It will be a March Madness like we’ve never seen before, and probably will never see again.
Gone is the state tournaments this season and with it, the long, winding three-week journey to crowning one team as the Tournament of Champions winner at Rutgers.
In its place: postseason tournaments in each conference — for the ones that are electing to hold them, anyway — in a short, one-week playoff.
Here are 12 storylines to follow in those tournaments as play kicks off of Monday:
Will a healthy RBC team get another crack at St. John Vianney?
Red Bank Catholic looked lost in a 31-point loss to St. John Vianney when the teams met in the regular season two weeks ago. But since, the Caseys have returned to full strength with the return of junior guard Justine Pissott, a Tennessee commit, and have turned a corner with dominant wins over Rumson-Fair Haven twice and Manchester Township. Now back in a groove,
Red Bank Catholic has its sights set on a rematch with Vianney on the final day of the season as the top two seeds and the Caseys will be superbly motivated to prove the lopsided loss the first time around was a fluke.
Motivation should fuel unbeaten Mount St. Mary in Skyland Conference Tourney
Mount St. Mary emerged from the regular season with a perfect record, is ranked No. 17 in the NJ.com Top 20 … but still needs to hit the road in an unfavorable matchup in the first round of the conference tournament. Mount St. Mary, the No. 6-seed, will go on the road Monday night to battle No. 3-seed and perennial Group 4 contender Franklin in the opening round of the Skyland Conference’s Blue Division Tournament.
It won’t be for a sectional title this time, but another Manasquan-Rumson postseason showdown awaits
Manasquan and Rumson-Fair Haven have developed a habit of playing in March with a Central Jersey, Group 2 sectional title on the line. That clearly won’t be the case this season, but this first-round matchup in the Shore Conference’s Pod A Tournament will still have plenty to play for. Manasquan, the No. 4-seed, will host No. 5-seed Rumson-Fair Haven in the first showdown between these teams since the Warriors beat Rumson on the road in the sectional title game last season.
Can St. Rose rebound from late-season stumble?
St. Rose is the No. 3-seed in the Shore Conference’s Pod A Tournament, but will need to bounce back quickly after the Purple Roses’ nine-game winning streak ended with a stunning loss to Montclair Immaculate on Friday. St. Rose will host No. 6-seed Manchester Township in the first round on Tuesday.
Will Destiny Adams carry Manchester Township to another deep postseason run?
It’s been an up-and-down season for Manchester Township as the Hawks fell out of the Top 20 for the first time in four seasons after double-digit losses to Manasquan twice and Red Bank Catholic and a loss to Jackson Memorial. But anything is possible in March, especially with one of the top high school players in the country on the floor.
Destiny Adams, a North Carolina commit and New Jersey’s lone McDonald’s All-American, will look to lead No. 6-seed Manchester Township to a deep tournament run in the Shore Conference’s Pod A, starting with a trip to St. Rose on Tuesday.
Caileigh Walsh (10) and Ella Fajardo (5) of Gill St. Bernard's high five after Fajardo was fouled during the girls basketball game between Franklin and No. 16 Gill St. Bernard's at Franklin High School in Somerset, NJ on Tuesday, February 23, 2021.Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media
Franklin eager to avenge OT loss to Gill St. Bernard’s
Franklin fell in overtime to Gill St. Bernard’s in a thrilling end-to-end game last week and, if all goes according to plan, will get another crack at the Knights this week. No. 3-seed Franklin will need to get through No. 6-seed Mount St. Mary, which is still unbeaten, in the first round — which will be no easy task. But if that is done Monday, a trip to face No. 2-seed Gill St. Bernard’s would await on Wednesday.
St. Thomas Aquinas, Monroe on track to clash again
The Greater Middlesex Conference hasn’t seeded its four-team postseason tournaments yet, but all signs point toward a rematch between St. Thomas Aquinas and Monroe in the conference’s championship bracket. Clearly the two best teams in the GMC this season, St. Thomas Aquinas pulled out a 49-41 win on Feb. 16, the only loss on Monroe’s nearly-flawless resume this season.
Will Red Bank Regional repeat upset glory against Red Bank Catholic?
Red Bank Regional is two years removed from its remarkable upset of Red Bank Catholic in the Shore Conference Tournament, and the Bucs will have a chance to repeat that feat in a similar setting this season — although it won’t come easily. No. 2-seed Red Bank Catholic will host its crosstown rival as the No. 7-seed in the first round of the Shore Conference’s Pod A Tournament on Tuesday.
It will be the second meeting between these teams this season. The first one? Red Bank Catholic 75, Red Bank Regional 21.
Can Ewing finish off a stellar season with a Colonial Valley Conference title?
Ewing has had a banner season this year and enters this week with a chance to finish off the year with an unbeaten season in the CVC. Ewing plays Allentown on Monday before heading into the abbreviated CVC tourney on Wednesday at the top of the pod as the No. 1 seed. Two wins in the postseason tournament will give coach Dan Montferrat and his team momentum heading into next season.
Can Glassboro’s Alexis Davis lift her team in the Tri-County Conference Tournament A bracket?
Alexis Davis has been nearly unstoppable on offense this year for Glassboro. Davis is averaging 30.5 points and 17 rebounds per game this season, both among the highest per game averages in New Jersey this season. Glassboro is 9-2 this season and faces Clearview on Monday in the quarterfinals of the Tri-County Conference Tournament A bracket.
Davis has been the best player in the Tri-County Conference this season, and will need to continue to put up huge numbers if Glassboro wants to win its bracket.
How will the two other Tri-County Tournament brackets shake out?
While the A bracket in the Tri-County has arguably the best teams in the conference, the B and C brackets still have quality teams and players. Wildwood is the top seed in the B bracket and awaits the winner of the Gloucester Tech-Overbrook contest on Wednesday. Williamstown is also in the B bracket, and while coach Jaime Land’s team has struggled at different junctions this season, Williamstown is still talented and will need Jilonne Daley’s production.
The C bracket has Schalick as the No. 4 seed with star player Tia Furbush, who recently became the program’s all-time leading scorer.
How will the three Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference brackets play out?
With so many teams in the NJAC, the conference decided to split up teams into three separate brackets to try and make the matchups as competitive as possible, if teams elected to go that route. In the A bracket, there are just two rounds consisting of four teams with teams playing on Monday and then on Friday. The A bracket consists of some heavy hitters of the NJAC like No. 20 Pope John, Jefferson, Morris Catholic and Morristown.
The B bracket also consists of four teams which are Chatham, Mendham, North Warren and Morris Knolls. Chatham is the favorite of the group, and the C bracket is the largest of the three with eight teams. Those contests will take place on Monday, Wednesday and a winner will be crowned on Friday.
No. 16 Sparta elected to fill its schedule with three games outside of bracket play.
Brian Deakyne and Luis Torres cover girls basketball and may be reached at bdeakyne@njadvancemedia.com and ltorres@njadvancemedia.com. Follow them on Twitter @BrianDeakyne and @ByLuisTorres.
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