Category: Girls Basketball

by Mike Pavlichko

Another week of upheaval in Bellamy & Son Paving girls’ top ten, while Rutgers Prep on 12-game win streak stays No. 1

In the final Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten before the end of the year, Gill St. Bernard’s has edged up to No. 2, while Colonia and Bound Brook also rose.

Still at No. 1 is Rutgers Prep (18-2). Winners of 12 straight the Argonauts went 2-0 in the week gone by, picking up a Thursday win at then-No. 6 Hillsborough, 72-30, then taking their opening game in the Somerset County Tournament, beating Watchung Hills 73-30 at home Saturday in the quarterfinals. Prep, the top-seed, will take on fourth-seed Bound Brook this Saturday at noon at Franklin High School in the semifinals, a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Moving up a spot to second is Gill St. Bernard’s (17-4), by virtue of their head-to-head win over previously No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, 67-62, back on Tuesday, a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They followed it up with a 66-40 won over Watchung Hills on Thursday, then a 67-46 win over Bernards Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals. Second-seeded Gill will play third-seed Franklin in this weekend’s semifinals at 2 pm on the Warriors’ home court.

The loss to the Knights sent St. Thomas Aquinas (17-5) down one spot to third, coming off a rare 0-2 week. Their second loss cam Saturday at home to George (PA) 75-69.

Moving up one spot to four is Franklin (13-7). The Warriors lost Wednesday at Morris Catholic 63-51, but bounced back with a 70-50 win over Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday, and a 54-33 victory over Pingry in the SCT quarterfinals. The third-seeded Warriors will play at home Saturday in the semifinals against second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s.

Bernards (17-3) dropped a spot to fifth after a 1-2 week. The Mountaineers started the week with a 55-11 win over North Plainfield, but followed it up with a 50-37 loss at Voorhees on Thursday night. Bernards was knocked out of the Somerset County Tournament by Gill St. Bernard’s on Saturday, falling 67-46.

East Brunswick (18-4) had a 3-0 week, and moves up a spot to six after winning five straight since a road loss at Hillsborough. The Bears won 78-47 Monday at Woodbridge, picked up a 73-59 win over Spotswood Tuesday, then were 37-22 winners at Middlesex on Thursday.

Checking in at No. 7 is Colonia (16-2), also up one spot, following a 1-1 week. They beat Monroe Tuesday, 48-45, but lost Wednesday at Piscataway, 60-54.

Bound Brook is also up one spot, to No. 8, after a big SCT win on Saturday. First, though, they beat Old Bridge, 57-24, on Tuesday, then routed North Plainfield 67-29 on Thursday before winning at Hillsborough, 54-47, in the county quarterfinals. The Fourth-seeded Crusaders will play top-seed Rutgers Prep at noon this Saturday in the semifinals at Franklin High School, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Hillsborough (15-5) falls down to ten after two losses this week, and three straight overall. Granted, all three have been against top ten teams, with the most recent a 72-30 loss to No. 1 Rutgers Prep Thursday, and Saturday’s loss in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, 54-47 to Bound Brook.

And holding in tenth is Woodbridge (15-6). The Barrons lost Monday to East Brunswick, 78-47, then came back and beat Sayreville on Wednesday, 62-57, and won Friday at Carteret, 66-55.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 9:

by Mike Pavlichko

There’s one week to go before Saturday’s NJSIAA cutoff: Where do GMC, Somerset girls’ basketball teams stand in the playoff chase?

The NJSIAA Cutoff for games to count toward playoff contention is this Saturday, a busy day for the county tournaments in our area, as Somerset County holds its semifinals at Franklin, while the GMC Tournament will be in the quarterfinal round, with all games at higher seeds this year rather that neutral sites as in the past.

All games up to an including Saturday will count, and the top 16 power point values will figure into each team’s ranking. Power points is a mixture of quality points, residuals, and the OOWP, Opponents’ Opponent Winning Percentage, a strength factor of sorts. Keep in mind, power points are an average, not a cumulative total, and as games are played, lower scores will drop off.

In that way, it’s possible that a loss won’t necessarily lower a team’s average. For example, if a team loses to a six-win team, and that’s their lowest score, it just won’t count toward the average. And if a team wins a big game, they may not necessarily gain that many points. Rather, they would gain the difference between that game, and a lower score that dropped off.

With that said, this will be our final full look at power points before the cutoff. We’ll take a look at the standings after Saturday and give our projections on Sunday, with the NJSIAA announcing the seeds and brackets next Tuesday. We’ll have those as well once they become official.

On to the breakdown! All analysis is based on NJSIAA power points as reported on NJ.com as of noon on February 8, 2026. Click the header on each section to go to the page for that section.

