Small and Large Schools

St. Rose forward and Villanova commit Matt Hodge, celebrates after a time out in the state championship game against Montclair Immaculate.

TOP 5 SMALL SCHOOLS (Group I & II)

1. College Achieve Asbury Park- 12th ranked CAAP convincingly beat the Pitman Panthers in its 96-59 blowout win in the South/Central Group 1 state semifinal. College Achieve used a 33-point third quarter to pull away from Pitman. Deuce Jones dropped a game-high 21 points for the first-year program. CAAP will face Newark Technology for the state championship on Sunday at Toms River North.

2. Newark Arts- The 16th ranked Jaguars fought off a resilient Ramsey Rams squad in a 37-30 win in the Group 2 state semifinals. Anthony Akande led the Jaguars with 9 points and 5 rebounds. Newark Arts will play in their first ever state championship against the No.3 ranked and reigning champion Camden. The teams will meet on Sunday at Toms River North. 

3. Camden- The 3rd ranked Panthers beat the ManasquanWarriors 46-45 after a controversial call denied Manasquan the upset of the year in high school boysbasketball. The referees did not count Manasquan’s Griffin Linstra’s putback with .3 seconds left on the clock. Manasquan would have been playing for their second straight Group 2 championship. Instead, Camden will face No. 16 Newark Arts in Saturday’s final at Rutgers. Camden will play for their 13th championship and look to extend their 18-game winning streak.

4. Newark Technology- The Terrier’s Killer ‘B’ trio of Malcolm Bragg, Marcus Bragg, and Jalen Baker combined to score 46 points against Paterson Charter. They were the catalyst in Newark Tech’s 65-55 win in the Group 1 state semifinals. The Terriers will have a chance for redemption in the championship this year. Tech lost to Woodbury last year. They will face 12thranked College Achieve Asbury Park this time.

TOP 5 LARGE SCHOOLS (GROUP III, IV, V & NON-PUBLIC)

1. Don Bosco Prep- Rutgers commit and budding superstar Dylan Harper, exploded for 38 points to carry the No.2 ranked Ironmen over the No. 4 ranked St. Peter’s PrepMarauders in a 56-42 win. Harper redeemed himself after Don Bosco Prep fell in the state playoffs the past twoyears to Bergen Catholic. The Ironmen will play in Friday’s Non-Public title game against Paul VI at Rutgers University.

2. St. Rose- The No. 1 ranked Purple Roses blew out thethird-seeded Bishop Eustace Crusaders 82-40 to repeat as Non-Public B South champions. Villanova commitMatthew Hodge paced all scorers with 26 points. St. Rose had a comfortable lead throughout against Bishop Eustace. They held a 20-point halftime lead. The Purple Roses will be looking for a different outcome in this year’s state final. They will face Montclair Immaculate in Friday’s championship game at Rutgers.

3. Ramapo- The No. 13 ranked Raiders defeated the No. 20 ranked Colonia Patriots 49-31 in the Group 3 semifinals.Johns Hopkins commit Wayne Eglinton Manner led Ramapo with 12 points. With the win, Ramapo advanced to their third straight Group 3 final. Ramapo is looking to repeat as Group 3 champions. The Raiders will face Freehold Borough in the championship game on Sunday in Toms River. 

4. Paul VI- The fifth-seeded Eagles shocked defending state champion and the No. 14 ranked Union Catholic Vikings 53-35 in the Non-Public A South final. Paul VI captured their first sectional title since 1988. Paul VI never looked back after scoring ten straight points to open the contest. The Eagles will play against North champion and second-ranked Don Bosco Prep in the state championship at Rutgers on Friday. Don Bosco Prep defeated Paul VI 62-45 back on January 20th at the Paul VI Winter Classic. 

5. Lenape- Sparked by their swarming defense in the fourth quarter, the No. 18 ranked Indians went on a 14-0 run tobeat Central Jersey champion Montgomery Cougars 57-43 in the South/Central Group 4 state semifinal. The Indians took control of the game in the last frame after Montgomery took their last lead of the game. Merrimack commit Tye Dorset led all scorers with 18 points. Dorset also contributed with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Lenape will go up against North champion and No. 19 ranked Elizabeth in the state final Saturday at Rutgers.