Tag: NJSIAA Tournament

by Mike Pavlichko

Post-halftime Morris Catholic surge dooms Rutgers Prep as frenetic comeback falls short in Non-Public B Final

“They punched us in the mouth,” said Rutgers Prep coach Mary Klinger, in the season’s post-mortem.

It didn’t look like it would be that way, though, especially with a much better start this time around than an early season loss to Morris Catholic in December.

Prep got the start it wanted, leading by as many as 13 points in the first quarter, and ending it with a 21-11 lead. Morris Catholic chipped away and got it to five by halftime, but it was after that when the Crusaders played their best basketball.

A 29-13 run through the next eight minutes gave the Crusaders a 55-45 lead at the end of three. While Rutgers Prep would eventually tie the game at 63 on a drive to the basket by Mikayla Blakes, the junior missed the and-one free throw, then got called for a reach-around foul at the other end of the floor, her fifth.

And from that point on, the Crusaders pulled away with Mya Pauldo hitting all her free throws down the stretch, sending the Lady Argonauts to a 71-63 defeat in the Non-Public Group B Final at RWJBarnabas Health Arena in Toms River, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Blakes finished with 24, while senior Katie Ledden – in her last high school game before heading up to Kingstown to play for Rhode Island – finished with 17, including a pair of first-quarter treys during Prep’s early run.

Rutgers Prep finishes its season as the Non-Public South B Champions – their second straight sectional title – with a record of 25-6, while Morris Catholic finishes at 26-3, the Group B state champs.

The win also makes a strong case for state-ranked No. 4 Morris Catholic to finish as the No. 1 team in the state, with top-ranked St. John Vianney losing in the Non-Public A final Saturday to Immaculate Heart, No. 2 Paul VI out of the tournament, and Morris Catholic beating No. 3 Rutgers Prep

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

Click below to hear for postgame reaction brought to you by SportsPlex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Experience of regular and postseason has Rutgers Prep ready for another state championship

When Mary Klinger’s team takes the floor for the opening tip-off Sunday afternoon against Morris Catholic in the quest for a second straight state title – and her program’s fourth overall – it will be much improved from the last time the Argonauts faced the Crusaders.

That was December 17th – Game Two of the season for both squads – in the She Got Game Classic down at St. John Vianney in Holmdel. Klinger will tell you it was not one of Prep’s best.

And the numbers bear it out, too. The Argonauts like to start hot, hitting baskets, then falling back into that full-court press, creating turnovers, and do it all over again. But they trailed after the first quarter.

And while they came back to go ahead by 13 with just three minutes to go in the third quarter, the next eleven minutes saw the Crusaders rally for a three-point win, 72-69.

Klinger doesn’t think it will happen again, and she’s got good reason to feel that way. It was only the second game with last year’s seniors gone, with this year’s senior Katie Ledden and junior Mikayla Blakes taking on additional roles. It was only the second start for GiGi Battle, a freshman who – along with fellow rookie Ava LaMonica – has been a key contributor this year.

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

Now with a full season behind them, a Somerset County Tournament title and a Non-Public South B trophy on their resume, they are a much different team.

And so it will be when Rutgers Prep (25-4) takes on Morris Catholic (26-3, North B Champ) Sunday at Toms River North’s RWJBarnabas Arena for the Girls’ Non-Public Group B title. Tip-off time is 2 pm, and you can hear all the live play-by-play on Central Jersey Sports Radio beginning at 1:45 with the pregame show. Justin Sontupe and Raj Shah will bring you all the action. Click here to listen.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger:

How They Got Here:

Rutgers Prep: #3 seed, beat #14 Moorestown Friends 76-25 in first round, beat #6 Trenton Catholic 91-43 in the quarterfinals, beat #3 St. Rose 70-47 in the semifinals, beat #1 Wildwood Catholic 70-40 in the sectional final

Morris Catholic: #2 seed, first round bye, beat #7 Wardlaw-Hartridge 89-16 in the quarterfinals, beat #5 Lodi Immaculate 88-57 in the semifinals, beat #4 Montclair-Immaculate 55-49 in the sectional final

State Championship History:

Rutgers Prep is seeking its second straight state title, and fourth overall, though unlike the other three, this is the end of the line. All three times, the Argonauts went on to the Tournament of Champions, but that was eliminated this year by the NJSIAA across all sports.

  • 2016: Non-Public Group B Champion over Saddle River Day
  • 2017: Non-Public Group B Champion over Queen of Peace
  • 2018: Non-Public Group B runner-up to Saddle River Day)
  • 2022: Non-Public Group B Champion over Saddle River Day

Morris Catholic has won the group title twice, and been to this game eight times, but is making its first appearance since 2014.

