North Jersey Top 25 boys basketball rankings heading into county tourneys
Greg Mattura
Bergen Catholic holds at No. 1 in the North Jersey Top 25 boys’ basketball rankings.
The Crusaders (15-2) went 4-0 the week of Jan. 18-24 and also received the top seed for the 69th Bergen County Jamboree.
Tenafly (14-0) remains ranked No. 2, Teaneck (14-2) holds at No. 3, and St. Mary (15-3) jumps two spots to No. 4 after extending its winning streak to 10 games.
Several schools made significant jumps, including Eastside (12-4). Owners of a five-game winning streak, the Ghosts climbed six spots to No. 6, and they might receive the top spot at the Passaic County Tournament seeding meeting the night of Jan. 26.
Dwight-Englewood (9-6) catapulted back into the Top 25. The Bulldogs are No. 15 after defeating two NJIC Colonial Division rivals and Top-25 foes, Paterson Charter and Glen Rock. Those wins earned them a bid to the 24-team Jamboree.
Westwood (9-4) reentered the Top 25 and sits at No. 20. The Cardinals registered a key win over then-No. 16 Ramsey, 46-43, that also helped them secure a bid to the Jamboree, which opens June 29.
Lyndhurst (10-7) rejoined the Top 25 and stands at No. 23. The Golden Bears registered a signature win, 69-56, over then-No. 15 Old Tappan, and that victory also earned them a trip to the Jamboree.
Here are the Top 25 rankings, as well as standings for the Big North Conference and North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, based on games reported through Jan. 24.
Top 25 rankings
1. Bergen Catholic (15-2)
2. Tenafly (14-0)
3. Teaneck (14-2)
4. St. Mary (15-3)
5. Don Bosco (7-9)
6. Eastside (12-4)
7. Ridgewood (12-3)
8. Hackensack (10-7)
9. DePaul (10-5)
10. Northern Highlands (10-5)
11. Wayne Valley (12-3)
12. Demarest (10-5)
13. Ramapo (9-7)
14. Cresskill (14-1)
15. Dwight-Englewood (9-6)
16. River Dell (9-5)
17. Ramsey (9-5)
18. Paterson Charter (10-6)
19. Passaic (8-6)
20. Westwood (9-4)
21. Waldwick (11-4)
22. Fair Lawn (6-5)
23. Lyndhurst (10-7)
24. Ridgefield Park (13-2)
25. Glen Rock (8-7)
Also considered: Cliffside Park (9-5), Emerson (14-1), Kennedy (6-8), Old Tappan (8-6), Pascack Valley (9-8), Wayne Hills (7-9).


