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Jersey Sports Zone is proud to announce the five finalists for the 2019 Mr. Hoop Zone Award, our boys basketball Player of the Year voted on by various coaches and media from across the Garden State. The winner will be announced on Wednesday, March 20 during JSZ’s second annual All-Zone Basketball Banquet at the Renaissance Hotel in Woodbridge. Watch our profiles of these five outstanding players and learn more about JSZ’s top basketball honor. Be sure to check out our Miss Hoop Zone finalists as well! Last Year’s Winner: Bryan Antoine – Ranney  This Villanova University bound four year starter has been the hype surrounding one of the most up and coming programs in New Jersey. Bryan Antoine dazzles fans with his electrifying dunks and quick scoring, but it’s his play in games that matters most. Antoine capped of a season in which he received McDonald’s All-American honors, became the Shore Conferece’s All-Time leading scorer with 2,481 points and led Ranney to a State Title with the program’s first ever Tournament of Champions crown.  Kahlil Whitney – Roselle Catholic  When Kahlil Whitney takes the floor, the price of admission feels like a steal. One of the state’s three McDonald’s All-Americans this year, Whitney is a versatile player that is willing to do whatever to help his team win. After making the move from Chicago to NJ to play for Roselle Catholic, Kahlil put the country on notice with his heart stopping slams and signature spin move to the basket, even earring an offer from the University of Kentucky. He will continue his basketball career as a Wildcat after leading RC to back to back Union County and State Sectional Titles.  Scottie Lewis – Ranney One half of “The Greatest Show in Monmouth County” Scottie Lewis was the other key component in Tournament of Champions winners Ranney’s historical run. Lewis much like his counterpart Bryan Antoine has spoiled the Garden State the last four seasons with a barrage of dunks that will forever be embedded in the minds of high school basketball fans. The McDonald’s All-American will continue his college career as a Gator at the University of Florida.  Josh Pierre-Louis – Roselle Catholic  Not often two sets of teammates share the podium for our highest basketball honor, but this year it was undeniable that Josh Pierre Louis was a game changer in New Jersey. Roselle Catholic’s point guard who garnered national attention this season helped lead the Lions to another County and Sectional Title with his 69 steals and 14.2 PPG. After recently de-committing from the University of Las Vegas, Pierre-Louis has reopened up his college recruitment and has offers from Georgia, Temple, Rutgers, Seton Hall and many more!  Paul Mulcahy – Gill St. Bernard’s  Two words say it all about this next nominee, “Headband Highlights”. 6’6 Paul Mulcahy  is one of the most interesting players on our list for the simple reason you don’t see consistency like this every day. Mulcahy led Gill St. Bernard’s to the Non-Public North Final in a season in which he averaged a Triple Double! The Bayonne native plans to keep exciting New Jersey in his college career when he laces it up for Rutgers University next year.

It’s as good as any storybook ending you’ll find in high school sports around the country. Franklin was the consensus No. 1 team in the Garden State all season long, they had the consensus No. 1 player lead the way and ended a remarkable 2019 season with the first 34-0 record ever in N.J. girls basketball history. Franklin 65 Saddle River Day 57 – 2019 Tournament of Champions Final In her final high school game at Franklin High School, McDonald’s All-American Diamond Miller put together a game for the ages on the biggest stage of them all. Miller — a University of Maryland commit — stuffed the stat sheet with 25 points, 18 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 blocks to lead the Warriors to a perfect 34-0 record. Franklin is the first team in N.J. girls hoops history to ever reach a 34-0 record and is the first team since Shabazz in 2006 to finish undefeated. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the highlights and post-game reaction from Toms River:

We’re down to the final four in New Jersey high school boys basketball! JSZ brings you the opening round of the boys Tournament of Champions as Moorestown and Newark East Side earn their spots in the semifinals. Watch all the action from Toms River! Newark East Side 61 New Providence 41 – Tournament of Champions Quarterfinal The Red Raiders trailed 30-29 at the three minute mark of the third quarter and exploded for 31 points in the final eleven minutes to earn a matchup with #2 seed Bergen Catholic in the semifinals. Anas Amos and Mikah Johnson led the way with 16 points each. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from RJW Barnabas Arena in Toms River: Moorestown 60 Haddonfield 59 Tournament of Champions quarterfinal Jagger Zrada went off from distance, going seven for eight from three-point range to pump in a team-high 23 points for the Quakers. Zrada even overcame an ankle injury in the third quarter to help #5 Moorestown advance past #4 Haddonfield. Nick Cartwright-Atkins also had a strong game with 13 points and nine rebounds in the win. Dan Fleming poured in a game-high 25 points in his final game for the Haddons. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights and reaction from Toms River, as the Quakers advance to face Ranney in the Tournament of Champions semifinals on Friday night. Double sponsor alert! Moorestown and Haddonfield coverage is brought to you by NJM Insurance. Tournament of Champions Semifinals Friday in Toms River #3 Newark East Side vs. #2 Bergen Catholic – 5:30 pm #5 Moorestown vs. #1 Ranney – 7:00 pm

