Vicente Llanes of Watchung Hills (#10, lower left) gets a block in a win over Franklin on January 18, 2024. The Warriors edged up a spot to ninth in this week’s rankings. (Source: Hudl)
There was very little movement, and none at the top, in the Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten.
Rutgers Prep (10-4) went 3-0 this past week, part of a stretch that saw Somerset County teams go 11-1, picking up wins over Immaculata and at Ridge, whose only two prior losses were to St. Joseph-Metuchen – the highest ranked team in the GMC – and Phillipsburg.
The Argonauts are followed by St. Joe’s in second at 11-4. The Falcons went 2-1 this week, starting with an 80-61 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday to clinch the GMC Red Division, and ostensibly the top seed in the GMC Tournament. They followed it up with a 72-63 win at Colonia in their rematch with the Patriots, but fell Saturday afternoon to Elizabeth in a non-conference game.
Colonia (9-5) holds in third, after a 2-1 week that saw their loss to Joe’s bookended by a Monday win over Monroe, and a Saturday thrashing of South Brunswick.
St. Thomas Aquinas (12-4) maintains the No. 4 spot despite a 1-2 week. They beat Saddle River Day Monday, lost to St. Joseph on Wednesday, then fell to Newark Central in a Brick City showcase over the weekend.
Montgomery (11-1) moved up to fifth, flip-flopping with Hillsborough. The Cougars took a road win at Carteret, then beat state top-ten College Achieve Asbury Park 78-62 at home Sunday afternoon, in a game rescheduled from Friday due to snow.
Hilllsborough (10-2) also had a 2-0 week, winning at Hunterdon Central during the week and beating Governor Livingston at home on Saturday. The Raiders are 4-0 in the Skyland Delaware Division and have a huge clash at home Tuesday at 7 pm against No. 1 Rutgers Prep, a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
In seventh is Ridge (9-3), which split a pair this week. They lost to Rutgers Prep Wednesday, but came back Saturday for a home win against Hamilton West.
South Plainfield (11-4) climbed from ninth to No. 8 with a 2-0 week that saw a pair of road wins over Perth Amboy and Edison.
Watchung Hills (11-2) also went 2-0 last week, and moved from tenth to ninth; the Warriors beat Bound Brook Monday and Franklin Wednesday.
Monroe (11-4) dropped to tenth after a 2-2 week; they were the only area team to fit four games in their schedule over the last seven days. They dropped their first two at Colonia Monday and at home to Old Bridge Wednesday, before bouncing back with a win at East Brunswick Thursday and getting a win at JP Stevens on Saturday.
Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 6:
Discover more from Central Jersey Sports Radio
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.