NJSIAA Tournament

Opening Round

Central Jersey Group IV

(4) Marlboro 59, (13) Princeton 35

Senior Dan Elmasri scored a game-high 16 points and the Mustangs locked down the Little Tigers to advance to the sectional quarterfinals Monday, when Marlboro will host No. 5 Old Bridge.

Senior Steve Scimone added 12 points and classmate Brave Haugh pitched in 10 for Marlboro, which outscored Princeton, 22-7, in the second quarter to go up 30-12 at halftime and never looked back.

(3) Manalapan 83, (14) Middletown South 72

Junior Aiden Sosinov scored 25 points, ripped down 14 rebounds and blocked three shots to lead the Braves to a high-scoring win over the Eagles and into the sectional quarterfinals Monday against No. 11 Jackson Memorial.

Senior Phil Pearlman added 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists and four blocks for Manalapan, which seized control of the game with a 21-1 run that turned an early-second-quarter deficit of 26-19 into an early-third-quarter lead of 40-27. Sosinov scored 17 of his points in the second half to help Manalapan close out the victory.

Senior Anthony Leger also pitched in 17 points, five rebounds and nine assists for Manalapan, while freshman Joe Farino poured in 11 points on three three-pointers off the bench.

Junior Brady Hahn matched Sosinov with a game-high 25 points for Middletown South and also pulled in eight rebounds. Sophomore Matt Trimble scored 13 of his 15 points in the fourth quarter, senior Ryan Denery pitched in 12 points and senior Carmine DeCrescenzo contributed 10 points, five assists and four steals in the loss.

(11) Jackson Memorial 46, (6) Howell 44

Junior Brady Adams hit the game-winning three-pointer with two seconds left and the clock ran out on a Jaguars upset over the Rebels on the road.

Jackson Memorial tied the game, 43-43, on a drive to the basket by senior Devin Jones with 28 seconds left before Howell regained the lead when senior D.J. Orloff hit the second of two free throws with 14.6 seconds left, putting the Rebels ahead, 44-43.

On the game's final possession, Jones drove the lane, found sophomore Randy Holmes Jr., who made the extra pass to Adams. The junior lined up the open shot from just to the left of the top-of-the-key and drilled it as the clock rolled through the final seconds and, ultimately, expired.

Adams led Jackson Memorial with a game-high 17 points -- all coming in the second half -- and Jones threw in 12 for the Jaguars, who overcame a rocky second quarter that led to a 24-20 halftime lead for Howell.

Orloff led Howell with 16 points, including 12-for-14 from the free-throw line. Junior Zach Padilla added eight points, including a fourth-quarter three-pointer that tied the game, 41-41.

Jackson Memorial advances to play No. 3 Manalapan in Monday's sectional quarterfinals.

(2) Monroe 56, (15) Freehold Twp. 51

Miles Marabuto scored a game-high 25 points and the Falcons survived a scare from the Patriots to advance to the sectional quarterfinals Monday against No. 7 North Brunswick.

Senior Andrew Silverman scored 16 points and freshman John O'Neill poured in 12 to lead Freehold Township.

 

Central Jersey Group II

(2) Holmdel 94, (15) Monmouth 75

Senior Nick Seeloch pumped in a game-high 30 points and the Hornets raced past the Falcons and into the sectional semifinals Monday against No. 2 Point Boro.

Senior Ben Kipnis scored 19 points on five three-pointers, junior Daxx Corneiro added 15 and sophomore Jack Vallillo contributed 14 for Holmdel. Senior James Vallillo also helped out with nine points in the win.

Junior James Curley scored 22 points to lead Monmouth, with senior teammate Andrew English adding 16. Sophomore Ahmir Wiggins also scored 12 points and junior Dan Kikta chipped in 11 in the loss.

(1) Manasquan 89, (16) South River 35

Senior Alex Konov scored 17 points in less than three two-and-a-half quarters worth of time on the floor and the Warriors rolled to a win over the Rams in a rematch of last year's Central Group II championship game.

Senior Jason Larned added 13 points, junior Griffin Linstra chipped in 12 and senior Luke Roy poured in 10 for Manasquan, which will host No. 8 Bordentown in Monday's sectional quarterfinals.

(7) Point Boro 81, (10) Middlesex 45

Senior Jake Venturoso scored a game-high 19 points and six Point Boro players scored at least eight points to lead a rout by the Panthers over the Blue Jays.

Junior Hudson Griffin filled up the stat sheet with eight points, 12 rebounds, six assists and six steals, while freshman Hunter Hynes put up 13 points and five assists for Point Boro. Junior Thomas Turner posted nine points and 12 rebounds, sophomore Jovan Steinmetz chipped in 10 points and junior Drew Cardia poured in eight in the win.

Point Boro will travel to No. 2 Holmdel Monday in the sectional quarterfinals.

(3) Rumson-Fair Haven 74, (14) Metuchen 45

Senior Nick Ribgy drained a game-high 21 points as Rumson cruised to a round-one win over Metuchen in a battle of the Bulldogs.

Sophomore Luke Cruz added 11 points, junior Riley Gill contributed nine and junior David Carr pitched in eight for Rumson, which will host No. 6 Bound Brook in Monday's sectional quarterfinal round.

 

South Jersey Group IV

(3) Central 52, (14) Egg Harbor 24

Junior Jaycen Santucci exceeded the entire Egg Harbor team with 26 points while also adding 15 rebounds and three steals to spark a first-round win for the Golden Eagles over the defending sectional champion Eagles.

Senior Miles Chevalier added 10 points and 12 rebounds while senior Jordan Barbot pitched in nine points for Central, which will host No. 6 Rancocas Valley in Monday's sectional quarterfinal round.

(9) Kingsway 53, (8) Southern 51

Sophomore Mikah Hart hit a driving layup with one second left and the clock ran to all zeroes to cap a Dragons win over the Rams in Manahawkin.

Southern tied the game, 51-51, on a drive by sophomore Jake Sliwinski with 38 seconds left and Kingsway responded by taking the clock all the way down following a timeout, capped by Hart's drive.

Sliwinski led Southern with 15 points while freshman teammate Noah Perna added 14. Junior Cooper Dempsey threw in nine on three three-pointers and senior Leo Crowley chipped in eight in the loss.

Hart finished with 10 points and Christian Conklin netted 12 to lead Kingsway, which will travel to top-seeded Lenape in Monday's sectional quarterfinals.

(4) Toms River North 73, (13) Toms River East 30

Senior Micah Ford scored a game-high 21 points, including the 1,000th of his high school career, as the Mariners handled the rival Raiders to advance to Monday's sectional semifinal round against No. 5 Shawnee.

Junior Sherrod Nelson and senior Sean Gathers each added 11 points and senior Owen Baker pitched in nine for Toms River North.

Senior Jason McKelvey led Toms River East with 12 points.

 

South Jersey Group II

(4) Haddonfield 44, (13) Manchester 33

Senior Sam Rohlfing scored 15 points and classmate Sam Narducci chipped in 13 to lead the Bulldogs to a defensive-minded win over the Hawks.

A.J. Gant scored 13 points and fellow junior Aidan Lunn added nine to lead Manchester.

Haddonfield advances to Monday's sectional quarterfinal round and will host No. 5 Lower Cape May.

 

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