South Jersey high school boys basketball Mean 15 rankings going into playoffs

1. Camden (23-3; previous ranking 1) – The Panthers’ season came to a shocking end after the school district removed the squad from the NJSIAA Tournament following an on-court fight that stopped the Camden County Tournament final against Eastside on Thursday. The defending state champion was the No. 2 seed in South Jersey Group 2 but forfeits its first-round game to Lindenwold. It goes down as the program’s first South Jersey loss since March 4, 2019 (a 69-67 loss to Haddonfield), ending a streak of 70 straight victories in the region. The record was 73, set by Camden from 1958-1962, according to South Jersey historian Chuck Langerman.

More:School district removes Camden, Eastside basketball from NJSIAA Tournament after melee

2. Egg Harbor Twp. (23-5; 6) – The Eagles captured their first-ever Cape-Atlantic League Tournament title with upsets over second-seeded Mainland (semifinals; 55-41) and top-seeded St. Augustine (final; 63-60). Jay-Nelly Reyes and DJ Germann had 19 points each against the Mustangs while Christian Rando hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 16.3 seconds left against the Hermits to lift his team to the championship. Jamil Wilkins had a team-best 20 points in the final while Reyes added 19.

3. St. Augustine (23-5; 2) – The Hermits reached their fourth consecutive CAL final with their 72-58 semifinal win over Middle Township Tuesday, but fell to Egg Harbor in the title game, their fourth straight championship defeat. Semaj Bethea had 23 points and 7 assists against the Panthers and Elijah Brown had 24 points and 13 rebounds against the Eagles.

More:Egg Harbor makes last-minute comeback, tops St. Augustine for 1st CAL Tournament title

4. Paul VI (18-10; 3) – The Eagles closed the regular season with wins over Winslow (55-34) and Sterling (71-58). Josh Eli posted 24 points against Winslow while Judah Hidalgo, Adiel Fred and Isaiah Thomas had 14 each against Sterling.

5. Eastside (16-5; 5) – The Tigers edged Camden Catholic 60-58 in the Camden County semifinals before the district also pulled them from the postseason for their role in the fight against Camden. Eastside, also a defending state champion, was the No. 2 seed in South 3 and forfeits its matchup with Clearview.

6. Camden Catholic (21-5; 4) – The Irish sandwiched wins over Aquinas Academy (Del.) (72-34) and Bishop Eustace (56-49) around their loss to Eastside. Andrew Crawford scored a career-high 18 points against Aquinas.

More:Championship between Camden, Eastside basketball halted due to melee: What you need to know

7. Mainland (22-3; 7) – The Mustangs fell to Egg Harbor 55-41 in the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament semifinals Tuesday.

8. Bishop Eustace (16-9; 9) – The Crusaders fell to Camden and Camden Catholic to end the regular season. They were 9-7 in last 16 games, but their losses were to Camden (3), Camden Catholic (2), Paul VI and Eastside.

9. Eastern (18-10; 13) – The Vikings toppled Haddonfield (56-49) and Cherokee (60-50) to end the regular season. Damien Edwards netted 21 points and Max Portnoy had 17 against Haddonfield, while Sam Winsett posted a career-high 22 against Cherokee. Edwards added 16 and Portnoy tallied 13 and 7 assists.

10. Moorestown (19-7; 15) – The Quakers captured the first-ever Burlington County Tournament Royal title with wins over Cherokee (quarterfinals; 59-49), Westampton Tech (semifinals; 43-40) and Lenape (final; 49-46). David Gheysens had 20 points and Josh Byrd scored 14 in the quarters, Ryan Lynch and Gheysens netted 11 each in the semis and Gheysens had 16 and 6 rebounds in the final. Byrd added 12 points in the championship game.

More:Moorestown Friends School is changing leagues: What we know

11. Lenape (19-7; 12) – Lenape beat Medford Tech (66-63) and Rancocas Valley (49-35) to reach the Burlington Royal final, where it lost to Moorestown. Tye Dorset had 19 points in both wins while Matt Liebling (18 points) and James Wright (15) set career-highs against Medford Tech.

12. Timber Creek (18-7; NR) – Chargers won their first Tri-County Conference Tournament title with triumphs over Williamstown (quarterfinals; 79-70), Wildwood (semifinals; 60-55) and Overbrook (final; 53-45). Sami Anderson netted 13 points in the first two wins, Mahdee McNair and Asa Wharton had 11 each against Williamstown, Bryan Warren went for 18 points, 7 boards and 6 assists against Wildwood and had 17 points and 7 boards against Overbrook.

More:Bryan Warren drives Timber Creek High School basketball to first TCC Tournament title

13. Overbrook (21-6; 11) – Rams advanced to the TCC final with wins over Salem (quarterfinals; 71-40) and Washington Township (semifinals; 69-51), before falling to Timber Creek in the title game. Against the Rams, David Haywood had 21 points, 10 assists and 5 rebounds while Devon Johnson scored 20 points. Johnson led the way against Township with 19 points and 10 rebounds while Justin Galda had a career-best 14 points.

14. Haddonfield (23-5; 8) – The Haddons dropped their final two games of the regular season, the last a setback to Eastern Tuesday.

15. Westampton Tech (19-6; 14) – The Panthers fell in their season finale to Moorestown in the Burlington Royal semis Wednesday.

Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey boys basketball Mean 15 rankings for Feb. 19