Two titles propel Colonia to No. 1 in final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top 10 of the season

On the strength of two championships this season – the GMC Tournament and the North 2, Group 3 section in the states – Colonia is the No. 1 team in the final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten of the season.

Colonia finished 22-9 on the season, beating St. Thomas Aquinas to win its first full county tournament since 2015 (they won the Towns/Williams four-team pod in the COVID-shortened season of 2021). Then, after the sudden passing of assistant coach Danny Brix, the Patriots won their third straight sectional title, before their season came to an end in the Group 3 semifinals against Ramapo.

In second is Rutgers Prep, which won its second Somerset County Tournament championship in a row, and finished 20-7, also taking the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title.

Montgomery (25-4) finished in third, its four losses coming to just two teams. They lost to Rutgers Prep twice, once in the regular season, and then again by three in the SCT title game. They also lost to Lenape in the regular season, and in the Group 4 semifinals, after winning their first sectional title since 2014, taking the Central Group 4 title with a win over Monroe.

In fourth is St. Thomas Aquinas, which finished 17-12 and reached the GMC Tournament finals, falling to Colonia.

GMC Red Division champion St. Joseph-Metuchen checks in at No. 5, with a 19-9 record.

After Watchung Hills (18-8) and Monroe (19-8) in sixth and seventh, respectively, GMC White Division Co-Champion South Plainfield checks in at No. 8.

Hillsborough is in ninth at 15-9, with two teams tied for tenth: Ridge and Bernards, both of which finished 15-10, with the Mountaineers claiming the Skyland Conference Mountain Division title.

See the final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings for the 2023-24 season below: