JSZ’s cameras were all over the state for a big Friday night on the hardwood. The headline? Easy. St. John Vianney sent shockwaves around the country by upsetting the No. 1 nationally-ranked program. Other rivalries and competitive games rounded out the night. Stay tuned as all the action comes in!
St. John Vianney 59 Long Island Lutheran 48 | Girls
Zoe Brooks delivered a dominating performance against the number one team in two national polls with 30 points, five rebounds and five assists as the Lancers made national headlines with a signature win in front of a capacity crowd in Holmdel. LuHi had a 22-18 lead after one and the pace slowed from there with the Crusaders clinging to a 26-24 at the half. SJV opened the third quarter with a 9-0 run but trailed 39-36 after three. Once again, SJV put together a run scoring the first five points and got to the free throw line with Julia Karpell and Brooks sealing the victory at the charity stripe. Karpell had 12 and the Lancers defense was stellar over the final three quarters. Long Island Lutheran won the Nike Tournament of Champions in Arizona to vault to the top spot in the national polls. SJV, currently ranked 9th by MaxPreps and 11th by ESPN will no doubt climb the charts after this victory.
JSZ’s Rich Chrampanis has full highlights and post-game reaction from Holmdel:
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St. Mary (Ruth.) 64 Rutherford 39 | Boys | Dennis Gregory Memorial Classic
Damir Stone stuffed the stat sheet on Friday night as he powered the Gaels by the Bulldogs. Stone piled up 11 points, 10 assists, six rebounds, five steals and four blocks as St. Mary (10-1) pulled away from Rutherford (7-5) in the second half. Luke Gaccione and Julien Leveille both scored 15 points in the win, too. Tarik Bicic led the Bulldogs with 14 points in the loss.
JSZ’s Jay Cook has the highlights of an all-Rutherford showdown from Felician University in Rutherford:
Robbinsville 58 Nottingham 53 | Boys
Robbinsville (8-3) defeated Nottingham (7-4) 58-53 in a battle of two 7-3 CVC Valley Division foes. Robbinsville with an impressive first half led 26-15 at the break and extended their lead to as many as 14 in the third quarter. Nottingham would cut the deficit to single digits in the fourth, but eight points from junior Evan Bunnell in the final quarter would allow Robbinsville to maintain a tight lead late in regulation. Bunnell and Tyler Handy both finished with 12 points, senior Pat Kapp led all scorers with 18.
JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights from Hamilton:
Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our Robbinsville and Nottingham coverage.
Lower Cape May 66 Absegami 52 | Boys
The Caper Tigers fended off a late rally from the Braves to get back in the win column after taking their first loss of the season. Jacob Bey had a strong performance in the second half to finish with a game-high 19 points in the win. Michael Cronin caught fire, connecting on five three-pointers, as he scored 17 points for Lower Cape May (10-1). Hassan Bey scored eleven of his team-high twelve in the fourth quarter for Absegami (8-5).
JSZ’s James Mooney has the highlights from Galloway:
