Boys Basketball NJSIAA Tournament Preview: The Shore in Group 4

It takes a powerhouse team to win a sectional championship in Group IV most seasons and with the possible exception of the Section 1 North Jersey bracket, that looks to be the case in 2026. Plainfield and Linden highlight the Section 2 North Jersey section, Montgomery looms over Central Jersey, and both Cherry Hill East and Lenape stand has heavy co-favorites in South Jersey.

You may notice that no Shore Conference team was listed among the public powerhouses, which means that if one of the eight Shore Conference Group IV teams are to make the run to a sectional championship, it will likely require pulling off a fairly sizable upset at some point along the way.

That is not to say there are not a number of second-tier contenders from the Shore. Marlboro has been a top-five team in the conference for most of the last month, which Howell has not been far behind. Freehold Township has a junior-led group hoping to arrive a year early, Jackson boasts one of the tournament’s best guards in George Boley, Southern is hoping to salvage what has been an inconsistent season by a talented team and Central has unfinished business after another sectional semifinal heartbreak last year.

 

Central Jersey Group IV

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 2 Marlboro, No. 5 Jackson, No. 8 Freehold Township, No. 14 Manalapan
Top Seed: Hillsborough
Defending Champion: No. 3 Montgomery
Favorite: Montgomery. The two-time defending champions are not the No. 1 seed, but have a comfortable win over the team that is. Sometimes, drawing the No. 1 seed is not the most favorable path to the sectional final (see Central Jersey Group II) but in this case, Hillsborough’s ability to hold on to the No. 1 seed has set the Raiders up for a more manageable path to the final than Montgomery has. The Cougars will have to face a hot Manalapan team out of the gate and while that is a game Montgomery should win, it’s harder than a lot of 3-vs.-14 games. After that, it gets even tougher. No. 6 Trenton and Marlboro might be the next two best teams in the section outside of Montgomery and No. 7 Sayreville is not far off that conversation if the Bombers are not right in the middle of it. If Montgomery can get to the final, the Cougars will be the overwhelming favorite, but getting there will be tricky.

Dark Horse: Freehold Twp. While Marlboro, Montgomery, Trenton and Sayreville beat up on one another on one side of the bracket, Freehold Township has a draw at No. 8 that will give the Patriots a real shot to reach the championship game if they can play as well as they did in last year’s state tournament. With that said, it will be a tall hill for Freehold Township to climb. Hillsborough has had some slip-ups, but at their best, the Raiders have beaten Rutgers Prep, Ewing and Sayreville and lost to Gill St. Bernard’s – the No. 3 team in the state – by two. If you are looking for a double-digit seed to back in this section, good luck. The favorites look like the way to go.

Bracket Breakdown: Even though they are on the side of the bracket with the No. 1 seed, Jackson and Freehold Township are set up for potential success, at least as much as they could be in a Central Jersey Group IV section with a number of quality teams competing for a spot in the final. No. 4 East Brunswick will be a threat from that side of the bracket with a mix of size and backcourt scoring and the Bears have already beaten three current Top 10 teams from the Shore: No. 2 Red Bank Catholic, No. 8 Ranney and No. 9 Middletown South. They also lost to Howell in December, so there may be an opening for Jackson or Freehold Township should either run up against the Bears.

Both Manalapan and Marlboro will likely need to get through Montgomery at some point in the next 10 days, with Manalapan drawing the Cougars right away. The Braves had a six-game winning streak working before losing to Red Bank Saturday in the Shore Conference Coaches Cup final and will have to some the performance of their season to win on the road in the first round. Marlboro should have little trouble with Princeton in round one, but a Sayreville match-up in round two will be a toss-up before a potential date with either Montgomery or Trenton. If there is reason for optimism for Marlboro, it is that the Mustangs would be at home and they just faced off against a top five team in the state in CBA, so no team in Central Group IV will looks as good as what Marlboro has just faced.

Prediction: Montgomery over Hillsborough. Neither team looks like a lock for the final and for different reasons. Hillsborough has a better draw, but more to prove as a team, while Montgomery will have to get by Trenton and one of Marlboro or Sayreville. The winner of the quarterfinal game between Montgomery and Trenton becomes the de facto team to beat in the semifinal round.

