Ramsey and Hackensack wins state sectional titles by Greg Mattura of The Record
North 1, Group 2
(5) RAMSEY 63, (3) JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP 61 (at Oak Ridge): Sean Hansen scored the last of his 15 points on a 15-footer at the buzzer to lift Ramsey (23-7) to its second sectional title in three years.
John Carroll hit six three-pointers and scored a team-high 21 points and Ramsey came back from a double-digit deficit in the third quarter. Steven Turk added 15 points for the Rams, who won their two previous games in overtime.
“I think I was the calmest that I’ve ever been in a situation like that,” Ramsey coach Kevin McGuire said, “only because of this team and what we’ve done in this tournament, with double-overtime on the road and overtime on the road, and the way we’ve done it. Guys just really believing in one another, and we all believe in each other.”
North 1, Group 4
(2) HACKENSACK 87, (4) NORTH BERGEN 63 (at Hackensack): BJ Saiba scored 25 and fellow senior Atiba Taylor Jr. scored 20 to pace Hackensack (23-6) to its third sectional title in six years. Toren Portee added 14 points and Razeyah Surrell 10 for the Comets.
“Guys were just ready to play, and they executed the game plan,” said Hackensack coach Aaron Taylor, whose team capitalized on its size advantage. “We got on a little bit of a streak.”