Incredible opportunity for St. Rose boys basketball in state final vs Montclair Immaculate
It’s been 47 years since St. Rose boys basketball has been in this position.
The date was March 13, 1977, the site was Mercer County College and the opponent was Our Lady of the Valley from Orange. It was the program’s last state championship, as legendary head coach Pat McCann picked up his 300th career win and Ron Sarno, who scored a game-high 16 points, and Mark Murphy powered the team to the NJSIAA Non-Public B championship.
Tonight at Jersey Mike’s Arena (7 p.m.) in Piscataway, St. Rose will be favored to win its first state championship since then, taking on Montclair Immaculate in the Non-Public B final after losing to Roselle Catholic in last year’s championship game.
What’s different this time, as opposed to last year and nearly five decades ago, is that the Purple Roses have a chance to secure their standing as the top team in New Jersey with one, final impressive performance in what has already been an historic season.
More: Manasquan-Camden basketball controversy went to court. Here's the judge's ruling
In the game before St. Rose, Don Bosco Prep and prize Rutgers recruit Dylan Harper play before what is expected to be a packed house against Paul VI for the Non-Public A title, with Don Bosco seeking to stake its claim as the top team in the Garden State. And then there’s Camden, the controversial winner of Manasquan in a wild Group 2 semifinal, making its case Saturday in the Group 2 title game against Newark Tech.
Style points matter here, and a big performance on the grandest stage of all would go a long way towards cementing a place in the various rankings, as well as in the minds of area hoops fans.
More: St. Rose boys basketball seeks redemption, returning to state final with dominating effort
There’s a lot at stake. Here’s a look at both teams in tonight’s Non-Public B final:
St. Rose (28-2)
The Purple Roses have been red hot all season, having won 28-of-29 since a season-opening loss to the Patrick School, a non-NJSIAA member. And their only loss since then was to Montverde (Fla.), the top team in the country, at the Metro Classic on Feb. 3.
Not only can the Purple Roses cement their stature as the top team in the state, senior forward Matt Hodge will make his case as being the best player in the state this season. The 6-8 Villanova commit has a strong argument, averaging 17.1 points-per-game, playing his best against top competition, including 38 points against Rutgers Prep, 21 against Montverde and 26 in their semifinal win over Bishop Eustace.
And it’s the supporting cast that’s pushed St. Rose to new heights, having won the program’s first Shore Conference Tournament title last month, beating Manasquan in the final. Hodge’s brother, Jayden, a 6-5 guard with a handful of high-major offers already, averaging 12.4 points, including a 24-point effort against Union Catholic. Senior forward Gio Panzini, at 6-5, gives St. Rose a force inside at both ends of the court, with Panzini also able to step out and hit from deep. Junior guard Evan Romano has the ability to run the court and up the tempo for the Purple Roses, while junior guard Bryan Ebeling is a stanch defender who has hit at least one 3-pointer in all three of their state games. Factor in some good depth with junior guard Tyler Cameron and 6-5 freshman forward Avery Lynch off the bench, and you have a lineup that’s been hard to stop.
Montclair Immaculate (23-7)
Montclair Immaculate has played a tough schedule to prepare for this moment. They absorbed a tough 56-51 loss to Don Bosco on New Year’s Day, and have loses to Roselle Catholic, Bergen Catholic and St. Benedict’s, as well as several losses to top out-of-state teams. They got here on Manny Smith’s long 3-pointer in the final seconds to beat top-seed Morris Catholic, 72-70, in the other semifinal. They’ve won 13 of their last 14 games, with he only loss coming to St. Benedict’s in the Essex County final.
What Montclair Immaculate has is the kind of length that can match St. Rose. Leading the way is 6-6 sophomore forward Kole Grandison, averaging 16.8 ppg., while hitting 42 triples so far. Myles Blackley, a 6-5 junior, is another with the ability to score inside and outside, averaging 11.5 ppg., with 42 3-pointers, while hitting or 23 points against Seton Hall Prep and 28 against Newark Tech, which will play in the group 1 final. Akeem Langevin is a 6-5 junior, while Smith, a 6-3 senior guard, is averaging nine points.
A year ago, Montclair Immaculate lost to Roselle Catholic in the Non-Public B semifinals, with Roselle Catholic going on to beat St. Rose in the final. It’s a program that has been left to battle with some of the state’s top teams in the state playoffs over the past few decades, and finally has a chance to secure a championship.
Prediction
St. Rose 66, Montclair Immaculate 56
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: St. Rose looks to cement status as state's top team in state final
