There’s always so much on the line this time of the season and JSZ is there to bring you the action. Highlights from seven county/state tournament games are on the way, including: Blair’s storybook season finale win against St. Benedict’s, Ranney’s continuous roll through the Shore Conference along with finding their SCT finale opponent, both Trenton Catholic squads adding some more hardware to the trophy case and the two semifinal showdowns from the Cape Atlantic League. Enjoy!
Blair Academy 86 St. Benedict’s Prep 64 – Prep A Championship
After missing a potential game-tying free throw in last year’s title game, Blair’s Jaylen Blakes got his redemption on St. Benedict’s Prep via a game-high 27 points as he captained the Buccaneers to their fourth prep title in school history. This season also marks the first in school history that Blair won both the Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) and state prep title in the same year. JSZ’s Jay Cook has all the action from Blairstown:
(2) Trenton Catholic 62 (1) Trenton 57 – Boys Mercer County Championship
After falling in the Mercer County Tournament Championship last year Trenton Catholic reclaimed their spot on the thrown with a 62-57 win over top seeded Trenton. The Iron Mike’s led by Butler University commit Khalif Battle were able to hold off an expositive Trenton offense to capture their seventh MCT Title. Battle finished with 25 points to win MVP honors. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:
Sponsor!
Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our Trenton Catholic and Trenton coverage!
(1) Trenton Catholic 64 (2) Pennington 45 – Girls Mercer County Championship
Top seed Trenton Catholic won their second consecutive Mercer County Tournament Championship with a 64-45 victory over second seed Pennington. The Lady Mike’s were led by MVP Gianna Boulden-Hernandez who had 14 points in the MCT Final. JSZ’s Nery Rodriguez has the highlights:
Sponsor!
Thank you to Princeton Orthopaedic Associates for sponsoring both our TrentonC Catholic and Pennington coverage!
Ranney 78 Freehold Township 50 – Shore Conference Tournament Semifinals
Bryan Antoine scored 20 points to lead four Panthers in double figures as Ranney picked up win #23 and a spot in the SCT finals for a third straight year. Ranney opened the game with a 10-0 run and never looked back. JSZ has the highlights from RJW Barnabas Arena in Toms River:
Manasquan 70 CBA 64 – Shore Conference Tournament Semifinals
Alex Galvan scored 21 and freshman Ben Roy delivered a career high 17 points to give the Warriors their 25th win and a date with Ranney in the SCT finals on Saturday at Monmouth University. Manasquan raced out to a 23-9 first quarter lead and built the advantage to 42-21 at the half. CBA mounted a big comeback and would get as close as seven in the 4th quarter, but Galvan had 10 of his 21 in the final eight minutes to give Squan a semifinal win. JSZ has the highlights and post-game reaction from Toms River:
Wildwood Catholic 65 Pleasantville 49 – Cape Atlantic League Semifinals
Jahlil White led Wildwood Catholic with 18 points and Taj Thweatt chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds to propel Wildwood Catholic into the Cape Atlantic League tournament finals. The Crusaders will look to defend their CAL title Saturday afternoon against St. Augustine Prep. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has highlights from the semifinal win here:
St. Augustine 72 Ocean City 65 – Cape Atlantic League Semifinals
St. Augustine Prep’s Charles Solomon stuffed the stat sheet Thursday night as he accumulated 19 points and 10 rebounds in a CAL semifinal win against Ocean City. The Hermits are 10-time CAL champs and will look to bring the title back home Saturday when the battle top-seeded Wildwood Catholic. JSZ’s Mike Frankel has the highlights:
