VIDEO: Varsity Hoops Teams Advance in State Tournament Play

One loss and you're out.

That's the story when it comes to the state tournament, and Monday night, the Gov. Livingston boys' and girls' varsity basketball teams handled the pressure with solid first round wins.

In the first game of the doubleheader, the girls' team handled visiting Shore Regional 47-32, while the boys' held off a scrappy North Plainfield squad 68-57  to advance.

The girls' were led the usual balanced scoring attack with Sam Dowling notching a team-high 12-points. Erin Ferguson chipped in with eight points and nine boards, while Alyssa Polimeni scored eight.

Kevin Ferguson led the boys side with an impressive triple-double (24 points, 12 rebounds, 12 blocks). He told Patch after the game that the University of Hartford has offered him a scholarship to play there in the fall, but other schools have been knocking on the door.

Both teams are back in action again on Wednesday in second-round action when the girls host Roselle at 5 p.m. and the boys' entertain Roselle at 7 p.m.