Roselle Catholic, Camden Reach Tournament of Champions Final

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The last ever NJSIAA Tournament of Champions final tips off at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway and the matchup is now set. Roselle Catholic rolled into the final while top-seeded Camden survived a scare to keep its hopes of a first T of C championship since 2000 alive.

Here is how both teams earned their way to the last game on Thursday night on the Rutgers University campus.

No. 2 Roselle Catholic 76, No. 3 Bergen Catholic 64

Junior guard and North Carolina commit Simeon Wilcher scored 22 points and both senior Jamarques Lawrence and sophomore Tarik Watson turned in a double-double to lead the Lions over the Crusaders in the first semifinal.

Roselle Catholic will play in the T of C final for the fourth time while seeking its third ever championship and first since 2018.

Lawrence -- a Nebraska commit -- poured in 18 points while hauling in 10 rebounds and dishing out three assists. Watson contributed 14 points and 12 rebounds and junior brother, Akil Watson, also pitched in 12 points and six rebounds for the Lions.

Bergen Catholic took a three-point lead into the third quarter, but Roselle Catholic blew the game open with a 26-4 third quarter, with Wilcher scoring 12 of the 26 points.

Senior Julian Brown led Bergen Catholic with a game-high 28 points and also plucked four steals. Fordham commit Will Richardson added 12 points for the Crusaders.

No. 1 Camden 60, No. 4 Elizabeth 50

Junior guard and N.J. Gatorade Player of the Year D.J. Wagner scored 30 points and the top-seeded Panthers closed the game with nine straight points to fight off an upset bid by the Minutemen and reach the T of C final.

Thursday marked Camden's first Tournament of Champions game in 22 years and will go for the program's first T of C title since 2000 on Sunday afternoon against Roselle Catholic.

Elizabeth pulled even, 47-47, and brought the ball toward midcourt, when Wagner stole a pass in the backcourt and threw down a dunk. Junior Cian Medley followed with another steal and layup to make it 51-47.

Junior Etiene Richelieu hit a three-pointer to make it 51-50, but junior Aaron Bradshaw responded with a pair of free throws for Camden.

The score remained 53-50 until the 1:05 mark, when Medley converted a driving three-point play to back Elizabeth up against the ropes. Bradshaw added another dunk to cap a strong all-around game that included 10 points, 13 rebounds and six blocks.

Junior Sebastian Robinson led four Elizabeth players in double-figures with 13 points -- all coming in the first three quarters. Richelieu added 12 points and six rebounds, while senior Zyree Beverly and sophomore London Carson each pitched in 10 points in the loss.

Elizabeth made it to Thursday with two hard-earned wins over Marlboro and Paterson Charter in back-to-back games. The Minutemen caught fire in the second half to beat Marlboro, 70-63, in Sunday's Group IV final and on Tuesday in the T of C quarterfinals, it was Elizbeth that closed on a 9-0 run to beat Paterson Charter, 50-41.

Tournament of Champions Schedule and Results

Championship

Sunday, March 20, 2022

At Jersey Mike's Arena, Piscataway

No. 1 Camden vs. No. 2 Roselle Catholic, 2 p.m.

Semifinals

Thursday, March 17, 2022

At Jersey Mike's Arena, Piscataway

No. 2 Roselle Catholic 76, No. 3 Bergen Catholic 64

No. 1 Camden 60, No. 4 Elizabeth 50

Quarterfinals

Tuesday, March 17, 2022