NJSIAA Central Group III Championship Preview: Colts Neck, Ewing Aim to End Title Droughts

NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III Championship

Friday, March 7, 2025

No. 6 Ewing at No. 4 Colts Neck, 5:30 p.m.

 

Teams at a Glance

Ewing (22-7)

Head Coach: Paul Jones
Last Sectional Championship: 2017
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2023
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 11 Brick Memorial, 71-44; No. 3 Westampton Tech, 46-35; No. 2 Burlington Twp., 63-57

Projected Starters

Joel Cineus, Sr., 6-6 (15.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 blocks)

Terrance Traylor, Jr., 6-0 (14.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 3.2 steals)

Kristian Thomas, Jr., 6-2 (10.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.1 steals)

Davion Morton, So., 5-11 (6.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.4 steals)

Leslie Summiel, Sr., 6-4 (5.1 points, 6.2 rebounds)

Off the Bench

Michael Upshur, So., 5-10 (3.9 points)

Brandon Williams, Jr., 6-5 (3.1 points, 4.9 rebounds)

Sidney Richards, So., 6-0 (2.7 points, 2.0 rebounds)

Ewing was a dominant force in both Group II and Group III during the 2010’s and has remained a Group III contender over the last eight seasons. Since 2017-18, however, the Blue Devils have seen their season end short of a sectional championship, despite getting close – they lost a down-to-the-wire game vs. eventual Central Jersey Group III champion Freehold Boro in the 2024 semifinals, and they fell to Nottingham in the 2023 sectional final.

Ewing last won a sectional title in 2016-17, when the Blue Devils went all the way to the Group III championship game. Since that season, they have failed to reach the sectional semifinal round just twice: 2018 (quarterfinal loss to Neptune) and 2020 (4-15; failed to qualify).

The Blue Devils are powered by a dynamic inside-out combo of Joel Cineus and Terrance Traylor. Cineus gives Ewing an advantage against most teams with his impressive combination of size, strength and skill, while Traylor is a play-making point guard with scoring ability and enough weapons around him to pick apart defenses to the tune of almost six assists per game.

Junior Kristian Thomas is a capable third option who makes an impact on both ends of the floor, while Davion Morton leads the sophomore class as a starting guard coming into his own. Leslie Summiel takes care of a lot of the unsung duties as a 6-4 forward who cleans up the glass and can defend a wide range of players.

Ewing does not have major bench threats, but sophomores Michael Upshur and Sidney Richards can handle themselves when called upon and Brandon Williams is another player 6-4 or taller to keep Ewing at an advantage underneath when Cineus or Summiel can’t be on the floor.

Ewing has made an impressive run to the championship game that includes a rout of a Brick Memorial team playing well coming into the state tournament, followed by a pair of road wins over No. 3 Westampton Tech and No. 2 Burlington Township. In the sectional semifinals, Cineus took over the game with 29 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots in pulling the Blue Devils to the finish line for a state playoff road win over Burlington Township for a second straight year.

In the prior round, the 6-6 senior put up 21 points, eight rebounds and three blocks to carry the Blue Devils over Westampton Tech.

Colts Neck (17-9)

Head Coach: Steve Jannarone
Last Sectional Championship: 2016 (Central Group IV)
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2018 (Central Group IV)
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 13 Pemberton, 72-49; No. 5 Hopewell Valley, 40-38; No. 9 Freehold Boro, 59-47

Projected Starters

Lukas Sloane, Sr., 6-2 (17.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.1 steals, 1.0 blocks)

Bryce Belcher, Sr., 6-3 (10.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals, 2.9 blocks)

Dillon Younger, Jr., 6-1 (7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.8 steals)

Dan Buoncore, Sr., 5-10 (7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 steals)

Jack Freid, Sr., 6-1 (5.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 blocks)

Off the Bench

Nate Sloane, Fr., 6-2 (4.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks)

Nolan Duddy, Sr., 5-11 (1.8 points)

Miles Schneider, Sr., 5-9

After losing its top two scorers from 2023-24 to graduation, Colts Neck has reconstructed its lineup around a group of blue-collar players who have simply enhanced what they were good at while playing on last year’s team. The result has been a team that works hard on the defensive end for 32 minutes, shares the ball on offense and limits its turnovers.

Last year, Lukas Sloane flashed his ability to take over as a scorer while finishing third on the team in points per game, and he has simply been a better version of what he already was. Although Sloane is the primary scoring option, the offense starts with junior point guard Dillon Younger, who leads the team in assists and steals in his third year as a starter.

Bryce Belcher is Colts Neck’s second-leading scorer and a lockdown defender who can guard all five positions on the floor. He is likely to be asked to handle Cineus when the Cougars are in man-to-man, although with Colts Neck giving up considerable size, Belcher and Co. might show more zone looks than usual.

Dan Buoncore and Jack Freid have thrived in their roles as athletic spot-up shooters who can also slash when defenders collapse and defend quick guards on the other end. Colts Neck coach Steve Jannarone has not used his bench much in the state tournament, but freshman Nate Sloane will play important minutes as a well-rounded young player who is growing up quickly during the postseason.

Another strength of Colts Neck is its composure. The Cougars have won four games this season in which one of their players hit a game-winning or game-tying shot at the buzzer in either the fourth quarter or overtime.

The latest game-winning shot came in the sectional quarterfinals when Younger scored on a putback as the buzzer sounded to give Colts Neck a 40-38 win over Hopewell Valley. In that victory, the Cougars held the Bulldogs scoreless over the final 8:44 of the game, which helped overcome Colts Neck going scoreless for 7:20 before Younger’s game-winner.

Colts Neck reached its eighth NJSIAA sectional final by knocking off the defending champions, Freehold Boro, on Tuesday. Sloane starred with 27 points, nine rebounds and three assists, while Belcher put in work on both ends with 12 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks in the 59-47 win.

The Cougars have a mixed track record at home in their sectional final history. They are 1-2 with a loss to Trenton in the Central Group IV final in their most recent trip to a championship game. Colts Neck won its only sectional title in 2016, when it beat Freehold Township on a buzzer beater by Brandon Clarke. Overall, the Cougars are 1-6 in sectional finals in their relatively short history as a program.

Prediction

If size is what decides Friday’s Central Jersey Group III final, Colts Neck is in trouble. Ewing is going to be the bigger team thanks to the Cineus-Summiel combination in the frontcourt. The Cougars will try to mitigate that disadvantage by varying their defensive looks, pressuring the Ewing guards into mistakes and rebounding with all five players on the floor.

Offensively, Cineus is capable of shutting down the paint, so the extra pass will be key for the Cougars to keep Cineus from zeroing in on too many blocked shots. Freehold Boro blocked nine shots in the sectional semifinal, but that did not deter Colts Neck from continuing to attack, and that should be the mentality on Friday as well.

Younger will be another key for the Cougars, as the junior point guard will have to continue to find his teammates in the right spots without turning over the ball. He will have a difficult matchup vs. Traylor, but he doesn’t necessarily have to out-and-out win the matchup to give Colts Neck a chance.

Playing in front of the home crowd – which was a factor in the win over Freehold Boro – will also be a boost for Colts Neck, which got off to a red-hot start in Tuesday’s semifinal. Another one of those would be a welcome sight for Jannarone after watching his team play well from ahead.

If Colts Neck can get to the final two minutes leading or within a possession or two, the Cougars will have a better chance to win than most teams because of how fundamentally sound and calm they are in those situations. Getting to that point, however, will be a challenge and dealing with Cineus is going to be a problem. The key will be to not let the Ewing guards get too much of what they want – also not an easy task against a dynamic guard like Traylor.

Ewing is used to going on the road and has the personnel to hit Colts Neck where the Cougars can’t counter, which is with size in the paint. That plus Ewing’s program pedigree make the Blue Devils the favorite, despite having to play on the road.

The Pick: Ewing, 51-45