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It was a championship 2024-25 high school boys basketball season, with two state champions from the Skyland Conference and western Union County, with plenty of other hardware won from our area teams.
Here are our teams of the top players in the area, and those that led their teams this season.
Montgomery
Junior
Guard
The junior became a star after recovering from a broken ankle in two places last year. The injury kept him from the final 12 games and the summer training program, but he showed how well he’d healed in the first game of the season, scoring a career high 26 points in a 48-44 loss to Hudson Catholic. He averaged 19.7 points per game for the year, hitting 90 treys. He also netted 31 points against Rutgers Prep in a county semi loss. He will open next season as the Cougars’ all-time leading scorer with 1,125 points.
More: Boys basketball index: Links to the Courier News and Home News Tribune All-Area honors
Plainfield
Sophomore
Guard
His brilliant season was far from being just about scoring, though a two-handed dunk in the second half of the Group 4 state final win over Montgomery was definitely a highlight. One of his featured games was a 27-point, 10 rebound outing against Union Catholic in a 74-54 February 6 win. He led the team in points (543), assists (171), steals (97) and threes (48). He looks destined to become the Cardinals’ first 2,000-point scorer as he will enter next season with 1,076 points. He is currently tied for eighth on the Cardinals’ all-time scoring list.
Plainfield
Senior
Center
The Cardinals were projected to be a very good team before Hines transferred in from South Garner High School (NC). And once he was eligible in January, he immediately He took the Cardinals to a level they hadn’t been at in more than a decade. He produced double-doubles in all 26 games he played, averaging 18.8 points, 16.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots, adding 48 assists and 21 steals. He had 18 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in the state final win over Montgomery in the state Group 4 final. Hines has been offered scholarship by Norfolk State and Monmouth University.
Rutgers Prep
Senior
Forward
The 6-foot-7 Marist commit averaged 14.8 points per game and had a team-best 81 steals and led the Argonauts in rebounds (155) and 3s (63), and was second to sophomore Jacob Canton (459) in points with 444. Parker reached the 1,000-point career mark in the midst of the second half county semi comeback vs. Montgomery. He scored a season-high 40 points in a 94-71 early rout of Phillipsburg.
Montgomery
Senior
Forward
The Franklin & Marshall commit and Ukrainian native scored 722 points and pulled down more than 500 rebounds in his two seasons, as the Cougars went 50-10 with two division and sectional titles, their first Somerset County Tournament final berth, and the program’s first trip to a state Group 4 final. He scored eight points, registered eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in the state final.
A.J. Altobelli, Union Catholic, senior
Christian Hill, Montgomery, senior
Stanley Njekwe, Gill St. Bernard’s, senior
Dorsett Mulcahy, Gill St. Bernard’s, junior
Andrew Kretkowski, Rutgers Prep, sophomore
Jacob Canton, Rutgers Prep, sophomore
Kobe Closeil, Gill St. Bernard’s, senior
Luke Schorr, Union Catholic, senior
Devin Thomas, Plainfield, junior
Zach Epp, Westfield, senior
Bernards: Marshall Douglass, Monty Douglass
Bound Brook: Jackson Morrison
Bridgewater-Raritan: Tyler Hamby, Brody Nussman
Delaware Valley: Tommy Denvir, Eric Klemmer,
Franklin: Jah’naad Cady, Roger Diaz Isabel
Gill St. Bernard's: Connor Junker
Governor Livingston: James Cannizzaro
Hillsborough: Aaron Feath, Manny Rodriguez
Hunterdon Central: Weston Shirk
Immaculata: Riley Gorman, Cole Hayden
Manville: Josh D’Ambrosio, Edryn Morales
Montgomery: Mike Simborski
New Providence: Devin Cumiskey, Colin McAloon, James Miller
North Hunterdon: Bryce Higgins
Pingry: Ryan Rust
Plainfield: Kiian Kirkwood, Rashawn Williams
Ridge: Quinn Dashefski, Luke Kreitz
Rutgers Prep: Rocco Loomis
Scotch Plains-Fanwood: Jacob Handy, Jack Sponheimer
Somerville: Tim Lacanna, Brenden Pacheco, Brady Scheier
South Hunterdon: Connor Keyes
Union Catholic: Malik Moore
Voorhees: Robby Cassavell, Jake Vernieri
Watchung Hills: Zack Patetta
Westfield: Enzo Ferrero, Tyshawn Pearson
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Boys basketball: Skyland Conf., western Union County All-Area teams
Continue reading...
Here are our teams of the top players in the area, and those that led their teams this season.
FIRST TEAM
ETHAN LIN
Montgomery
Junior
Guard
The junior became a star after recovering from a broken ankle in two places last year. The injury kept him from the final 12 games and the summer training program, but he showed how well he’d healed in the first game of the season, scoring a career high 26 points in a 48-44 loss to Hudson Catholic. He averaged 19.7 points per game for the year, hitting 90 treys. He also netted 31 points against Rutgers Prep in a county semi loss. He will open next season as the Cougars’ all-time leading scorer with 1,125 points.
More: Boys basketball index: Links to the Courier News and Home News Tribune All-Area honors
MICAH GORDON
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Plainfield
Sophomore
Guard
His brilliant season was far from being just about scoring, though a two-handed dunk in the second half of the Group 4 state final win over Montgomery was definitely a highlight. One of his featured games was a 27-point, 10 rebound outing against Union Catholic in a 74-54 February 6 win. He led the team in points (543), assists (171), steals (97) and threes (48). He looks destined to become the Cardinals’ first 2,000-point scorer as he will enter next season with 1,076 points. He is currently tied for eighth on the Cardinals’ all-time scoring list.
NAJAI HINES
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Plainfield
Senior
Center
The Cardinals were projected to be a very good team before Hines transferred in from South Garner High School (NC). And once he was eligible in January, he immediately He took the Cardinals to a level they hadn’t been at in more than a decade. He produced double-doubles in all 26 games he played, averaging 18.8 points, 16.9 rebounds and 3.5 blocked shots, adding 48 assists and 21 steals. He had 18 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks in the state final win over Montgomery in the state Group 4 final. Hines has been offered scholarship by Norfolk State and Monmouth University.
MYLES PARKER
Rutgers Prep
Senior
Forward
The 6-foot-7 Marist commit averaged 14.8 points per game and had a team-best 81 steals and led the Argonauts in rebounds (155) and 3s (63), and was second to sophomore Jacob Canton (459) in points with 444. Parker reached the 1,000-point career mark in the midst of the second half county semi comeback vs. Montgomery. He scored a season-high 40 points in a 94-71 early rout of Phillipsburg.
BOHDAN BIEKIETOV
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Montgomery
Senior
Forward
The Franklin & Marshall commit and Ukrainian native scored 722 points and pulled down more than 500 rebounds in his two seasons, as the Cougars went 50-10 with two division and sectional titles, their first Somerset County Tournament final berth, and the program’s first trip to a state Group 4 final. He scored eight points, registered eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks in the state final.
SECOND TEAM
A.J. Altobelli, Union Catholic, senior
Christian Hill, Montgomery, senior
Stanley Njekwe, Gill St. Bernard’s, senior
Dorsett Mulcahy, Gill St. Bernard’s, junior
Andrew Kretkowski, Rutgers Prep, sophomore
THIRD TEAM
Jacob Canton, Rutgers Prep, sophomore
Kobe Closeil, Gill St. Bernard’s, senior
Luke Schorr, Union Catholic, senior
Devin Thomas, Plainfield, junior
Zach Epp, Westfield, senior
HONORABLE MENTION
Bernards: Marshall Douglass, Monty Douglass
Bound Brook: Jackson Morrison
Bridgewater-Raritan: Tyler Hamby, Brody Nussman
Delaware Valley: Tommy Denvir, Eric Klemmer,
Franklin: Jah’naad Cady, Roger Diaz Isabel
Gill St. Bernard's: Connor Junker
Governor Livingston: James Cannizzaro
Hillsborough: Aaron Feath, Manny Rodriguez
Hunterdon Central: Weston Shirk
Immaculata: Riley Gorman, Cole Hayden
Manville: Josh D’Ambrosio, Edryn Morales
Montgomery: Mike Simborski
New Providence: Devin Cumiskey, Colin McAloon, James Miller
North Hunterdon: Bryce Higgins
Pingry: Ryan Rust
Plainfield: Kiian Kirkwood, Rashawn Williams
Ridge: Quinn Dashefski, Luke Kreitz
Rutgers Prep: Rocco Loomis
Scotch Plains-Fanwood: Jacob Handy, Jack Sponheimer
Somerville: Tim Lacanna, Brenden Pacheco, Brady Scheier
South Hunterdon: Connor Keyes
Union Catholic: Malik Moore
Voorhees: Robby Cassavell, Jake Vernieri
Watchung Hills: Zack Patetta
Westfield: Enzo Ferrero, Tyshawn Pearson
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Boys basketball: Skyland Conf., western Union County All-Area teams
Continue reading...
