest scoring output this post-season – including the Union County Tournament – and since a 50-41 loss to Union Catholic on February fifth.

What’s more remarkable is where Ridge came from. They started the season 0-4, and we first saw them this year in a December 21st loss to Delbarton up at FDU, 50-47. That left them at 0-4, but with a slew of injuries. From that point forward, though, Ridge won six of its next eight games, and finished the season a highly respectable 15-13. Among them were two losses to Gill St. Bernard’s, and one each to Rutgers Prep, Montgomery and Hillsborough, all four of which are state-ranked, with the Raiders jumping in at No. 20 last week.

Senior Sidd Narayanabhatla handles the ball for Ridge against Delbarton in a December 21, 2025 game at FDU_Madison. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

It was certainly a season of perseverance for Ridge, and they will have a large part of the core back next year, so there are some bright times ahead for the Red Devils, and a lot of good in 2025-26 off which to build for the future.

Click below to hear Ridge head coach Bill Lester talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

One half gone, what about the other?

Perhaps even more remarkable than Colonia’s four straight sectional titles in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 – all since the COVID year, when there were no state playoffs – is the fact that beyond that, Ramapo has been a thorn in their side. The Raiders have won North 1, Group 3 each of the last four seasons, and met Colonia in the state semis. And all four seasons, Ramapo has gotten the upper hand, all on neutral floors, whether it was at Phillipsburg in 2022 and 2023, Bloomfield in 2024, or at Elizabeth last season.

Even before COVID, they’d been a royal pain. While Colonia lost in the sectional final in 2020, they won it in 2019 – head coach Jose Rodriguez’ first season on the bench – and lost to Ramapo in the semis.

Well, no matter what the Patriots do – and they’re a remarkable story on their own, starting the year 2-6, but 15-4 since – that won’t happen this year. That’s because the Raiders, who were the six seed in North 1, Group 3, got knocked out in the first round on a late bucket by Morris Knolls, 68-67. That means someone else will win that section for the first time since 2018, when Demarest edged Ramapo 37-36 in the title tilt.

Metuchen is ready for anyone, and here comes Manasquan…

Shore Conference basketball is quite the beast indeed. On the girls’ side, you’ve got Red Bank Catholic, St. John Vianney, Manasquan, and just a notch down this year, Rumson-Fair Haven and usually St. Rose, though they’re having a down year, finishing 7-16 with a first round loss in the states.

The Warriors, meanwhile, are No. 7 in the state, and the top-seed in Central Jersey Group 2, where they’ve won the state Group 2 title each of the last two seasons. So, Metuchen knows what it’s up against.

Victoria Zaniecki – in the middle, with balloons – is Metuchen’s top scorer and rebounder. (Source: @metuchenbball on Instagram)

And even though they’re 15-13 and the 12-seed, they’re in the semifinals against Manasquan, coming off a 37-34 win in a rare 12/13 matchup over Robbinsville down at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor. Victoria Zaniecki has been a double-double machine; she went for 16 points and 12 rebounds against the Ravens Saturday evening, her 16th double-double of the season and fourth straight, including both games of the state tournament.

Click below to hear Metuchen head coach Kathy Glutz talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Bernards continues terrific season, seeking first finals trip in nearly two decades…

The Mountaineers continue to roll on this season, with a 24-4 record, and are looking to make some history. Well, more than they’ve already made. Last year’s squad set a new program record for wins with 23, and they followed that up with 24 this season, a new mark.

After a 45-25 win over seventh-seed Hanover Park Saturday afternoon, seventh-seeded Bernards is a win away from its first sectional finals berth since 1998, when they lost to – get ready for it – Montgomery in Central Jersey Group 1. The year before, Bernards won their one and only title, beating Highland Park in the finals at Sayreville, bowing out in the state semis to Burlington Township, finishing 22-3.

That’s the kind of job Brett Bisconti has done in seven years at the helm, instilling a winning culture in his team. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have a group that has won 47 games in the last two years, including top scorer and rebounder Aletha Reynolds, then adding in a young freshman like Jane Freisen, who’s second on the team from downtown with 40 treys, second only to Reynolds’ 56.

