Ranking the best N.J. girls basketball conferences as regular season draws to a close

Nina Emnace (23) of Trinity Hall scores on a three pointer against Ella Kreuzer (33) of Chatham during the Winter Classic girls basketball game between No. 9 Chatham and Trinity Hall at Harwood Arena at Kean University in Union, NJ on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

The regular season is slowly drawing to a close, and county and conference tournaments are starting to heat up as the NJSIAA Tournament cutoff inches closer.

Whitney Hobson (12) of Trinity Hall defends against Mia Semioli (23) of Chatham during the Winter Classic girls basketball game between No. 9 Chatham and Trinity Hall at Harwood Arena at Kean University in Union, NJ on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

The NJ.com girls basketball writers decided to see how each conference stacks up at this point in the season, and gave ranking them a shot.

Lilly Riggi (35) of Trinity Hall tries to push through Addison Barrett (13) of Chatham during the Winter Classic girls basketball game between No. 9 Chatham and Trinity Hall at Harwood Arena at Kean University in Union, NJ on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

Here’s how we see the hierarchy of all 15 girls basketball conferences in New Jersey:

1-Shore Conference

Ranked teams: No. 3 Red Bank Catholic, No. 5 St. John Vianney, No. 14 Ocean Township, No. 15 St. Rose, No. 16 Manasquan, No. 19 Red Bank Regional

The best team: Red Bank Catholic

Niamh Stapleton (13) of Trinity Hall tries to score against Addison Barrett (13) of Chatham during the Winter Classic girls basketball game between No. 9 Chatham and Trinity Hall at Harwood Arena at Kean University in Union, NJ on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

The surprise team: Red Bank Regional

Why they’re here: The Shore Conference continues to be the gold standard of girls basketball in New Jersey. No other conference has the depth and quality like the Shore, and while six teams are currently ranked in the NJ.com Top 20, plenty of others have a strong case to be ranked. Trinity Hall, Wall, Rumson-Fair Haven and others are all in the mix for ranking and will be in the mix for sectional championships once the state tournament begins in two weeks.

2-Skyland Conference

Grace Feeney (5) of Trinity Hall tries to go up for a shot against McKenna Hogan (12) and Addison Barrett (13) of Chatham during the Winter Classic girls basketball game between No. 9 Chatham and Trinity Hall at Harwood Arena at Kean University in Union, NJ on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

Ranked teams: No. 2 Rutgers Prep, No. 6 Gill St. Bernard’s

The best team: Rutgers Prep

The surprise team: Voorhees

Why they’re here: Rutgers Prep and Gill St. Bernard’s are proving – yet again – to be two of the top teams in the state. Rutgers Prep, which is undefeated against conference opponents, boasts three wins over Top 20 opponents. Gill St. Bernard’s, which has lost to Rutgers Prep and Manasquan this year, has Top 20 wins over Trinity Hall and St. Rose, and will likely meet Rutgers Prep in the Somerset County Tournament final. The Skyland also boasts 11 other teams that have above .500 records, and could see a handful of teams make strong state tournament runs.

Chatham head coach Joe Gaba during the Winter Classic girls basketball game between No. 9 Chatham and Trinity Hall at Harwood Arena at Kean University in Union, NJ on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

3-Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Ranked teams: No. 1 Morris Catholic, No. 9 Chatham

The best team: Morris Catholic

Grace Feeney (5) of Trinity Hall tries to score against Mia Semioli (23) of Chatham during the Winter Classic girls basketball game between No. 9 Chatham and Trinity Hall at Harwood Arena at Kean University in Union, NJ on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

The surprise team: Jefferson

Why they’re here: The NJAC has consistently produced sectional and state champions over the last few years, and there’s a chance that it happens again this season. Top-ranked and undefeated Morris Catholic headlines the conference, while Chatham is having a terrific season and is a Group 3 title contender. Teams like Pope John, Jefferson, Madison and Morristown are arguably considered among the favorites in their respective sections.

Lilly Riggi (35) of Trinity Hall tries to push through Addison Barrett (13) of Chatham during the Winter Classic girls basketball game between No. 9 Chatham and Trinity Hall at Harwood Arena at Kean University in Union, NJ on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

4-Super Essex Conference

Whitney Hobson (12) of Trinity Hall tries to move the ball against McKenna Hogan (12) and Addison Barrett (13) of Chatham during the Winter Classic girls basketball game between No. 9 Chatham and Trinity Hall at Harwood Arena at Kean University in Union, NJ on Sunday, February 4, 2024.

Ranked teams: No. 4 Montclair Immaculate, No. 10 University

Gianna Chuffo (3) of St. Thomas Aquinas tries to drive past Caroline Bariscillo (10) of Ocean Township during the Coaches Choice Showcase girls basketball game between Ocean Township and St. Thomas Aquinas at Holmdel High School in Homdel, NJ on Saturday, February 3, 2024.

The best team: Montclair Immaculate

The surprise team: West Orange

Why they’re here: Essex County basketball continues to be among the top in the state, with quality teams spread out throughout the SEC divisions. Montclair Immaculate and University are the top two, but teams like West Orange, Newark Academy, Glen Ridge, Newark Central and others are in the mix and can play with a bunch of teams in the state.

5-Big North Conference

Ranked teams: No. 18 Paterson Eastside

The best team: Paterson Eastside

The surprise team: Ramapo

Why they’re here: The quality and depth of the Big North Conference always seems to be among the best each season. This year is no different. While only currently having one ranked team in the NJ.com Top 20 in Paterson Eastside, the conference has contenders like Teaneck, Old Tappan, Demarest, Ramapo, Holy Angels, Immaculate Heart, Mahwah, River Dell and plenty more that are having standout seasons and will make noise in the state tournament.