Central Jersey Group 4

Defending champion Hillsborough (15-5) has fallen to third, after going 1-3 since our last update two weeks ago, with losses to Bernards, Rutgers Prep and then Bound Brook Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals. The new No. 1 here is Franklin (13-7, 29.69), just a tiny bit ahead of East Brunswick (18-4, 29.494) in second. And the Raiders (15-5, 28.905) are not that far back. It should be noted that Franklin crushed the Raiders 72-44 on January 16th, even though they didn’t jump ‘Boro until now, while East Brunswick lost at Hillsborough, 70-52, back on January 22nd, in a game aired on Central Jersey Sports Radio. But, unlike football, head-to-head only matters if teams are tied, and that’s very rare with this power point system, which uses averages and rounds to three decimal points entirely for the purpose of avoiding ties. They happen, but not much. There might also be Hunterdon Central (14-7, 27.637) to worry about, but that’s likely it. The Red Devils may not be able to reach the top spot, but a lot can happen in any order. Hillsborough will have a little more flexibility than Franklin or East Brunswick in scheduling this week since they’re out of the county tournament. According to their online schedule, they have one game scheduled this week, Thursday at Morris Knolls (8-12). East Brunswick is locked in to the GMC Tournament first round on Wednesday, where they’ll play either 15-seed Carteret (13-8) or 18th-seed North Brunswick (4-18), then would be most likely to face 7th-seed Monroe (8-10) Saturday at home in the quarterfinals. As for the Warriors, they have Montgomery (10-9) at home Monday, then Mount St. Mary (7-11) on Wednesday before playing two-seed and defending champion Gill St. Bernard’s (17-4) Saturday in the SCT quarterfinals. The closest thing to a sure thing here is to say it’ll be a CJSR-area team starting the playoffs as a top-seed here.

Further down the list is New Brunswick (11-9, 19.914) sitting in eighth place. The goal is a top eight seed to earn a home game, and this one is very much up in the air. The Zebras’ likely ceiling here is seven, a spot currently held by Marlboro (13-7, 20.065). But there are three teams packed tightly behind them, and our take is that these five could end up in any order, all separated by just 0.716 points. That includes Freehold Twp. (10-10, 19.91, just 0.004 behind New Brunswick), Sayreville (16-4, 19.352) in tenth and Montgomery (10-9, 19.349) in eleventh. Any of these five, we believe, could finish in the top eight, but it’s likely only two of them will.

Down near the bottom of the top 16, we have Old Bridge (8-12, 16.181) and Monroe (8-10, 16.172) in 14th and 15th place, respectively. To us, they’re still on the bubble, but at least on the right side. Ahead of then, 13th place West Windsor-Plainsboro South (12-10, 16.216) is likely in that same situation. Behind them is Hightstown (9-12, 16.132), then Manalapan (12-7, 15.225) at 17 on the wrong side of the bubble, but less than one full point out of a playoff spot. That appears to be the group of five teams fighting for the last four playoff spots. Edison (6-15, 13.127) is in 18th, but they might be too far back to make it in one week, unless they can make a run in the GMC Tournament. The 11th-seed, the Eagles open up play on Monday against 22-seed JFK (6-18), and would likely face 6th-seed Woodbridge (15-6) on Wednesday in the second round, should they advance. Edison lost to the Barrons in their own Gene Haley/Jim Muldowney Memorial Holiday Classic, 70-54, after Christmas, but consider this: That was loss No. 6 in a stretch where they started the season 0-11, but they are 6-4 since, even avenging an earlier season loss to Old Bridge.

Central Jersey Group 2

Manasquan and Rumson-Fair Haven are the pretty clear-cut top two seeds at this point, but South River (18-5, 26.785) is in the mix for the No. 3 seed, despite sitting in fourth behind Johnson (17-2, 27.758), albeit less than one full point behind. Two weeks ago, we figured the Rams could pull up, and they did, gaining three spots in that span. We think they will end up three or four, as fifth-place Bordentown (14-2, 23.813) is nearly three full points behind, a lot of ground to make up this late in the game. Of course, it’s a little bit of “pick your poison” for the Rams, as ‘Squan (No. 9 in New Jersey) and Rumson are very strong teams. South River is locked into the GMC Tournament, at least for now. The 21st seed, they stomped 28-seed Wardlaw-Hartridge Saturday in the play-in round, and will visit 12-seed South Plainfield (7-16) Monday in the preliminary round. If they advance, they will probably lose some regular season games scheduled for this week, including Thursday against East Brunswick Magnet (8-10) and Friday against Edison (6-15). The Rams, at the very least, have a shot at the three, but probably finish no lower than four, giving them home court advantage at least through the sectional quarterfinals.

Piscataway Magnet (17-3, 23.623) sits in sixth place at the moment, 0.19 behind fifth-place Bordentown (14-2, 23.813) and barely ahead of seventh-place Point Pleasant Boro (11-9, 23.521). Those three are likely all jockeying for position among themselves, and could end up in any order, with just 0.292 points separating them, but more distance between the teams above and below them.

