2026 NJSIAA Girls Basketball North Jersey, Section 1 Group 1 Tournament First Round - Pompton Lakes vs. Butler - Alaina Entice — Butler's Alaina Entice (Photo by Christopher Shannon/OnNJ Sports)

February 27, 2026

IMAGES: Butler Fends Off Rival in N1G1 Girls Basketball Tournament Opening Round

Alexa Sinopoli , basketball , Butler , high school basketball , high school sports , NJ sports , NJSIAA , playoffs , Pompton Lakes , Postseason , Rayana Brownridge

2026 NJSIAA Girls Basketball North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 First Round - Pompton Lakes vs. Butler

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Action from a 2026 NJSIAA Girls Basketball North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 Tournament first round game between Pompton Lakes and Butler. (Photo by Christopher Shannon/OnNJ Sports)

Alexa Sinopoli recorded a double-double, netting 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, and Butler held off a second-half rally from rival Pompton Lakes to earn a 38-33 victory over the Cardinals in the first round of the 2026 NJSIAA Girls Basketball North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 Tournament.

Anabella Cole and Allison Dieckmann each had near double-doubles, dropping an additional eight points and hauling in 10 boards apiece to further the Bulldog cause. Sinopoli also had four of Butler’s 10 steals to help fuel the Bulldog defense.

Rayana Brownridge also recorded a double-double, scoring 15 points while hauling in 11 boards to lead Pompton Lakes. Ariana Gacsi added eight rebounds, four assists, and five steals for the Cardinals.

The win marked the third of the season for Butler over Pompton Lakes, and means that the Bulldogs will host Indian Hills, who upset top-seed Emerson Boro, in the quarterfinals of the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 tournament on Monday.

About the Author

Christopher Shannon

Photo Editor

Christopher is the Photo Editor at OnNJ Sports. You can often find Christopher along the sidelines at sporting events in Northern Jersey, or at West Point photographing athletic, and other, events there. Christopher’s favorite events that he has had the opportunity to cover, so far in his career, include Penn State football White Out games and Army-Navy football games. While Christopher enjoys photographing a wide variety of sports, his favorite to cover include football, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics, and lacrosse.