Complete breakdown of every sectional bracket
Park Ridge, Teaneck, Eastside and Secaucus are the North Jersey teams to receive No. 1 seeds in their sections for this year’s NJSIAA girls basketball tournament, which tips off Wednesday, Feb. 21.
Here’s what you need to know about the North Jersey teams vying for the state championships, which will be contested the weekend of March 8-10. (Records are through games of Feb. 13).
North 1, Group 1
2023 champ: Boonton
Favorite: No. 1 Park Ridge (17-5) Darkhorse: No. 4 Cresskill (13-10) Park Ridge earns the “favorite” nod by virtue of a divisional sweep of Cresskill, but make no mistake, the Cougars are every bit as dangerous. The rivals could meet in the semifinals, though No.
5 Hasbrouck Heights (14-7) is among the teams aiming to derail that matchup.
The entire NJIC Patriot is represented in this bracket, with No. 3 Waldwick and No. 14 Midland Park facing off in the first round. They and No. 7 Emerson likely must go through No. 2 Mountain Lakes to reach the final.
North 1, Group 2
2023 champ: Jefferson
Favorite: No. 1 Jefferson (18-4) Darkhorse: No. 3 Glen Rock (17-5) The reigning champs go for three in a row under coach James MacDermid, a West Milford grad. Ironically, his alma mater is in this bracket – the No. 10 Highlanders (13-8) return to Group 2 after many years in Groups 3 and 4.
No. 4 Westwood is the last team to defeat Jefferson in this section, in the
2020 final. If the Cardinals cannot knock off the Falcons, then Glen Rock and No. 2 Mahwah could give it a shot from the other half of the bracket. Don’t be surprised to see the T-Birds make a push for their first title since 1993.
North 1, Group 3
2023 champ: Teaneck
Favorite: No. 1 Teaneck (19-6) Darkhorse: No. 4 River Dell (14-7) No, we did not forget about No. 2 Old Tappan, No. 3 Ramapo or No. 5 Demarest, all of which own a win against Teaneck this season. The temptation is there to label this “Bergen County Tournament II,” but the Passaic, Morris and Sussex county teams in this loaded bracket are equally adept.
Oh, and there’s a coach with 1,100plus victories leading No. 9 Pascack Valley (Jeff Jasper) in Teaneck’s quadrant. The Highwaywomen will have earned a repeat if they survive this gauntlet – especially given the potential for a semifinal against the River Dell team that pushed them hard in the Bergen quarterfinals.
North 1, Group 4
2023 champ: Union City
Favorite: No. 1 Eastside (19-3) Darkhorse: No. 5 Union City (18-7) Roles were reversed last season when the Ghosts went into Union City as the No. 3 seed and a scorebook discrepancy caused controversy following the Soaring Eagles’ 1-point win. The potential is there for a semifinal rematch, which would take place in Paterson, but odds are good both teams are much more focused on their opening opponents.
The only first-round matchup between North Jersey teams is No. 11 Ridgewood (11-12) at No. 6 Kennedy (15-9). Both teams overcame slow starts, so the winner should be wellequipped to try and bust the bracket.
North 2, Group 1
2023 champ: University (Newark)
Favorite: No. 1 University (20-2)
Darkhorse: No. 3 North Arlington
(13-9)
This section traditionally offers tough sledding for NJIC teams involved. The last current conference member to win it was Butler in 2003 – the Bulldogs are now in North 1 and have changed leagues twice since then.
Still, North Arlington has made strides the past few years, reaching the 2022 quarterfinals and 2023 semis. Can the Vikings break through to the final? The only other North Jersey teams in the bracket are No. 6 Wood-Ridge, No. 8 Weehawken and No. 13 Palisades Park.
North 2, Group 2
2023 champ: Secaucus
Favorite: No. 1 Secaucus (19-5) Darkhorse: No. 2 Rutherford (17-5) All that prevents us from naming those two as “co-favorites” is the fact that Secaucus swept their NJIC National series. That enabled the Patriots to claim the NJIC Tournament crown, and they have advanced to the Hudson County semifinals as well.
The Bulldogs will play in Friday’s Bergen Invitational Tournament final for its last scheduled postseason tune-up. Last year’s sectional runner-up, No. 3 Madison, certainly could spoil a third Secaucus-Rutherford clash, while No. 5 Becton and No. 6 Lyndhurst hope to throw their hats in that ring, too.
North Non-Public A
2023 champ: Immaculate Heart Favorite: No. 1 Pope John (19-4) Darkhorse: No. 2 IHA (13-8)
Again, second-seeded teams – and
11-time reigning champs – don’t typically fit the “darkhorse” bill.
The Blue Eagles may have a few more losses than is customary at this time of year, but does it ever really make sense to pick against coach Steve Silver, a
500-game winner?
Pope John led late in last year’s sectional final before IHA rallied and won in OT. A rematch seems likely, though there is No. 3 Holy Angels (14-6) to consider. Should the Angels meet IHA in the semis, they will be more than eager to end an 18-game losing streak (dating to
2017) against their rival.
North Non-Public B
2023 champ: Morris Catholic Favorite: No. 1 Morris Catholic (22-0) Darkhorse: No. 4 Saddle River Day
(17-3)
The time when Saddle River Day dominated this bracket under coach Danny Brown has passed. And yet, the Rebels still have the talent to give anyone a game. One of their losses came by six points to Immaculate Conception (Montclair), the No. 2 seed and the team that eliminated them from last year’s tournament.
The top two schools in the section open against North Jersey opponents: Morris Catholic vs. No. 8 St. Mary and IC vs. No. 7 DePaul.