Boys Basketball NJSIAA Tournament Preview: The Shore in Group 3

In each of the past two seasons, the NJSIAA Tournament began with Central Jersey Group III as one of the more wide-open brackets in the state. Each time, a Shore Conference team won the sectional title and went on to play in the Group III state championship game, with Colts Neck winning the whole thing in 2025 to bring home its first ever state championship trophy.

After Freehold Boro and Colts Neck each had their moment, is there another team from the Shore primed for a run that could justifiably be described as unexpected? Could it be Middletown South — the Shore team with the best seed in Group III? Is a repeat by Colts Neck in the cards as a No. 9 seed? Is Red Bank ready for a run as a No. 12 seed after back-to-back heartbreaks as the No. 1 seed? Might Ocean County have a Cinderella?

Predicting Group III has been a fool’s errand, so naturally, here are some predictions.

 

Central Jersey Group III

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 4 Middletown South, No. 6 Brick Memorial, No. 9 Colts Neck, No. 10 Matawan, No. 12 Red Bank, No. 14 Brick, No. 15 Middletown North
Top Seed: Lawrence
Defending Champion: Colts Neck
Favorite: No. 2 Westampton Tech. The Panthers were on a tear heading into the Burlington County Tournament championship before Holy Cross Prep ended their nine-game winning streak. The streak included a win over Group I favorite Thrive Charter of Trenton, plus wins over quality teams from Burlington and Cherokee. The nine-game run followed a 1-5 stretch that also included a loss to Thrive, a one-point loss to Holy Cross, a two-point loss to No. 1 seed Lawrence and a loss to College Achieve. As the No. 2 seed, Westampton Tech would have the advantage of hosting No. 3 Ewing – the other obvious contender on that side of the bracket – if both teams reach the final.

Dark Horse: Red Bank. With four starters graduated from last year’s team that was seeded No. 1 in this section, the Bucs knew there would be growing pains this season, especially since Red Bank got slotted into a Shore Conference Class A North division with CBA, Manasquan, Rumson-Fair Haven, Holmdel and St. Rose. That schedule may have cost them a spot in the Shore Conference Tournament, but after winning the Shore Coaches Cup, the Bucs head into the NJSIAA Tournament as a battle-tested No. 12 seed with a first-year head coach in Ben DiBiase who took his Freehold Boro team on the road for a slew of huge wins over the past two seasons. Beating the likes of No. 5 Hopewell Valley, Middletown South and Lawrence to make it to the final would not be easy, but nothing about Red Bank’s 2025-26 schedule has been easy.

One team that might be capable of knocking Lawrence out prior to the semifinals is Colts Neck, which has to be considered a threat given the Cougars are a year removed from an inspiring run to the Group III championship. This year’s team is much different, with only point guard Dillon Younger back in the starting lineup from a year ago. If Colts Neck can get by No. 8 Nottingham on the road, Lawrence would have to knock out a defending champion just to make it to next week.

Five of the seven Shore Conference teams in this bracket open on the road and outside of Colts Neck and Red Bank, a first-round win seems like a reach. No. 7 Burlington Township is a legitimate championship contender, which will make life difficult for Matawan in round one. Ewing is a potential state championship contender, so Brick is at least a year away from being able to compete in that environment. Middletown North has a standout player in senior Eddie Lopez, but Westampton Tech has more experience and more firepower than do the Lions. If there is a dark horse from Monmouth County beyond Colts Neck or Red Bank, it might be No. 13 Allentown – Middletown South’s first-round opponent.

Bracket Breakdown: Lawrence and Ewing represent Mercer County as two of the bracket favorites, but have not yet met during the 2025-26 season. They could be on a crash course for the championship game, but Westampton Tech, Middletown South and Burlington Township could have something to say about it.

Burlington Township is one of the more fascinating teams in the field. The Falcons have a recent history of doing damage in the state tournament and have a few eye-catching results on their résumé – a win over Camden and a one-point loss to Cherry Hill East, in particular.

Middletown South is coming off a heartbreaking loss in the Shore Conference Tournament and its mix of freshman talent and senior leadership could make the Eagles a tough out for whichever teams they run into, including No. 1 Lawrence. The Cardinals are 2-2 vs. the Shore Conference this season with losses to Freehold Township and Red Bank Catholic. Senior Marvin McNeil is one of the more dynamic guards in the section, but Middletown South can counter with rookies Ryan Gannon and Evan Wells.

Brick Memorial could be an x-factor on the other side of the bracket thanks to its core of senior leaders, including Jason Lajara and Nyzier Matthews. Both Lajara and Matthews were instrumental parts of Brick Memorial’s run to the Group IV semifinal in football and while winning as not come as easily on the basketball court, the Mustangs are loaded with athletes and competitors, which could make them a difficult test for Ewing in round two, should both teams get there.

