Hillsborough and Rutgers Prep square off on January 7, 2025, in Hillsborough. The Argonauts remain No. 1 for a 43rd straight week. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
With its third big win of the year, Gill St. Bernard’s has moved up in the Week 5 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten, which saw two teams drop out, two new teams, and nine of the ten schools move to a new position.
And more could change this week.
Still in first – for a 43rd straight week – is Rutgers Prep (8-2). The Argonauts extended their Skyland Conference winning streak to 66 and Somerset County win streak to 53 in the week gone by, winning a pair of road games: 67-19 at Phillipsburg Tuesday, and 66-52 at Hillsborough Thursday, handing the Raiders their first loss.
The Argonauts will face Gill St. Bernard’s (9-2) on the road Thursday, with the Knights now up to No. 2 inn the rankings, in a rematch from December 16th, which Rutgers Prep won. Gill went 3-0 this past week, beating Franklin on the road Tuesday, 56-43, then Hunterdon Central at home Thursday, 77-35, and then-No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas Sunday evening in the St. Thomas Challenge College Showcase, 67-54.
Gill’s week doesn’t get any easier. Before Thursday’s matchup with Prep, they’ll have to visit 9-1 Hillsborough.
St. Thomas Aquinas (9-3) drops to third with the loss to the Knights, but the Trojans went 2-1 last week, winning Thursday at Colonia, 93-31, then Saturday at Old Bridge, 83-28. And they’ve extended their streak to 44 straight GMC regular season games, and 52 against Middlesex County opponents overall (including the postseason).
Hillsborough (9-1) drops to fourth after a 2-1 week that saw them beat Hunterdon Central, 72-27, at home Tuesday, lose to Prep on Thursday, then beat Plainfield on Saturday, 60-50.
Somerville (8-2) and Bernards (8-2) flip-flopped this week, with the Mountaineers moving up to five on a 3-0 week that included a Monday win over Montgomery, 41-19; a 44-29 win at North Hunterdon Thursday, and a 68-48 home victory over Bridgewater-Raritan Saturday. The Pioneers beat Belvidere 58-47 on Tuesday, and won at Columbia 53-30 Friday, before falling Saturday, 42-38 at Ridge.
Pingry (7-2) jumps into the poll at No. 7. They routed Ridge, 61-13, on Tuesday, they got by Mount St. Mary, 49-38 on Thursday.
South Brunswick (5-4) went 2-1 this week, but 2-0 against area teams, and enters at No. 8. Sandwiched around a Friday non-conference loss to Middletown South, 46-39, the Vikings got Red Division wins over Monroe, 53-30 on Tuesday, and over Colonia Saturday, 48-36.
Down two spots to ninth is Spotswood (9-3). The Chargers went 2-1 this week, beating Woodbridge at home with a dozen treys Tuesday, 72-38, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, then topping Perth Amboy on the road, 53-43 Thursday, before falling to Edison at home Saturday, 54-45.
And down one to tenth is Middlesex (8-3). The Blue Jays lost to South Plainfield Tuesday, 28-28, but rebounded with a win at Edison, 43-37, on Thursday, and a 45-39 home win over North Brunswick on Saturday.
Dropping out were No. 8 Old Bridge – which fell to 5-4 with losses to Colonia and St. Thomas Aquinas this past week – and No. 10 Edison. The Eagles (7-6) split four games, beating Perth Amboy and Spotswood, but falling to Middlesex and East Brunswick.
Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 5:
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