Author: Mike Pavlichko

by Mike Pavlichko

Historic Knight! Dominant defense by Dixon and Co. lead Gill St. Bernard’s boys to first-ever state title, 39-28 win over Holy Cross

A low-scoring game, with both teams feeling each other out, turned into a defensive clinic at Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena Thursday night.

No, it wasn’t a Steve Pikiell summer camp. It was the Non-Public Group B state title game.

And it was Gill St. Bernard’s – after leading just 6-2 after one quarter – ahead 20-2 at halftime.

While one might think it was over at that point in the Non-Public Group B final, the mantra for Holy Cross this post seaosn has been “We’re there, why not us?”

And with that, they got back into the game.

Tristan Ganges – who had the only points of the first half for the Lancers, quickly got the first six of the second half to cut into the lead. Holy Cross kept it around ten most of the second half, even getting it down to six in the fourth quarter.

But in the end, the Gill defense was just too strong, led primarily by Jahmal Dixon, always assigned the opposition’s best player. But Prosper Sonkoua also had a number of blocks – as he does – and even Connor Junker was cleaning up with loose floor rebounds. The Knights forced 16 turnovers, while only committing nine, and they outrebounded the Lancers 34 to 17.

In the end, Gill held on for a 39-28 win, earning the Knights’ (27-2) their first ever state championship.

Their season also ends with a 24-game win streak, matching a school record set in the 2010-11 season, head coach Mergin Sina’s first year leading the program after coaching the Gill girls for six years.

Junker, the sophomore who hit some big threes to lead Gill to the 2025 Somerset County Tournament title – a feat they reprised this year – finished with a game-high 13 points, while senior Dorsett Mulcahy had a dozen. Each also had a triple, while Dixon had one, too, and finished with seven.

Holy Cross finished its season at 27-4.

Click below for postgame reaction from Alec Crouthamel with Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mergin Sina, as well as guards Connor Junker, Jahmal Dixon and Dorsett Mulcahy, as well as forward Prosper Sonkoua, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gloucester Catholic’s aggressive D too much for Gill St. Bernard’s, dashes Knights’ hopes in Non-Public B final, 62-39

Lisa Gedaka, the head coach in her 37th year at Gloucester Catholic, had 760 wins coming into Thursday’s Non-Public Group B girls’ title game.

But coming into last year, the Rams had never won a sectional title.

Well, now they have two, and two state titles as well, as they beat Gill St. Bernard’s 62-39 Tuesday night in the state finals at Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway – in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – led by 22 points from senior Jahzara Green, and 13 from junior Amanda Eggers, who also had four treys.

Gill had a tough time getting shots to go down early, and had a tough time finding open looks, even as they would double- and triple-team senior Addy Platt, who finished with 15 points in her final game before heading off to St. Joseph in Philadelphia.

The Knights (22-6) made a bit of a run early in the second half. The difference is they hit their first couple of shots, and were able to set up their pressure and defense. But the run was short-lived, even though they trimmed what was a ten-point halftime deficit to seven midway through the third.

Junior Kaity Platt, Addy’s younger sister, had some key threes in the third as the Knights tried to come back. She finished with 13 and three treys.

The Rams finish their season at 25-4.

Click below for postgame reaction from Gloucester Catholic head coach Lisa Gedaka, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen.

by Mike Pavlichko

Sectional trophy in hand, Gill St. Bernard’s boys seek first-ever state title when Knights head down to Rutgers to take on Holy Cross Prep

With all the success Mergin Sina has had leading the boys’ basketball program at Gill St. Bernard’s – including too many Division 1 prospects to count and ten Somerset County titles – it had been a while since they won a sectional championship.

So close last season, and with a wacky finish that cost Sina the first two games of this season for arguing a controversial late game call – something he’ll willingly bring up on his own, by the way – the Knights avenged their defeat at the hands of perennial state power Roselle Catholic with a 58-47 win Monday in the Non-Public North B title game.

Now, there’s just one more game left, as Gill seeks its first ever state title when it takes on Holy Cross Prep out of Delran in the Non-Public Group B final at Rutgers. Tip-off time from Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway is at 7 pm, and we’ve got live coverage on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel calling all the action. Pregame starts at 6:45; click here to listen.

That game will follow the Gill girls taking on Gloucester Catholic for the girls title at 5 pm, which also can be heard on CJSR.

Gill St. Bernard’s was the top-seed in North B, and comes in with a 27-2 mark, on a 23-game win streak. That’s one win away from what’s likely a school record of 24, which they set in 2011, albeit in a season where they won the Somerset County Tournament, but fell to St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth in the sectional semis.

