NORTH 1, GROUP 1
Seeds: 1. Park Ridge 2. Mountain Lakes 3. Waldwick 4. Cresskill 5. Hasbrouck Heights 6. Kittatinny 7. Emerson 8. Kinnelon 9. New Milford 10. Wallkill Valley 11. Cedar Grove 12. Saddle Brook 13. Wallington 14. Midland Park 15. North Warren 16. Bogota

Player to Watch:
Allie Shenloogian, Park Ridge

Shenloogian, a junior point guard and three-sport standout, does it all on both ends. Her ability to impact a game in a variety of ways is a luxury for any team, particularly a Group 1 team. Having a section title missing from her resume she will be extra motivated knowing that the Lady Owls have home-court throughout the section tournament.

Dark Horse:
Waldwick

While Cresskill would be a fine choice and is technically a lower seed, Waldwick has come on as of late, winning six of its last seven games. Sophomore Lyla Stokes can stuff a stat sheet (13.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.6 steals,2.1 blocks, and 1.6 assists per game), Hailey Zirpoli is a good three-point shooter, and this team has the athletes around them to create havoc on the defensive end. The bottom half of this section is wide open, and the Warriors have a good chance to pop through.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
No. 11 Cedar Grove over No. 6 Kittatinny

Cedar Grove is out of our coverage area, Kittatinny is waaaayyyyyy out of our coverage area. I’ll go with the team that is closer.

First-Round Winners:
Park Ridge, New Milford, Hasbrouck Heights, Cresskill, Waldwick, Cedar Grove, Emerson, Mountain Lakes

Quarterfinal Winners:
Park Ridge, Cresskill, Waldwick, Mountain Lakes

Final:
Park Ridge, Waldwick

A showdown between Park Ridge and Cresskill in the semifinals is the game of the section. They met twice in the regular season with Park Ridge winning by two and three points, respectively. In the Lady Owls’ two meetings with Waldwick, they won by 14 and 15 points, respectively. Watching for the defense of Kate Broderick and Mary Craffey to play huge factors down the stretch as they finally get over the hump and win a section title for head coach Ryan Dennis.

NORTH 1, GROUP 2
Seeds: 1. Jefferson 2. Mahwah 3. Glen Rock 4. Westwood 5. Morris Tech 6. Leonia 7. Elmwood Park 8. Pequannock 9. Lenape Valley 10. West Milford 11. Lodi 12. High Point 13. Lodi 14. Indian Hills 15. Newton 16. Dumont

Player to Watch:
Marissa LaVerghetta, Mahwah

LaVerghetta has all the intangibles for what it takes to be a high school point guard. A natural leader who takes care of the ball and is handful for any opposing point guard. The 5’9” senior has a knack for making key defensive plays by either deflecting passes on the perimeter or getting steals when double-teaming a post player. She leads North Jersey averaging an eye-popping 5.8 steals per game. A player who plays the game the way that it is supposed to be played. If you are a true basketball junkie, she is worth the price of admission.

Dark Horse:
Leonia

With over 800 points combined on the season, Dani Daproza and junior Angelica Do (both over 15 ppg) are the highest scoring duo in this section. Teodora Zivkovic and Regan Lynch also good complement pieces to a team that is looking for the program’s first state tournament win in nearly two decades.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
No. 10 West Milford over No. 7 Elmwood Park

Both teams have been nice stories this season. Elmwood Park has had one of the best seasons in school history with an 18-6 mark heading into the states. West Milford has shown some positive signs over the last month, highlighted by a trip to the Passaic County Tournament semifinals. Avery Vacca and Sarah Benowitz are streaky shooters from behind the three-point line. If they can heat up, they make the Highlanders a tough out in this section.

First-Round Winners:
Jefferson, Pequannock, Morris Tech, Westwood, Glen Rock, Leonia, West Milford, Mahwah

Quarterfinal Winners:
Jefferson, Westwood, Glen Rock, Mahwah

Final:
Jefferson, Mahwah

Champion:
Jefferson

It seems Jefferson is the team to beat every year in this section with this season being no different. A win on Monday over IHA in which Jefferson led by 21 points after three quarters shows that this team is ready for another run at a section title.

NORTH 1, GROUP 3
Seeds: 1. Teaneck 2. Northern Valley/Old Tappan 3. Ramapo 4. River Dell 5. Northern Valley/Demarest 6. Northern Highlands 7. Wayne Hills 8. Morris Knolls 9. Pascack Valley 10. West Essex 11. Sparta 12. Morris Hills 13. Montville 14. Wayne Valley 15. Tenafly 16. Roxbury

Player to Watch:
Siena Shuster, Wayne Hills

This section is jam-packed with quality players. Shuster is perhaps the most valuable of them all. She averages 18.6 points per game, a North Jersey-leading 14.6 rebounds per game, and averages over three per contest. A good game by Shuster generally leads to positive results for the Patriots. Her versatility gives the Patriots a chance against anyone in the section.

Dark Horse:
Northern Highlands

Under head coach Mike Kilgallen, the Highlanders have become a team that is willing to get their hands dirty and play physical both on the perimeter and in the paint. They come into the states on a four-game winning streak and have the talent to make a run.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
No. 9 Pascack Valley over No. 8 Morris Knolls

Junior guard Celina Bussanich just recently scored her 1,000th career point and can score points in bunches. Ava Burke and Raina Gibbs have been pleasant surprises. The team has had an up-and-down season. But with a three-pronged attack and a head coach (all-time New Jersey wins leader in girls’ basketball, Jeff Jasper) who knows what it takes to be successful this time of year, this team will not go down without a fight.

First-Round Winners:
Teaneck, Pascack Valley, Northern Valley/Demarest, River Dell, Ramapo, Northern Highlands, Wayne Hills, Northern Valley/Old Tappan

Quarterfinal Winners:
Teaneck, Northern Valley/Demarest, Ramapo, Northern Valley/Old Tappan

Final:
Northern Valley/Demarest, Ramapo

Champion:
Northern Valley/Demarest

Angie Tirado is a top-flight scorer and Gabby Mittleman has developed into one of Bergen County’s best point guards. The key will be the depth of the role players. Demarest has plenty of both youth and experience with seniors Taylor Miller and Lily Hamlin along with freshmen Ella Peck, Deana Finklestein, and Lila McElroy. Head coach Jenny Jurjevic will have this team fired up and ready to make push through arguably the toughest section in the state top to bottom.

NORTH 1 GROUP 4
Seeds: 1. Paterson Eastside 2. Morristown 3. West Orange 4. North Star Academy 5. Union City 6. Paterson Kennedy 7. Kearny 8. Passaic Tech 9. Montclair 10. Fair Lawn 11. Ridgewood 12. Columbia 13. Memorial 14. Passaic 15. Bloomfield 16. Livingston

Player to Watch:
Aubrey Newell, Paterson Eastside

The Lady Ghosts have higher-scoring players and more experienced players than Newell, a freshman. Newell can do things that most freshman cannot. She is a physical player who is at her best along the baseline. The 5’8” guard can also knock down three-pointers, but it is her energy on both ends that is her biggest asset.

Dark Horse:
Union City

Head coach Carlos Cueto loaded up the schedule in preparation to defend their section title. Wins over Bayonne in the regular season and another over Secaucus in the Hudson County semifinals along with competitive losses against Saddle River Day and St, Rose shows that this team is always ready to play.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
No. 11 Ridgewood over No. 6 Paterson Kennedy

Sophomore point guard Catie Klemm has settled in as the go-to player for a defensive-minded Maroons’ squad. Proof that this team is for real came in the Bergen County Tournament Round of 16, where they took Teaneck deep into the fourth quarter before falling. In a win over Mahwah this past week, they held a quality Thunderbirds team to just 20 points. Sofia Merino is an aggressive defender and another sophomore, Lucy Bjerke, gives the Maroons an inside presence on both ends of the floor.

First-Round Winners:
Paterson Eastside, Montclair, Union City, North Star Academy, Ridgewood, West Orange, Kearny, Morristown

Quarterfinal Winners:
Paterson Eastside, Union City, West Orange, Morristown

Final:
Union City, West Orange

Champion:
West Orange

This will be a classic game between two teams with athleticism all over the place. The Mountaineers win a close one here for their first section title since 2018.

NON-PUBLIC A NORTH
Seeds: 1. Pope John 2. IHA 3. Holy Angels 4. Newark Academy 5. St. Elizabeth 6. Mount St. Dominic 7. Paramus Catholic 8. Hudson Catholic 9. Morristown-Beard 10. Montclair-Kimberley 11. St. Dominic Academy 12. Oak Knoll 13. Kent Place

Player to Watch:
Samantha Serrano, Holy Angels

Serrano can drive and can also shoot it from well beyond the three-point line. She is prone to take ill-advised shots but can also make them in clusters when hot. From a sheer scoring aspect of the game, nobody in this section can take over the way Serrano can when she is on.

Dark Horse:
Hudson Catholic

Do not let the under .500 record fool you, this team is tough and battle-tested. Combo guard Lauren Gentile can keep the Hawks in a rhythm, and they have the athletes to hang with anyone in this section. Under head coach Chris Hernandez, this team is comfortable playing any style of ball and that bodes well in the state tournament.

Biggest First-Round Upset:
None

First-Round Winners:
Hudson Catholic, St. Elizabeth, Newark Academy, Mount St. Dominic, Paramus Catholic

Quarterfinal Winners:
Pope John, Newark Academy, Holy Angels, IHA

Final:
Pope John, IHA

Champion:
Pope John

After letting the section final slip away last year against IHA, a then-young Pope John squad is a year older and a year wiser. They have been determined all year to get back to this point and finish what they started. Thanks to the dynamic sophomore duo of Addy Platt and Mia Washington, they will take home the hardware.

NON-PUBLIC B NORTH
Seeds: 1. Morris Catholic 2. Montclair Immaculate 3. Gill St. Bernards 4. Saddle River Day 5. Roselle Catholic 6. Villa Walsh 7. DePaul 8. St. Mary’s (Rutherford)

Player to Watch:
Cristina Parrella, Saddle River Day

The Princeton-bound guard can take over a game in a matter of minutes with her driving with the left or the right hand along with a quick release on her three-point shot. It is her mid-range game though that gives the senior standout an added dimension against top competition.

Dark Horse:
Saddle River Day

Saddle River Day is on an all-time run having just won its eighth straight Bergen County Tournament. The competition really ramps up for them in the state tournament with four of the top ten teams in New Jersey in this section alone. Julianna Almeida, a Navy commit, provides toughness and senior leadership. If Brooke Braen can take care of the ball and stay out of foul trouble along with Faith Williamson and Bella Pedone knocking down shots from the outside, this is certainly capable of winning a section title.

Quarterfinal Winners:
Morris Catholic, Saddle River Day, Gill St. Bernards, Montclair Immaculate

Final:
Morris Catholic, Montclair Immaculate

Champion:
Morris Catholic

This will be a rematch of last year’s section Non-Public B North section final. Morris Catholic has been New Jersey’s best team all year long with Mia and Mya Pauldo leading the way. The defending Non-Public B state champs have the pieces around them, the size, and the depth that is unmatched in this section.

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