A look ahead…

While the Group 1 and 3 publics and non-publics have only gotten in one round, Groups 2 and 4 are on to the semifinals, and we can get a picture of some possible championship game matchups.

The Montgomery boys have won the last two Central Jersey Group 4 titles, both on their home floor, both times as the top seed. In 2024, they were 63-37 winners over second-seed Monroe, and last year beat third-seed West Windsor-Plainsboro North 80-41. This year, they’re the third-seed, with Hillsborough the No. 1, despite the fact the Cougars beat them twice in the regular season: 53-37 at home on January 13th, and 53-38 on February 7th in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals.

Should the Cougars win at second-seed Marlboro (21-5) Tuesday in the semis, and the Raiders beat five-seed Jackson Twp. (18-6) at home, we’ll get a rubber match at Hillsborough. Can the Cougars claim a third win over the Raiders this season, for all the marbles in CJ4?

Meanwhile, just about any way you slice it in North 2, Group 4, it should be a great final. While Piscataway is the top-seed, fourth-seed Plainfield is pretty much the favorite against the Chiefs in Tuesday’s semifinals. If Donald Nwaigwe, Isaiah Fowler and Co. can pull this one off, they’d most likely get two-seed Linden, which is also having a great year. And if it’s Plainfield? Boy, that would be a great one, too.

On the girls’ side, we’d be surprised if top-seed Franklin didn’t take care of business with fifth-seed Jackson Twp. The Lions are 16-10, Franklin 20-8, and we’re not saying it will be easy, but they’re a battle-tested team, with New Jersey losses to Rutgers Prep (twice), Gill St. Bernard’s, Demarest, Immaculate Heart and Morris Catholic. Those are some solid teams, which means they’ve beaten everyone they should.

As far as the other teams in the semis, third-seed Hillsborough and second-seed East Brunswick, the Warriors haven’t played the Lady Bears, but did beat Boro – the defending state Group 4 champions – 72-44 back on January 6th. But the rematch between ‘Boro and EB should be interesting; as Hillsborough won their GMC-Skyland crossover back on January 22 at home, 70-52.

by Mike Pavlichko

Updated NJSIAA State Tournament schedule with boys’ and girls’ times for first round play

With the weekend snowstorm pushing back the first two rounds of the public sectionals in the NJSIAA state basketball tournament, most games stayed at the same times, just pushed two days later.

Monday, the NJSIAA postponed Tuesday’s first round for public sectionals in Groups 2 and 4, moving them to Thursday, when the quarterfinals were supposed to take place. That pushes the quarterfinals to Saturday, but keeps the rest of the schedule in tact, with semifinals still set for next Tuesday, March 3.

Then, on Tuesday, the state athletic association moved Wednesday’s first round for public schools in Groups 1 and 3 to Friday, the original date for the quarterfinals. That pushes the quarters back to next Monday, March 2, but the semifinals remain on Wednesday, March 3, with the rest of the schedule as originally planned as well.

No changes were made to the Non-Public tournament, with first round in the sectionals still set for this Thursday for Group A North and South; Friday will be Group B North and South.

Here’s the updated schedule of first round play for all sections where Central Jersey Sports Radio area teams are in the bracket:

BOYS’ BASKETBALL – FIRST ROUND

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26

Central Jersey Group 4

  • (16) Old Bridge at (1) Hillsborough, 6:30 pm
  • (9) Franklin at (8) Freehold Twp, 6 pm
  • (12) Hightstown at (5) Jackson Twp., 6:30 pm
  • (13) Edison at (4) East Brunswick, 5 pm
  • (14) Manalapan at (3) Montgomery, 5:30 pm
  • (11) Hunterdon Central at (6) Trenton, 5:30 pm
  • (10) South Brunswick at (7) Sayreville, 7 pm
  • (15) Princeton at (2) Marlboro, 6 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4

  • (16) JP Stevens at (1) Piscataway, 7 pm
  • (9) Columbia at (8) Dickinson, 6 pm
  • (12) Scotch Plains-Fanwood at (5) Bayonne, 4:30 pm
  • (13) Bridgewater-Raritan at (4) Plainfield, 7 pm
  • (14) Ferris at (3) Union, 6 pm
  • (11) North Star Academy at (6) Perth Amboy, 6 pm
  • (10) Ridge at (7) Elizabeth, 7 pm
  • (15) Westfield at (2) Linden, 7 pm

Central Jersey Group 2

  • (16) Bordentown at (1) Wall, 5:30 pm
  • (9) Robbinsville at (8) Holmdel, 5:30 pm
  • (12) Roselle at (5) Manasquan, 7 pm
  • (13) Spotswood at (4) Delaware Valley, 7 pm
  • (14) Governor Livingston at (3) Ocean Twp., 5:15 pm
  • (11) Monmouth at (6) Johnson, 7 pm
  • (10) Point Pleasant Boro at (7) Rumson-Fair Haven, 6:30 pm
  • (15) Delran at (2) Metuchen, 6 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2

  • (16) Newark West Side at (1) Newark Collegiate, 7 pm
  • (9) Bernards at (8) Weequahic, 7 pm
  • (12) Hanover Park at (5) Hackettstown, 7 pm
  • (13) Rutherford at (4) Madison, 6 pm
  • (14) Snyder at (3) Ridgefield Park, 7 pm
  • (11) Becton at (6) Caldwell, 7 pm
  • (10) Hillside at (7) Voorhees, 7 pm
  • (15) McNair at (2) Lyndhurst, 6 pm

Non-Public South A

  • (9) Union Catholic at (8) St. Augustine, 4 pm; winner at (1) Paul VI
  • (12) St. John Vianney at (5) Red Bank Catholic, 5:30 pm
  • (13) Donovan Catholic at (4) St. Joseph-Metuchen, 7 pm
  • (14) Notre Dame at (3) St. Peter’s Prep, 6 pm
  • (11) St. Thomas Aquinas at (6) Immaculata, 7 pm
  • (10) Pingry at (7) Camden Catholic, 7 pm

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3

  • (16) North Hunterdon at (1) Colonia, 7 pm
    (9) Somerville at (8) Randolph, 5 pm
  • (12) Payne Tech at (5) Mendham, 7 pm
  • (13) Summit at (4) Warren Hills, 7 pm
  • (14) Nutley at (3) Millburn, 4:15 pm
  • (11) Cliffside Park at (6) South Plainfield, 6 pm
  • (10) North Plainfield at (7) Cranford, 7 pm
  • (15) Fort Lee at (2) Chatham, 7 pm

Central Jersey Group 1

  • (16) Keansburg at (1) Thrive Charter, 7 pm
  • (9) Bound Brook at (8) Henry Hudson, 5:30 pm
  • (12) New Providence at (5) Piscataway Magnet, 4 pm
  • (13) Roselle Park at (4) Shore, 4 pm
  • (14) South Hunterdon at (3) Middlesex, 5 pm
  • (11) Dunellen at (7) Manville, 7 pm
  • (10) Dayton at (7) South Amboy, 6 pm
  • (15) Perth Amboy Magnet at (2) Point Pleasant Beach, 5:30 pm

Non-Public North B

  • (9) Wardlaw-Hartridge at (8) Pioneer Academy, 4:30 pm; winner at (1) Gill St. Bernard’s
  • (11) Franklin School at (6) Montclair-Kimberley, 4:30 pm; winner at (3) Morris Catholic
  • (10) Koinonia at (7) Timothy Christian, 5 pm; winner at (2) Roselle Catholic

Non-Public South B

  • (9) Princeton Day at (8) St. Rose, 6 pm; winner at (1) Rutgers Prep
  • (12) Noor-ul-iman at (5) Bishop Eustace, 6:30 pm
  • (13) Moorestown Friends at (4) Doane Academy, 6 pm
  • (11) Calvary Christian at (6) Ranney, 4:30 pm; winner at (3) Holy Spirit
  • (10) Wildwood Catholic at (7) Gloucester Catholic, 5:30 pm; winner at (2) Holy Cross Prep

