Boys basketball: North Jersey Top 25 rankings after first round of state tournament
Don Bosco holds the No. 1 spot in the North Jersey boys basketball Top 25 rankings after closing its regular season with a 15-game winning streak.
The Ironmen (25-3) improved to 21-1 against New Jersey competition thanks to an 83-52 regular-season victory over Roselle Catholic.
Ramapo (20-8), holds at No. 2, Bergen Catholic (21-7) remains No. 3, and Wayne Valley (21-5) maintains No. 4 after each opened last week’s state tournament with a first-round victory.
St. Mary (21-8) and Dumont (16-8) climbed multiple spots in the rankings. St. Mary climbed two spots to No. 8 by closing its regular season with a 59-57 win over No. 5 Northern Highlands. Dumont rose two slots to No. 18 with a 59-38 win over Lenape Valley in a North 1, Group 2 opener.
Passaic and Clifton joined the Top 25 thanks to upsets in North 1, Group 4 openers. Passaic (14-12) is No. 24 after, as the 10th seed, it won at seventh-seeded Livingston, 58-46. Clifton is No. 25 after, as the 15th seed, it won at second-seeded and No. 12 Eastside, 53-51.
Here are the Top 25 rankings, as well as final standings for the Big North and North Jersey Interscholastic Conference, based on games reported through Feb. 25:
Top 25 rankings
1. Don Bosco (25-3)
2. Ramapo (20-8)
3. Bergen Catholic (21-7)
4. Wayne Valley (21-5)
5. Northern Highlands (19-7)
6. Demarest (20-5)
7. St. Joseph (16-9)
8. St. Mary (21-8)
9. Teaneck (18-8)
10. Ridgewood (18-8)
11. Ramsey (19-7)
12. Eastside (18-9)
13. Kennedy (16-9)
14. Paterson Charter (21-3)
15. Tenafly (15-9)
16. Hackensack (12-15)
17. Glen Rock (19-8)
18. Dumont (16-8)
19. Pascack Valley (11-15)
20. Fair Lawn (15-11)
21. Cliffside Park (15-11)
22. Pascack Hills (15-9)
23. Dwight Morrow (16-11)
24. Passaic (14-12)
25. Clifton (12-16)
Also considered: DePaul (10-15), Dwight-Englewood (15-11), Lodi (18-7), Lyndhurst (18-9), Mahwah (15-12), Passaic Tech (10-16), Ridgefield Park (14-13), River Dell (15-10), Rutherford (18-9), Wayne Hills (13-14), Westwood (12-12).
Big North Conference
UNITED DIVISION
Don Bosco 8-0
Bergen Catholic 6-2
St. Joseph 3-5
Paramus Catholic 2-6
DePaul 1-7
LIBERTY DIVISION
Eastside 9-1
Clifton 6-4
Kennedy 6-4
Passaic 5-5
Passaic Tech 4-6
Bergen Tech 0-10
FREEDOM DIVISION
Ramapo 8-0
Northern Highlands 5-3
Ridgewood 4-4
Hackensack 3-5
Paramus 0-8
INDEPENDENCE DIVISION
Wayne Valley 10-0
West Milford 6-4
Fair Lawn 5-5
Wayne Hills 5-5
Passaic Valley 3-7
Lakeland 1-9
NATIONAL DIVISION
Demarest 8-2
Teaneck 7-3
Bergenfield 5-5
Tenafly 5-5
Pascack Valley 3-7
Old Tappan 2-8
PATRIOT DIVISION
Ramsey 8-2
Pascack Hills 7-3
River Dell 7-3
Westwood 5-5
Mahwah 3-7
Indian Hills 0-10
AMERICAN DIVISION
Cliffside Park 5-3
Dumont 5-3
Dwight Morrow 5-3
Fort Lee 3-5
Ridgefield Park 2-6
NJIC
COLONIAL DIVISION
Glen Rock 10-0
Pompton Lakes 8-2
Eastern Christian 5-5
Hawthorne 5-5
Butler 1-9
Hawthorne Christian 1-9
AMERICAN DIVISION
Paterson Charter 10-0
Lodi 8-2
Garfield 5-5
Manchester 5-5
Elmwood Park 2-8
Saddle Brook 0-10
NATIONAL DIVISION
Lyndhurst 10-0
Rutherford 8-2
Weehawken 4-6
North Arlington 3-7
Secaucus 3-7
Harrison 2-8
MEADOWLANDS DIVISION
St. Mary 8-0
Becton 6-2
Hasbrouck Heights 3-5
Wood-Ridge 2-6
Wallington 1-7
LIBERTY DIVISION
New Milford 8-0
Ridgefield 5-3
Bogota 4-4
Leonia 3-5
Palisades Park 0-8
PATRIOT DIVISION
Cresskill 6-2
Park Ridge 5-3
Emerson 4-4
Waldwick 4-4
Midland Park 1-7
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: North Jersey boys basketball: Top 25 rankings after state openers