  • 2004: Non-Public Group B Champion over St. Rose
  • 2005: Non-Public Group B runner-up to Sacred Heart
  • 2006: Non-Public Group B Champion over Trenton Catholic
  • 2007: Non-Public Group A runner-up to Red Bank Catholic
  • 2008: Non-Public Group A runner-up to St. John Vianney
  • 2012: Non-Public Group B runner-up to Gill St. Bernard’s
  • 2013: Non-Public Group B runner-up to Paramus Catholic
  • 2014: Non-Public Group B runner-up to St. Rose
by Mike Pavlichko

Morris Catholic brings two highly-touted sophomores, win over Rutgers Prep into rematch with Argonauts for state title

Head coach Billy Lovett sees a lot of parallels and similarities in his life right now.

Having played for the legendary Bob Hurley at St. Anthony’s in the 1990s, he has given his team the same experiences, playing in national showcases far from New Jersey that create great moments for his players, and top-notch exposure – like the John Wall Holiday Invitational.

He played in that tournament before it was even called that, back when it was the Raleigh Times Holiday Festival, which celebrated its 50th year this past December.

Other similarities are less intentional, like the fact this his team is very much like the Rutgers Prep team they will meet Sunday in Toms River for the Non-Public Group B state title.

Both focus on defense, which fuels their offense, which wins them championships.

Sunday’s game between Non-Public South B winner Rutgers Prep (25-4) and North B Champ Morris Catholic (26-3) tips off at 2 pm at Toms River North’s RWJBarnabas Health Arena, and you can hear it live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Justin Sontupe calling all the play-by-play, and Raj Shah providing the color. Click here to listen to the live broadcast.

The Crusaders began the season in the national rankings, and though they’ve since dropped out, they and Rutgers Prep are both Top 5 teams, with Morris Catholic No. 4, and Rutgers Prep No. 3. Only Paul VI (which both lost to this season) and St. John Vianney (which neither has played) are ahead of them.

Sophomore twins Mia and Mya Pauldo lead the way – two of the top point guards in the sophomore class – with Mia averaging a team-leading 17.3 points and 5.7 assists per game, while grabbing a team-best 91 steals. Mya is averaging 10.9 points a game, but just behind her sister in assists, with six fewer on the year.

And they can shoot the three. Surely, everyone knows Rutgers Prep can, and they have hit on 192 this season, but Morris Catholic has hit on a whopping 275, and average just a shade under 10 per game.

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

And then there’s the fact these two played each other in Game 2 of their respective seasons. The Crusaders won 72-69 in the She Got Game Classic on December 17th, wiping out a 13-point deficit with three minutes to go in the third quarter.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Morris Catholic head coach Billy Lovett:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: Girls’ Non-Public South B Final: #3 Rutgers Prep 70, #1 Wildwood Catholic 40

Third-seed Rutgers Prep won its second straight Non-Public South B title, beating top-seed Wildwood Catholic 70-40 in the sectional title game at Seneca High School in Medford Lakes. Junior Mikayla Blakes led the Lady Argonauts with 22 points, while Katie Ledden followed up with 22.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko call all the action on March 1, 2023 on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

by Mike Pavlichko

Ramapo too much for Colonia down the stretch, as Patriots’ season ends in the Group 3 semis – again

Colonia has now won back-to-back sectional titles in North 2 Group 3, and has taken the title in three of the last four playoff years.

But they just can’t seem to get over that hump, that hump called Ramapo.

For the second year in a row, the Patriots lot to the North 1, Group 3 champions in the Group 3 semifinals out at Phillipsburg High School, last year by ten, this year by four.

Maybe the third time will be the charm.

But that was little consolation on Wednesday night out on the State Line, where Colonia – unlike last year – led going into the fourth quarter, albeit by one, thanks to a Jaeden Jones bucket.

But Ramapo got out to a slim lead in the fourth quarter, by two, three, four; never quite enough to seal the deal until the end, but enough to keep the Patriots in catch-up mode.

Colonia ends its season 25-5, while Ramapo goes on to the Group 3 finals at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena Saturday at a time to be determined against Central Group 3 champ Nottingham, which beat South 3 winner Moorestown 56-49 down at Brick Memorial High School Wednesday night.

by Mike Pavlichko

Union Catholic too big for St. Joseph as Falcons fall in Non-Public South A finals

St. Joseph-Metuchen beat Union Catholic in late January with both teams missing a key piece. The Falcons were without Jeremy Clayville, and UC was without Chimeziri Okeoma.

The second time, Okeoma turned out to be the difference, scoring a game-high 26 points – eight better than his season average – to help his team to an 86-72 win in the Non-Public South A championship game at Lenape High School.

Joe’s fell behind early, down 26-13 after one quarter and never fully recovered, playing catch-up all night. They trailed by 14 at the half and 63-41 after three.