6-Olympic Conference

Ranked teams: No. 13 Paul VI

The best team: Paul VI

The surprise team: Lenape

Why they’re here: Paul VI is coming on strong of late, winning eight consecutive games and playing its best basketball of the season. But Paul VI is not the only standout team in the conference. While not the biggest conference in the state, the Olympic has teams like Cherokee, Lenape, Moorestown, Cherry Hill West and Shawnee who each have had good seasons and will look to continue their high level of play over the coming weeks.

7-Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic League

Ranked teams: No. 17 Bayonne, No. 20 Union City

The best team: Bayonne

The surprise team: Snyder

Why they’re here: Hudson County currently has two ranked teams, who also happen to be defending sectional champions, including the defending Group 4 champions in Bayonne. Union City has also gotten healthier as the season has gone and is currently playing its best basketball of the season. The rest of the conference has teams like Hudson Catholic, Kearny, St. Dominic and Snyder, which has already surpassed its season win total from a year ago.

8-Cape-Atlantic League

Ranked teams: No. 8 Mainland

The best team: Mainland

The surprise team: Middle Township

Why they’re here: The CAL has solid teams throughout the conference, including those who will be making deep runs in the state tournament. Mainland, the No. 8 team in the NJ.com Top 20, and Wildwood Catholic have separated themselves from the rest of the pack in the conference. Middle Township has had another strong season, while dealing with injuries and the graduation of Jada Elston from a year ago. Absegmai, Holy Spirit, Our Lady of Mercy, Egg Harbor, Lower Cape May and Atlantic Tech teams to keep an eye on in the coming weeks.

9-Union County Conference

Ranked teams: No. 11 New Providence

The best team: New Providence

The surprise team: Cranford

Why they’re here: There’s been no doubt that New Providence has been the top team in the UCC the last few years, and it’s no different this season. New Providence is the No. 11 team in the NJ.com Top 20, while Cranford has improved each season under coach Allison Skrec and has been the second best team in the conference this season.

10-Greater Middlesex Conference

Ranked teams: None

The best team: St. Thomas Aquinas

The surprise team: J.P. Stevens

Why they’re here: Despite losing a handful of players to graduation and transfers, and introducing a new head coach, St. Thomas Aquinas continues to be the standard of basketball in the GMC. But there are a host of other teams, especially in the Red Division, that have the ability to beat anyone on any given day. J.P. Stevens is enjoying a resurgence under second-year head coach Tim Weber and won the White Division title at 15-1 after last winning a division title during the 2018-19 season.

11-Colonial Valley Conference

Ranked teams: No. 7 Ewing

The best team: Ewing

The surprise team: Princeton

Why they’re here: Ewing has a strong shot at repeating as both Mercer County Tournament and Group 3 champions as the Blue Devils have tested themselves against some of the best teams so far this season. Hightstown and Notre Dame are atop the Colonial Division, while Princeton is enjoying a 13-5 season and at one point won 10-straight games.

12-North Jersey Interscholastic Conference

Ranked teams: No. 12 Saddle River Day

The best team: Saddle River Day

The surprise team: Cresskill

Why they’re here: Saddle River Day is again one of the best teams in the state as the Rebels have just three losses, two of which came against Top 20 teams. Saddle River Day, which has won five-straight games, is on the hunt for its eighth-straight Bergen County Tournament title and will look to make a run in North, Non-Public B. Cresskill, which is coming off a 23-8 season, is 12-9 at this point of the season but has wins over Secaucus and second-seeded Immaculate Heart in the Bergen County Tournament. Look for the likes of Secaucus (lost in last year’s Group 2 final) and Park Ridge (lost in the North 1, Group 1 final) to make strong runs once again come tournament time.

13-Tri-County Conference

Ranked teams: None

The best team: Wildwood

The surprise team: Clearview

Why they’re here: Wildwood is enjoying another strong season with a 15-5 overall record and an 8-0 divisional record after advancing to the South, Group 1 final last year. The Warriors, which don’t have a conference loss so far this season, are primed to make another sectional final run, along with the likes of Woodstown, Gloucester Catholic, Williamstown, Timber Creek and Clearview, which has bounced back from a 15-12 season last year and is currently 14-3.

14-Burlington County Scholastic League

Ranked teams: None

The best team: Trenton Catholic

The surprise team: Maple Shade

Why they’re here: Trenton Catholic has been dominant within the BCSL this season, having not lost a conference game. The Lady Mikes have challenged themselves and gone against a host of non-conference opponents and five Top 20 teams, which will only serve to help them as they look to make a run in South, Non-Public B. Maple Shade, which finished 13-11 last year, has only five losses and managed to climb its way to the top of the Freedom Division.

15-Colonial Conference

Ranked teams: None

The best team: Haddonfield

The surprise team: Audubon

Why they’re here: Haddonfield is again one of the top teams in the conference this season, as the Bulldawgs are 16-3 and 8-0 atop the Liberty Division. Audubon, which went 9-14 last year, started the season on an eight-game win streak and is currently 11-5 and 8-0 atop the Patriot Division. But keep an eye on Woodbury, which has won 11 of its last 12 games after starting the season 2-7.

Lauren Knego and Luis Torres cover girls basketball. You can reach them at [email protected] and [email protected].

The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now!

Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)

©2024 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit nj.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.