The New Egypt High School boys basketball team eyed revenge in its NJSIAA South Jersey Group I state sectional tournament opener on March 1 when it took on Riverside High School of Burlington County at home.

New Egypt was moved from the Central Jersey Group I state sectional field to the South Jersey sectional field this season.

A Riverside victory in early February broke New Egypt’s bid for the Burlington County Freedom Division championship, where the Warriors’ 8-2 record was second to Burlington City’s 9-1 mark. New Egypt handed Burlington City its only division loss, 44-36 in overtime.

“They [Riverside] took us out of the division [race] and now we can get them back and end their season,” New Egypt senior forward and team captain Rocco Natalicchio said before the state tournament game.

“We want to get them back for that one,” New Egypt point guard Mark Przybylkowski said. “I feel like we are all on the same page now, and every team in that section can beat any team at any time.”

New Egypt made its point on March 1, jumping out to a 13-0 lead at the end of the first quarter en route to a 46-25 victory over Riverside. It was the fewest points allowed all season by the Warriors (19-8).

“We played some great defense, getting steals in transition,” said New Egypt coach Jay Corby. Natalicchio scored 10 points and grabbed six rebounds to complement another command performance under the boards by 6-9 junior center Desmond Hubert, who had his 11th triple-double of the season with 16 points, 16 rebounds and 13 blocks.

Przybylkowski, Adam Lipay and Jamel Smith had nine steals among them and all three guards helped take good care of the ball.

“The kids came out very physical and ready to play against the team that took the [division] title from us,” said Corby. “They played three and a half good quarters, aside from one stretch in the second quarter.”

A year ago, New Egypt advanced to the Central Jersey Group I state sectional tournament championship game, where the Warriors lost to Asbury Park, 51-37.

Now the Warriors are in a loaded bracket in South Jersey Group I as the No. 3 seed behind Pittman, which won 22 of its first 23 games, and Paulsboro. Corby also felt that the four seeds behind New Egypt — Burlington City, Point Pleasant Beach, Penns Grove and Woodbury — all are capable teams.

New Egypt entered the state tournament with victories in 12 of its last 15 games, marred by losses to a solid Willingboro team and to Northern Burlington, as well as to a Group IV school, Montgomery, 51-45, in the Prime Time Shootout in Trenton.

In that game, Hubert scored 24 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and had a Prime Time Shootout record 11 blocks as he continues to gain attention around the state and from college recruiters.

Of late, Hubert has drawn interest from the University of Connecticut, along with ongoing interest from Villanova, Pittsburgh, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Rutgers and Seton Hall.

In addition to scoring 16 points a game, Hubert grabs 10 rebounds and has 8.8 blocks per game. At one point during the season, Hubert recorded a triple-double in six consecutive games.

New Egypt closed out its regular season with a victory over Bordentown and also had a late-season triumph over Florence.

Corby gave some credit for the team’s strong play down the stretch to the “very consistent” efforts of Natalicchio.

“I try to get 10 points and five rebounds a game, to help us win,” said Natalicchio. “I don’t take a ton of shots, maybe 10 a game. If I make some of them and I don’t turn the ball over and I get rebounds, I feel that I have done my job.”

Along with Przybylkowski taking good care of the ball, Corby also pointed to the 20 charges Lipay has drawn this season, while Smith contributes tenacious defense and shows athletic moves to the basket.

Junior forward Taylor Steen also gets ample playing time in the tight rotation.

“Defensively, we have the ability to press and trap,” said Corby. “In a half-court set, it’s hard for teams to score on us because we can press on the outside.”

But Corby is not pleased with his team’s 47-40 scoring ratio per game.

“We are better offensively than what we have put out,” said Corby, who feels that reducing turnovers and shooting better at the free throw line, where he said his team has been inconsistent, would help boost the team’s scoring average.

“That and making more layups is worth another 10 points,” he said. “If we score in the 50s, we win games.

“We have been making only 50 to 60 percent of our free throws, so we need to get better,” said Natalicchio. “Our guards are great defensive players and we probably have one of the best defenses in the state, holding teams to 40 points.”

Having Hubert in the post makes it easy for defenders to be more daring, and Przybylkowski said the offense must keep Hubert as a force on that end of the court as well.

“We have to work inside and out, getting our big man touches, and when defenses collapse [to him], we can get open outside shots,” he said.

The Warriors hosted Penns Grove in the second round of the state sectional tournament on March 3. That game was played after the Tri-Town News deadline.