They cut it to 11 on and and-one opportunity by Jeremy DeCaro with 1:24 left, but he missed the foul shot and the Falcons got called for a flagrant foul near their bench that resulted in an ejection and four free throws for Okeoma, who made the first three, and squashed any comeback attempt.

St. Joseph was led by Clayville’s 15, nine of which came in the final quarter. Senior Josh Ingram had 12, but was held to just four points – all on free throws – in the first half, a result of UC’s defense.

Union Catholic will face either Bergen Catholic or St. Peter’s Prep, the North A winner, with that game close late at Franklin HS as of this writing.

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

Click below to hear for postgame reaction brought to you by SportsPlex at Metuchen – COMING SOON!

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls ride defense, Blakes and Ledden to back-to-back Non-Public South B titles with 70-40 win over Wildwood Catholic

Press. Score. Defense. Rebound. Transition.

Repeat.

The same tried and true formula that has worked her entire life at Rutgers Prep worked again on Wednesday night for head coach Mary Klinger’s squad, as the third-seeded Argonauts “knocked off” top seed Wildwood Catholic in the Non-Public South B championship game at Seneca High School, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

And so, it’s back-to-back sectional titles for Klinger, Mikayla Blakes, Katie Ledden and Co. with one more game to play, the Non-Public Group B final, to be played Saturday at the RWJBarnabas Health Arena in Toms River, at a time to be determined.

Rutgers Prep (25-6) will face 2nd-seed Morris Catholic (26-3), a team they lost to in December, after giving up what was a 13-point third-quarter lead to lose by three. Morris Catholic beat 4th-seed Montclair-Immaculate 55-49 Wednesday night in the Non-Public North B final.

For Rutgers Prep, it was the usual: Blakes leading on offense with 22 points, Ledden adding 20. Zahra Alexander finished with ninr.

Prep never trailed in the game, jumping out to a 9-2 lead they would never relinquish, and holding Wildwood Catholic without a field goal for most of the second quarter. The Argonauts built the lead to as many as 36 in the fourth quarter before the starters came out.

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

Click below to hear for postgame reaction brought to you by SportsPlex at Metuchen:

Rutgers Prep junior Mikayla Blakes
Rutgers Prep senior Katie Ledden
Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger
by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: Boys’ Central Jersey Group 2 Final – #2 Manasquan 60, #1 South River 52

The top-seeded South River Rams fell just a win short in their quest for their first state title since 1991, falling 60-52 to second-seed Manasquan in South River. Senior Laz Rodriguez led the Rams with 15 points, while sophomore Alex Grospe had 13 – 10 of which came in the fourth quarter – including three treys.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko call all the action on February 28, 2023 on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Joseph looks to claim first state sectional title since Towns era, battles Union Catholic tonight in South Jersey

Falcons head coach Jan Cocoziello has said more than once this season something to the effect of: “People forget, this isn’t your Karl Towns St. Joe’s.”

And he’s not wrong, of course. Talented as they are, there certainly is no one the caliber of Karl-Anthony Towns, the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Few teams have anyone like that.

But shades of that era – when the Falcons went to back-to-back Tournaments of Champions, and won it all in 2014 after reaching the finals in 2013 – are creeping back into the minds of fans, and likely for the first time into the minds of the Falcon Flock, the loud boisterous student section, even though the oldest of them would have been just nine years old when Towns shook the rims at the Maglio Gymnasium.

The 2022-23 campaign got off to a slow start in the ’22 part of the schedule, by St. Joe’s standards. They lost Game 3 to new Red Division member Colonia – up from the White – by five, then were shocked at home the day after Christmas by South River in Metuchen, 74-66, to send them into the New Year at 3-2.

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

But Cocoziello’s squad would challenge itself the rest of the way, with games against the likes of Linden and Seton Hall Prep out of conference, get swept two games by St. Thomas Aquinas, but avenge their December loss to Colonia.

They would also beat Rutgers Prep on February second, the top team in Somerset County at that point, 73-61 in Somerset, a sign this team could be turning the proverbial corner. Just over three weeks later, it proved to be an omen, as Joe’s again topped the Argonauts, this time at home, back on Monday in the Non-Public South A semifinals.

And the 70-66 win came in the most dramatic of ways. The Falcons trailed 21-9 after one quarter. But they chipped away, cutting the deficit to nine at halftime, and three at the end of the third quarter. The gym was jumping the entire second half.

Now, 6th-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen (18-10) takes on fifth-seed Union Catholic (19-9) in the Non-Public South A Championship Game down in South Jersey. Game time is 7 pm at Lenape High School in Medford Lakes. Central Jersey Sports Radio will have complete postgame coverage after the game is over.

The contest will be a rematch of a late January meeting in Scotch Plains, where the Falcons won 60-55 behind 20 points from team leader Josh Ingram, who also had seven rebounds and dished out four assists.

