Ramapo boys basketball leaves no doubt in sectional championship victory over Teaneck

FRANKLIN LAKES − Ramapo put the ball in Peyton Seals' hands, and North Jersey's best point guard rose to another level.

Seals scored a game-high 31 points and the Green Raiders repeated as North 1, Group 3 boys basketball champions Monday night with a 75-46 victory over Teaneck.

The junior scored his 31 through the first three quarters after which top-seeded Ramapo led second-seeded Teaneck, 64-27. Almost every Green Raiders' set began with the ball in Seals' hands.

“Peyton Seals seems to amaze me somehow every single time we step out there,” said Ramapo coach Nick Vier, who was without two key players due to injury. “He just seems to one-up himself in these big-game moments.”

Seals scored 18 in the third, with senior Nate Burleson on the bench in foul trouble, to help the Green Raiders extend a 44-19 halftime lead.

Burleson still contributed 15 points, including a dunk, while junior guard Chris Cervino chipped in 10 for Ramapo (28-3).

Tyler Tejada, the 6-foot-8 senior, led Teaneck (23-6) with 17 points. The 6-4 Seals, with plenty of help, made Tejada work for every touch.

“It’s what I want, I want to step up for my team, especially in these big games,” said Seals, who added eight rebounds. “And I want to do everything in my power to win the game."

What it means

Ramapo, last year’s NJSIAA Group 3 runner-up, advances to Wednesday’s NJSIAA semifinal at 7 p.m. at Phillipsburg High School, and faces the same team it beat to reach last year’s final, Colonia. The Green Raiders defeated Colonia last season, 49-39, before losing to Woodrow Wilson in the final at Rutgers, 43-42.

“This has been our goal the whole year,” Seals said. “We lost last year at Rutgers in the Group championship, and we had our eyes set on that the whole time. We are not looking past Wednesday, and we have to win that to get there, but that’s our main goal, to win a Group.”

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Key stretch

Ramapo rode an 18-4 run bridging the first and second quarters to build a 26-12 lead and the margin steadily increased.

Five Green Raiders scored during the spurt. Seal scored seven, including a 3-pointer to close the first quarter with a 22-12 lead. Burleson scored two baskets, Cervino hit a 3-pointer, and junior Zach Schnorbusch and sophomore Charlie Wingfield each chipped in a basket.

Schnorbusch and Wingfield started in place of juniors Wyatt Eglinton Manner and Nehemiah Burleson, both on the sideline on crutches. Eglington was injured during the Bergen Jamboree and Burleson, Nate's younger brother, was hurt during Friday’s Group 3 semifinal win over Pascack Valley. Sophomore Ryan Goldman played more minutes against Teaneck and closed the first half with a pair of 3-pointers.

“It’s a huge loss to be without Wyatt and Nehemiah, but Charlie and Zach, it's the next-man-up mentality,” Seals said. “And Ryan came off the bench for us and was huge.”

By the numbers

Ramapo dominated the first half en route to the 44-19 lead. The Green Raiders shot 59 percent from the field (19-32), including 55 percent from behind the arc (6-for-11).

Teaneck shot 29 percent in the first half (7-for-24) and missed all five shots from beyond the arc. Tejada, who entered averaged 31.3 points in the tournament, kept the Highwaymen in it early, scoring eight points, including a dunk to cut the deficit to 17-12.

"We came in here so prepared for this game, down two starters, and we didn't think anything of it," Cervino said. "It took hard work defending Tejada - Tejada's a great player. We had to defend him really well, but we did our job, we dominated and we got [the sectional title] two times in a row."

They said it

“It hasn’t really set in,” Vier said. “I’m blown away by how well we executed and how well boys played tonight. We did a great job defensively, executed our game plan to a T, and Peyton Seals and Nate Burleson had awesome games.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ramapo NJ boys basketball leaves no doubt in sectional title