Local teams move on in NJSIAA basketball tourney

HUDSON COUNTY — Several local high school basketball teams have advanced to their respective state sectional semifinals and quarterfinals, which were slated to begin Friday night.
Among the boys, the most anticipated matchup will be in the Non-Public B North division, where defending Tournament of Champions winner St. Anthony appears headed for a showdown with local rival Hudson Catholic, the six-time defending Hudson County Tournament champions.
If the two teams continue on the path where they’re headed, they would meet Wednesday night at Rutgers University for the sectional title. But before then, each team would have to win twice to make the game a reality.
Jersey City will be hopping tonight, with two big games taking place just a few miles apart.
St. Anthony (21-5) will play host to Montclair Immaculate today at 5:30 p.m. in the quarterfinal round at the CERC (Community Educational and Recreational Center) on Ninth Street and Marin Blvd. Just 30 minutes later, Hudson Catholic (23-3) will play host to Queen of Peace at the Joe “Rocky” Pope Gymnasium inside the school on McGinley Square.
Also on Friday night, North Bergen (22-5) will face Ridgewood in the North Jersey Section 1, Group IV semifinals, with game time at Ridgewood slated for 8:30 p.m. The Bruins advanced with a solid 87-84 win over Hackensack Wednesday night, with Kayton Darley scoring 29 points and Gino Randriamora adding 22 points.
In Non-Public A North boys, St. Peter’s Prep will play Saturday afternoon in the sectional semifinals against Bergen Catholic in Oradell. The Marauders (19-7) advanced with a big 73-64 win over Pope John of Sparta in the quarterfinals Thursday night, thanks to 22 points from Shayne Simon and 15 points from Jorge Portorreal, two football stars as well for the Prep.
On Saturday, Hoboken (18-9) will host University of Newark in the semifinals of the NJSIAA North Jersey Section 2, Group I bracket after defeating Jonathan Dayton of Springfield, 77-47, Thursday night. In that game, Justin Davis exploded for 33 points and eight rebounds, scoring 16 points in the first quarter. The Redwings-University contest is slated for a 4 p.m. tipoff.
In the girls’ playoffs, Secaucus will face Hoboken in the semifinals of the North Jersey Section 2, Group I bracket. Secaucus (25-3), the top seed in the bracket, advanced to the semifinals with a 56-47 win over Arts of Newark Thursday night. Amanda Ulrich had 21, Lindsay Mack 15 and Damaris Rodriguez 14 for the winners.
The Redwings, led by 12 points from Zoe Mattessich and 11 from Nyasia Mixson, advanced with a thrilling 37-36 win over Glen Ridge Thursday afternoon. The contest between Secaucus and Hoboken is slated for a 12 noon tip in Secaucus.
In Non-Public B North, Marist and Hudson Catholic were set to square off Friday night at Marist at 5 p.m. in the quarterfinals. Marist defeated St. Dominic Academy and Hudson Catholic got past St. Anthony in the opening round for both teams Wednesday. — Jim Hague