NJSIAA South Non-Public A: St. Joseph (Met.) 54, Paul VI 52

The NJSIAA Sectional Tournament is nearing the finish line with both semifinal round matchups having come to a conclusion last night. Among some of the more anticipated matchups throughout the entire state regardless of section was last night's semifinal game in Haddonfield, NJ at Paul VI High School between #4 seeded St. Joe's Metuchen and and #1 seeded Paul VI. With a number of high profile prospects headlining this intense matchup between two talented squads, let's dive into those who delivered standout performances throughout the course of last night's instant classic with a spot in the sectional final on the line.    Four star forward [player_tooltip player_id='2201945' first='Andrew' last='Kretkowski'] delivered a standout performance that highlighted his overall impact and unique versatility. In a tough road environment, Kretkowski helped this St. Joe's Metuchen group establish their composure early, catching an emphatic lob right out of the opening tip. As the game went on, Kretkowski settled into a nice rhythm offensively— thriving as a zone buster early on, finding openings in the middle against Paul VI's zone and hitting smooth turn around jumpers, showcasing great balance, strong footwork, and soft touch in the mid range area. As the game went on Kretkowski continued to highlight the increased growth in his game as a perimeter shooter, knocking a pair of in rhythm triples off the catch.     Equipped with the necessary physical tools and intriguing long term upside to be a physically dominant interior presence, [player_tooltip player_id='2909264' first='Joel' last='Patrick'] set the tone early on with tremendous activity and palpable physicality on both ends of the floor. As a legitimate defensive anchor, Patrick impressed with strong intangibles— walling up without fouling, blocking shots with his length and timely anticipation as a rim protector all while establishing the level of physicality early on, fronting the low post and making entry passes difficult for Paul VI's guards. Just as impactful on the offensive end making meaningful plays, Patrick demonstrated his value, particularly around the basket— generating and capitalizing off second chance opportunities on the offensive glass.     An extremely confident and gutsy guard who's done nothing but come up big in key moments all season for this Paul VI group, [player_tooltip player_id='1788762' first='Will' last='Spross'] once again displayed his dangerous perimeter scoring prowess in this intense matchup against St. Joe's Metuchen. Doing most his damage from the outside, Spross used his elite shooting ability to knock down open looks as a spot up shooter while also creating slight separation off the bounce to get to his spots.     In the midst of a breakout sophomore season that legitimately has seen the intrigue that surrounds his upside begin to match his on court production, [player_tooltip player_id='2405359' first='Toussaint' last='Malukila'] put together some strong moments, particularly against a St. Joe's Metuchen front court that put an emphasis on being extremely physical with him early on. Adjusting to the interior physicality that St. Joe's threw at him to start, Malukila found ways to eventually score inside— rim running in transition, sealing his defender deep in the paint to catch and finish around the basket, and showcase strong intangibles as a roller in different PnR actions.     A jumbo playmaking guard with glaring positional size and an intriguing and polished skillset, four star guard [player_tooltip player_id='2202021' first='Aidan' last='Carter'] demonstrated much of what supports his case of being a true dynamic lead guard— possessing a strong command of the offense coupled with good pace off the bounce to dissect the defense creating for both himself and those around him. Carter got going attacking driving angles to convert on soft touch runners, hitting short rolls when the defense blitzed ball screens for hockey assists, spraying out to open outside shooters for drive and kick threes, finding relief guys against the middle of Paul VI's zone. As the game went on, Carter picked his spots in PnR action— creating separation off the bounce and knocking down smooth mid range pull ups and getting downhill for crafty finishes at the basket.     In a crowded backcourt that consists of a handful of capable guards, [player_tooltip player_id='2887076' first='Jordan' last='Mason'] stepped up providing excellent guard play in his minutes off the bench. Operating in this contest as a rather seamless offensive fit, Mason made a number of plays not only as a perimeter threat to knock down shots off the catch and being a connective passer but also suppling effective ball pressure as a defender out on the perimeter.     Amongst the most productive and more intriguing freshman here in the state of New Jersey, [player_tooltip player_id='2884564' first='Seth' last='Dozier'] strung together some bright moments in this tough matchup against St. Joe's Metuchen despite not necessarily one of his best statistical performances. As just a freshman Dozier showed tremendous poise and impressive pace as a ball handler, particularly in different PnR actions. Although he struggled to finish against the size and length of St. Joe's, Dozier impressed flashing a smooth skillset off the bounce, demonstrating he's a capable potent decision maker while also showing good fight on the defensive end of the floor.     Having ascended into a legitimate lethal perimeter shooting threat with deep range accuracy throughout the course of his sophomore year, [player_tooltip player_id='2763627' first='Isaiah' last='Thatcher'] demonstrated much of that dangerous outside shooting in Paul VI's sectional semifinal matchup against St. Joe's Metuchen. Providing instant offense as a confident and aggressive shot maker in Paul VI's different half court actions that benefit its three point shooters, Thatcher displayed his movement shooting ability coming off screens and pin downs while also showing he's capable of of getting to the mid range area when defenders ran him off the line.     Providing meaningful depth and optimal positional size to this St. Joe's backcourt rotation, [player_tooltip player_id='2958183' first='Marcel' last='Carr'] supplied excellent spot minutes off the bench, particularly with his impact on the defensive end of the floor. Defending with tremendous effort and energy, Carr demonstrated his value as a versatile defender— not only being physical and disruptive against bigger defenders in the low post but also out on the perimeter sliding his feet against quicker guards.

The NJSIAA Sectional Tournament is nearing the finish line with both semifinal round matchups having come to a conclusion last night. Among some of the more anticipated matchups throughout the entire state regardless of section was last night's semifinal game in Haddonfield, NJ at Paul VI High School between #4 seeded St. Joe's Metuchen and and #1 seeded Paul VI. With a number of high profile prospects headlining this intense matchup between two talented squads, let's dive into those who delivered standout performances throughout the course of last night's instant classic with a spot in the sectional final on the line.