Aletha Reynolds of Bernards goes up for a shot as the Mountaineers host Roselle Park on January 17, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
It couldn’t go on like this forever.
For three weeks, the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten essentially remained the same, but that’s not the case this week. A number of top ten teams played each other, necessitating a shuffle, with a win by Franklin propelling them into the Top Ten and forcing a reset of sorts.
The Warriors had beaten Hillsborough earlier in the season, but at the time, were just 5-4, albeit with two of those losses coming to Rutgers Prep and Gill St. Bernard’s, with the others coming to very good schools out of conference. But now, they have won nine of their last eleven, and we consider them worthy of the rankings.
Still, the top three remained the same, including Rutgers Prep (16-2) at No. 1. The Argonauts only had one game on a school day this past week, beating Gill St. Bernard’s 51-44 at home in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio to clinch the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title. They finished off a 2-0 week with a win Sunday over Trinity Hall, 63-53, in the Coaches Choice Shore Challenge at Holmdel, the Argonauts’ tenth straight win.
That same showcase was the site of St. Thomas Aquinas’ (17-3) only game this week, and they beat Rumson-Fair Haven 49-37 Sunday, for their eleventh straight win. They’ll be back at it Tuesday at 5:30 at No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s (14-4), in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, our final regular season broadcast of the season. The Knights played twice in the past week, beating Bridgewater-Raritan 76-45 Tuesday before the loss to Prep.
From thee to eight is where things shift around. Bernards (16-1) moves up three places to four, after beating then 57-55 back on Thursday. That was sandwiched between a Tuesday home win over Delaware Valley, 58-35, and a Saturday home win over Bridgewater-Raritan, 64-38, in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament. The 7th-seeded Mountaineers visit two-seed Gill St. Bernards in the quarterfinals Saturday.
Franklin (10-6) makes its debut at No. 5. The Warriors didn’t play this week, but beat Hillsborough earlier this year. Just 5-4 at the time, they’ve won nine of eleven and are 8-2 in the New Year, and make the rankings after Somerville dropped out.
Hillsborough (15-3) falls two spots to No. 6 after the loss to Bernards Thursday, 57-55, which followed a Tuesday home win over Ridge, 60-37.
East Brunswick (15-4) actually falls to seven, mainly due to Franklin’s debut and Bernards rising, but the Bears were 2-0 this past week. And their first win was huge, knocking off previously-undefeated Colonia 59-48 on Thursday. They also cruised past Edison 53-35 on Saturday.
Colonia (15-1) drops to No. 8 off a 1-1 week. After the East Brunswick loss, the Patriots rebounded with a 63-35 win over South Brunswick on Saturday afternoon.
Bound Brook (17-1) stays put at No. 9 on the strength of a 2-0- week. They beat South Hunterdon 71-19 on Tuesday, then beat Montgomery 55-20 in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament. The fifth-seeded Crusaders will visit four-seed Hillsborough Saturday in the quarterfinals.
And Woodbridge (13-5) also stays put, holding in tenth, on busy week. The Barrons went 3-1, with wins Tuesday at Highland Park, 66-53, and Wednesday at Metuchen, 58-43, before taking a loss at Piscataway, 51-43, on Friday. But they came back home Saturday and beat Perth Amboy, 64-41.
Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 8:
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