North Jersey County Semifinals Matchups to Watch

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>County tournaments are in full swing as tournaments are getting into the quarterfinals and semifinals. North Jersey is full of intrigue with multiple tournaments in the semifinals. Here are the North Jersey County semifinal matchups to track.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>St. Mary's (Rutherford) vs. Tenafly: [player_tooltip player_id='2763609' first='Jake' last='Ellis']- Adin Goldschneider</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Mary's and Tenafly have had great seasons, led by a pair of guards who return for next season in Ellis and Goldschneider. The latter uses his handle to get into the lane and has a good touch in the mid-range. Ellis plays with composure on the ball as he rarely gets rattled by on-ball pressure and can find his open teammates in the half court Both players are also able to play off the ball and get deflections on the defensive end. Ellis and Goldschneider are both in the middle of breakout seasons, creating for a great battle in the Bergen County Jamboree semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Montgomery vs. Rutgers Prep: [player_tooltip player_id='1790209' first='Ethan' last='Lin']- [player_tooltip player_id='2504896' first='William' last='Brunson']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lin and Brunson have been two of the top prospects in Somerset County and should put their games on display in the county tournament semifinals. The Penn commit has a good release on his jumper and can finish through around the rim. Brunson can also score inside and out as he explodes off the floor for dunks and knocks down triples from behind the arc. They both use their length to make an impact on the defensive end and use their size to see over their defender. Lin and Brunson are talented prospects who should light up the scoreboard during the semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Hackettstown vs. Delaware Valley: [player_tooltip player_id='2342686' first='Troy' last='Strelec']- Charles Kraucheunas</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The H/W/S tournament semis features an intriguing battle in the post with Strelec and Kraucheunas. The former uses his strong frame to get position down low and has a nice touch around the rim. Kraucheunas has a good face-up game as he can put the ball on the floor and can knock down open jumpers from behind the arc. Both players are strong rebounders and hold their ground on the defensive end. Strelec and Kraucheunas are physical forward prospects who should continue to impact the game around the rim with their ability to rebound and score in the interior.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Montville vs. Morris Catholic: [player_tooltip player_id='2763469' first='Chris' last='Ferrare']- [player_tooltip player_id='1943569' first='Donnie' last='Gregory']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Morris County semifinals feature an intriguing matchup in the back court as with Ferrare and Gregory helping their teams run the offense. The latter has a clean shooting stroke as he wastes little motion and can get hot from distance in a hurry. Ferrare can also knock down triples in bunches and moves well without the ball in his hands. They can also run the offense at times and slide their feet on the defensive end. Ferrare and Gregory are some of the top 2026 guards in Morris County, which they should put on display this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Shabazz vs. Seton Hall Prep: [player_tooltip player_id='2201950' first='Elijah' last='Colon']- [player_tooltip player_id='2201947' first='Anthony' last='Gonzalez']</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The sophomore battle between <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2782185' first='Anthony' last='Blackmon']</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2504780' first='Infinite' last='Sincere-AmenRa']</strong> will be intriguing to watch, but the junior matchup between Colon and Gonzalez will be fun to see. Colon has been dynamic since becoming eligible as he uses his quick first step to get to the rim off the bounce and makes opponents pay for giving him space behind the arc. Gonzalez has a tight handle, which he uses to get into the paint and threads passes to his open teammates in the half court. They both can score in the mid-range and use their quick hands to get steals on the defensive end. Colon and Gonzalez are skilled guard prospects who should fill up the box score during the Essex County Tournament semifinals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->