Bernards girls’ hoops picking up right where it left off, now 8-0 after program best ’24-’25

When last we spoke about Bernards’ girls basketball with head coach Brett Bisconti, the Mountaineers had just finished off Voorhees in the quarterfinal round of the North 2, Group 2 section in the NJSIAA state tournament, and their 23rd win of the season set a new program record for victories.

While they would fall by six two days later at Caldwell in the semifinals, the 2025-26 campaign finds Bernards right where they left off, and with their best start to a season since at least 2006-07, 8-0 on the year. (They started 3-1 and got to eight wins before losing again.)

Their biggest win this season came less than a week ago, back on Thursday, another win over Voorhees, 40-39 in overtime. They also beat Brearley and host Metuchen right before the New Year to win the Bulldogs’ Artie Flaherty Holiday Tournament.

A big reason why has been senior Aletha Reynolds, averaging 14.6 points a game with 14 treys and a team-best 23 steals on the year, with the rest of the offense a nice, balanced attack of junior Jasmine Kelleher (9 ppg), fellow junior Maddie Frame (6.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg) and freshman Jane Freisen (8.3 pg), who Bisconti says might be “the next Aletha Reynolds.”

Bisconti’s first two seasons managed a total of five wins combined, one of those years the infamous COVID-shortened season. But it’s been a steady climb since then: 15 wins in 2022-23 and 14 the next, then last year’s explosion of 23 victories.

This year’s squad is looking for more.

And the Mountaineers begin perhaps their toughest week of the season in divisional play, with a trip to No. 8 Somerville (10-2) Tuesday night to face a Pioneer squad that went 5-0 last week to double their win total, followed by Immaculata (5-6) heading up into the Somerset Hills for a Thursday evening tussle.

Click below to hear Bernards girls’ basketball head coach Brett Bisconti talk about the Mountaineers’ season with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: