NJSIAA North Non-Public A: Seton Hall Prep 68, DePaul 47

With the regular season wrapped up and conference champions decided in recent weeks, the NJSIAA Sectional Tournament is now in full swing, as several brackets move closer to the semifinal stage. Among the most anticipated draws are the Non-Public brackets, where many of the state's top programs are battling with their sights set firmly on capturing a sectional championship. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at one of Monday night's quarterfinal matchups earlier this week, held at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, NJ featuring Seton Hall Prep and DePaul Catholic.    Operating as a true floor general with command of the offense, particularly with evident poise and assertiveness, [player_tooltip player_id='2201947' first='Anthony' last='Gonzalez'] consistently orchestrated Seton Hall Prep's various actions, distinguishing himself as an instinctive decision maker and unselfish playmaker while also remaining a threat to score. Keeping the defense honest Gonzalez shined as an overall playmaker— attacking the basket and finishing with craftiness at the rim, moving well without the basketball as a cutter, knocking down outside shots off the catch from the perimeter, pushing the tempo with his blazing speed for swift finishes in transition, and even exhibiting what his PnR game looks like, hitting pocket passes to rollers, and knocking down outside shots off the bounce when defenders went under ball screens.     Within the dynamic of Seton Hall Prep's backcourt, [player_tooltip player_id='2884521' first='Bryce' last='McCray'] has carved out a role that highlights his value as a tremendous depth piece off the bench on most nights. McCray turned in another impressive showing that showcased much of what the confident left handed guard brings to Seton Hall Prep's offense— posing as a scoring threat to get to his spots in the mid range area, allowing his shooting gravity off pin downs to open up offense at the rim, movement shooting out on the perimeter, and PnR navigation hitting pocket passes to rollers and rejecting ball screens to attack the basket. McCray also impressed with how he set the tone on the defensive end— allowing his peskiness and disruption as a defender to turn ball handlers over and force errant entry passes.     Building on his torrid run in this year's Essex County Tournament, [player_tooltip player_id='2391282' first='Avery' last='George'] has carried much of that momentum from Seton Hall Prep's county championship run into the state tournament, once again emerging as a major perimeter threat in Seton Hall Prep's offense. George quickly found a comfortable rhythm, using his spot up ability and floor spacing to stretch the defense and create scoring opportunities. George exhibited some of the intangibles in a perimeter shooter that make him even more dangerous far beyond his shooting percentages— relocating in passing windows in half court action(s), staying shot ready off the ball, and shooting the three ball with a quick and high shooting release.     A physically imposing presence with great activity and tremendous effort in the paint on both ends of the court, [player_tooltip player_id='2857844' first='Aiden' last='Griffiths'] highlighted his impact and value as a more than dependable interior presence. Combining evident strength, polished footwork, and soft touch around the basket Griffiths regularly capitalized on high percentage opportunities— being effective as a finisher out of PnR actions and slipping out of DHO's while also showing good hands catching dump offs from penetrating guards down low. Griffiths also flashed what his back to the basket game looks like, leveraging his strength and physicality to back down defenders on the block. Griffiths also impressed as a defensive anchor— anchoring the paint with effort and energy as both a rim protector with sound anticipation and timing while also being a tenacious rebounder and winning battles on the boards.     A highly consistent and dependable interior presence, particularly with his effort and energy coupled with his physicality and strength, on both on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor, [player_tooltip player_id='2716491' first='Alex' last='Ante'] continued to emphasize his value to Seton Hall Prep's front court as an all around physical and steady force. Ante's impact was primarily felt on the boards as a strong interior rebounder— crashing the glass and securing rebounds while also generating extra possessions on the offensive glass.     [player_tooltip player_id='3540447' first='Cody' last='Webster'] has been DePaul's lead guard all season and it was easy to notice that early on with not only the defensive pressure he witnessed from Seton Hall Prep's opposing guards but also his confidence as a scorer. Adjusting to the intense and physical defensive coverage off rip, Webster still found different ways to put the ball in the basket— attacking the basket with force and physicality to absorb contact and get to the free throw line, knocking down mid range pull ups off the bounce, and even hitting shots from the outside as a perimeter shooter.

With the regular season wrapped up and conference champions decided in recent weeks, the NJSIAA Sectional Tournament is now in full swing, as several brackets move closer to the semifinal stage. Among the most anticipated draws are the Non-Public brackets, where many of the state's top programs are battling with their sights set firmly on capturing a sectional championship. With that in mind, let's take a closer look at one of Monday night's quarterfinal matchups earlier this week, held at Seton Hall Prep in West Orange, NJ featuring Seton Hall Prep and DePaul Catholic.