NJSIAA Girls Basketball Tournament Preview: The Shore in Group 4

NJSIAA Tournament: Group 4 Playoff Preview

 

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Central Jersey Group 4

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 5 Jackson, No. 7 Marlboro, No. 8 Freehold Township, No. 16 Manalapan
Top Seed: Franklin
Defending Champion: Hillsborough
Favorite: No. 1 Franklin. The Warriors have been one of the most impressive teams in the state where they are currently ranked number 10 according to NJ Advance Media after an 18-8 record against an extremely strong schedule. Franklin defeated defending sectional champion Hillsborough 72-44 earlier in the season. Their lone Shore Conference opponent was St. Rose who they defeated 70-29. Franklin’s only in-state losses include top 20 teams including Rutgers Prep, Gill St. Bernard’s, Demarest, Immaculate Heart, and Morris Catholic. Junior guard Aleah Sunkins (6-foot-0) is the team’s top scorer with over 1,200 career points.

Contender: No. 3 Hillsborough. The Raiders finished the regular season with an 18-6 record which includes a convincing 70-52 win over second-seeded East Brunswick. With Franklin on the other side of the bracket, Hillsborough will be favored to meet them in the sectional final. Their top scorer is junior center Isabella Ruh (5-foot-11).

Dark Horse: No. 5 Jackson: The Jaguars have come on strong towards the end of the season, winning six of their final eight games which coincided with the return of senior Avery Brooks who missed most of the season with an injury. Senior Isabella Finer has 850 career points and has been a steady scorer for the Jaguars this season. While winning a section that includes Franklin would be a very difficult task, the Jaguars could have the opportunity to give it their best shot if they can continue to play as well as they have recently against Monroe and then the winner of Hunterdon Central/Trenton.

The Shore’s Bracket Breakdown: Manalapan drew the short end of the stick having to travel to Franklin in the first round. The only good news for the Braves is that there is no pressure on them so they can go out there loose and compete one play at a time as best as they can.

Freehold Township and Sayreville is a relatively even game on paper. The Patriots competed against a difficult regular season schedule which included ranked teams such as Howell, Manasquan, and Neptune. The winner would have a daunting task ahead of them having to travel to Franklin.

As stated above, Jackson has two winnable games if they can continue to play at a high level.

Marlboro will host a 14-12 Montgomery team that played some really good opponents including Franklin, Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep, but were not close in any of those games. Marlboro’s outside shooting will dictate how far they go in the tournament as they are capable of getting really hot from behind the arc. Sophomore guard Mackenzie Klatsky has knocked down 69 three-pointers while junior guard Maddyn Callow has converted on 63 three-pointers. A win would likely setup the Mustangs to travel to East Brunswick which would be a rematch of a game Marlboro lost 67-46 earlier this season.

 

First Round

(16) Manalapan at (1) Franklin

(9) Sayreville at (8) Freehold Township

(12) Monroe at (5) Jackson

(13) Trenton at (4) Hunterdon Central

(11) Old Bridge at (6) Princeton

(14) WWP-South at (3) Hillsborough

(10) Montgomery at (7) Marlboro

(15) Hightstown at (2) East Brunswick

Doug’s Predicted Champion- Hillsborough

Nick’s Predicted Champion- Franklin

South Jersey Group 4

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 3 Howell, No. 8 Southern, No. 10 Central
Top Seed: Lenape
Defending Champion: Cherokee
Favorite: No. 1 Lenape. The gap between Lenape and several of the other top teams in this bracket nearly non-existent although the Indians have been the most consistent team this season finishing with a 23-4 regular season record. Lenape is currently ranked 16th in the state according to NJ Advance Media. They hold three wins over fourth-seeded Cherokee, the first two which were narrow two-point victories. All four of their losses are to private schools including two losses to Gloucester Catholic, a lopsided loss against Red Bank Catholic, and a 64-62 loss against Trinity Hall. The team’s leading scorer is junior guard El-Anita Joe-Samuel (6-foot-0) who has over 1,500 career points.

Contender: No. 2 Egg Harbor. The Eagles finished the regular season 19-8 splitting a pair of games against Shore Conference competition including a 44-30 win over Jackson and a 51-37 loss against Colts Neck. Sophomore guard Siena Jaworski is the team’s leading scorer averaging over 11 points per game. Sophomore forward Elayna Kraybill (5-foot-11) is a double-double threat averaging just under 10 points per game and over 14 rebounds per game.

Contender: No. 3 Howell. The Rebels have met their demise against two of the top teams in this section the past two seasons. They fell to Lenape 64-31 in 2024 before losing to Cherokee 39-22 in 2025. Just as those teams are much different than the past two seasons, Howell is a much different team this season. Junior forward Kylee Beam is one of the top players in the Shore Conference and senior BellaRose Marino one of the better defenders in addition to being the team’s second-leading scorer. The Rebels finished 21-5 and swept Trinity Hall who defeated Lenape.

Contender: No. 4 Cherokee. The defending sectional champions finished the regular season 17-8 with some rocky losses, but some highly competitive games against really good teams. The Chiefs took Paul VI, ranked third in the state according to NJ Advance Media, down to the wire in their most recent matchup before losing 39-33. They hold double-digit victories over Red Bank and Marlboro. Senior guard Brielle Alaba (5-foot-10) is the team’s leading scorer with just under 1,400 career points. Alaba is committed to Boston University.

Dark Horse: No. 10 Central. Despite having to go on the road in the first round, the Golden Eagles have shown a lot of heart this season finishing with 16-6 record in the regular season. Central lost just 37-35 against Haddonfield, one of the better teams in South Jersey Group 2. The Golden Eagles have only allowed 40 or more points on four occasions this season. Senior forward Emma Christensen is one of the better defenders in the Shore Conference. While they will be an underdog at Kingsway, Central has the capability of creating an ugly game with strong defense and causing problems. As they say, defense travels in the postseason.

The Shore’s Bracket Breakdown: Howell has as much of a chance to win this bracket as the rest of the top four seeds. They will be heavily favored against Bridgeton and a favorite in the second round against the winner of Atlantic City/Cherry Hill East. The Rebels at their best are capable of competing for a sectional title, but they have to be consistent from possession to possession in every game.

Southern has the talent to defeat Washington Township, but the major concern is youth. Their top three scorers are freshmen Mia Pratola and Mikayla Blahut as well as sophomore Mackenzie Sininsky. Washington Township lost to Wall earlier this season, so you have to think that Southern, who beat the Crimson Knights earlier this season, has a chance. After that, they would be a significant underdog against Lenape, but would get the opportunity to make a statement to the entire section if they can knock off the top seed.

As stated above, Central will need to play gritty defense to advance in this tournament, but they are more than capable of it. If they can manage to knock off Kingsway, they would likely travel to a quality Egg Harbor team.

First Round

(16) Pennsauken at (1) Lenape

(9) Washington Twp at (8) Southern

(12) Millville at (5) Eastern

(13) Rancocas Valley at (4) Cherokee

(11) Cherry Hill East at (6) Atlantic City

(14) Bridgeton at (3) Howell

(10) Central at (7) Kingsway

(15) Vineland at (2) Egg Harbor

Doug’s Predicted Champion- Lenape

Nick’s Predicted Champion- Howell