Jayce Rodriguez scored 25 points and the rest of the lineup had balanced scoring as top-seeded Colonia beat second-seed Chatham at home to with the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 championship, its fifth straight and sixth in the last seven playoff seasons, all under coach Jose Rodriguez.
Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play from Colonia High School on March 7, 2026.
Flash back to January 7th.
Colonia boys basketball had gotten off to a 2-6 start, still working through a young team with all new roles and skillsets.
Two months later, the Patriots (20-10) have put it all together and reached the sectional mountaintop once again.
Top-seeded Colonia won its fifth consecutive sectional championship, defeating second-seeded Chatham 57-46 in the North 2 Group 3 final. The Cougars (24-6) fell to the Patriots for the fourth time in 11 years in the sectional playoffs, with Colonia winning last year in the semifinals, the quarterfinals in 2023, and the 2015 final.
Though sophomore Jayce Rodriguez was the lone Patriot in double-figures with a game-high 25 points, it was a true team effort on both ends of the floor for Colonia while facing off against a high-octane attack from Chatham.
Both teams took a bit to find their footing, but Rodriguez scored seven points in the opening quarter, and senior point guard Dylan Chiera added six, as the two teams ended the first quarter tied at 17.
The Cougars executed their defensive gameplan well in the opening half, with plenty of aggression guarding one-on-one and in the passing lanes, as several of their baskets came off Patriots turnovers.
But the Patriots managed to weather the storm and came up with some big-time key buckets late to pull ahead 29-24 at the half. Colonia went into the locker room with momentum on its side, as the offense had found a few possessions to pull ahead.
Then in the second half, the Patriots’ emphasis — and success — came on the other side of the ball.
They contained a dangerous Chatham offense that had scored at least 65 points in each of its first three sectional tournament games, mixing in both man-to-man and zone to throw off the Cougars’ offensive rhythm.
Two underclassmen came up big for Colonia on that end as well. Freshman forward Desmond Rudanovic battled foul trouble for much of the game, and yet a foul away from being disqualified, he stood tall in the lane at 6-foot-7 and recorded a blocked layup in the fourth quarter, and altered multiple other shots.
When Rudanovic had to leave the floor, sophomore Teagan Amponsah etched his name in Patriots basketball lore. He came up with two blocks in the second half and played tremendous defense inside and outside, on a Chatham wing room with plenty of size, strength, and experience. Seniors Michael MacAniff and Marco Mannino led the way for the visitors with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Senior forward Nfa Clyne — last year a key rotation piece off the bench known for his defense — rose to the moment as a full-time starter as well. He nearly recorded a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, but every single bucket was key down the stretch as all nine of his points came in the fourth quarter. He crashed the glass countless times and helped Colonia come up with big possessions throughout the game, and even beat Chatham at its own game multiple times with fast-break layups to beat the Cougars’ press.
Colonia controlled the score and tempo for much of the second half, never feeling truly in danger. The Cougars cut the deficit to three points in the beginning of the third quarter, but the Patriots immediately responded with a 7-0 run to push the lead to double-digits for the first time.
The rest of the game was played in that same range of differential. Every time Chatham would force a turnover or hit a tough bucket, the Patriots stayed calm and executed on the ensuing possessions themselves.
By the time the buzzer sounded, Colonia had clinched its fifth straight sectional title under head coach Jose Rodriguez, and it did so in the exact fashion the eighth-year head coach wanted: A true team-wide effort that put the young team’s development on full display.
The Patriots advance in the state tournament once again, where they will face off against North 1 Group 3 champion Montville in the Group 3 semifinal. The Mustangs — the fourth seed in the sectional tournament — upset the top two seeds, Tenafly and Teaneck, in back-to-back games for their first sectional final appearance since 1982. The two teams will face off on Wednesday at the Thomas Dunn Sports Center in Elizabeth, with tipoff set for 5 pm.
Click below for postgame reaction on Colonia’s North 2 Group 3 title from head coach Jose Rodriguez, sophomore Jayce Rodriguez, and senior Nfa Clyne, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
Coming into this season, Jose Rodriguez had seven seasons under his belt as Colonia’s head boys basketball coach.
In five of those years where a postseason was played, the Patriots (19-10) have appeared in a sectional final.
They have reached that milestone once again in Year 8, as top-seeded Colonia looks to strengthen its stranglehold on the North 2 Group 3 section with its fifth straight title in the balance.
In order to do so, though, the Patriots will have to go through a familiar foe in second-seeded Chatham, as the two teams face off in the sectional playoffs for the third time in four years. They first battled in the 2023 quarterfinals, then in last year’s semifinals, and now in this year’s title game. The Panthers (24-5) lost both previous matchups, but are in the sectional finals for the first time since 2018, when they made a run to the Group 3 final before falling to Nottingham.
You can hear the game on Saturday at 2 pm, with pregame coverage starting at 1:45, as Alec Crouthamel and Nick Hart will call the action. Click here to listen.
Colonia has rebounded from a 2-6 start to the year, with a difficult opening schedule and a young team, and the Patriots now find themselves on the verge of yet another sectional title, with Rodriguez earning GMC Coach of the Year honors.
The top seed in the bracket, Colonia worked through the first two games against 16-seed North Hunterdon and nine-seed Somerville with ease, but had to grind out a 34-30 victory over five-seed Mendham in a rematch of last year’s sectional title.
After scoring just one point in the first quarter, the Patriots rallied and woke up their offense to get back in the game, and eventually made plays late to seal a win.
Freshman forward Desmond Rudanovic hit two key go-ahead baskets in the final three minutes, set up by senior point guard Dylan Chiera. Leading scorer Jayce Rodriguez led the team with 12 points and had to battle against standout guard Talon Wehmeyer on both ends of the floor.
Even with the relative inexperience, save for Rodriguez, Chiera, and senior Nfa Clyne in the main rotation, the Patriots found a way to get back to yet another sectional final.
Chatham, on the other hand, brings a gaudy record with wins at the right time, coming into the game with a stretch of 16 wins in 17 games. The lone loss came to Morris Catholic in the Morris County Tournament final.
The Panthers bring a senior-laden rotation that puts a lot of different players on the floor, due to their frenetic, uptempo style. Similar to Colonia, the first round and quarterfinals went smoothly as Chatham defeated 15th-seeded Fort Lee 89-43 and seventh-seeded Cranford 72-53. Then in the semifinals, Chatham had to gut out a 65-57 win over sixth-seeded South Plainfield, after ending the third quarter in a tie game.
Both coach and players bring experience in bunches, with six of the Panthers’ seven leading scorers all in their senior year. Head coach Todd Ervin is no newbie, either, now in his 34th season at the helm. Chatham has won 584 games, five Morris County Tournament titles under his direction — and two straight second-place finishes this year, both losses to Morris Catholic in the final — along with the 2007 Group 2 state title, and a Group 3 finals appearance in 2018.
On the floor, seniors Michael MacAniff and Ryan Leach lead the way at guard, with a stable of fast and experienced athletes ready to run around them.
Colonia will look to extend its sectional dynasty with its fifth consecutive title, while Chatham looks to unseat the kings and get revenge for its two postseason exits at the hands of the Patriots.
Click below to hear preview interviews with both head coaches and Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:
Who says “You can’t go back again?”
Not Phillipsburg.
For the third year in a row, the Stateliners will play for a state title – and try to finish their “unfinished business” after falling in their last two trips – after the top-seed in North 2, Group 4 beat 5th-seed Chatham at home Friday night, 31-14.
The Stateliners were in control most of the way. All four Phillipsburg touchdowns came on the ground, two from Jett Genovese, and one each from Sam Dech and Felix Matos, while Alexie Moreira also kicked a field goal in the win.
Next up for the Stateliners will be Northern Highlands at Maloney Stadium Friday for the North 2, Group 4 title. The third-seeded Highlanders (6-4) knocked off previously unbeaten second-seed Woodbridge on the road Friday night, 26-7, ending the Barrons’ season at 10-0.
Click below for postgame reaction from Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy:
Getting to a sectional final for a third straight year is on the list of goals for the Phillipsburg football team, but the aspirations out on the state line are higher.
After all, Phillipsburg has made the finals each of the last two years, but they’ve come away empty both times, falling to West Orange in 2022 and Union City last season.
And while they’ve beaten Easton the last two years as well, the lack of hardware has left Phillipsburg players and coaches with a feeling of unfinished business. It was first described by senior quarterback Jett Genovese, a three-year starter who’s experienced the ups of beating Easton twice, and the sting of playoff title game losses twice in his first two years at QB.
And so, the top-seeded Stateliners (8-1) will take on fifth-seed Chatham (7-2) Friday night at 7 at Maloney Stadium for a chance to go to the North 2, Group 4 final.
This is a bit of new territory for P’burg, after being in Group 5 the last few years. The Stateliners often have shuttled back between Group 4 and 5 over the years.
It’s easy to talk about Genovese and his favorite wide receiver target, Matthew Scerbo, Jr., both of whom have been three-year starters, and set all kinds of school career records, but they are not the whole team, and others like receiver Felix Matos, runningback Sam Dech and defensive players like Jah’quil Dooley and defensive linemen Like and Aeden Hywell, who have combined for ten sacks between them.
Chatham, meanwhile, comes in on a three-game win streak, including an opening round “upset” win at fourth-seed Wayne Valley last week, 42-7. This will be the first-ever matchup between the Cougars and Stateliners.
Chatham likes to spread the ball around in the air, with senior quarterback Will Allen throwing for 1,881 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, but they have attempted virtually just as many passes as rushes, with 242 attempts – all but two by Allen – and 244 run plays. Allen has run for 289 yards and five scores, while Alex McWilliams leads the offense with 393 yards on the ground and seven touchdowns.
Defensively, P’burg is led by junior linebacker Hunter Bingham with four sacks, and fellow LB Caden Gabriele – also a junior – with four interceptions.
Click below to hear Phillipsburg head coach Frank Duffy talk about the Stateliners, and their playoff matchup against Chatham:
It’ll be yet another “wait til next year” for the Middlesex Girls’ basketball team.
The top-seeded Blue Jays lost at home to third-seed Shore Regional Saturday, 44-36, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
It was Middlesex’s second straight loss in the CJ1 final to Shore.
In last year’s game, star Neysa Aguilar – now at FDU – was injured early, and the game took a downward turn for Middlesex.
This year, they were in the thick of it, even though Shore (17-11) got out to an early lead. The Jays even got to within four with just over a couple of minutes left, but that was as close as they would get.
The dynamic duo of junior Jess Devine and senior Jaclyn Deshields was frustrated all night by the Shore defense, which focused specifically on guarding them and letting the rest of the chips fall where they may. The strategy worked, even though Devine finished with 17.
Middlesex (17-14) was seeking its second sectional title in program history. They won their first in 2004.
With this year’s trip, the Blue Jays have been in seven of the last eight sectional finals dating back to 2016, losing all seven. (There was no state tournament in 2021.)
The first came to South River in 2016, followed by four straight defeats in the CJ1 title game to Bound Brook from 2017 through 2020. Middlesex didn’t reach the finals in 2022, but got back lost year, losing 62-31 to Shore in a game that changed dramatically when senior Neysa Aguilar was injured early on.
Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!
GIRLS’ NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2 – GROUP 3 FINAL
(1) Chatham 67, (2) Colonia 32
The Colonia girls’ basketball team couldn’t make it a sweep for the Patriots in North 2, Group 3, as the second-seeded Patriots lost in the finals at top-seed Chatham, 67-32.
Chatham (27-3) jumped out to a big lead early and was ahead 18-7 after one quarter, and 31-14 at the halftime break.
Senior Taylor Derkack scored 14 points in her final game for Colonia (22-9), whose boys won earlier in the day for their third consecutive sectional title. Mya Patino had nine points as well, in defeat.
