Hopewell is upset by Red Bank in first round

HOPEWELL TWP. >> The Hopewell Valley boys basketball team’s hopes of a sectional title were dashed before it could even get rolling.

Drew Valentino scored 13 points and the 13th-seeded Red Bank Regional stunned the fourth-seeded Bulldogs, 40-35, in the first round of the Central Group III playoffs.

The Bulldogs (18-8) were hoping to build on a run to the Mercer County Tournament semifinals in which they pushed top-seeded Trenton to the limit in the semifinal game, but Matt Stein’s club went cold at the wrong time.

The Bucs (10-13) travel to fifth-seeded Ewing in the quarterfinals. The Blue Devils rallied to defeat 12th-seeded Ocean Twp., 50-43, in their first round matchup.

MATAWAN 45, STEINERT 39 MATAWAN >> The 14th-seeded Spartans (10-15) got off to a good start with a 15-5 lead after one quarter before the third-seeded Huskies (14-11) reeled them in.

Matawan out-scored Steinert, 16-2, in the second quarter and then held on behind 12 points from Ethan Okelo.

NEPTUNE 50, LAWRENCE 44 NEPTUNE >> The 15th-seeded Cardinals (9-16) put a scare into the second-seeded Scarlet Fliers (17-9), but Dwaine Jones put in 22 points to make sure Neptune avoided the upset. WALL 73, NO. BURLINGTON 56 WALL >> The top-seeded Crimson Knights (18-8) cruised past the 16th-seeded Greyhounds (12-14) to set up a quarterfinal matchup against ninth-seeded Middletown North, which beat eighth-seeded Jackson Liberty in its first round game. BURLINGTON TWP. 64, COLTS NECK 58 BURLINGTON >> Wesley Robinson netted 18 points, Marcus Moore added 15 and the sixth-seeded Falcons (20-7) stormed back in the fourth quarter to knock off the 11th-seeded Pioneers (13-14) in a first round game.

Burlington faces thirdseeded Matawan in the quarterfinals.