Aletha Reynolds of Bernards goes up for a shot as the Mountaineers host Roselle Park on January 17, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
The task was a tall one. Bernards knew that coming in.
The 7th-ranked Mountaineer girls basketball team was a perfect 10-for-10 in 2025-26 heading into Saturday afternoon’s non-conference home game with Roselle Park and the state’s top scorer, Sidney Smith.
And it would be a good test against a solid squad not from their league, a chance to see how they stacked up.
Bernards hung in there, never leading in the game, but keeping it close. They trailed by ten at the half, 35-25, and got it to single digits on a couple of occasions, even as close as six late in the first half.
But the Elon-committed Smith was too much for the Mountaineers, either scoring from what would be the college three-point line, or getting to the basket, drawing contact and going to the line, where she picked up even more points.
It all resulted in a 67-52 win for Roselle Park (8-2), and Bernards’ first loss of the year (10-1).
She finished with a game-high 35, scoring 17 in a third quarter that proved to be the difference, and had five triples in the game. With Bernards keeping it close, she took over the game in the third.
Aletha Reynolds was high scorer for Bernards, scoring 26, including five treys.
Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
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