Non-Public A North: Championship Preview

<p><em><span style="font-size: 8pt;">Photo by Pete Ackerman</span></em></p> <p>This is the matchup that was dreamed of when the bracket was made up. Bergen Catholic is one of New Jersey’s best teams over the last two seasons. They lost in the Tournament of Champions’ final in 2019. This year, they will look to get there once again with a win over St. Peter’s Prep.</p> <p>Bergen Catholic is here after a 73-69 victory over Don Bosco. They held a 19 point lead heading into halftime but allowed their opponent back in the game. [player_tooltip player_id="850662" first="Will" last="Richardson"] finished with 29 points followed by Jahseim Davis with 14. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="850683" first="Julian" last="Brown"] scored 12 points. </p> <p>For St. Peter’s Prep, it was a much different game. They trailed by eight heading into the final quarter against St. Joe’s (Mont.). They outscored their opponent 18-10 in the fourth to get the game to overtime where they would take control. [player_tooltip player_id="850664" first="Mark" last="Armstrong"] led the way with 28 points along with 23 from [player_tooltip player_id="900328" first="Rayshawn" last="Ford"].</p> <p>This is such an intriguing matchup because of the guard play involved. Armstrong, Richardson, and Brown are all sophomore and have been some of the best in the state. Ford has come into his own during his junior year. The main x-factor of the game is on Bergen Catholic’s side. Notre Dame commit [player_tooltip player_id="850320" first="Matt" last="Zona"] has a chance to be the difference maker in this one.</p> <p>St. Peter’s Prep is a talented team but they are not a big one. They thrive from their guard play. [player_tooltip player_id="896456" first="Will" last="White"] is another elite guard who can do a lot of little things right. Down low, Zona should be able to gain an advantage. This would allow Bergen Catholic to run whatever offense they feel is working. The Crusaders are multi-dimensional which is why they are so dangerous. </p> <p>This is not to say that if Zona goes off, that Bergen Catholic will win handily. There is still a chance St. Peter’s Prep gets the better of the Crusaders on the perimeter. But if Zona, along with Brown and Richardson, are all on, it could be another trophy for the Crusaders. </p>