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL – FIRST ROUND

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26

Central Jersey Group 4

  • (15) Manalapan at (1) Franklin, 5:30 pm
  • (9) Sayreville at (8) Freehold Twp., 4 pm
  • (12) Monroe at (5) Jackson Twp., 4:30 pm
  • (13) Trenton at (4) Hunterdon Central, 5 p
  • (14) West Windsor-Plainsboro South at (3) Hillsborough, 4:30 pm
  • (11) Old Bridge at (6) Princeton, 4p
  • (10) Montgomery at (7) Marlboro, 4 pm
  • (15) Hightstown at (2) East Brunswick, 7 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4

  • (16) Scotch Plains-Fanwood at (1) Bayonne, 7 pm
  • (9) Woodbridge at (8) North Star Academy, 5:30 pm
  • (12) Linden at (5) Columbia, 4:30 pm
  • (13) Ridge at (4) Plainfield, 5 pm
  • (14) Perth Amboy at (3) Piscataway, 5 pm
  • (11) Union at (6) Elizabeth, 5 pm
  • (10) Watchung Hills at (7) Bridgewater-Raritan, 5 pm
  • (15) JP Stevens at (2) Westfield, 5 pm

Central Jersey Group 2

  • (16) Ocean Twp. at (1) Manasquan, 5 pm
  • (9) Spotswood at (8) Delaware Valley, 5:30 pm
  • (12) Robbinsville at (5) Bordentown, 5 pm
  • (13) Metuchen at (4) South River, 4:30 pm
  • (14) Holmdel at (3) Johnson, 5 pm
  • (11) Governor Livingston at (6) Piscataway Magnet, 4 pm
  • (10 Delran at (7) Point Pleasant Boro, 5 pm
  • (15) Wall at (1) Rumson-Fair Haven, 5 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2

  • (16) Harrison at (1) Caldwell, 5 pm
  • (9) Ridgefield Park at (8) Snyder, 5 pm
  • (12) West Morris at (5) Rutherford, 4 pm
  • (13) Weequahic at (4) Voorhees, 5 pm
  • (14) Newark West Side at (3) Madison, 4 pm
  • (11) Hoboken at (6) Hackettstown, 4 pm
  • (10) Newark Collegiate at (7) Hanover Park, 4 pm
  • (15) Lyndhurst at (2) Bernards, 7 pm

Non-Public North A

  • (9) Oak Knoll at (8) Montclair-Kimberley; winner at (1) Morris Catholic
  • (12) Holy Angels at (5) Mount St. Dominic, 4 pm
  • (13) Newark Academy at (4) DePaul, 5:30 pm
  • (14) St. Elizabeth at (3) Pope John, 5:30 pm
  • (11) Kent Place at (6) Pingry, 4:15 pm
  • (10) Paramus Catholic at (7) Dwight-Englewood, 4 pm
  • (15) Morristown-Beard at (2) Immaculate Heart, 5:30 pm

Non-Public South A

  • (9) Princeton Day at (8) Union Catholic, 4:30 pm; winner at (1) Red Bank Catholic
  • (12) Our Lady of Mercy at (5) Trinity Hall, 4:30 pm
  • (13) Immaculata at (4) St. Thomas Aquinas, 4:30 pm
  • (14) Mount St. Mary at (3) Paul VI, 5 pm
  • (11) Notre Dame at (6) Camden Catholic, 5 pm
  • (10) St. Rose at (7) Bishop Eustace, 6 pm
  • (15) Donovan Catholic at (2) St. John Vianney, 5 pm

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3

  • (16) Warren Hills at (1) Somerville, 5:30 pm
  • (9) Carteret at (8) Summit, 5 pm
  • (12) Randolph at (5) Chatham, 5 pm
  • (13) North Plainfield at (4) Cranford, 5 pm
  • (14) Orange at (3) Millburn, 7 pm
  • (11) Fort Lee at (6) North Hunterdon, 5:45 pm
  • (10 South Plainfield at (7) Mendham, 5 pm
  • (15) Cliffside Park at (2) Colonia, 5 pm