But one key difference from that game will be a new player added to the mix for UC: Chimeziri Okeoma, who wouldn’t become eligible for four more days after the first meeting with Joe’s. All he;s done in a dozen games since sitting due to transfer rules is score 18.9 points per game, while scoring 43 combined in the last two, with wins over Paul VI in the quarterfinals, then top-seed Camden Catholic by eight in the semis.

Then again, Joe’s also missed shooter and creator Jeremy Clayville in that first matchup, who’d been injured and just played his first game back on Monday, chipping in seven points to the effort.

But in the last game, Joe’s also got a huge contribution from Anthony Williams, a senior forward who has stepped in Clayville’s absence, but even with him back in the lineup, led all scorers in Monday night’s game, with 24 points.

Tonight’s South A winner will face the North A winner on Friday night at 5 pm in the Non-Public Group A Championship Game at Jersey Mike’s Arena at Rutgers University in Piscataway. The North A final features 5-seed Bergen Catholic – the defending champ, which beat Rutgers Prep in the Group A final last year at Rutgers – taking on 3rd-seed St. Peter’s Prep out of Jersey City.

by Mike Pavlichko

Lady Argonauts, looking for repeat, travel south for Non-Public South B final against Wildwood Catholic

This is the real season. The second one.

Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger considers the regular season the preseason. Not to demean it, but other than a division championship, which is nice, there’s no trophy for the regular season.

There is for the Somerset County Tournament. Check.

There is for the Non-Public South B section of the state tournament. 32 minutes remain.

The defending champion and third-seeded Lady Argonauts (24-4) will play for back-to-back titles this evening when they take on top-seed Wildwood Catholic (24-4) down at Seneca High School in Medford Lakes, NJ. You can hear the game broadcast live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, beginning with pregame at approximately 4:45 pm; tip-off is scheduled for 5:00.

Click here to listen to the live broadcast tonight, starting at 4:45 pm.

Rutgers Prep has been the dominant girls’ basketball team in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area for several years now. In the last seven seasons, they have only lost seven games to four different New Jersey schools: Paul VI, Morris Catholic and St. Rose once each, and Trenton Catholic and St. John Vianney twice.

They haven’t lost to a public school since falling to Franklin in the Somerset County Tournament final in 2019, a year the Warriors finished just 34-0, winning the Tournament of Champions.

Prep is led by junior Mikayla Blakes and senior Katie Ledden, but has plenty beyond that. Blakes, though, leads in most statistical categories: 21.9 points per game, 72 threes, 126 made free throws, 92 assists, 87 steals. The Rhode Island-bound Ledden – the only senior in the starting lineup and who sees significant playing time, meaning don’t expect much to change in Prep’s dominance next season – averages 14.6 points per game, second on the team, and is the top rebounder at 6.6 per game.

Scroll down to hear Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, and for prior coverage of the Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball team.

Then there’s a freshman who’s made serious contributions as a starter: GiGi Battle. She’s scoring a shade under 10 points per game, and is second on the team in rebounds (5.5 per) and third in steals with 47.

Zahra Alexander (7.8 ppg) and Chloe Escanillas (7.3 ppg) round out the starting lineup.

As for Wildwood Catholic, junior Kaci Mikulski is the leading scorer at 14.9 points per game. The point guard also has a team-leading 81 assists and can shoot the three-ball, hitting 70 times from downtown. As a team, they’ve hit just a handful fewer threes than Prep (175, compared to 184 for the Argonauts) but they are content to play a lower scoring game, averaging just 48.2 points on offense. Prep scores about 72 per game on offense.

Rutgers Prep was able to beat St. Rose of Belmar on the road in the semifinals despite ending the first quarter without a lead, something they had not done since January 8th, when they trailed 16-12 after one against McDonough of Maryland, and lost 53-43. They also trailed after one in losses to Montverde (FL) and Morris Catholic in the She Got Game Classic on December 17, as well as in wins over Pickering Central (OH) and South Shore (NY).

But mostly, Prep likes to start games hot. Besides the sectional semis, when they trailed St. Rose 10-9 after one quarter but wound up winning by 23, they shutout Moorestown Friends 27-0 in the opening quarter of their first round game, and had a 29-8 lead in the first 8 minutes over Trenton Catholic. Still, those leads will be harder to come by in the later rounds.

A win would put Rutgers Prep in the Non-Public Group B Final for the second year in a row, down at Toms River North’s RWJBarnabaas Arena, Sunday at a time to be determined. They won there last year, beating Saddle River Day 62-51 to move on to the Tournament of Champions, which was eliminated last season by the NJSIAA in order to give student-athletes more down time between seasons.

Click below to hear Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger talk about the Lady Argonauts, and the matchup with Wildwood Catholic:

PREVIOUS COVERAGE OF RUTGERS PREP