Non-Public B North: Semi-Final Preview

<p><em><span style="font-size: 8pt;">Photo by Yahoo! Sports</span></em></p> <p>The top-four seeds advanced to the semi-final round in the Non-Public B North state tournament. These are four teams that have all been ranked in New Jersey’s top-10 all season long. This is the must see bracket around the state. Here is a preview of each game on Friday night.</p> <p><strong>1- Gill St. Bernard’s vs. 4- Hudson Catholic</strong></p> <p>Gill St. Bernard’s is looking to avenge a semi-final loss in the Somerset County Tournament with a state title. They picked up a blowout win in the quarterfinals led by [player_tooltip player_id="902732" first="Mackenzie" last="Mgbako"]. The freshman finished with 23 points and seven rebounds. [player_tooltip player_id="850339" first="Will" last="Soucie"] also turned in a strong game with 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. They will take on No. 4 Hudson Catholic led by [player_tooltip player_id="787610" first="Zion" last="Cruz"]. They were 61-54 winners over Saddle Day River in the quarterfinal.</p> <p>This is a matchup of two teams that play different styles. Gill St. Bernard’s has two dominant big men in Mgbako and Princeton commit [player_tooltip player_id="850327" first="Zach" last="Martini"]. They like to play inside out while Hudson Catholic has elite guard play. Cruz leads a crew of talented guards including Justin Glove, [player_tooltip player_id="850675" first="Isaiah" last="Griffin"], and [player_tooltip player_id="896649" first="Phil" last="Brown"]. Gill St. Bernard’s holds a slight edge in this one because they have Soucie and [player_tooltip player_id="850666" first="Denver" last="Anglin"] who can matchup on the perimeter with Hudson Catholic. </p> <p><strong>2- The Patrick School vs. 3- Roselle Catholic</strong></p> <p>Both of these teams picked up double-digit wins in the quarterfinal and now we will get round four between these Union County rivals. The Patrick School took down Roselle Catholic twice in the regular season. They then got the best of the Lions in the Union County Tournament. Now, Roselle Catholic will get a fourth shot at taking down the Celtics on one of the biggest stages. For the Celtics, they have to feel confident with three wins under their belt but it is difficult to beat a team four times.</p> <p>The Patrick School is extremely deep. Any player can take over on a given night. [player_tooltip player_id="828326" first="Noah" last="Farrakhan"] scored 15 points in the quarterfinal while [player_tooltip player_id="850498" first="Jonathan" last="Kuminga"] finished with 12 points and seven rebounds. It was also a cake walk for Roselle Catholic. [player_tooltip player_id="850316" first="Cliff" last="Omoruyi"] notched a triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks. He is the x-factor against the Celtics. Omoruyi has not gotten it going in any of the three games against them. The Patrick School has the size and strength to slow down Omoruyi which not many others have. Is the fourth time a charm for Roselle Catholic?</p>