Round-by-Round Picks

First Round
(1) Hillsborough over (16) Old Bridge
(8) Freehold Twp. over (9) Franklin
(5) Jackson over (12) Hightstown
(4) East Brunswick over (13) Edison
(3) Montgomery over (14) Manalapan
(6) Trenton over (11) Hunterdon Central
(7) Sayreville over (10) South Brunswick
(2) Marlboro over (15) Princeton

Quarterfinals
(1) Hillsborough over (8) Freehold Twp.
(4) East Brunswick over (5) Jackson
(3) Montomgery over (3) Trenton
(7) Sayreville over (2) Marlboro

Semifinals
(1) Hillsborough over (4) East Brunswick
(3) Montgomery over (7) Sayreville

Championship
(3) Montgomery over (1) Hillsborough

 

South Jersey Group IV

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 5 Howell, No. 10 Central, No. 13 Southern, No. 16 Toms River North
Top Seed: Cherry Hill East
Defending Champion: No. 2 Lenape
Favorite: Cherry Hill East. The Cougars came into the season a motivated team after losing at home to Lenape in last year’s South Jersey Group IV championship game and stormed to a 17-0 start. After narrowly beating Burlington Township for its 17th straight win, Cherry Hill East then lost two in a row and three out of five to Holy Spirit, Shawnee and Lenape. That rough patch could be the source of some additional confidence for the other contenders in this section – particularly Lenape – but now that the NJSIAA Tournament is here, Cherry Hill East has arrived at the moment that has been the source of their motivation since last March. Lenape may have won the more recent meeting between the two teams, but the Cougars won the first meeting on their home floor, which is where the potential rematch would be.

Dark Horse: Southern. The most likely double-digit seeds to win a couple of games are the ones that can avoid Cherry Hill East and Lenape in each of the first two rounds. Southern fits that description, with the Rams traveling to Atlantic City in round one to play a Vikings team that beat Southern, 56-54, in Stafford Township in late January. The Rams also lost a three-point game to No. 13 Millville, which could be a potential opponent for Southern if both the Rams and Thunderbolts win their first-round games. Millville will face Howell in round one and while Southern and Howell have not played this season, Southern lost Friday at Marlboro, which was evenly matched with Howell in three games vs. the Rebels this season. With a pair of dynamic guards in Noah Perna and Jake Sliwinski, plus a 6-foot-6 junior in Gavin Gerckens, Southern is more dangerous than its 12-12 record my suggest.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 11 Rancocas Valley is the double-digit seed to watch. Like Southern, the Red Devils have faced off against potential state-tournament opponents, including No. 3 Eastern in a three-point loss to the Vikings, as well as two losses to Lenape. Rancocas Valley is a young team with talented guards who could be ready to peak.

Bracket Breakdown: Last season, the Shore had a legitimate South Jersey contender in Group IV, with Central losing a heartbreaker at Lenape in the sectional semifinals before the Indians went on to beat Cherry Hill East in the championship game. This season, Howell represents the Shore’s best chance at a sectional champion and while they don’t have the résumé that last year’s Central team had, the Rebels are in the middle of what could go down as their best season ever. They have already set a new program record for wins in a season and if Howell can hold serve at home vs. Millville, it would win 20 games for the first time. Reaching the championship game will be a tall task given Cherry Hill East is likely to be waiting in the semifinals, but if Howell can earn a shot at the No. 1 seed, that would make for a great showing, regardless of whether or not the Rebels can pull the upset.

Central is the No. 10 seed in the field and hoping to shake off a first-round loss at home to Toms River South in the Shore Conference Tournament. Junior Derek Roth is the only starter from last year’s 24-win team back, but the Golden Eagles also have some other options that could give No. 7 Vineland problems in the first round. Central would not match up as well with Lenape this season, but with a roster heavy on juniors and sophomores, the Golden Eagles would love the experience of winning a state tournament game and getting a shot at the defending champs.

Toms River North is the other Shore team in the field and will get a true test of how far it has come as a team since December. It was back in December that the Mariners faced Cherry Hill East and endured a 91-38 loss to the Cougars, who will welcome in Toms River North for round one.

Prediction: Cherry Hill East over Lenape. Both Lenape and Cherry Hill East boast experience and Lenape has the psychological edge as the team that has finished the job in South Jersey Group IV in recent years. Cherry Hill East, though, has an experienced, hungry group that will be looking for a chance at redemption and if they can earn another shot at a championship game in their gym, the Cougars would figure to be a desperate team under those circumstances.

Round-by-Round Picks

First Round
(1) Cherry Hill East over (16) Toms River North
(8) Cherokee at (9) Williamstown
(5) Howell over (12) Millville
(4) Atlantic City over (13) Southern
(3) Eastern over (14) Gloucester Tech
(6) Kingsway over (11) Rancocas Valley
(10) Central over (7) Vineland
(2) Lenape over (15) Pennsauken

Quarterfinals
(1) Cherry Hill East over (8) Cherokee
(5) Howell over (4) Atlantic City
(3) Eastern over (6) Kingsway
(2) Lenape over (10) Central

Semifinals
(1) Cherry Hill East over (5) Howell
(2) Lenape over (3) Eastern

Championship
(1) Cherry Hill East over (2) Lenape