It’s a bittersweet time of year for us as the basketball season begins to come to a close, but Jersey Sports Zone is pleased to bring you coverage of ALL the 2019 NJSIAA State Tournament Finals from 3.10. Stay tuned for: Newark East Side vs. Freehold Township (Group 4), West Side vs. Haddonfield (Group 2), Ramapo vs. Moorestown (Group 3), New Providence vs. Burlington City,  Chatham vs. Mainland (Group 3, Girls), Lincoln vs. Manchester Township (Group 2, Girls), Franklin vs. Lenape (Group 4, Girls) and University vs. Bound Brook (Group 1, Girls). Those highlights on the way! Boys State Championships – Rutgers University Newark East Side 69 Freehold Township 44 – Group 4 State Championship` East Side captured its first Group 4 State Championship since 2014 with a win over Freehold Township. After losing in the same game last year the Red Raiders find redemption thanks to Junior Mikah Johnson who finished with 18 points and seven rebounds. East Side trailed 16-12 after the first quarter, but thanks to a 20-6 run in the second quarter they eventually went up by as many as 30. The other contributing fact in the victory was Senior Anas Amos who had 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Haddonfield 64 Newark West Side 53 – Group 2 State Championship Mike DePersia scored 10 of his 16 points in the fourth quarter as Haddonfield held off an amazing comeback attempt by the Rough Riders in the 4th quarter. The Bulldogs held a 43-28 advantage mid-way through the third quarter before West Side put together a 16-0 run to take a 44-43 lead. But DePersia stepped up with five straight points and Drew Gavranich had 17 off the bench to give Haddonfield back to back titles. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from Rutgers: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Haddonfield is brought to you by NJM Insurance. Thanks to NJM we were able to bring you state championship highlights of the Bulldogs! Moorestown 58 Ramapo 44 – Group 3 State Championship History was made at Rutgers University. Moorestown’s Group 3 state championship win on Sunday was the first for the Quakers in the last 60 years. Moorestown played a complete game, limiting Ramapo’s scoring chances while also playing a great game themselves. Guard Jagger Zrada had the highlight of the night with a crossover and three-pointer that has since been viewed over 1,000,000 times on social media. The Quakers also scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, all via free throws, to secure the win. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights: Thanks to NJM Insurance for sponsoring our Moorestown coverage all season long. NJM is the reason we had highlights of the Quakers first state title in 60 years! New Providence 66 Burlington City 56 – Group 1 State Championship Greg Meyers scored 26 points and Dylan Bedder had a monster double-double with 13 points and 17 rebounds as the Pioneers used a 16-3 second quarter to build a lead they never relinquished. It’s the Pioneers first state title since 1999. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from the final state title game at Rutgers: Girls State Championships – RWJ Barnabas Arena Mainland 42 Chatham 35 – Group 3 State Championship The Mustangs won the first state title in program history with a 42-35 win over the Cougars. Kylee Watson helped lead Mainland with 11 points and 13 rebounds in the win. Camryn Dirkes also scored 11 points while Madi Hafetz chipped in with eight. Maddie Hartnett led all scorers with 12 in the loss for Chatham. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights and reaction from Toms River: Manchester 65 Lincoln 48 – Group 2 State Championship The Manchester Hawks won their first ever State Championship on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Lincoln Lions. Manchester’s Destiny Adams was the star player of the day, scoring the game-high and her career-high with 34 points. West Virginia University commit, Leilani Correa, scored 15 points for the day. Dakota Adams also scored in the double digits with 10 points. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-game reactions from Toms River: Franklin 73 Lenape 35 – Group 4 State Championship The Warriors raced out to a 20-7 lead after the first quarter and never looked back, winning their third consecutive Group 4 state title. Christina Midgette led the way with 16 points in the win. Diamond Miller and Kennedy Schenck each scored 15 points for Franklin. Shannon Mulroy scored 16 points for the Indians in the loss. The Warriors also locked up the top seed in the upcoming Tournament of Champions. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights and reaction from Toms River: University 40 Bound Brook 21 – Group 1 State Championship The University Phoenix won their second straight Group 1 State Championship, defeating Bound Brook on Sunday night. They punched their ticket to next week’s Tournament of Champions, playing a strong defensive game. Taneshia Tucker scored the game-high with 9 points, and Tara Johnson was right behind her with 8. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-game reaction from Toms River:

This might have been the most jam-packed, action-filled Wednesday night we’ve seen all winter long. JSZ has highlights of Ranney’s late OT win to capture their second sectional title; Kahlil Whitney powering Roselle Catholic to a second-straight sectional championship, Haddonfield stopping a red-hot Manasquan right in its tracks, Freehold Township continuing to push through the Group 4 bracket; the IHA Lady Eagles winning their eighth-straight sectional title and the TCA girls winning a sectional title of their own. Stay tuned for all the action coming tonight Ranney 54 Wildwood Catholic 50 (OT) – Non-Public B South Final Freshman Elijah Perkins broke a 50-50 tie in overtime with a layup and added a free throw to give Ranney back to back sectional titles. Scottie Lewis led the Panthers with 17 points and 13 rebounds, and fouled out in overtime. Bryan Antoine had 15, but the Panthers season was hanging in the balance thanks to hot shooting from Jacob Hopping (14 points) and great play inside from Taj Thweatt (13 points, 10 rebounds). Ranney trailed by as many as four in the fourth quarter and rallied to tie the game at 48 on two Lewis free throws. Lewis then blocked Jahlil White’s game winning shot attempt and Ahmadu Sarnor missed the buzzer beater off the back rim. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from a thriller in Jackson: Roselle Catholic 48 Gill St. Bernard’s 44 – Non-Public B North Final A pair of Kahlil Whitney free throws in the final seconds was exactly what Roselle Catholic needed to ice a tight game and capture their second-straight sectional championship. Whitney, the Kentucky commit, led the Lions with 15 points in the win. GSB’s Zach Martini dropped a game-high 19 points in the losing effort. Roselle Catholic will now face Ranney in a rematch from last year’s thrilling Non-Public B Finale, which the Lions won. Watch all the action from Franklin here: Haddonfield 53 Manasquan 43 – Group 2 State Semifinal Reigning Group 2 State Champions Haddonfield punched their way to Rutgers University for the second year in a row. The Bulldawgs coming off an epic comeback against Camden in the Sectional Title game were locked in against 13th ranked Manasquan. Haddonfield took a 22-17 lead at halftime after two big quarters from Aiden Blake. In the second half an Alley-Oop from Senior Dan Fleming got things started and eventually led to a 10 point lead for them that would remain in tact for the rest of the evening. The Bulldawgs will take on Westside on 3.10. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring our Haddonfield coverage! Freehold Township 44 Cherokee 42 – Group 4 State Semifinal Freehold Township punched a ticket to the first Group 4 state final in school history with a 44-42 win over Cherokee in Egg Harbor Township. Seth Meisner led a balanced Patriots attack with 10 points. Zach Barilka had nine points, while Greg Billups and Matt Santangelo each chipped in with eight points. Anthony DiCaro lead all scorers with 17 points for the Chiefs in the loss. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights and reaction: Trenton Catholic 74 Gloucester Catholic 64 – Non-Public South B Girls Final Maniya Custis poured in 25 points to lead four Trenton Catholic players in double digits as the Iron Mikes rained down 12 three-pointers to reach the Non-Public B state championship and a matchup with Saddle River Day on Saturday in Toms River. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from Jackson Liberty High School: Thanks to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our Trenton Catholic coverage. They are the reason we’ll have state championship highlights this Saturday in Toms River! Thanks to NJM Insurance for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of Gloucester Catholic all year long Immaculate Heart 63 Pope John 47 – Non-Public North A Girls Final The #1 Immaculate Heart Academy Blue Eagles defeated the #2 Pope John Lady Lions at Passaic Tech on Wednesday night, winning their eighth straight Sectional Title. Eliya Herriott led IHA, scoring the game-high with 18 points. Brittany Graff and Anna Morris each scored 12 points for the Blue Eagles. They will face St. Rose on Mar. 9 for the Non-Public A Tournament Final. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Wayne:

