Few changes at the top, but a big shakeup at the bottom of the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

Undefeated St. Thomas Aquinas stays at No. 1, and the top six all remained there – with some in different spots – but the final four teams in last week’s Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten are out, with four new teams in.

Teams seven through ten last week – Woodbridge, Franklin, Immaculata and Bridgewater-Raritan all dropped out, replaced by Watchung Hills, Montgomery, Piscataway and South Plainfield. While a few teams had taken on early losses, some of the top teams distanced themselves, but many others could be in contention for the rankings, including Woodbridge and Timothy Christian from the GMC.

Aquinas (5-0) held the top spot on the strength of a three-win week, with victories over South Brunswick, Old Bridge, and Monsignor Scanlan out of New York City.

St. Joseph-Metuchen climbed to second after a Tuesday win at then-No. 2 Colonia, 43-42. The Falcons also beat JP Stevens Thursday by 30.

Rutgers Prep (3-1) pulled up to third after a win Friday at Immaculata by eight. They also lost to St. Rose in a non-area game, 86-70 on Saturday.

Colonia (2-2) fell two spots to fourth after a 1-2 week, with losses to St. Joe’s and Hunterdon Central, but a win in between at South Brunswick.

Hillsborough (3-1) and Gill St. Bernard’s (3-1) are fifth and sixth, respectively. The Raiders were 2-0 in the week gone by, with wins over Morris Knolls and Franklin, while the Knights were 3-0, with wins over Franklin and Immaculata, as well as Paramus Catholic out-of-conference. Each has knocked off two ranked teams: Gill with its two league wins this week, and Boro with the Franklin win this week, and a victory in its opener head-to-head over Gill.

The next four teams all fell out. Previous No. 7 Woodbridge didn’t have a bad week, going 1-1, with a win over Sayreville, but a loss to South Plainfield, which is 3-2, but made the top ten after beating the Barrons Thursday by 12. Previous No. 8 Franklin went 0-2 this week, with losses at Gill and Hillsborough. Previous No. 9 Immaculata lost at Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep. And previous No. 10 Bridgewater-Raritan went 1-2 with losses at Ridge and Watchung Hills (which made this week’s rankings), and a win against North Plainfield.

So, Watchung Hills (5-0) debuts in the rankings at No. 7, thanks to three straight wins over Bound Brook, Bridegwater-Raritan and Clifton.

Then, it’s Montgomery in the rankings at No. 8, with a 4-0 record and wins over Delaware Valley and Morris Knolls this past week.

At No. 9, it’s Piscataway (4-1), which had a 3-0 week, thanks to victories over Old Bridge, East Brunswick and West Orange.

In tenth is South Plainfield (3-2), which beat previously-ranked Woodbridge head-to-head this week, 76-64, while also beating Perth Amboy and losing a non-conference game at Cranford.

Below are the full Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings: