NJSIAA Tournament

Opening Round

Central Jersey Group IV

(5) Montgomery 39, (12) Long Branch 36

Junior Marc Dennis scored 12 points and the Green Wave (10-14) battled back after trailing by 12 entering the fourth quarter, only to fall short against the Cougars (16-10).

(1) Colts Neck 74, Montgomery 66 (OT)

Senior Ben Bosland scored a game-high 21 points and the Cougars (17-7) survived a first-round scare from the Falcons (7-19).

Luke Patel hit a three-pointer as time expired in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime and finished with 19 points to lead Monroe.

Senior Rob Hill scored five of his 17 points during the overtime period for Colts Neck and senior Danny Gaines poured in 13 for the game.

Colts Neck will host No. 9 Middletown South on Thursday in the sectional quarterfinals.

(9) Middletown South 64, (8) Marlboro 62

Senior Dave Gervase hit a tie-breaking floater with 0.5 seconds left to play and the Eagles (15-12) rallied from a five-point deficit with under a minute to play to knock off the Mustangs (12-12) and earn a trip to play top-seeded Colts Neck in Thursday's quarterfinal round.

Gervase finished with 14 points off the bench and was playing for the first time since the Shore Conference Tournament after missing time with an ankle injury that has nagged him throughout the season, according to Middletown South coach Jim Anderson. The senior forward also tied the game at 62-62 with a pair of free throws with 29.5 seconds left.

Senior Nick Unrath led the Eagles with 20 points and senior Ryan Purcell poured in 19 in the win.

Junior Dylan Kaufman led Marlboro with a game-high 21 points and sophomore Alex Ratner pitched in 15 in a losing cause. Senior Brian Levine also reached double-figures with 11 points, as did senior Eddie Paladino.

(2) Hunterdon Central 68, (15) Manalapan 61

Seniors Vincent Piper and Alex Purzynski combined for six of Manalapan's nine three-pointers and scored 12 points apiece, but the defending champion Red Devils (16-10) survived a challenge from the Braves (8-15). Piper knocked down four treys and Purzynski hit two.

Seniors Colby Howard and Bryan Broderick also scored 10 points each in the loss.

 

Central Jersey Group II

(4) Bordentown 60, (13) Raritan 49

Junior Tim Hayes scored 14 points and classmate Rob LaVilla added 12, but the Rockets (14-11) fell to the Scotties (18-9) on the road. Jacquey Mendez led Bordentown with a game-high 20 points.

(10) Lincoln 46, (7) Matawan 27

Duron Henderson scored 14 points and Donte Darby added 10 as the Lions (19-7) shut down the Huskies (20-6) to advance to the quarterfinal round Thursday, when they will travel to play No. 2 Manasquan.

(1) Rumson-Fair Haven 71, (16) North Plainfield 47

Sophomore Phillip Wheeler led a balanced scoring effort with 13 points and the Bulldogs (22-2) coasted to a win over the Canucks (11-16) to advance to the quarterfinal round Thursday against No. 8 Spotswood.

Junior Jackson McCarthy and senior Devin Cooper added 12 points apiece, senior Jack Solano poured in 10 and senior Teddy Sourlis drained nine for Rumson. Senior Elijah McAllister also chipped in 12 rebounds and eight blocks to go with his two points.

(8) Spotswood 72, (9) Holmdel 57

Senior Tim Zhou scored a game-high 23 points, but it wasn't enough for the Hornets (12-11) to get past the Chargers (16-11). Sophomore Derek Chan added 14 points and sophomore Jack Giamanco poured in 13 in the loss.

(2) Manasquan 46, (15) Delaware Valley 40

Junior Brad McCabe scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds as the Warriors (20-6) battled past the Terriers (12-13) to reach the sectional quarterfinals Thursday against No. 10 Lincoln.

Senior Emilio Stevenson poured in 12 points to go with three steals while senior Ryan Flanagan chipped in 10 points and five assists for Manasquan. Junior Xander Korolik added six points and 10 boards in the win.

 

South Jersey Group IV

(1) Shawnee 68, (16) Southern 38

Shawnee standouts Dean Noll and Dylan Devaney combined for 39 points and the Renegades (23-4) rolled past the Rams (14-13). Noll scored a game-high 21 points and Devaney added 18 in the win.

Senior Thomas Foster led Southern with 18 points, seven rebounds and three steals while senior Jake DuBois added 10 points in the loss.

(10) Howell 66, (7) Cherokee 50

Senior Nasiem Brantley delivered 26 points and eight rebounds to lead the Rebels (13-11) to a big first-round road win over the Chiefs (17-10). Howell moves on to play at No. 2 Toms River North in the sectional quarterfinals on Thursday night.

Senior Brandon Wilson added 16 points and six rebounds while junior Matt Ganter threw in 13 points for Howell.

(5) Rancocas Valley 58, (12) Brick Memorial 34

(2) Toms River North 69, (15) Vineland 54

Senior Travis Holland posted 20 points, eight rebounds and five steals to pace the Mariners (24-4) to a first-round win over the Fighting Clan (10-12).

Senior Mark Mogarte pitched in 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists while junior Nick Duncsak added 11 points and senior Eliot Daks pitched in seven points and 10 rebounds for Toms River North, which will host No. 10 Howell in the quarterfinals on Thursday.

 

South Jersey Group II

(9) Barnegat 50, (8) Middle Twp. 45

Seniors Mike Revello, Carson Francisco and Alex Grogan combined for 47 of Barnegat's 50 points, including all 24 during the fourth quarter to help the Bengals (21-6) rally past the Panthers (13-12) and into the sectional quarterfinals Thursday at top-seeded Cinnaminson.

Revello led the way with 19 points, while Francisco tallied 15 and Grogan scored 13 for Barnegat, which outscored Middle, 24-11, in the final quarter to erase a 34-28 deficit heading into the fourth.

(13) Medford Tech 73, (4) Point Boro 62 (OT)

Four Point Boro starters scored in double-figures, but it was not enough for the Panthers (16-7) to overcome Terrell Martinez-Jones and Medford Tech (10-17), which pulled away in overtime. Martinez-Jones led all scorers with 25 points.

Senior Connor Costigan and sophomore Sam Young scored 15 points each to lead Point Boro, while seniors Connor Strickland and John Duda pitched in 14 apiece. Duda also added eight rebounds, five assists and three steals, while Strickland checked in with four assists and four steals for Point Boro.

 

South Jersey Non-Public B

(3) Mater Dei Prep 78, (14) Holy Cross 33

Senior Kenny Jones led five starters in double-figures with 17 points and the Seraphs (22-5) rolled to an opening-round win over the Crusaders (13-14). Jones also had seven rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.

Seniors Adam Afifi and Yasin Pretlow scored 12 points each, junior Alexander Rice poured in 11 and senior Kyle Cardaci netted 10 for Mater Dei, which will host No. 11 Gloucester Catholic on Thursday. Pretlow also pitched in five assists and five steals, while Rice handed out six assists.

(2) Ranney 84, (15) Wardlaw-Hartridge 31

Junior Bryan Antoine scored 18 points and the Panthers (25-4) cruised past the Rams (4-19) and into the sectional quarterfinals Thursday against Rutgers Prep - which will be a rematch of a quarterfinal game last year won by Ranney.

Junior Chris Autino added 16 points and four steals, senior Savior Akuwovo had 13 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, and junior Ahmadu Sarnor pitched in 11 points and five assists for Ranney.

Junior Scottie Lewis contributed six points, seven rebounds and eight assists as well in the win.

(5) Trenton Catholic 92, (12) St. Rose 57

Senior Dave Calloway scored 23 points and sophomore John Beattie added 16 as the Purple Roses (11-15) fell to the Iron Mikes (18-9). Junior Khalif Battle - who has offers from Syracuse, Washington, UConn, Rutgers, Miami, St. Joseph's and VCU - led six Trenton Catholic players in double-figure scoring with 24 points.

 

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