Metuchen wins the opening tip-off against Timothy Christian in a GMC Tournament preliminary round home game on February 10, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Five higher seeds advanced in the boys’ basketball GMC Tournament Tuesday night, while Monroe, JP Stevens and North Plainfield came away with upset wins in preliminary round action.
The GMCT now moves on to the First Round, the round of 16, as the top eight seeds that earned double byes begin play, hosting game on Thursday night, with winners moving on to Saturday’s quarterfinals, all at higher seeds – unlike years past where the quarters were held at neutral sites.
Scroll through for a recap of each game, followed by a look ahead to Thursday’s first round matchups, complete with records and times.
(17) Monroe 49, (16) South Amboy 44: The Falcons (6-16) built an eight point lead at the end of one, 18-10, but saw it shrink to six by halftime and two heading into the final quarter, but hung on to win by five. Josh Ellis scored 15 points to lead Monroe – including three triples – while Kyle Fernandes added 10 and scored twice from beyond the arc. While a minor upset by seed in a 17/16 game, the Governors had a 15-6 season going, with a 9-1 finish as co-champs in the GMC Blue American Division with Piscataway Magnet, which also lost Tuesday night.
(9) Metuchen 72, (24) Timothy Christian 47: The Bulldogs (20-2) made it back-to-back 20-win seasons for the GMC White National Division champions, who matched last year’s win total with a win over the Tigers. Cameron Hayes-Durina and Matt Smith each led Metuchen with 21 points apiece, with smith adding two baskets from beyond the arc. The game was tight through the first half, with Timothy Christian down just four points at the half, but the Bulldogs pulled ahead i the third and ran away with t in the fourth on the strength of a 21-9 final eight minutes. Aiden Badger had game-high honors, scoring 22 to lead Timothy Christian in defeat.
(21) JP Stevens 66, (12) Piscataway Magnet 41: The Hawks (11-12) got to a game below .500 with the win over the Raiders (17-5), GMC Blue American Division co-champions with South Amboy. JP Stevens – which had lost six straight and nine of its last ten heading into the postseason – has now won two straight in the GMC Tournament.
(13) Middlesex 69, (20) JFK 37: The Blue Jays (16-7) found themselves down 10-6 after one quarter, but snapped out of it quickly against the Mustangs, outscoring them 20-11 in the second quarter to take a five-point halftime lead, then held Kennedy to single digits in each of the final two quarters – winning the second half 43-16 – en route to the victory. Jax Robel had a game-high 17 for Middlesex, including three from downtown, while Julian Samuels added 16 and Mark Melchiorre added eleven. Middlesex hit nine times from beyond the arc in the game.
(14) South Brunswick 60, Carteret 58 (OT): The Vikings (13-8) needed extra time to pull this one out in a tight game most of the way. South Brunswick led by nine after one and by seven at the half, but went to overtime tied up at 54, wininng the final four minutes 6-4. Four players scored in double figures for the Vikes, who got 18 from Arjun Jadhav, a dozen each from Jeremiah Jackson and Kevin Burgman, with another 11 from his twin, Kyle Burgman. Al-Naiquan Boseman led Carteret with 14 in the losing effort.
(11) Woodbridge 67, (22) Edison 60: The Barrons (6-14) built a seven point lead in the first half and hung on the rest of the way for the win behind a 24-point night from Emmanuel Cruz, who hit three treys and was five-of-seven from the foul line. Jayden Cummings added 17, as Woodbridge hit seven triples in the game. Dheeraj Samparaboyina led Edison with 22 in defeat.
(10) Perth Amboy 70, (23) North Brunswick 49: The Panthers (21-4) continue to play solid basketball as hey jumped out to an early lead over the Raiders and never looked back, up 17-10 after one and 35-26 at the break. Yandel Susana scored 15 and went 5-of-7 from the foul line, while “Ricky” Ricardo Reyes added 14 and six assists. The GMC White American Division champs have won more games than any other Amboy team since 1993 – also they last time they won a division title – when they finished 24-2. Amboy is third Middlesex County history with its 19th 20-win season. Colonia has 24, and St. Joseph-Metuchen is in the midst of its 25th 20-victory campaign, now at 22-1 after a 74-38 road win at Newark West Side Tuesday night.
(18) North Plainfield 76, (15) Spotswood 66: The Canucks (13-11) got monster games from Quadir Williams and Cayden Prince, who scored 26 and 24 points, respectively, en route to a ten-point road win over the Chargers, who also got a big game from Leo Carone, with 21 points and three treys in the losing effort. North Plainfield led 62-44 after three, but a Spotswood rally fell short.
FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE – THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12
- (9) Metuchen at (8) Old Bridge, 5:30 pm
- (11) Woodbridge at (6) South Plainfield, 5:30 pm
- (18) North Plainfield at (2) Piscataway, 6 pm
- (17) Monroe at (1) St. Joseph-Metuchen, 6 pm
- (13) Middlesex at (4) East Brunswick, 6 pm
- (14) South Brunswick at (3) Colonia, 6 pm
- (21) JP Stevens at (5) St. Thomas Aquinas, 7 pm
- (10) Perth Amboy at (7) Sayreville, 7 pm