South Heads West: Middletown South Challenges Westampton Tech for Elusive Sectional Title

NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III Championship

Saturday, March 7, 2026

At Burlington County Institute of Technology, Westampton, 1 p.m.

 

No. 4 Middletown South at Westampton Tech

 

Teams at a Glance

Middletown South (17-11)

Head Coach: Mike Iasparro
Last Sectional Championship: 2008
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2008

Road to the Final

First Round: Freshman Ryan Gannon scored a game-high 23 points and senior Michael Fitzpatrick hit six of Middletown South’s 11 three-pointers while scoring 20 points to headline an offensive explosion that overwhelmed No. 13 Allentown, 98-63. Freshman Evan Wells and senior Beckett Oliver each poured in 15 points and senior Matt Trimble made it five Eagles starters in double-figures with 11.

Quarterfinals: After a round-one rout, Middletown South faced the prospect of elimination at home vs. No. 5 Hopewell Valley, with the Bulldogs up three in the final 20 seconds of overtime. It was then that Gannon began writing building up his legend. The freshman guard nailed a step-back three-pointer from the top of the key with nine seconds left in overtime to send the game into a second overtime, then went 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final 1:30 of double-overtime to seal a 66-62 win for Middletown South. Gannon scored 16 of his 24 points in the two overtimes, with his fellow freshman Evan Wells adding 14.

Semifinals: Gannon’s legend grew in the semifinals, this time with two clutch three-pointers in the home gym of the No. 1 seed in the section. Gannon hit a contested three-pointer with six seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime, then hit the game-winner with five seconds left in the extra session to cap a 30-point performance and a 64-62 Eagles win over Lawrence. Gannon hit six of Middletown South’s 13 threes, with Fitzpatrick hitting four on the way to finishing with 14 points.

Projected Lineup

Ryan Gannon, Fr., 6-3, Guard

Michael Fitzpatrick, Sr., 6-4, Guard

Matt Trimble, Sr., 6-2, Guard

Beckett Oliver, Sr., 6-7, Center

Evan Wells, Fr., 6-6, Forward

Off the Bench

Nick Cannizzaro, Sr., 5-7, Guard

Justin Scarano, Sr., 5-8, Guard

Dom Tuzzeo, So., 6-0, Guard

 

Westampton Tech (22-8)

Head Coach: Cetshwayo Boyd
Sectional Championships: None

Road to the Final

First Round: While Westampton Tech enters the sectional final coming off two impressive wins, its close call came in the opening round against No. 15 Middletown North. The Panthers were coasting with a 10-point lead heading into the fourth quarter when Middletown North caught fire, outscored the home team, 23-13, in the fourth and sent the game into overtime. Westampton Tech cobbled together 15 points in the overtime and survived with a 68-59 win over the Lions, led by 22 points by senior Alexander Jeanty and 18 points and 11 rebounds from senior Jason Livingstone. Senior Henry Njoga also made a significant impact in the front court with 14 points and seven rebounds in the overtime win.

Quarterfinals: Livingstone led the way with 19 points, Jeanty put up 12 points and seven boards and sophomore Tristen Dickerson contributed nine points, six rebounds and six assists to lead Westampton Tech to a win over No. 7 Burlington, 64-50 – the third win by a margin of at least 10 points in three games this season against the rival Falcons.

Semifinals: Njoga scored a game-high 17 points and dominated the paint with eight rebounds and seven blocked shots as the Panthers avenged a season-ending loss to Ewing in last year’s sectional quarterfinals by eliminated the third-seeded Blue Devils, 61-50. Livingstone added 14 points and Dickerson again filled up the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds and six assists for Westampton Tech.

 

Projected Lineup

Alexander Jeanty, Sr., 6-2, Guard

Tristan Dickerson, So., 6-0, Guard

Dewill Andre, So., 6-2, Guard

Jason Livingstone, Sr., 6-6, Forward

Henry Njoga, Sr., 6-5, Forward

Off the Bench

Javon Ford, Jr., 5-5, Guard

Diakel Clarke, Sr., 6-2, Forward

Damien Moragne, Sr., 6-3, Guard

In his first even NJSIAA Tournament, Ryan Gannon has fully embraced the concept of March Madness. In the last two games alone, Middletown South’s freshman guard has hit three season-saving three-pointers in the final 10 seconds of either the fourth quarter or overtime – all with his team trailing when the shot left his hands.

If the clutch element is not enough, the scoring statistics should tell an adequate story. In the three Eagles victories, Gannon is averaging 25.7 points and 16 of his 77 points during the tournament came in eight minutes worth of double-overtime vs. Hopewell Valley in the sectional quarterfinals.

If Gannon and his classmate Evan Wells were secrets going into the season or into the NJSIAA Tournament, they are a secret no more. Westampton Tech is coming off a pair of big wins over Burlington Township and Ewing in the last two rounds and the team that survived that gauntlet figured to be the de facto favorite in the championship game. Middletown South, however, will have something to say about it after taking out three Colonial Valley Conference teams on the way to their first sectional final in three years.

Both teams will have a mix of athleticism, scoring and size, with Middletown South center Beckett Oliver and Wells countering Westampton Tech’s duo of Jason Livingstone and Henry Njoga in the front court. Njoga is a shot-blocking specialist, so Oliver, Wells and senior Matt Trimble will look to go at him and be ready for the extra pass.

In the back court, Gannon, Trimble, senior Michael Fitzpatrick and sixth man Nick Cannizzaro will take on the starting trio of Alexander Jeanty and sophomores Tristan Dickerson and Dewill Andre, plus a pair of quality guards off the bench in Javon Ford and Damien Moragne. Middletown South coach Mike Iasparro can go to senior Justin Scarano and sophomore Dom Tuzzeo for a few minutes in a pinch, but the Eagles have shown a preference to ride with the starting five plus the high-motored Cannizzaro off the bench.

The Verdict

With the addition of two impact freshman plus Fitzpatrick from Henry Hudson onto a roster that already returned four starting players from a year ago, Middletown South has gone from a middle-of-the-road team in Group III to one looking at a realistic opportunity to play for a championship at Rutgers University on March 15. Wells brings a combination of size and skill at 6-foot-6, Fitzpatrick has length at 6-4, handle and shooting in the back court, and Trimble, Oliver and Cannizzaro are all seasoned varsity players at Middletown South, with Trimble adapting into a two-way wing role after serving as the team’s second-leading scorer a year ago.

The x-factor, however, is Gannon. He has already demonstrated that he thrives in the biggest moments of the biggest games and with a quality supporting cast around him, there is some danger in committing too much attention to him. Westampton Tech will be the best roster Middletown South has played this tournament, but the Eagles have faced down quality opponents throughout the year and are ready to take a real shot at a long-awaited championship.

The Pick: Middletown South, 59-56