Sunday, February 26, 2017

By NJS.com Super Computer
Proprietary Software

EMERSON'S DEVIN RIKER

NORTH 1 GROUP 1
The Seeds:
1. Cresskill, 2. Cedar Grove, 3. Verona, 4. Emerson, 5. Midland Park, 6. Saddle Brook, 7. Butler, 8. Hasbrouck Heights, 9. Park Ridge, 10. North Warren, 11. Waldwick, 12. Belvidere, 13. Becton, 14. Palisades Park, 15. Wallington, 16. Boonton

Player to Watch:
Brianna Brooks, Saddle Brook

There are a ton of players that could be talked about here. But the Super Computer spits out the numbers and is enamored with a 5’10” forward who can play or guard all five positions. Nobody in the section is more versatile Brooks, who averages 14 points, 14 rebounds, six steals, and nearly five assists per game. If there is a player who can single-handledly turn this bracket upside down, it’s Brooks.

Dark Horse:
Midland Park

Morgan Ress (15.3 ppg) has improved drastically throughout the season and has plenty of supporting help from Chloe Kasbarian, Veronica Pantale, and Emily Kontos. Winning the program’s first NJIC Tournament title could give them the confidence they need to make a run at a section title.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
None

First-Round Winners:
Cresskill, Hasbrouck Heights, Midland Park, Emerson, Verona, Saddle Brook, Butler, Cedar Grove

Quarterfinal Winners:
Cresskill, Midland Park, Verona, Cedar Grove

Final:
Cresskill vs. Verona

Champion:
Cresskill

Four-year point guard Erin McQuillen is consistent floor general who make this team go on both ends of the floor. To show how consistent she is on the offensive end, McQuillen had only scored in single-digits once over the past two seasons (19.2 ppg this season). A steady point guard, a clutch rebounder in the paint (Courtney Madison), and a rock solid defense? Sign up the Super Computer for this pick.

WESTWOOD'S SAM McCLUTCHY

NORTH 1 GROUP 2

The Seeds:
1. High Point, 2. Westwood, 3. Jefferson, 4. Mahwah, 5. Glen Rock, 6. Pascack Hills, 7. Hawthorne, 8. New Milford, 9. Newton, 10. Kinnelon, 11. Kittatinny, 12. Ramsey, 13. Lenape Valley, 14. Lakeland, 15. Dumont, 16. Pompton Lakes

Player to Watch:
Samantha McClutchy, Westwood

McClutchy is a big-game player who is fearless in the paint. Averaging a shade under 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, McClutchy gives everything she has on every possession often getting opposing bigs into foul trouble in the process.

Dark Horse:
Ramsey

Ramsey has not had the season it had hoped for but the state tournament provides a clean slate for a team that has a potent 1-2 punch. Nobody in the section moves better without the ball than inside-outside threat Hailey Reynolds and point guard Victoria Clinton provides another staunch defender along with being a three-point threat. Wins over Mahwah and Pascack Hills along with a one-point loss to Westwood shows the Rams have what it takes to make a run.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
No. 12 Ramsey over No. 5 Glen Rock

Reynolds and Clinton squaring off against Glen Rock’s Kelly Lohr and Lizzie Alba will be worth the price of admission. This one should go right down to the wire with the Rams sealing it from the charity stripe to pull the upset.

First-Round Winners:
High Point, New Milford, Ramsey, Mahwah, Jefferson, Pascack Hills, Hawthorne, Westwood

Quarterfinal Winners:
High Point, Ramsey, Jefferson, Westwood

Final:
High Point vs. Westwood

Champion:
Westwood

The top two seeds met back in December with Westwood taking a 43-35 win. High Point’s sister act of Margo and Trisha Peterson can score points in bunches. Look for Rachel Bussanich and Olivia Cassidy to come up big on the defensive end as Westwood makes the long bus ride worth it with its second North 1 Group 2 crown in the past three years.

NORTH 1 GROUP 3

The Seeds:
1. Pascack Valley, 2. Northern Highlands, 3. West Essex, 4. Ramapo, 5. Sparta, 6. Wayne Hills, 7. Montville, 8. Indian Hills, 9. River Dell, 10. Teaneck, 11. Old Tappan, 12. West Milford, 13. Wayne Valley, 14. Passaic Valley, 15. Demarest, 16. Tenafly

RAMAPO'S EMILY CALABRESE

Player to Watch:
Emily Calabrese, Ramapo

The 5-foot-11 St. Bonaventure-bound forward is peaking at the right time. She has impressively notched 14 consecutive double-doubles with at least 20 points in five of her last six games. This section does not provide many, if any, easy games. With a player like Calabrese playing as well as she is playing right now, the Green Raiders will be a team nobody wants to face come tournament time.

Dark Horse:
Old Tappan

With the loss of four starters and then center Alex George going down with a season-ending injury before the season started, the Golden Knights appeared to be in total rebuilding mode after winning the Group 3 state title last season. This gritty group has been quite a surprise by playing in several close games against top competition. The highlight was handing Pascack Valley its lone loss in the Bergen County Tournament’s Round of 16. That win represents just how dangerous Old Tappan can be in this bracket.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
No. 11 Old Tappan over No. 6 Wayne Hills

This will be an interesting matchup between two teams who feel they can make a run to the final. Sophie Downey will come up big in the clutch and lead the Golden Knights to a one-point win.

First-Round Winners:
Pascack Valley, Indian Hills, Sparta, Ramapo, West Essex, Old Tappan, Montville, Northern Highlands

Quarterfinal Winners:
Pascack Valley, Ramapo, Old Tappan, Northern Highlands

Final:
Pascack Valley vs. Northern Highlands

Champion:
Pascack Valley

The Indians have made their mark by smothering opponents early and putting to rest any hopes of an upset. Brianna Wong and Brianne Smith are two of the top three-point shooters in all of North Jersey. But they are just two cogs in a well-oiled machine that is playing its best come state tournament time. Kelly Petro makes everything go and Kelly Smith does all the intangibles to keep the Indians successful. Even in a loaded section, legendary head coach Jeff Jasper will have his team poised to celebrate a section title.

NORTH 1 GROUP 4

KENNEDY'S LATICE CUNNINGHAM

The Seeds:
1. Morristown, 2. West Orange, 3. Bloomfield, 4. Fair Lawn, 5. Paterson Kennedy, 6. Morris Knolls, 7. Ridgewood, 8. Randolph, 9. North Bergen, 10. Kearny, 11. East Orange, 12. Passaic County Tech, 13. Montclair, 14. Clifton, 15. Bergen Tech, 16. Hackensack

Player to Watch:
Grace Cannon, Bloomfield

Cannon who is equally as comfortable shooting from beyond the three-point arc or getting to the basket and especially the foul line. The senior has been the model of consistency having scored in double-digits in 43 of her past 44 games spanning her junior and senior seasons.

Dark Horse:
Ridgewood

Ridgewood does not have that one player who could take over a game. But they will put five multi-sport athletes on the floor and force opponents to play at a much slower pace than they are accustomed to. The longer they can hang around, the better the Maroons have a chance of getting stops down the stretch. Don’t sleep on Ridgewood.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
None

First-Round Winners:
Morristown, Randolph, Paterson Kennedy, Fair Lawn, Bloomfield, Morris Knolls, Ridgewood, West Orange

Quarterfinal Winners:
Morristown, Paterson Kennedy, Bloomfield, West Orange

Final:
Morristown vs. West Orange

Champion:
Morristown

Coming off the program’s first Morris County title in 37 years in dominating fashion with a 47-23 win over a good Jefferson team, the Colonials will look to add another trophy to the case. Having allowed more than 34 points just once in their past 7 games, Morristown will cruise into the section final before pulling out an overtime win over West Orange.

NORTH 2 GROUP 1

The Seeds:
1. Secaucus, 2. Weehawken, 3. Dayton, 4. Hoboken, 5. Glen Ridge, 6. Newark Collegiate, 7. University, 8. Arts, 9. Brearley, 10. People’s Prep, 11. Roselle Park, 12. Ridgefield, 13. Bloomfield Tech, 14. North Arlington, 15. North Star Academy, 16. University Charter

SECAUCUS' DAMARIS RODRIGUEZ

Player to Watch:
Damaris Rodriguez, Secaucus

It is not often that a freshman steps into an established program with so much pressure on her to be a leader. But that is exactly what Secaucus head coach John Sterling asked of Rodriguez. With established three-point snipers in Lindsey Mack and Amanda Ulrich already in place, it is up to Rodriguez to limit her turnovers and handle the pressure of defenses in this section that almost exclusively like to play an up-tempo style.

Dark Horse:
University

This one is a dark horse by seed number only.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
None

First-Round Winners:
Secaucus, Arts, Glen Ridge, Hoboken, Dayton, Newark Collegiate, University, Weehawken

Quarterfinal Winners:
Secaucus, Hoboken, Dayton, University

Final:
Secaucus vs. University

Champion:
University

Neither team projected to play in the final is particularly deep, both of which will probably only play seven players max. University’s athleticism on the interior will be the difference in what may prove to be the most entertaining of all the girls’ section finals played in North Jersey.

RIDGEFIELD PARK'S KERRI TELLIAN

NORTH 2 GROUP 2

The Seeds:
1. Hackettstown, 2. Hanover Park, 3. Ridgefield Park, 4. Morris Tech, 5. Rutherford, 6. Newark Central, 7. Garfield, 8. Lyndhurst, 9. Fort Lee, 10. Lodi, 11. Harrison, 12. Mountain Lakes, 13. West Side, 14. North 13th Street Tech, 15. Science Park, 16. Caldwell

Player to Watch:
Kerri Tellian, Ridgefield Park

With the unfortunate season-ending injury for the second straight year to athletic forward Dorian Capurso, Tellian must step and provide leadership both on and off the court for the Scarlets to make a run.

Dark Horse:
None

Biggest First-Round Upset:
No. 11 Harrison over Newark Central

Cynthia Ferriera is one of the more underrated players in this section and can be a force inside. Her play will be enough to get the Blue Tide into the second round.

First-Round Winners:
Hackettstown, Fort Lee, Rutherford, Morris Tech, Harrison, Ridgefield Park, Garfield, Hanover Park

Quarterfinal Winners:
Hackettstown, Rutherford, Ridgefield Park, Hanover Park

Final:
Rutherford vs. Hanover Park

Champion:
Hanover Park

By far the most balanced team in the section the Hornets can find points from unlikely sources and can also lock down opposing teams. This is their section to lose.

PARAMUS CATHOLIC'S SARAH SCERBAK

NON-PUBLIC A NORTH

The Seeds:
1. Holy Angels, 2. IHA, 3. Kent Place, 4. Pope John, 5. Paramus Catholic, 6. DePaul, 7. Mount St. Dominic

Player to Watch:
Sarah Scerbak, Paramus Catholic

Scerbak has been sidelined twice this year with nagging injuries but appears to be getting healthy at the right time. In a section that is more wide open than it has been in years past, Scerbak is the type of player who can get hot and lead her team to some upset wins.

Dark Horse:
None

Quarterfinal Winners:
Holy Angels, IHA, Kent Place, Paramus Catholic

Final:
Holy Angels vs. IHA

Champion:
Holy Angels

With Division 1-bound Elizabeth Garcia (University of Hartford) back healthy, that lengthens the lineup for the Angels. Elena Pulanco is one of the quickest guards around and she will be the difference, as Holy Angels will take home a title.

SRD'S JENNA JORDAN

NON-PUBLIC B NORTH

The Seeds:
1. Immaculate Conception, 2. Saddle River Day, 3. Marist, 4. Queen of Peace, 5. Eastern Christian, 6. Hudson Catholic, 7. Morris Catholic, 8. Montclair Immaculate, 9. Montclair-Kimberley, 10. Villa Walsh, 11. St. Anthony’s, 12. St. Elizabeth, 13. Morristown-Beard, 14. St. Dominic Academy, 15. Newark Academy

Player to Watch: Jenna Jordan, Saddle River Day

Teammate Michelle Sidor would have been an easy choice here as arguably the state’s premier scorer. The Rebels’ success has been maintained not only by Sidor but the emergence of Jordan, a 5’10” sophomore, inside. She has had monster rebounding games and has vastly improved her mid-range game to help take the pressure off of Sidor.

Dark Horse:
Queen of Peace

With the state’s most athletic big inside in 6’4” Raven Farley and solid guard play from Sydney Watkins, the Golden Griffins can hang with any team in this section. The question is, will the effort be there for a full 32 minutes and can they limit silly turnovers. If so, they could finally meet their potential and earn the program’s first-ever section crown.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
None

First-Round Winners:
Immaculate Conception, Montclair Immaculate, Eastern Christian, Queen of Peace, Marist, Hudson Catholic, Morris Catholic, Saddle River Day

Quarterfinal Winners:
Immaculate Conception, Queen of Peace, Marist, Saddle River Day

Final:
Immaculate Conception vs. Saddle River Day

Champion:
Saddle River Day

This will be a rematch of the Bergen County championship game, won by Saddle River Day (51-39) with a wire-to-wire win. Sidor is at her best come crunch time, Jordan has become tough player inside, Cassy Cruz and Jackie Wolak are defensive stalwarts. But look for Maggie Kuntz an Caity House to come up with some big long-range shots to help the Rebels pull away for an eight-point win and a second straight section title.