Boys Basketball – 2024 NJSIAA Tournament Preview: The Shore in Group 4

It has been more than 40 years since a Shore Conference team won the Group IV championship and at first glance, it seems likely that drought will continue into 2024-25. There are indeed a handful of contenders from the Shore Conference, particularly in South Jersey, where Central Regional and Toms River North will be worthy adversaries for the two top seeds in the bracket -- Lenape and Eastern.

In Central Jersey, Manalapan, Marlboro and Howell are all positioned to challenge for a spot in the final and while they will have a clear favorite in Montgomery to overcome, the top-seeded Cougars are not quite as imposing as some of the favorites in recent years. A trip to the Group IV final -- which the Shore has delivered twice in the past three completed tournaments with Freehold Township in 2019 and Marlboro in 2022 -- is within the realm of possibility, but North Jersey has generally owned the Group IV final. Since the 2013-14 season, Shawnee in 2017 is the only team from South or Central Jersey to win the Group IV championship and no team from the Central Jersey section has won the Group IV title since Piscataway in 1994.

Recent history says if the Shore Conference does have a Group IV champion this year, that champion will come from South Jersey.

Central Jersey Group IV

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 3 Manalapan, No. 4 Marlboro, No. 6 Howell, No. 11 Jackson Memorial, No. 14 Middletown South, No. 15 Freehold Township
Top Seed: Montgomery
Defending Champion: Trenton
Bracket Favorite: Montgomery

Bracket Dark Horse: No. 14 Middletown South. The Eagles can score and will play a Manalapan team in the first round that could struggle if its shooting is off. Middletown South’s defense does not look like that of a championship threat, but the draw is favorable enough that the Eagles could win a couple games and really ride the momentum in what is a manageable bracket. No. 9 Hightstown has been a hard team to place, but a recent win over Toms River North should earn the Rams some respect. No. 13 Princeton has been competitive enough this year to have a shot vs. Marlboro and Old Bridge on that side of the bracket. Jackson Memorial has already beaten Howell this season and was competitive in a loss to Manalapan. Freehold Township is struggling heading into the tournament, but Monroe is not an insurmountable foe. In short, there is potential for a topsy-turvy CJ IV bracket by the end of the week.

Bracket Breakdown: Montgomery has paced the field all year long and at 21-3 with some quality wins on their résumé (College Achieve, Gill St. Bernard’s, Watchung Hills), the Cougars are the clear team to beat. With that being said, there is no 2024 version of 2023 Trenton, which was an overwhelming favorite to win the section and did just that. The Tornadoes fell off this season and are not in the field, which gives teams like No. 2 Monroe, No. 5 Old Bridge and the Shore Conference contingent hope. Manalapan could potentially play two teams it beat during the regular season in the first two rounds, while Howell would likely have to beat two teams that beat the Rebels last year. Marlboro is situated on the other side of the bracket and showed last year it could handle the state tournament setting. Old Bridge has been mercurial, which makes them dangerous to play and dangerous to count on advancing as well.

Prediction: Montgomery over Monroe. The Cougars have a golden opportunity to get over the hump in Central Jersey Group IV this season with a top seed, a legitimate wing scoring threat in Franklin & Marshall commit Steve Donahue and a field that doesn’t have an overwhelming favorite outside of Montgomery itself. Marlboro or Old Bridge would be pesky potential semifinal opponents and the bottom of he bracket could churn out a tough matchup between Monroe, Manalapan or Howell, but this bracket is unquestionably Montgomery’s to lose.

Round-by-Round Picks

Opening Round

(1) Montgomery over (16) West Windsor-Plainsboro South
(9) Hightstown over (8) East Brunswick
(5) Old Bridge over (12) West Windsor-Plainsboro North
(4) Marlboro over (13) Princeton
(14) Middletown South over (3) Manalapan
(6) Howell over (11) Jackson Memorial
(10) Sayreville over (7) North Brunswick
(2) Monroe over (15) Freehold Twp.

Quarterfinals

(1) Montgomery over (9) Hightstown
(4) Marlboro over (5) Old Bridge
(6) Howell over (14) Middletown South
(2) Monroe over (10) Sayreville

Semifinals

(1) Montgomery over (4) Marlboro
(2) Monroe over (6) Howell

Championship

(1) Montgomery over (2) Monroe

South Jersey Group IV

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 3 Central, No. 4 Toms River North, No. 8 Southern, No. 13 Toms River East
Top Seed: Lenape
Defending Champion: No. 14 Egg Harbor
Bracket Favorite: Lenape

Bracket Dark Horse: No. 10 Cherry Hill East. The Cougars are always a tough out and No. 7 Cherokee will have their hands full in round one, as would No. 2 Eastern if it has to host Cherry Hill East in round two. Another double-digit seed to watch is No. 14 and defending sectional champion Egg Harbor. The Eagles are much better than their 6-20 record, which is the product of a young team playing a loaded schedule. Central will have to be on its game to avoid an upset at the hands of Egg Harbor, which could have done a little better with its first-round draw. Southern and Toms River East got difficult draws, with Toms River East having to deal with Toms River North in round on and Southern looking at a potential trip to Lenape – a team that dominated the Rams in December – should Southern beat Kingsway on Wednesday.

Bracket Breakdown: While Lenape is the clear choice as the favorite in South Jersey IV, there are a few potential spoilers – including two teams from the Shore. Central won’t run into the No. 1 seed unless it is in the sectional final and with athleticism, two quality scorers and rotation depth, Central can match up with just about any public-school team in the state. The Golden Eagles will have to put their Shore Conference Tournament disappointment behind them, which they did last year when they made it to the sectional semifinals. As for the other side of the bracket, Toms River North is a difficult matchup for any team because of its athleticism, balance and depth. If the Mariners get all of those talented players and athletes on the same page on both ends of the floor, they are a legitimate threat to go to the Group IV final.

Prediction: Lenape over Eastern. Central and Toms River North are looking at challenging roads to the sectional final and both are capable of pulling off the road wins that would be necessary to get there. Lenape and Eastern, however, are formidable foes that have run the gauntlet this season with their schedules, so both are ready for what Toms River North and Central can throw at them. Lenape looks particularly championship-ready, even if not infallible.

Round-by-Round Picks

(1) Lenape over (16) Millville
(8) Southern over (9) Kingsway
(5) Shawnee over (12) Washington Twp.
(4) Toms River North over (13) Toms River East
(3) Central over (14) Egg Harbor
(11) Pennsauken over (6) Rancocas Valley
(10) Cherry Hill East over (7) Cherokee
(2) Eastern over (15) Bridgeton

Quarterfinals

(1) Lenape over (8) Southern
(4) Toms River North over (5) Shawnee
(3) Central over (11) Pennsauken
(2) Eastern over (10) Cherry Hill East

Semifinals

(1) Lenape over (4) Toms River North
(2) Eastern over (3) Central

Championship

(1) Lenape over (2) Eastern