Prediction: Ewing over Lawrence. Middletown South is a serious threat to make the final and give either Ewing or Westampton Tech a game, but Lawrence has the senior guard play plus the homecourt advantage, which should play in its favor against a tricky draw. Ewing, meanwhile, has the motivation of losing in last year’s sectional final at Colts Neck in which very little went right for the Blue Devils. With another chance this season, Ewing will be eager to get back to the final and take its shot either at CVC rival Lawrence or at home vs. a different opponent.

Round-by-Round Picks

First Round
(1) Lawrence over (16) Steinert
(9) Colts Neck over (8) Nottingham
(12) Red Bank over (5) Hopewell Valley
(4) Middletown South over (13) Allentown
(3) Ewing over (14) Brick
(6) Brick Memorial over (11) Northern Burlington
(7) Burlington Twp. over (10) Matawan
(2) Westampton Tech over (15) Middletown North

Quarterfinals
(1) Lawrence over (9) Colts Neck
(4) Middletown South over (12) Red Bank
(3) Ewing over (6) Brick Memorial
(2) Westampton Tech over (7) Burlington Twp.

Semifinals
(1) Lawrence over (4) Middletown South
(3) Ewing over (2) Westampton Tech

Championship
(3) Ewing over (1) Lawrence

 

South Jersey Group III

Shore Teams in the Field: No. 7 Toms River South, No. 12 Toms River East, No. 13 Pinelands
Top Seed: Deptford
Defending Champion: No. 3 Ocean City
Favorite: Ocean City. The Red Raiders’ season ended in crushing fashion a year ago, when Colts Neck rallied to stun Ocean City in the final minute of the Group III semifinal, which started with leading scorer and senior guard Ben McGonigle injuring himself in the opening minutes of the game and unable to return. Ocean City had very little senior influence on the roster outside McGonigle, so this year’s team is loaded with experience and determination after the way 2024-25 ended.

Dark Horse: No. 10 Moorestown. The Quakers play a competitive schedule and already own two wins over No. 2 Shawnee, which would be their likely quarterfinal opponent if they can get past Toms River South in round one. An early-season loss to a Cherry Hill West team that failed to qualify for the tournament reveals some downside, but Moorestown is otherwise 5-1 vs. teams in this bracket.

The only team in South Group III to beat Moorestown this season is No. 8 Seneca, which has some sleeper potential in its own right. The Golden Eagles own a win over defending South Group IV champion Lenape, so they will take some confidence into round one vs. No. 9 Clearview, which could be a preamble to a quarterfinal date at top-seeded Deptford.

Among the Shore teams, Toms River East profiles as a team to watch as a No. 12 seed. The Raiders are loaded with sophomores and could be a year or two away from a big year, but sometimes those big seasons start with a moment in the state tournament in the years prior. A first-round trip to Cumberland is a winnable game and if the sophomore duo of Brady Gillen and Tommy Intintola is clicking, the Raiders might have enough juice for a run into next week.

Bracket Breakdown: Considering Deptford and Shawnee look beatable as the top two seeds, there is a case to be made that this bracket is wide-open for the taking. On the other hand, Ocean City is a defending champion with a wealth of experience back and a strong tournament performance already on its 2026 résumé. The Red Raiders got to the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament final and lost, 62-61, to Atlantic City.

Each of Toms River South, Toms River East and Pinelands has some level of hope to win a game in the tournament, but a deep run does not appear to be a likelihood for any of the three. Toms River South has enough senior experience that it should not be ruled out, while Toms River East will be relying on the young bucks to lead the way.

As for Pinelands, the Wildcats are riding to high of beating Brick on Friday to clinch the program’s first ever Shore Conference division championship. While Toms River South is senior-heavy and Toms River East is sophomore-driven, Pinelands is right in the middle with a junior-loaded roster that hopes to the foundation for an even bigger showing in 2027. An upset of No. 4 Delsea would do exactly that.

Prediction: Ocean City over Deptford. The top of the bracket is the wide-open part, with Seneca and Delsea a potential foil for Deptford, while Toms River East lurking as a longshot finalist. At the bottom, however, Ocean City looks the part of a champion. The Red Raiders could have their hands full with either No. 11 Winslow or No. 6 Timber Creek in the quarterfinals, but knocking the defending champs out will be an even tougher challenge.

Round-by-Round Picks

First Round
(1) Deptford over (16) Triton
(8) Seneca over (9) Clearview
(12) Toms River East over (5) Cumberland
(4) Delsea over (13) Pinelands
(3) Ocean City over (14) Hammonton
(6) Timber Creek over (11) Winslow
(10) Moorestown over (7) Toms River South
(2) Shawnee over (15) Mainland

Quarterfinals
(1) Deptford over (8) Seneca
(4) Delsea over (12) Toms River East
(3) Ocean City over (6) Timber Creek
(2) Shawnee over (10) Moorestown

Semifinals
(1) Deptford over (4) Delsea
(3) Ocean City over (2) Shawnee

Championship
(3) Ocean City over (1) Deptford