Sectional champions are crowned throughout New Jersey on Tuesday and JSZ has more state playoff basketball highlights. We’ve got Roselle Catholic taking one step closer to a state crown, plus a Manasquan sweep in Central Jersey Group 2 along with an OT thriller from the Middletown South girls! Roselle Catholic 66 Hudson Catholic 54 – Non-Public B North Semifinal It was business as usual for Roselle Catholic as the Lions jumped out to an 11-point lead at halftime and displayed their usual show-stopping skills to take down Hudson Catholic. Kahlil Whitney scored 17, Josh Pierre-Louis dropped 16 and Cliff Omoruyi chipped in 15 points. Roselle Catholic has a date with Gill St. Bernard’s tomorrow at Franklin High School, 8.pm., for the Non-Public B North sectional crown. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Roselle: Moorestown 61 Mainland 43 – Boys South Group 3 Final Moorestown captured its first sectional championship in 21 years with a 61-43 victory over Mainland. The Quakers led by senior Jagger Zrada were able to explode on offense in the first two quarters to take a 36-20 lead at halftime. To make the win even more emotional it was redemption after Moorestown fell in the Central Group 3 Final at home a year ago. Zrada finished with 16 points while Nick Cartwright-Atkins had 14 and eight rebounds. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:  Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring our Moorestown coverage! Manasquan 78 Lincoln 42 – Central Jersey Group 2 Final Brad McCabe scored 23 points to pace four Warriors in double figures as Manasquan avenges last year’s playoff loss to Lincoln with a convincing home win one year later. Manasquan raced out to a 22-6 first quarter lead and never looked back. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from the Jersey Shore: Clayton 64 Wildwood 63 – South Jersey Group 1 Final Clayton captured its first sectional title since 1980 with a comeback win over Wildwood. Dorien DePina paced the Clippers with 15 points, while Max Cruz and Joshua Jones each scored 12. Tyler Tomlin erupted for six three-pointers and a game-high 23 points for the Warriors in the loss. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the thrilling highlights and reaction from Clayton: Middletown South 80 Marlboro 77 (OT) – Central Jersey Group 4 Girls Final The Middletown South Eagles made a fourth quarter and overtime comeback on Tuesday night against Marlboro, winning the Central Jersey Group 4 Sectional Title. The Mustangs led by 11 points going into the fourth quarter, but it was Kayla Richardson who led the team to victory. She scored the game-high of 23 points, all of which came in the second half and overtime. Sam Keenan scored the second highest number of points with 20. In addition to this title win, this was Head Coach Tom Brennan’s 400th career win. The Eagles will face Lenape on Mar. 7 for the Group 4 Tournament Semifinal. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-game reaction from Middletown: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Middletown South is being brought to you by Monmouth Building Center! Manasquan 60 Rumson-Fair Haven 38 – Central Jersey Group 2 Girls Final Faith Masonius had 26 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists and Lola Mullaney added 21 points and 7 boards as the Warriors made it six straight Central Jersey Group 2 championships. Manasquan will face Manchester in the Group 2 state semifinals. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from another sectional title for the Lady Warriors: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Rumson-Fair Haven is brought to you by Gold Coast Cadillac

(1) Bergen Catholic 69 (4) Don Bosco 52 – Boys Non-Public North A Semifinal It’s never a dull moment when Don Bosco and Bergen Catholic meet so why would a Semifinal game be any different? The two just recently met in the Bergen County Jamboree Final and the fire between these two was very much still burning.  A close first quarter that saw both teams exchange threes ended 18-18, in the second quarter BC briefly started pulling away thanks to Raejon Figures and Doug Edert to go ahead 37-26 at halftime. In the third and fourth quarter Jayson Earle would make his presence known thanks to the defense being drawn to 6’8 Junior Matt Zona and Xavier Commit Zach Freemantle. Matt Zona and Freemantle combined for 19 points and 13 rebounds, Doug Edert had 11 points, Jayson Earle finished with 15 points and 9 rebounds while Raejon Figures had 16. The Crusaders move onto the Non-Public North A Final to face St. Joe’s (Montvale) on March 6th. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: 

What’s better than playoff basketball? Not much! Jersey Sports Zone had cameras up and down the state for Friday action on both the boys and girls side. We’ll have highlights coming from Ranney’s dominant win over Trenton Catholic; Gill St. Bernard’s scoring a blowout win at home; Freehold Township exploding in the 2nd half over Monroe; Lincoln knocking off defending section champ RFH; Cherokee outlasting Toms River North and Middletown South sending a message with a double-digit win over Princeton. Enjoy the action! Gill St. Bernard’s 60 St. Mary’s (Elizabeth) 38 – Boys Non-Public North B Quarterfinals Despite it being a playoff game it was just another day at the office for No. 3 in the NJ Top 20, Gill St. Bernard’s. After a close first half the Knights led by Rutgers commit Paul Mulcahy put on an impressive offensive performance to walk away with a 60-38 victory over No. 17 St. Mary’s (Elizabeth). Mulcahy finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists while Tristian Jeffries had 15 points. GSB will face Montclair Immaculate in the Non-Public North B Semifinals. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:  Ranney 68 Trenton Catholic 54 – Boys Non-Public “B” South 2nd Round Bryan Antoine led four Panthers in double digits with 19 as the Panthers sizzled in the first quarter with seven three-pointers to build a lead they never surrendered. Scottie Lewis scored 17, Phil Wheeler added 16 and Alex Klatsky had four triples for 12. Ranney will host Rutgers Prep on Monday in the sectional semifinals. JSZ has the highlights from Tinton Falls: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Trenton Catholic is made possible thanks to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates Freehold Township 58 Monroe 47 – Boys Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinal Freehold Township had trouble finding the basket in the first half, but came out in the third quarter with a new defensive gameplan to take down Monroe. Greg Billups led the Patriots with 22 points in the win. Freehold Township will face off against No. 1 seed Trenton in the sectional final. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Freehold: Sponsor Shoutout! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of all Monroe athletics is brought to you by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates. Cherokee 53 Toms River North 47 – Boys South Jersey Group 4 Semifinal Cherokee played a total team game Friday night against Toms River North by playing tough defense and scoring well in transition to get past the Mariners and into the South Jersey Group 4 finale. The Chiefs were led by Damian Smith and Anthony DiCaro in the win, who each scored 13 points. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has all the highlights from Marlton: Sponsor Shoutout! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of all Toms River North athletics is proudly brought to you by CJA Construction! Lincoln 49 Rumson-Fair Haven 44 – Boys Central Jersey Group 2 Semifinal Donte Darby had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Lions to a win over the defending sectional champ. Darby hauled down two critical rebounds in the final minute and went three of four from the free throw line in that span. Ian O’Connor led all scorers with 26 points for RFH in his final high school game. Lincoln will face Manasquan in the Central Jersey Group 2 final on Monday. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from a wild fourth quarter in Rumson: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Rumson-Fair Haven is brought to you by Gold Coast Cadillac (1) Middletown South 53 (4) Princeton 31 – Girls Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinal The Middletown South Eagles defeated Princeton in a blowout win on Friday night, advancing to the Central Jersey Group 4 Final. Middletown South’s Kayla Richardson scored the game-high of 17 points. Stephanie Mayerhofer was right behind her with 16 points. The Eagles will take on #1 Marlboro on Mar. 5 for the Final. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the full highlights from Middletown: Sponsors! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Middletown South is being brought to you by Monmouth Building Center! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Princeton High School is being brought to you by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates!

The high school basketball state playoffs continued on Wednesday. JSZ’s Mike Frankel brings us highlights from the South Jersey Group 2 bracket and a huge night for Pleasantville’s Sahmir Jones (3) Pleasantville 80 (6) Cinnaminson 68 – South Jersey Group 2 Quarterfinals Sahmir Jones dropped a season high 29 points to pace the Greyhounds to the South Jersey Group 2 Semifinals and a showdown with 2nd seed Camden. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights from Wednesday night: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Cinnaminson is made possible thanks to the support of NJM Insurance

We’re in Day Two of the state playoff tournament and JSZ has plenty of action from up and down the state. Highlights are coming from Carteret’s late come-from-behind win; a battle between all-state scorers Rob Higgins and Daniel Sofield; Colonia advancing with a big double-digit win and the RBC girls advancing thanks to a star freshman. Enjoy all the action! (6) Carteret 55 (11) Parsippany Hills 54 – Boys North 2 Group 3 First Round Carteret held off Parsippany Hills to advance to the second round of the North 2 Group 3 tournament. Despite being down as many as 12, the Ramblers battled back to tie the game and with 5.7 seconds remaining. Senior Tim Ellis then put Carteret ahead on a late free throw to seal the victory. Ellis finished the night with 18 points, six rebounds and two steals. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:  Sponsor! Thank you to Campazino restaurant for sponsoring our Carteret coverage! (4) Colonia 56 (13) Cranford 36 – Boys North 2 Group 3 First Round Chad Baker had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Luke Valeriano scored his 1000th career point on a free throw late in the third quarter as the Patriots used a 20 point 4th quarter to pull away in a first round state playoff win. Colonia will host #5 seed Snyder in the quarterfinals. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from the Patriots 21st victory of the season: (9) Middletown North 47 (8) Jackson Liberty 42 – Boys Central Jersey Group 3 First Round A testy battle between two of the Shore Conference’s most pure scorers did not disappoint, but it was Middletown North’s Rob Higgins getting the upper hand on Jackson Liberty’s Daniel Sofield. Higgins scored a game-high 22 points, but it was his defensive efforts limiting Sofield that stood out most. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the highlights from Jackson: (7) Red Bank Catholic 62 (10) Camden Catholic 47 – Girls Non-Public South A First Round The Red Bank Catholic Caseys punched their ticket to the quarterfinal of the Non-Public South A Tournament on Tuesday night, defeating the Camden Catholic Fighting Irish. RBC’s freshman standout, Justine Pissott, scored the game-high 19 points. Sophia Sabino and Julia Setaro also scored in the double digits with 11 and 12 points, respectively. RBC will take on St. John Vianney in the quarterfinal on Thursday, Feb. 28. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights from Red Bank: Sponsor! Thank you to Playa Bowls in Red Bank for sponsoring Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Red Bank Catholic! Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Camden Catholic!

