North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 Quarterfinal Observations
The 2020 NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 state tournament hasn’t gone as expected for some of the group’s best teams. With major upsets already taking place and underdogs rising to the occasion, here are three immediate takeaways after…
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Continue ReadingThe 2020 NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 state tournament hasn’t gone as expected for some of the group’s best teams. With major upsets already taking place and underdogs rising to the occasion, here are three immediate takeaways after quarterfinal play today.
Down Goes Bogota!
That’s right! It’s March and during state tournament time favorites often fall short in surprising fashion. Bogota fell short against Boonton 58-38. Bogota entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed riding the consistent and impressive play of stars Taj Collins and Ashanti Caviness. Collins entered tonight following up a dominating performance against Wellington on March 2, scoring 30 points and pacing Bogota to a 17 point victory. Tonight’s battle against couldn’t have gone much worse for Bogota who only scored 11 points at half against Boonton. Caviness kept his hot streak going with 22 points but it proved to be not enough.
Hasbrouck Heights Daunting Big Three
The wonderful thing about state tournaments is that anyone can get hot and flip the entire bracket on its head. For Group 1 that team could very well be Hasbrouck Heights as their lethal combination of Kunga Tsering Kunga Tsering 6'6" | SF Woodstock Academy | 2022 State New E , Steven Faussette and Jaden Castro simply dominated Wallkill Valley, scoring 65 of the teams 80 overall points. Tsering led the way with 25 and continued to play well down the stretch. In a game that was close at half, the heroics of the big three were pivotal in securing the 80-60 victory over Wallkill.
Cresskill Remains Strong
One of the teams that have played very well during the tournament is Cresskill, led by Kristian Rodovich who netted nearly 500 points on the season. The Senior dominated Waldwick in the first round with a 39 point performance, turning heads across the entire state. While Rodovich didn’t match that performance in the quarterfinals, he remained steady and trusted his teammates. Chris Tracy and Kiel McGee combined for 25 points to help knock off a talented Midland Park team.