BASKETBALL

Girls basketball: Somerset County Tournament bracket set

Simeon Pincus
Courier News and Home News Tribune

SOMERVILLE - The Somerset County Girls Basketball Tournament was seeded Monday evening during a meeting of coaches at Immaculata High School, and three-time defending champ Rutgers Prep School earned the No. 1 seed.

The tournament tips off Thursday with first-round games, featuring seeds No. 16 through No. 9 seeds in action, with the No. 5 through No. 8 seeds hosting second-round games Saturday.

The quarterfinals are set for next Tuesday on the home courts of the Top 4 seeds, with the semifinals Thursday, also at the higher seed, a departure from recent seasons when the semis were played as part of a four-game slate at Montgomery High School, along with the boys semifinals.

The 2018 final will be Feb. 24 at Franklin High School

While North Plainfield has opted not to enter the tournament this season, Somerset Tech is making its first-ever appearance in its second year as a varsity program.

STATE TOURNAMENT: NJSIAA girls basketball pairings

Here are the seeds and matchups:

16-Somerset Tech at 9-Pingry, winner at 8-Somerville, winner at 1-Rutgers Prep

13-Hillsborough at 12-Bernards, winner at 5-Gill St. Bernard’s, winner at 4-Bridgewater-Raritan

14-Immaculata at 11-Mount St. Mary, winner at 6-Bound Brook, winner at 3-Watchung Hills

15-Manville at 10-Ridge, winner at 7-Montgomery, winner at 2-Franklin

Jahsyni Knight and Rutgers Prep seek their fourth straight Somerset County Tournament title