NJSIAA Opening Round Sectional Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The state tournament is finally here with Groups 1 and 3 getting underway. Prospects put up big performances as they tried to propel their teams to deep runs in the state tournament. Here are the Sectional Standouts from the opening round of the NJSIAA state tournament.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Central Jersey Group 1: [player_tooltip player_id='2116520' first='Jackson' last='Morrison'], Bound Brook</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Morrison put on a show for the Crusaders as he was one of four players to put up 30 points in the first round. The 6'3 guard has a smooth release on his jumper and was making Piscataway Magnet pay for giving him space behind the arc. Morrison was a force on the glass as he ripped down 11 rebounds and pushed the pace nicely in transition. He will have to be on his best on Saturday as Bound Brook travels to Hamilton to play Thrive Charter in the Central Jersey Group 1 quarterfinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Honorable Mentions: <strong>Edryn Morales Manville, 32 points (Highest scorer on the night); T.J. Munn New Providence, 27 points-10 steals</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Central Jersey Group 3: [player_tooltip player_id='1886844' first='Joel' last='Cineus'], Ewing</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cineus was a force on the interior for the Blue Devils as he finished with 23 points, eight rebounds and seven blocks on the night. The 6'5 forward was a menace on the defensive end as he swatted almost everything around the rim and influenced plenty of others. Cineus showed off a nice touch around the basket and put the ball on the floor as well to get to the rim. The Blue Devils travel to Westampton Tech on Saturday, where Cineus will look to extend his varsity career.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Honorable Mentions: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2376462' first='Noah' last='Johansen'], Lawrence 29 points; [player_tooltip player_id='2763389' first='Lukas' last='Sloane'], Colts Neck 27 points</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>North Jersey 1 Group 1: [player_tooltip player_id='1919184' first='Gio' last='Figueroa'], Paterson Charter</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Figueroa did a little bit of everything for the Lions in their opening round win as he finished with 22 points, six assists and six steals. The 5'10 guard was tenacious on the defensive end as he jumped passing lanes for steals and made it hard for his man to get to his spot on the floor. Figueroa found his open teammates in the halfcourt and used his handle to get into the lane. Paterson Charter hosts Waldwick on Saturday as Figueroa looks to lead them back to the sectional title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Honorable Mentions: <strong>Braydon VanLenten Pequannock, 24 points-5 rebounds; Gavin Solano Wallkill Valley, 24 points-5 rebounds</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>North Jersey 1 Group 3: Maurice Williams, Dwight-Morrow</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Williams stuffed the stat sheet for the Eagles in their loss to Northern Highlands as he had 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and five steals. He was aggressive on the offensive end as he attacked the basket with a purpose and was hunting for his shots early in the game. Williams was tough on the boards throughout the night and made plays on the defensive end. He closes out his high school career with over 1,100 points and a final game to remember.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Honorable Mentions: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1413218' first='Ryan' last='Goldman']</strong> <strong>Ramapo, 31 points; [player_tooltip player_id='2763469' first='Chris' last='Ferrare'] Montville, 25 points-7 assists</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>North Jersey 2 Group 1: [player_tooltip player_id='1411664' first='Malcolm' last='Bragg'], Newark Tech</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bragg did a little bit of everything for the Terriers as he finished with 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists. The 6'3 wing was comfortable attacking the basket as he was able to get into the paint with ease and finished nicely around the rim. Bragg showed unselfishness in the frontcourt as well as he found his open teammates and moved well without the ball in his hands. Newark Tech hosts West Caldwell Tech on Saturday as Bragg looks to end his varsity career with three sectional titles.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Honorable Mentions: <strong>Joel DeSuze West Caldwell Tech, 25 points-12 rebounds; [player_tooltip player_id='1859563' first='Tyshawn' last='Boyd'] Arts, 18 points-11 rebounds-4 blocks</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>North Jersey 2 Group 3: Gregory Burton-Amadou Traore, Orange</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It might be cheating to have two players for standouts, but Burton and Traore were fantastic for the Tornadoes in their first round upset, combining for 42 points and 14 assists against South Plainfield. Burton was able to use his handle to get into the lane and fed off of Traore making plays on the ball. Traore used his composure to get to his spot on the floor and was unafraid of taking key shots down the stretch. Orange's dynamic duo each got three steals on the night and will look to duplicate their performance on the road against Payne Tech on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Honorable Mentions: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2870003' first='RJ' last='Wortman'] Colonia, 24 points-4 rebounds; [player_tooltip player_id='2339146' first='Jamir' last='Westry'] 15 points-12 assists-6 steals</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>South Jersey Group 1: [player_tooltip player_id='1413231' first='Elijah' last='Crispin'], Pitman</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Crispin erupted against Wildwood in the opening round as he went for 30 points and six assists. The 5'10 guard showed off his clean release on his jumper by knocking down a couple of triples, but also did damage getting into the paint off the bounce. Crispin also involved his teammates in the halfcourt and used his quick hands to get steals on defense. Pitman hosts Burlington City on Saturday as the Panthers look to repeat as sectional champions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Honorable Mentions: <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2347936' first='Devin' last='Williams'] Woodbury, 24 points; Nolan Arnold New Egypt, 22 points</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>South Jersey Group 3: [player_tooltip player_id='2342688' first='Luke' last='Van Auken'], Delsea</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Van Auken was a load in the paint for Delsea as he had 20 points and 12 rebounds against Highland. The 6'7 forward used his strong frame to get position down low and finished nicely around the rim. Van Auken ripped down rebounds at both ends of the floor and influenced shots around the rim. Delsea travels to Absegami on Saturday as Van Auken looks to have another strong showing in the paint.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Honorable Mentions:</em> <strong><em>Kevin Satchell Timber Creek, 23 points-6 rebounds; Kingston Williams, 23 points</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->