Champion, Mc Donald’s All-American nominee and now Roselle Catholic’s Colby Rogers can add 1,000 points to his resume. The 6’4 Georgia native has been a constant contributing member to the reigning tournament of Champion Lions. Earlier this year against Top 10 opponent Gill St. Bernard’s, Rogers dropped 24 points including A pair of clutch free throws with 7. 8 seconds left in the game to help RC come out on top 48-47.  In the Union County Tournament Final he reached the 1k club with a jumper to begin the third quarter as Roselle Catholic captured it’s second consecutive UCT Title. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the story:

Numerous county tournaments are coming to a close this weekend and JSZ has cameras around the state as teams vie for regional supremacy. We’ll have highlights tonight from Bergen Catholic’s historic win in the Bergen County Jamboree, Jack Cavanaugh’s second-half efforts to deliver an H/W/S title for Sparta and an official four-peat from St. Joe’s (Metuchen) in the GMC finals. Enjoy! St. Joseph (Metuchen) 49 Piscataway 46 – Greater Middlesex Conference Final St. Joseph’s (Metuchen) claimed its fourth straight Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament Title with an exciting 49-46 victory over Piscataway. A back and forth battle continued all the way down to the final six seconds when up by a point Tyree Ford’s put back on a missed free throw secured the victory for the Falcons. Ford’s clutch performance along with his 13 points earned him MVP honors. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:  Bergen Catholic 54 Don Bosco Prep 41 – Bergen County Jamboree Final Bergen Catholic’s Doug Edert was laser focused and connected for 21 points and Xavier-commit Zach Freemantle notched a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double to help drive the Crusaders to its 10th-overall Bergen County Jamboree title. A bit of history came from this one, too — it was Bergen Catholic’s first win over Don Bosco Prep in the championship game, after going 0-5 all-time. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Fairleigh Dickinson’s Rothman Center: Sparta 56 Phillipsburg 53 – H/W/S Boys Championship Jack Cavanaugh overcame a scoreless first half to catch fire in the final two quarters to score 22 points as the Spartans wiped out a 12 point halftime deficit to claim its first H/W/S title. Richie Manigault scored 23 to lead all scorers in a losing effort. Dante Joefield earned tournament MVP honors and sank three critical free throws in the final seconds to preserve the victory. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from Centenary University: Jersey Sports Zone brought you the H/W/S championship game thanks to the support of Phillipsburg’s Garnet Booster Club. We look forward to showing the Stateliners go for state championships in wrestling next weekend in Atlantic City!

Athletics run in Connor Deveney’s family. His brother was a football and basketball standout for Shawnee last year helping the Renegades win a hoops sectional title and even earned a scholarship to play tight end for Rutgers University. Connor is keeping that tradition alive as he has been the driving force on a team that had many spots to fill from a departing Senior heavy class. Deveny is currently averaging 18 points a game this year, in his game against Kingsway he dropped 34. The people have spoken and after countless hours of voting he is this week’s NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball Winner! JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez stopped by practice for his ceremony: Take Our Poll Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring all of our South Jersey Game Ball presentations! Have a question for Nery? Email him: nery@jerseysportszone.com

Olivia Robel won the last Girls Central Jersey Game Ball of the year for her double-double and 5 steals during the game against Piscataway last week. Her double-double consisted of 12 points and 10 rebounds. Watch her full ceremony right now:

The Road to the Rock begins in New Jersey high school hockey. JSZ has two opening round matchups including RFH rolling into round two and a Public “A” showdown between Nutley and West Windsor-Plainsboro South Rumson-Fair Haven 9 Verona-Glen Ridge 0 – Public C First Round Sam Catalano scored a hat trick to pace a dominating effort by the Bulldogs. RFH scored a pair of goals in the first and put the game away with a four goal outburst in the second period. Rumson earns a spot in the second round a matchup with top seed Indian Hills. JSZ brings you the highlights and post-game reaction from the Red Bank Armory: Thanks to Gold Coast Cadillac for sponsoring our RFH coverage on JSZ. They are the reason we could bring you this first round matchup! Nutley 3 West Windsor-Plainsboro 2 – Public A First Round 19th seed Nutley upset the 14 seed in the Public A Tournament bracket, West Windsor-Plainsboro for some first round drama. After a scoreless first period the Raiders scored twice in the second, including a penalty shot from Joe Melillo to take a two goal lead. Rocco Albanese would get his second score to begin the final period. Despite West Windsor countering back with a pair of goals the defensive effort from Nutley goalie Johnny Matrona was enough to secure the victory. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:  Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our West Windsor-Plainsboro North and South coverage!

Michelle Sidor has been dominating the competition so far throughout her senior season. The Saddle River Day Rebel became only the fourth girl in state history to score her 3,000th point and because of that, voters in North Jersey selected Sidor to win this past week’s JSZ North Jersey game ball. JSZ’s Jay Cook caught up with the Michigan-commit Sunday after SRDS won their fourth-consecutive Bergen County Tournament title. Watch her presentation here: Take Our Poll Jersey Sports Zone was on hand on Feb. 5 when Sidor scored her 3,000th point on her home court. JSZ’s coverage of that historic moment can be found here:

The road to Atlantic City is underway. Williamstown High School hosted the District 31 wrestling championships. Saint Augustine Prep won the team title with an impressive seven district champions and four additional Hermits reached the finals. Williamstown’s Taylor Robinson won most outstanding wrestler after his come from behind 6-5 win in the third period over top seed Tyler McLeer of Saint Augustine at 120 pounds. Mike Frankel has the highlights: District 31 Team Results 1 St. Augustine Prep – 2552 Williamstown – 170.5 3 Clayton/Glassboro – 136.5 4 Gateway/Woodbury – 135.0 5 Middle Township – 97.0 6 Millville – 45.0 7 Mainland Regional – 32.0 8 Vineland – 15.0 District 31 Individual Finals 106—Ryan Defoney Saint Augustine defeats John Hildebrand Williamstown 10-4  113—Mark Johnson Clayton/Glassboro defeats D’Amani Almodovar Saint Augustine 7-4  120—Taylor Robinson Williamstown defeats Trey McLeer Saint Augustine 6-5 126—Romeo Rodriguez Middle Township defeats Gianni Danze Saint Augustine 6-4  132—Michael Albergo Saint AAugustinetech falls Brody Colbert Williamstown 5:29  138—Kodi Petroski Gateway/Woodbury defeats Connor Forand Millville 7-3 145—Brett Bodnar Saint Augustine defeats Chad Tracy Williamstown 3-2  152—Connor Kraus Saint Augustine pins Joseph Racobaldi Williamstown 3:02  160—Salvatore Manera Saint Augustine defeats Jacob Rodriguez Clayton/Glassboro 7-5  170—Joseph Colon Saint Augustine defeats Jesse Bishop Mainland 8-6  182—Mike Misita Saint Augustine majority decision Tommy Watson Clayton/Glassboro 11-0  195—Noah Putney Clayton/Glassboro defeats Nick Marshall Saint Augustine 7-3 220—Thomas Sherlock Williamstown pins Matt Goetz Gateway/Woodbury 5:15  285—Tom Goetz Gateway/Woodbury d Roy Buhrman Clayton/Glassboro 5-0.  

Hailey Russell has been Riverside’s go-to scorer for most of her high school career. Russell has put up over 1,300 points for the Rams and is averaging 17. 3 a game. In their 67-49 win over Vineland Hailey scored 32 points. The fans have spoken and after hours of countless voting she is this week’s NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball winner! JSZ’s nery Rodriguez stopped by practice for her award ceremony: Sponsor! Thank you to NJM Insurance for sponsoring all of our South Jersey Game Ball presentations! Have a question for Nery? E-Mail him: nery@jerseysportszone.com

It’s Cup season in New Jersey high school hockey. We’ve got the Gordon Cup thriller between Don Bosco Prep and Delbarton plus the Kelly Cup comes down to a last minute goal. We also have the Mennen Cup and Mercer County titles on the ice! Don Bosco Prep 5 Delbarton 3 – Gordon Cup Final On a night with plenty of action between the state’s top two teams, it was Don Bosco Prep defenseman TJ Schweighardt coming through and powering the Ironmen to a Gordon Cup final win behind a hat trick. The game was back and forth, even with Delbarton holding onto a 3-1 lead at one point. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights from Codey Arena: Hun 9 Princeton 4 – Mercer County Tournament Final The Hun School won its sixth straight Mercer County Tournament Championship with a 9-4 win over Princeton. The Raiders were led by Captain Brian Nelson who finished the night with a hat trick and capped off the season with 50 points. Watch the highlights now: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our Princeton and Hun coverage! Millburn 2 Cranford 1 Jack Williams power-play goal with 54.1 seconds give the Millers their second straight Kelly Cup title. The two teams traded goals in the first four minutes and then settled in for a defensive tussle. Cranford goalie Henry Devenny made a number of high quality saves as part of his 31 stop effort, but Millburn dominated the shots on goal (33-15) and persevered in the final minute. JSZ has the highlights of a great game along with post-game reaction from Codey Arena: Madison 3 Randolph 1 – Mennen Cup Final The #2 Madison Dodgers made history on Friday night, defeating the #1 Randolph Rams for their first ever Mennen Cup! The score was 1-1 going into the second period, after Dave Renzulli put up a point for the Dodgers. In the third period, it was Boston College commit, Jason Siedem who scored the tiebreaker. The Dodgers took the lead 2-1, and Renzulli scored the third on an open net. Madison’s goalie, Matt Ubertaccio, also had 28 saves for the night. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the highlights and post-game reaction from Mennen Arena, during this historic moment:

By Jay Cook Delbarton’s Michael Balzarotti was admittedly modest about his jaw-dropping goal Wednesday night, but the decision-makers in Bristol, Conn. knew they were watching something special later that evening. Balzarotti’s highlight-reel dangle and goal in a Gordon Cup semifinal game — captured by JSZ cameras — was featured as the No. 3 play in America on SportsCenter’s Top 10 on Feb. 13. “I have the high school package on the DIRECTV and I was watching this — look at your boy Michael Balzarotti of Delbarton School,” ESPN anchor and noted hockey aficionado John Buccigross remarked during the Top 10 breakdown Wednesday evening. “That is some nice dancing,” Buccigross added. Michael Balzarotti, #9 in your programs, #3 on the @espn @SportsCenter Top 10! @Delbarton wins 3-0 over CBA to advance to Gordon Cup Finals. #delbartonsports #playoftheyear pic.twitter.com/xyMmYdWM9D— Delbarton Sports (@DelbartonSports) February 14, 2019 Early in the third period of a Feb. 13 Gordon Cup semifinal game against Christian Brothers Academy at Aspen Ice, Balzarotti wrangled in a clear from teammate Max Williams, gathered the puck before dangling past a CBA defender. He then finished with a Sidney Crosby-eqsue backhand, all while playing shorthanded on a CBA power play. Balzarotti’s goal gave the Green Wave an emphatic 2-0 lead — they’d go on to capture a 3-0 win and move into the Gordon Cup finals. Michael Balzarotti…are you for real? 🤯🤯 This wild dangle and backhand helped @DelbartonHockey into the Gordon Cup finals after a 3-0 shutout against CBA. @DelbartonSports stay tuned for the full highlights tonight! pic.twitter.com/iskC89koDc— Jersey Sports Zone (@JSZ_Sports) February 13, 2019 “Yeah, so it was a great clear by Max Williams on the PK; I saw him going for the ice so I figured I’d kind of blow the zone and see what happened,” Balzarotti described to JSZ after the game. “After that, the puck came to me and I found myself in a one-on-one with the puck a little behind me. I tried to put it in an area and get to it. Luckily, it paid off and I had a nice backhand into the net. It was good to pad the lead there.” That viral goal comes in the midst of a career-season for Balzarotti. His 53 points (24 goals, 29 assists) have him as third leading scorer in New Jersey’s uber-competitive Gordon Conference, a collection of private schools across the state littered with talent. Delbarton now sits at 16-5-4 on the season and will look to capture their third-straight Gordon Cup title Friday night. “I think it’s going to be incredibly hard to beat us when we’re locked in this,” Balzarotti added. Watch JSZ’s full highlights from the 3-0 win over CBA: Balzarotti’s goal now becomes the second score shot by JSZ cameras to make it to the SportsCenter Top 10. JSZ Chief Operating Officer Rich Chrampanis captured a wild goal between Freehold Township’s Julian Kislin and Max Halvorsen in the 2014-2015 season which took the internet by storm and quickly became the No. 1 play on SportsCenter. As always, stay tuned for plenty more high school hockey coverage from Jersey Sports Zone through the rest of the winter season.

Point Pleasant Beach’s Carleigh Burns took home the Girls Central Jersey Game Ball for her performance during the game against Keyport last week. She scored 22 points, leading her team to a 67-52 victory. Burns averages 16 points per game, and has 752 career points! Congratulations, Carleigh!

Franklin 68 Bishop Ahr 45 It was business as usual for the number one team in the state as Franklin cruised to another victory with a 68-45 win against No. 17 Bishop Ahr. The Warriors were headlines by McDonald’s All-American and University of Maryland bound Diamond Miller, who scored 27 points. Franklin is now 6-0 against Top 20 teams this season. Watch the highlights now: 

It’s time to honor great performances from New Jersey high school basketball players with our JSZ Game Balls. We have polls for North, Central and South Jersey in both boys and girls categories. The polls are open now through Tuesday at 3:00 pm. We look forward to handing out 6 JSZ Game Balls every week and we’ll stop by mid-week practices or games to make a presentation. NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll Jersey Sports Zone is able to honor South Jersey athletes every week thanks to the support of NJM Insurance! JSZ North Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll JSZ Central Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll Coaches and fans – if you have a player that is worthy of nominating contact rich@jerseysportszone.com by Saturday evening. Thanks to everyone who made a nomination this week!

Franklin 78 Trenton Catholic 66 Top ranked Franklin cruised to a 78-66 victory over No. 11 Trenton Catholic to remain undefeated on the year at 20-0. The Warriors took advantage of TCA’s early foul trouble to take a 37-25 lead at halftime. The second act was dominated by McDonald’s All-American Diamond Miller, the University of Maryland commit dropped 29 points. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights: Sponsor! Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring our Trenton Catholic coverage!

Old Bridge High School’s Rachel Kuhl won the Central Jersey Girls Game Ball for her performance during the game against J.P. Stevens. Kuhl scored 34 points, leading her team to a 62-53 win. She averages 21.7 points per game, and has 1,207 career points as a junior. Check out her full ceremony online right now:

Howell is on the fast track to vying for their fourth-straight sectional championship – and they’re laser focused on that feat. It was all evident Wednesday night when Howell rallied behind Shane Reitsma and Christian Murphy to knock off Toms River North, 34-26, to move onto the South Jersey Group 5 sectional championship later this week. Reitsma grabbed a second period pin at 170 pounds and Murphy followed that up with a first period pin of his own at 195 pounds to cap off a 15-point swing and jolt the Rebels in front. Wednesday’s win also marked the 77th-straight dual match win for Howell. The win sets up a rematch with Southern in Manahawkin. Howell last defeated Southern, 33-15, in last year’s Group 5 final at RWJ Barnabas Arena in Toms River. JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights: Howell 34 — Toms River North 26 Match Results 120: Ryan Rosenthal (TRN) tf. James McGee 5:48, (16-1) 126: Nick Reilly (TRN) d. Neiko Malone, 6-5 132: Darby Diedrich (H) by forfeit. 138: Mark Fedeli (TRN) d. Pierce Gomez, 4-2 145: Evan Richard (H) d. Sergio Boyda, 6-1 152: Nick Boggiano (TRN) d. Paul Jakub, 8-3 160:  Jack Oleske (TRN) d. Xavier Kelly, 3-2170: Shane Reitsma (H) p. Matt Spalletta, 2:21182: Jake Nase (H) d. Alex Murrillo, 8-1195: Christian Murphy (H) p. Alex Vargas, :32  220: Joe Sardina (H) won by DQ over Vincent Palmieri, 3:57 (Stalling).HWT: John O’Donnell (TRN) d. Justin Wright, 2-1 (double OT)106: Ethan Liptzin (H) md. Jake Rosenthal, 8-0113: Alex Danielson (TRN) by forfeit Sponsor Shoutout! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of all Toms River North athletics is brought to you by CJA Construction!

Junior Quadry Adams won the Week 5 Central Jersey Game Ball for Bishop Ahr for his performance during the game against Carteret. He scored 20 points, leading his team to a 62-58 victory. Check out Quadry’s full ceremony online right now:

A capacity crowd came to Ice World for the battle of Middletown. North against South is always a spirited rivalry game and once again did not disappoint. JSZ has the highlights from the Mayor’s Cup! Middletown North 3 Middletown South 3 Jesse Dickinson’s goal with 2:01 remaining in the third period gave Middletown North the equalizer as Middletown’s Mayor’s Cup ends in a deadlock for a second straight year. The Eagles got scores in the final seconds of the first and second period. Freshman Mike Ferlanti scored with 21 seconds to go in the first and Michael Hannigan scored with only 8 seconds remaining in the second to tie the game at 2. Demitri Forand gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead in the third on a power-play tally before Dickinson came through with the game-tying goal for North. Brian Lupo and Anthony Tavares had the other Lions goals. The two crosstown rivals play each other twice a year. The Lions won the 2018 opener 5-3, but since the Eagles won the Mayor’s Cup two years ago, Middletown South retains the Cup once again thanks to a second straight tie. Jersey Sports Zone has the highlights from one of the best ice rivalries in the Garden State: Jersey Sports Zone was at the Mayor’s Cup thanks to the support of Monmouth Building Center in Shrewsbury. Thanks to MBC for sponsoring JSZ’s coverage of Middletown South

Roselle Catholic 48 Patrick School 42 The current second ranked team in New Jersey, Roselle Catholic picked up its third straight win with a 48-42 victory over fellow Top 20 opponent, The Patrick School. It was second time the Lions took down TPS this season, their first matchup ended 42-41 in favor of RC. This time around the Celtics were able to hold University of Kentucky commit Kahlil Whitney to just 12 points but it was the play of future UNLV Runnin’ Rebel, Josh Pierre-Louis in the second half that would be the difference maker. Roselle Catholic with this win on Senior Night improve to 20-2 on the year. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the call: 

Another tremendous month of NJ high school hockey highlights has ten nominees for the JSZ/New Jersey Devils January goal of the month. Jersey Sports Zone is excited to team with the New Jersey Devils for a second straight year to honor outstanding highlights from New Jersey high school hockey. We’re asking your vote for the top hockey goal of January captured by JSZ cameras.  We have 10 great nominees from all around the state.  Our poll stays open through Thursday at 3:00 pm.  The winner of the poll will get one of our 5 spots for our plays of the month segment.  The other four slots are selected by the Devils and JSZ staff.  Our Top 5 goals for January will be honored during the Devils game against the Buffalo Sabres at the Prudential Center on February 17th. Watch some great goals and cast your vote! Take Our Poll The Devils roll out the red carpet and give JSZ’s goal of the month winners the VIP treatment. Watch our December honorees get to share a special moment with defenseman Damon Severson:

It’s time to honor great performances from New Jersey high school basketball with our JSZ Game Balls. We have polls for North, Central and South Jersey in both boys and girls categories. The polls are open now through Tuesday at 3:00 pm. We look forward to handing out 6 JSZ Game Balls every week and we’ll stop by mid-week practices or games to make a presentation. NJM Insurance South Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll Jersey Sports Zone is able to honor South Jersey athletes every week thanks to the support of NJM Insurance! JSZ North Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll JSZ Central Jersey Game Ball Nominees Take Our Poll Take Our Poll Coaches and fans – if you have a player that is worthy of nominating contact rich@jerseysportszone.com by Saturday evening. Thanks to everyone who made a nomination this week!

Conference tournaments are right around the corner! JSZ has Saturday hoops from around the state including the Roselle Catholic boys and girls squads in action, CBA and RBC battle for the Founders Cup and a tight matchup between Paul VI and Trenton Catholic. Roselle Catholic 56 St. Mary’s (Eliz.) 51 – Boys Basketball Roselle Catholic went on a clutch 9-0 in the final minutes against St. Mary’s (Eliz.) to secure yet another hard-fought win this season. The Lions were paced by Kahlil Whitney (23 points) and Cliff Omoruyi (10 points), but it was Josh Pierre-Louis who helped lead Roselle Catholic after being taken out of the game earlier with back and wrist injuries. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the highlights from the Tom Richel Memorial HoopFest: Paul VI 81 Trenton Catholic 77 – Boys Basketball No. 15 in the current NJ Top 20, Paul VI picked up their eighth consecutive win with an 81-77 victory over Trenton Catholic. Despite the Iron Mike’s having an eight game win streak coming in PVI was able to hold off TCA and Bulter University commit Khalif Battle. With a two point lead in the closing seconds Hantrel Haye came up with a game ending block against Battle. Haye finished the day with 24 points. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:  Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Trenton Catholic is made possible by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates! CBA 61 RBC 39 – Boys Basketball The Colts got 20 points from Stephen Braunstein and a 17 point 11 rebound effort from Josh Cohen to retain the Founders Cup for a third straight year. CBA busted open a one point lead at the end of one quarter to a 26-16 halftime advantage and poured it on in the second half to improve to 16-3 on the season. JSZ has the highlights from Lincroft: Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Red Bank Catholic is made possible by Playa Bowls of Red Bank Roselle Catholic 48 Notre Dame 41 – Girls Basketball The Roselle Catholic Girls Basketball team defeated Notre Dame on Saturday morning, improving their overall record to 10-6 for the season. Jenissa Encarnacion scored the game-high 18 points for the Lions. Taniya Hanner scored the second highest number of points with 17. JSZ’s Madison Bess has the full highlights from Roselle: Sponsor! Jersey Sports Zone’s coverage of Notre Dame is made possible by Princeton Orthopaedic Associates!

Junior Jaden Honis took home the Week 4 North Jersey Boys Game Ball for his performance during the game against Somerville last week. He scored 29 points for Immaculata, leading the Spartans to an 80-64 win. Immaculata currently holds an 11-5 overall record. They hit their home court tomorrow night to take on Bound Brook. Check out Jaden’s full ceremony right now: