NJSIAA South Non-Public B Championship Preview: St. Rose Eyes Its Next Title

NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public B Championship

Monday, March 10, 2025

No. 1 St. Rose vs. No. 3 Rutgers Prep, 7 p.m.

Teams at a Glance

St. Rose (22-7)

Head Coach: Brian Lynch
Last Sectional Championship: 2024
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2024
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 8 Ranney, 68-46; No. 5 St. Joseph Hammonton, 80-39.

Probable Starters

Jayden Hodge, Jr., 6-5 (19.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.6 steals, 0.7 blocks)

Evan Romano, Sr., 6-3 (12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.6 blocks)

Bryan Ebeling, Sr., 6-3 (7.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.2 steals)

Avery Lynch, So., 6-5 (9.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists)

Tyler Cameron, Jr., 6-2 (4.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists)

Off the Bench

Izayah Cooper, Fr., 6-1 (5.7 points, 3.0 assists)

Oymere Rene, Fr., 6-2 (2.3 points)

Tyler Hager, So., 6-5 (1.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 0.6 blocks)

Orien Campbell, Jr., 6-2 (2.5 points)

St. Rose was a dominant team in 2023-24 thanks to the presence of Matt Hodge and the impact athleticism and production of Gio Panzini and Jayden Hodge, plus the abilities of the rest of the rotation to complement that big three.

Now that Jayden Hodge is the only one of that trio still at St. Rose, the Purple Roses have had to do things differently on both ends of the floor. Hodge and Panzini were both exceptional rim-protectors and while the younger Hodge has similar capabilities blocking shots, his defense is often needed on the perimeter. That has made St. Rose slightly less imposing defensively, although defense is still an area of the game in which St. Rose excels.

On the offensive end, St. Rose has not been as explosive as a year ago either, but Jayden Hodge has turned himself into a legitimate No. 1 option to lead the scoring attack. Seniors Evan Romano and Bryan Ebeling have remained steady contributors who can handle the ball and take pressure of Hodge, with Romano still possessing the ability to catch fire and lead the team in scoring. Ebeling also did that in St. Rose’s semifinal win over Manasquan in the Shore Conference Tournament.

St. Rose has improved over the course of the season thanks to the growth of the rest of the team, led by sophomore Avery Lynch, junior Tyler Cameron and freshman sixth man Izayah Cooper. Oymere Rene, Tyler Hager and Orien Campbell have given the Purple Roses key minutes – particularly on defense – all year as well, but the starters and Cooper are the players coach Brian Lynch looks in crunch time.

Since losing an overtime game vs. Union Catholic on Jan. 25, St. Rose has steadily rounded into championship form. The Purple Roses lost a competitive game to a St. Peter’s Prep squad in contention for the No. 1 ranking in the state, then lost a four-point game to a La Lumiere (Ind.) squad led by UConn commit Darius Adams. From there, St. Rose has rattled off seven straight wins, including a Shore Conference Tournament championship and a regular-season win over Bergen Catholic – which was actually ranked No. 1 in N.J. at the time.

The Purple Roses are two wins away from winning back-to-back state titles, which would put them in exclusive company. Since the elimination of the Parochial C group in the NJSIAA Tournament in 1980, the only programs to win consecutive state championships in Non-Public B are St. Anthony, Roselle Catholic and St. Patrick. Those three schools combined to win 23 of the 32 NJSIAA Tournament of Champions.

Rutgers Prep (20-9)

Head Coach: Matt Bloom
Last Sectional Championship: 2022 (South Non-Public A)
Last Sectional Final Appearance: 2022
Road to the Final: Defeated No. 6 Wildwood Catholic, 88-67; No. 2 Holy Cross Prep, 47-37.

Probable Starters

Jacob Canton, So., 6-2 (15.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.0 steals)

Myles Parker, Sr., 6-7 (15.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.8 steals)

Andrew Kretkowski, So., 6-8 (15.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.4 blocks)

Rocco Loomis, So., 5-11 (7.4 points, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals)

Nicolas Nsenkyire, Jr., 6-1 (7.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 assists)

Off the Bench

William Brunson, Fr., 6-4 (7.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 1.4 blocks)

Julian Ceberio, Fr., 6-3

Donovan Piggee, Sr., 5-11

Rutgers Prep is three years removed from winning its first NJSIAA sectional championship, which the Argonauts did by beating Red Bank Catholic in the 2022 South Jersey Non-Public A championship before going on to lose to Bergen Catholic in the Non-Public A final.

Two years later, Rutgers Prep is back in the Non-Public B group for the first time since 2019-20 and is back in a sectional final against an opponent from the Shore Conference. The Argonauts boast a young roster that starts just one senior – 6-foot-7 wing and Marist commit Myles Parker. The rest of the rotation is heavy on underclassmen, with three sophomores and two freshmen figuring into the top eight players deployed by coach Matt Bloom.

Parker and sophomores Jacob Canton and Andrew Kretkowski are the three top scorers on the team, with all three averaging between 15 and 15.5 points per game. Canton is a play-making guard who also averages nearly five assists, while Kretkowski is a well-rounded, 6-8 forward who leads the team in rebounds and blocked shots. Kretkowski was dressed in street clothes on the bench in Rutgers Prep’s 47-37 win over Holy Cross Prep in the sectional semifinals after scoring 18 points in the quarterfinal win over Wildwood Catholic and his availability for Monday night is questionable.

Rocco Loomis is another sophomore in the starting lineup and handles the backcourt duties with Canton and junior Nicolas Nsenkyire. When Bloom goes to the bench, he has a dynamic, 6-4 freshman in William Brunson at his disposal and Brunson responded to getting the start at Holy Cross by posting 10 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.

The Argonauts have lost nine games, but still won 20 as one of the state’s most battle-tested teams. All of Rutgers Prep’s losses are to teams currently ranked within the top 12 of the NJ.com Top 20: three to No. 6 Gill St. Bernard’s and one each to No. 1 St. Peter’s Prep, No. 3 St. Rose, No. 4 Bergen Catholic, No. 5 Roselle Catholic, No. 9 Manasquan and No. 12 Don Bosco.

The Match-up

St. Rose and Rutgers Prep have already met once this season, with St. Rose rolling to an 80-63 win over the Argonauts in Belmar back on Dec. 23. Both Hodge and Romano had big games for the Purple Roses, which Hodge going for a career-high 30 points to go with 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals and Romano putting up 20 points, eight rebounds and four assists to power the 17-point win. Canton led Rutgers Prep with 20 points and five assists, while Kretkowski made an impact on both ends of the floor with 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots.

Rutgers Prep should benefit from the venue change: playing at Jackson Liberty should be a more comfortable setting than the more claustrophobic confines of St. Rose’s McCann Athletics and Activities Center. Beyond that, however, the Argonauts will have to find a way to close what was a considerable gap between the teams back in December, especially if Kretkowski is unavailable or limited. St. Rose is playing its best basketball at the moment and does not appear to be sleeping on Monday’s opponent.

“They are an excellent team, they are extremely talented and they have dudes that can just go get you a bucket,” Lynch said. “I hate playing teams where, at any given moment, they’ve got two guys on the team that can go off for 30 (points) if we don’t pay attention and guard really well.”

Although Rutgers Prep’s weapons can scare any team, St. Rose has a history over the last three years of limiting opponents, even if it’s just enough to win rather than to ignite a blowout. Rutgers Prep’s defense will have to make the biggest improvement from the last game and if Hodge keeps making plays for St. Rose when the Purple Roses need him, it is hard to see the Argonauts closing the gap.

The Pick: St. Rose, 70-58