Central Jersey Group 1

  • (16) Dunellen at (1) New Providence, 4 pm
  • (9) Middlesex at (8) Shore, 6 pm
  • (12) Highland Park at (5) Brearley, 4:30 pm
  • (13) Henry Hudson at (4) South Amboy, 4:30 pm
  • (14) College Achieve Central at (3) Keansburg, 4 pm
  • (11) Florence at (6) Roselle Park, 5:30 pm
  • (10 Manville at (7) Thrive Charter, 5 pm
  • (15) Dayton at (2) Bound Brook, 4:30 pm

Non-Public South B

  • (9) Holy Cross Prep at (8) Doane Academy, TBA; winner at (1) Rutgers Prep
  • (12) Noor-ul-iman at (5) Stuart Day, 4 pm; winner at (4) Holy Spirit
  • (11) Ranney at (6) Moorestown Friends, 3:45 pm; winner at (3) Wildwood Catholic
  • (10) Calvary Christian at (7) Koinonia, 6:30 pm; winner at (2) Gloucester Catholic

MONDAY, MARCH 2

Non-Public North B

  • (8) Pioneer Academy at (1) Gill St. Bernard’s, 4 pm
  • (5) Eastern Christian at (4) Villa Walsh, Wednesday 4 pm
  • (6) Mount St. Dominic at (3) Hudson Catholic, TBA
  • (7) Roselle Catholic at (2) Saddle River Day, 7 pm
by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA postpones Day One of state high school basketball tournament, moving Tuesday’s games to Thursday

A record-setting (if not, close to it) blizzard that socked New Jersey Sunday into Monday and will have people cleaning up for a while has forced the NJSIAA to postpone Tuesday’s opening day of the state high school basketball tournament.

Public school sections in Groups 2 and 4 would have begun play Tuesday, with the second round originally set for Thursday, the sectional semis next Tuesday and finals next Friday.

But Mother Nature had other ideas, and there appeared to be enough padding in the schedule to make the change.

Now, as reported by NJ.com, the first round for Groups 1 and 3 will be this Thursday, which likely moves the second round to Saturday, allowing for at least one day in between, and still two days between Saturdays quarterfinals and the originally-scheduled Tuesday sectional semifinals next week.

The rest of the schedule has not been changed, but there’s a possibility it could, depending on what areas of the state got hit the hardest, including restoration of power. Media reports seem to indicate the Jersey Shore got the worst of the storm, along with coastal flooding. As of 9 am Monday, the National Weather Service reported 20 inches of snow in Perth Amboy in Middlesex County as well as Chatham in Morris County, but 24 inches in Freehold.

Below is a full list of Tuesday games now set for Thursday in both the boys’ and girls’ tournaments, for sections that include CJSR-area teams. As of now, they should be the same game times, just on different days, but as Central Jersey Sports Radio learns of any changes, they will be updated here:

BOYS’ STATE TOURNAMENT – THURSDAY SCHEDULE

Central Jersey Group 4

  • (16) Old Bridge at (1) Hillsborough, 6:30 pm
  • (9) Franklin at (8) Freehold Twp, 6 pm
  • (12) Hightstown at (5) Jackson Twp., 6:30 pm
  • (13) Edison at (4) East Brunswick, 5 pm
  • (14) Manalapan at (3) Montgomery, 5:30 pm
  • (11) Hunterdon Central at (6) Trenton, 5:30 pm
  • (10) South Brunswick at (7) Sayreville, 7 pm
  • (15) Princeton at (2) Marlboro, 6 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4

  • (16) JP Stevens at (1) Piscataway, 7 pm
  • (9) Columbia at (8) Dickinson, TBA
  • (12) Scotch Plains-Fanwood at (5) Bayonne, 4:30 pm
  • (13) Bridgewater-Raritan at (4) Plainfield, 7 pm
  • (14) Ferris at (3) Union, 6 pm
  • (11) North Star Academy at (6) Perth Amboy, 6 pm
  • (10) Ridge at (7) Elizabeth, 7 pm
  • (15) Westfield at (2) Linden, 7 pm

Central Jersey Group 2

  • (16) Bordentown at (1) Wall, 5:30 pm
  • (9) Robbinsville at (8) Holmdel, 5:30 pm
  • (12) Roselle at (5) Manasquan, 7 pm
  • (13) Spotswood at (4) Delaware Valley, 7 pm
  • (14) Governor Livingston at (3) Ocean Twp., 5:15 pm
  • (11) Monmouth at (6) Johnson, 7 pm
  • (10) Point Pleasant Boro at (7) Rumson-Fair Haven, 6:30 pm
  • (15) Delran at (2) Metuchen, 6 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2

  • (16) Newark West Side at (1) Newark Collegiate, TBA
  • (9) Bernards at (8) Weequahic, 7 pm
  • (12) Hanover Park at (5) Hackettstown, 7 pm
  • (13) Rutherford at (4) Madison, 6 pm
  • (14) Snyder at (3) Ridgefield Park, 7 pm
  • (11) Becton at (6) Caldwell, 7 pm
  • (10) Hillside at (7) Voorhees, 7 pm
  • (15) McNair at (2) Lyndhurst, 6 pm

GIRLS’ STATE TOURNAMENT – THURSDAY SCHEDULE

Central Jersey Group 4

  • (15) Manalapan at (1) Franklin, 5:30 pm
  • (9) Sayreville at (8) Freehold Twp., 4 pm
  • (12) Monroe at (5) Jackson Twp., 4:30 pm
  • (13) Trenton at (4) Hunterdon Central, 5 pm
  • (14) West Windsor-Plainsboro South at (3) Hillsborough, 4:30 pm
  • (11) Old Bridge at (6) Princeton, 4p
  • (10) Montgomery at (7) Marlboro, 4 pm
  • (15) Hightstown at (2) East Brunswick, 7 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4

  • (16) Scotch Plains-Fanwood at (1) Bayonne, 7 pm
  • (9) Woodbridge at (8) North Star Academy, 5:30 pm
  • (12) Linden at (5) Columbia, 4:30 pm
  • (13) Ridge at (4) Plainfield, 5 pm
  • (14) Perth Amboy at (3) Piscataway, 5 pm
  • (11) Union at (6) Elizabeth, 5 pm
  • (10) Watchung Hills at (7) Bridgewater-Raritan, 5 pm
  • (15) JP Stevens at (2) Westfield, 5 pm

Central Jersey Group 2

  • (16) Ocean Twp. at (1) Manasquan, 5 pm
  • (9) Spotswood at (8) Delaware Valley, 5:30 pm
  • (12) Robbinsville at (5) Bordentown, 5 pm
  • (13) Metuchen at (4) South River, 4:30 pm
  • (14) Holmdel at (3) Johnson, 5 pm
  • (11) Governor Livingston at (6) Piscataway Magnet, 4 pm
  • (10 Delran at (7) Point Pleasant Boro, 5 pm
  • (15) Wall at (1) Rumson-Fair Haven, 5 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2

  • (16) Harrison at (1) Caldwell, 5 pm
  • (9) Ridgefield Park at (8) Snyder, 5 pm
  • (12) West Morris at (5) Rutherford, 4 pm
  • (13) Weequahic at (4) Voorhees, 5 pm
  • (14) Newark West Side at (3) Madison, 4 pm
  • (11) Hoboken at (6) Hackettstown, 5:30 pm
  • (10) Newark Collegiate at (7) Hanover Park, 4 pm
  • (15) Lyndhurst at (2) Bernards, 7 pm
by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Boys’ Final: (1) Gill St. Bernard’s 84, (2) Rutgers Prep 73

Junior Jahmal Dixon had a game- and career-high 25 points, while Connor Junker added 20 and Dorsett Mulcahy 18 to lead top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s to an 84-73 victory over second-seed Rutgers Prep to claim its tenth Somerset County Tournament title, tying Bridgewater-Raritan’s record for all-time tourney wins.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play from Montgomery Township High School inn Skillman on February 21, 2026.