Nearly all season long, Gill has just been consistently good. They always play “big boy” basketball, but this squad – while they’re also having fun – has been all business on the court. They get up and down in transition, Dorsett Mulcahy leads the offense, Prosper Sonkua cleans up on the glass and blocks shots like it’s going out of style, Jahmal Dixon plays lock-down defense, and Connor Junker hits threes.

Gill has hit a whopping 251 threes on the year. That’s not No. 1 in the state – Rutgers Prep is, with 282 – but it’s pretty darn close. And they’re easily the top perimeter-shooting team left in the state tournament.

Meanwhile, Holy Cross Prep – the second-seed in Non-Public South B out of Delran in Burlington County, just south of Trenton – comes in at 27-4, winners of 11 straight. They beat Westhampton Tech, the eventual Central Jersey Group 3 champion, to win the Burlington County Tournament a few weeks ago, and fifth-seed Bishop Eustace, 55-42, back on Monday to win the South B sectional title.

They’re led by senior Josh Swain, averaging 18.2 points per game, while fellow senior Jordan Owens is averaging 17.5 per contest. They’ve also hit a lot of threes – 205 on the year – but are a lower scoring team than Gill, averaging 60 points per game, compared the the Knights at 71.1. And Gill has a rebounding edge, too on the season, averaging just under 34, while the Lancers are at 25.8 per game.

Gill is coming off its second sectional title in school history, with Holy Cross picking up its first, so both teams are looking for their first-ever state title.

Click below to hear Gill St. Bernard’s coach Mergin Sina talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Non-Public B title game against Holy Cross Prep:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Non-Public North B Final (Girls): (1) Gill St. Bernard’s 57, (2) Saddle River Day 40

Senior Addy Platt scored 16 points and had eight rebounds, while four Knights scored in double figures, as top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s beat second-seed Saddle River Day, 57-40, in the Non-Public North B championship game, giving Gill its first sectional title since 2012.

Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play from JFK High School in Paterson on March 9, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Non-Public North B Final (Boys): (1) Gill St. Bernard’s 58, (2) Roselle Catholic 49

Gill St. Bernard’s got 19 points and five treys from Dorsett Mulcahy, plus 16 from Prosper Sonkoua and ten from Jahmal Dixon en route to a 58-49 win over Roselle Catholic in the Non-Public North B final, giving the Knights their first sectional championship since 2012.

Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play from JFK High School in Paterson on March 9, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Record four Central Jersey Sports Radio-area basketball teams head to Rutgers for state finals

Talk about a banner year. In our sixth season of existence, a record four high school basketball teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area will be playing for state championships over the next few days at Rutgers University.

There are two publics and two non-publics in the bunch, with Colonia the lone Middlesex County team to make the state finals. Gill St. Bernard’s will send its boys’ and girls’ teams to Piscataway, while Montgomery heads back for a second year in a row giving Somerset County three teams playing for titles.

Here’s the schedule for area teams, and all games can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Bookmark this link to listen all weekend!

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

Gill St. Bernard's celebrates a North Jersey Non-Public B championship on March 9th, 2026 (Photo: Alec Crouthamel).
Gill St. Bernard’s celebrates a North Jersey Non-Public B championship on March 9th, 2026 (Photo: Alec Crouthamel).
  • Non-Public Group B Girls’ Final: Gill St. Bernard’s (22-5, 1 seed, North) vs. Gloucester Catholic (25-4, 2 seed, South), 5 pm
  • Non-Public Group B Boys’ Final: Gill St. Bernard’s (27-2, 1 seed, North) vs. Holy Cross Prep, Delran (27-4, 2 seed, South), 7 pm
Gill St. Bernard's celebrates a North Jersey Non-Public B title on March 9th, 2026
Gill St. Bernard’s celebrates a North Jersey Non-Public B title on March 9th, 2026.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14

  • Group 4 Boys’ Final: Montgomery (26-4, 3 seed, Central) vs. Plainfield (25-5, 4 seed, North 2), 2 pm
Montgomery won its third straight Central Jersey Group 4 championship with a 55-47 win at Hillsborough on March 6, 2026. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)

SUNDAY, MARCH 15

  • Group 3 Boys’ Final: Colonia (21-10, 1 seed, North 2) vs. Ocean City (25-6, 3 seed, South), 2 pm
Colonia with its 2026 North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 trophy, after beating Chatham at home on March 7, 2026. (Photo: Nick Hart)
by Mike Pavlichko

History in the making! Colonia drops Montville, 67-57, in Group 3 semis to clinch first ever state finals berth

The Colonia boys’ basketball program has eleven state championships. They’ve won the last five North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 titles. But the one thing they hadn’t done – whether it was 1973, 1994, 2015 or 2025 – was make a state final.

But now, you can check that box off as well.

Colonia – after starting the season 2-6 – now is 21-10, after a 67-57 win over North 1, Group 3 champion Montville at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth Tuesday, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

And now they get one more game, at Rutgers for the state Group 3 title.

They’ll face South Jersey Group 3 champion Ocean City Sunday afternoon at 2 pm at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway for all the marbles. The Red Raiders were 56-43 winners over Westhampton Tech in the other Group 3 semi down at Central Regional in Bayville Wednesday evening.

Colonia got out to a 9-0 lead early in the game, and that might have been the turning point. That’s because the teams played fairly even the rest of the way, with the Patriots up seven after one, 33-24 at the half, and 51-41 at the end of three. Colonia never trailed in the game, and never allowed Montville to make a run.

Well, almost.

Montville did get the lead down to five at one point late, down 62-57 around the two-minute mark, but Colonia helped itself immensely at the free throw line as senior twins Joey and Ricky Beyer both got in foul trouble in the fourth quarter, Joey fouling out with under a minute left. Big man Eddie Camaj also had four fouls down the stretch.

But the Patriots made them pat from the stripe. Sophomore Jayce Rodriguez finished with a game-high 27, but he had 13 early in the third – his final made field goal coming from beyond the arc – before his last 14 points came from the foul line, where he was a perfect 14-for-14.

As a team, Colonia was 22-of-24 from the foul line, virtually unheard of at any level, let alone a pressure-packed state semifinal.

Rodriguez has three triples, as did senior Dylan Chiera, who finished with 20 points.

Montville finished its season at 23-6; junior David Gonzalez had a team-high 14, while Camaj finished with 12, ten in the second half.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez and sophomore – and coach’s son – sophomore Jayce Rodriguez
Colonia sophomore Jayce Rodriguez. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Colonia senior Dylan Chiera
Colonia senior Dylan Chiera. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

by Mike Pavlichko

Colonia heads to fifth straight Group 3 semifinal preparing for a new opponent for the first time

What Colonia basketball has done under Jose Rodriguez has been nothing short of incredible.

The Patriots are officially a public school GMC dynasty these days.

Back on Saturday, they won their fifth straight sectional title, taking down Chatham in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 title game. It was also their sixth sectional title in seven playoff years under Rodriguez, now in his eighth year as head coach. The only year they didn’t win one was in his second year, 2020, when they lost to Irvington in the finals.

The one year there were no state playoffs, they beat St. Thomas Aquinas – on the road – to claim the GMC’s top four-team pod, the Karl Towns/Jay Williams pod. Then, in 2024 and 2025, they won back-to-back GMC titles.

That’s a lot of hardware.

The one thorn in their side the entire run has been Ramapo. They lost to the Raiders in the 2018 Group 3 semifinals, J-Rod’s first year at the helm, then again four years straight from 2022 to 2025.

But they won’t this year.

A sixth seed this year, Ramapo got knocked out in the opening round, coughing up a 31-17 halftime lead and losing in overtime to 11th-seed Morris Knolls, 68-67.

Finally, Colonia gets to prep for someone different.

That someone different is Montville, the four-seed that won the North 1, Group 3 title with a 65-61 upset win Saturday over second-seed Teaneck. The Mustangs are 23-5, and Colonia will play them in the Group 3 semifinals Wednesday at 5 pm at The Dunn Center in Elizabeth, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Pregame is set for 4:45; click here to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the action.

Colonia, as many know by now, lost three huge pieces from last year’s team, with Aiden Derkack transferring to Spire Academy in Ohio, R.J. Wortman enrolling early at Rutgers to play football, and defensive specialist Zach Smith graduating, but rebounded from a 2-6 start to go 18-4 the rest of the way. That stretch included a run to the GMC Tournament semifinals, where they narrowly lost to Piscataway.

After two dominating wins to open state tournament play, the Patriots escaped with a Rolaids-worthy win over Mendham – the team they beat last year in the sectional finals – by four, 34-30 in an unusually low-scoring game. It was their lowest offensive output of the season, by one over a 62-35 season-opening loss to St. Peter’s Prep at the NJBAC Tip-Off Classic in Montgomery.

But they rebounded nicely with a 57-46 win over Chatham in the North 2, Group 3 final, in which they had a little more breathing room.

Montville, meanwhile, surprised many to get here, but Rodruguez knows the Mustangs have earned their spot. After wins over the 13- and five-seeds, they knocked off top-seed Tenafly on the road to get to the title game. Led by senior guard Chris Ferrare (19.3 ppg, team-best 112 assists and 55 treys), Montville has three double-digit scorers, including Eddie Camaj (12.4 ppg) and Joey Beyer, who’s averaging an even double-double of 10.9 points and rebounds per game.

Colonia, meanwhile, is led by Jayce Rodriguez, the coach’s son, averaging just a shade under 20 points per game, with a team-high 75 treys, while Desmond Rudanovic is tops on the boards at eight per game. Senior Dylan Chiera – also the QB on the football team – is averaging just under ten points per game, and has a team-best 39 steals.

The Patriots are looking for their first-ever trip to a state final, having won 11 sectional titles overall. Besides the six in the last seven playoff years under Rodriguez, they won Central Jersey Group 4 in 1973, Central 3 in 1985 and 1994, then North 2, Group 3 in 2007 and 2015.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez about the Patriots’ Group 3 semifinal matchup with Montville:

by Mike Pavlichko

Franklin’s title season comes to an end with 54-35 loss to Lenape in state Group 4 semifinals

In baseball, sometimes you can get a good bat on the ball, but if you hit it right to a fielder, it’s an out. Sometimes you just can’t “hit it where they ain’t,” as they say.

In basketball, sometimes the shots don’t fall.

And that’s what happened to the Franklin girls’ basketball team Tuesday night in Deptford, where the Central Jersey Group 4 champions fell to South champ Lenape, 54-35, in the group semis, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

It certainly wasn’t for a lack of trying. Drives to the basket, mid-range jumpers, threes; none seemed to fall for Franklin.

They only trailed 12-6 after one quarter, and in an even lower scoring second quarter, cut it to 20-18 at the half.

But Lenape’s star, senior El-Anita Joe-Samuel, turned out to be the biggest factor in the game. Even when the Warriors switched defenses, and gave the Indians some different looks, all she did was score. Joe-Samuel finished with 39 points, one shy of a career high the junior set in mid-February.

For Franklin, the Warriors’ very successful season comes to a close at 22-9. They had signature wins at Hillsborough in the regular season, over the defending CJ4 champs in the sectional finals, and even beat Gill St. Bernard’s in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals to get to the championship for the first time since 2019.

And with a good core back – including top scorer Aleah Sunkins, junior Alivia Stewart, and sophomores Jamila McRiney and Nola Bright, all part of the starting five – the future appears to have just begun for this group.

Lenape will go on to face Westfield, a 56-52 winner over West Orange in the other semifinal, in the state Group 4 title game at noon Saturday at Rutgers.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel with Franklin head coach Jimmy Kreie, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Montgomery earns another chance at a state title against Plainfield with dominant win over Cherry Hill East in Group 4 semifinals

It’s something he’s done his entire career, but it’s become even more a key for the Montgomery boys’ basketball team this season.

Senior Ethan Lin knows when he has to score, and when he can let the rest of the team do it’s thing.

Tuesday night down at Deptford High School in the state Group 4 semifinals, it was the latter.

Lin scored just nine points, but he distributed, allowing sophomore Shree Mallavarapu to go off for a career high 23, while fellow soph Mike Simborski added 28 – just three shy of a career high – to power Montgomery to a commanding and dominant 67-37 win over Cherry Hill East, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

After three lead changes in the first quarter, Montgomery took a 12-8 lead after the first eight minutes, but extended that to 32-18 at the half. Shree and Simborski were big reasons why. Shree was blocking shots, and had two big late first quarter put backs of misses. Simborski did much of the same in the second quarter, and had 15 by the half, while Mallavarapu had 13 at the break.

And in the second half, Monty continued to do no wrong. Every time Cherry Hill East – the other Cougars – had a punch, Montgomery would get them back with a 1-2 combo, and then another haymaker just for good measure.

The win puts Montgomery (26-4) in Saturday’s state Group 4 final at Jersey Mike’s Arena at Rutgers, which will tip at 2 pm. The Cougars will have a rematch with North 2 champion Plainfield, an 82-69 winner Tuesday in Elizabeth over East Orange in the other semifinal.

Plainfield beat Monty in last year’s Group 4 final at Rutgers.

Click below for postgame reaction from Montgomery’s Shree Mallavarapu, Mike Simborski and head coach Kris Grundy, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: