Another season of high school basketball is in the books, and with it, a plethora of new champions have been crowned. Let’s survey the best stories from around this week’s state finals across Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Red Bank Catholic Wins Long-Awaited Clash with Morris Catholic
Two years ago, the Red Bank Catholic Caseys and Morris Catholic Crusaders shared the stage in the girls’ state championships, with the former taking home the Non-Public A title and the latter winning the Non-Public B crown. This year, the two powerhouses with 14 state championships between them met in a title game for the first time since 2007, and it didn’t disappoint.
Both squads came out of the gate firing, and the margin was slim at the half: the Caseys held a narrow 25-22 lead after 16 minutes. But RBC’s relentless offense, led by All-American Addy Nyemchek, pulled away late. Nyemchek, who broke the school’s all-time scoring record early in the game, finished with a game-best 22 points.
The Caseys outscored the Crusaders 22-11 in the final frame, setting the stage for a poignant finale. With time running out, head coach Joe Montano—soon to celebrate his 800th career victory as head coach—subbed in senior Katie Liggio. Liggio had suffered an injury in their sectional final win over St. John Vianney, but was able to take the floor one last time with her teammates and celebrate an unforgettable victory.
Plainfield Repeats, Takes Over Jersey Mike’s Arena
The city of Plainfield eats, sleeps, and breathes Cardinal basketball. That fact was evident when my colleagues and I walked into Jersey Mike’s Arena three hours before tip-off between Plainfield and Montgomery and there was already a healthy contingent of Plainfield fans filling the stands. Eventually that crowd packed the barn all the way to the rafters to watch the reigning Group 4 champs defend their title against familiar foe Montgomery, 49-40.
This was another game which was tight at the half, but Plainfield completely dictated terms in the second half. When junior star Micah Gordon soared to the rim and threw down an emphatic slam, the Cardinal faithful erupted into delirium. Both visually and sonically, it was without a doubt the highlight of the tournament.
Montgomery put up a strong fight, particularly early. Senior and top all-time scorer Ethan Lin was dynamic, and the Cougars hit two buzzer-beater threes in the contest. Sophomore big man Shriyans Mallavarapu was a huge difference-maker early with his rebounding prowess and defensive ability. But Plainfield made the necessary adjustments at the half to shut down Montgomery’s gameplan and take home a well-deserved second straight championship.
Moorestown and Arts Take Home First-Ever State Titles
Nothing quite compares to a first-time championship, and two girls’ teams got their first taste of championship glory. The Moorestown and Arts girls both raised trophies on Sunday, while the Ramsey boys triumphed on Saturday for a state title over 75 years in the making.
Not only was it Moorestown and Arts’ first state title, both teams hadn’t even won a sectional title until this year. The Quakers rode a dominant first quarter to a 50-37 victory over Old Tappan, with 24 points and 11 points from senior leader Analyse Intenzo leading the way.
Later in the afternoon, Arts stared down defending Group I champion New Providence and didn’t blink, pulling away late for a 57-45 triumph. Nilah Rivera had 19 points, but Harmoni Burgess was the second-half difference maker, with 14 of her 16 points coming after the intermission. The Jaguars’ victory was their very first basketball crown for either girls or boys.
Ocean City, Ramsey Break Long Droughts
While these two programs weren’t first-time champions, they had been waiting over half a decade for their championships. Ramsey and Ocean City’s boys teams ended long championship droughts over the weekend, with the Rams vanquishing Rumson-Fair Haven on Saturday and Ocean City downing Colonia on Sunday.
Ocean City’s hearty 62-year wait ended thanks to a superb team effort for the Red Raiders. Just about every player on Coach John Bruno’s team contributed to the win against the Patriots, who kept right up with them until a poorly-timed rash of turnovers doomed their effort. Josh Lenko topped the list with 24 points, and Luke Tjoumakaris posted a double-double for OC.
The Rams’ title drought stretched even further back to 1950—a 76 year drought which appeared even longer because their 1950 championship isn’t even listed in the NJSIAA’s record books. Needless to say, the effort from the 2026 team, led by senior Owen Farley (18 pts 4 reb 6 ast) and junior Charlie Taylor (18 pts 5 reb 5 ast), should probably cause the organization to correct the record.
Title Defenses Proved Difficult in 2026
Dynasties are no uncommon occurrence in basketball, let alone at the high school level. But defending champions had to watch their backs this season—ultimately, 2025 champions went 3-3 in 2026.
Let’s congratulate the winners. One of them, as previously discussed, was Plainfield. The other was the Manasquan girls, who completed a three-peat with their Group II win over Caldwell. Then there was the Bergen Catholic Crusaders’ overtime winner over St. Peter’s Prep back on Thursday.
But while those two held onto the crown, three reigning champs were toppled from their thrones: on Thursday, Morris Catholic fell to Red Bank Catholic in the Non-Public A final following their perfect season last year. On Sunday, New Providence were neutralized by Arts in that first-ever championship for the Newark school. Then Thrive Charter, who won the Group I title last year in their first year of existence, bent the knee to another squad from Newark—Malcolm X. Shabazz—in the championship finale.