That would also leave Spotswood (13-9, 20.867) hoping to fend off some teams behind them to hold on to the 8th spot, a top eight finish, and at least one first round home game. The Chargers may not be able to catch Point Pleasant Boro, unless they were to win their first-round GMC Tournament game on Wednesday (they’re a five-seed, and could host 12-seed South Plainfield or 21-seed and arch-rival South River) and then knock off fourth-seed Colonia (16-2), their likely quarterfinal opponent – again, if they get there. There are probably three teams within reach of them, starting with Delaware Valley (10-10) in ninth, Delran (11-8, 20.123) in tenth, and Governor Livingston (8-11, 19.316) in eleventh.

Despite Metuchen (9-10, 15.251) being in 15th, looks like it should be in. That’s because the next team behind them, East Brunswick Magnet (8-10, 11.775) is 3.476 points back, a lot to make up. Then again, teams with fewer wins have more to gain with wins compared to those who have a lot. Still, we think the Bulldogs are in, but the Tigers are squarely on the bubble, even though it’s the right side of it. They have two teams behind them to fend off: Ocean Twp. (7-15, 11.501) and Monmouth (5-12, 10.385). We say the odds are likely better than half, maybe closer to two-thirds that Magnet makes it. The last two teams, Raritan (1-16) and Roselle (0-3) won’t factor in here.

Central Jersey Group 1

The gap has narrowed, but the top two teams remain in the same positions they were a week ago: New Providence (19-1, 34.749) first and Bound Brook (20-1, 33.35) in second. The top seed may not be out of the question for Bound Brook, and it would certainly help if the Crusaders, who are the fourth-seed in the Somerset County Tournament, could knock off top-seed Rutgers Prep (18-2) in Saturday’s semifinals (noon on CJSR). According to their online schedule, they have no other games this week, but that could change. The Pioneers only have Oak Knoll (10-8) scheduled this week, Monday at 5:30, so they could add some games as well.

South Amboy (15-5, 23.03) sits in fifth, but they might have a shot at a top four-seed. They’d have to catch Brearley (13-3, 24.172) ahead of them in fourth, and/or Roselle Park (14-5, 24.557) in third. The Lady Guvs are the 25th-seed in the GMC Tournament, and are locked in with the preliminary round Monday, where they visit 9th-seed Old Bridge (8-12), but remember, group points no longer count, so the Knights being a Group 4 school with South Amboy is in Group 1 doesn’t help them any. Then again, The Guvs could also fall back. Keansburg (17-0, 22.143) is not far back at six, nor is Shore (13-9, 21.992, 7th).

Middlesex (12-8, 19.886) and Manville (13-6, 19.362) sit in ninth and tenth, respectively, but they could have a shot at a top eight seed, and maybe both could get in. Thrive Charter (8-10, 20.789) is not that far ahead in eighth, and Shore might be reachable, too. But it’s likely niether falls lower than ten, as 11th-place Florence (9-9, 13.777) is more than five points back, an enormous hill.

The best Highland Park (7-15, 12.979) and College Achieve Central (7-8, 11.9) could do, in that case, is 11th, if they catch Florence, as the Owls and College Achieve sit 12th and 13th at the moment. There are also some tightly-packed teams behind them, including Henry Hudson (7-12, 10.579, 14th), Perth Amboy Magnet (4-10, 10.307) and Dunellen (3-18, 10.042), who could move up, but the Patriots and Destroyers are well on the proverbial bubble. A win by anyone behind them could make a bug jump since they have few wins; that includes Dayton (2-15, 9.978), Empowerment Academy Charter (2-7-1, 9.376), Point Pleasant Beach (3-18, 9.164) and South Hunterdon (2-17, 9.136).

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4

It’s likely going to be between Bayonne (18-3, 31.936) and Westfield (15-6, 30.506) at the top, then it’s down to Piscataway (12-6, 23.36) and Woodbridge (15-6, 20.914) at six and seven. Just like a couple of weeks ago, we think the Chiefs still could max out around No. 3, a spot currently held by Plainfield (11-10, 24.452), which is just 1.092 points ahead, with Columbia (14-6, 24.437) and Elizabeth (13-7, 23.528) ahead of them. A top four finish is within reach for them, but probably not Woodbridge, which is one spot behind, but with a big gap. And the Barrons will have to watch teams behind the, all in close proximity. That includes North Star Academy (10-11, 21.149, 8th), Watchung Hills (8-11, 20.146, 9th) and Bridgewater-Raritan (10-11, 19.836, 10th). Any of those could finish in the top eight, and a lot could change this week. It’s just too close to call for that group.

Further down, we’ve got Ridge (7-12, 14.618) at 14, followed by Perth Amboy (10-7, 14.506) at 15, and JP Stevens (8-11, 13.583). They are all on the right side of the bubble, but they are indeed on it. The next two teams might have a shot, but they’re we think only one of them has a chance to crack the top 16. That’s Newark East Side (7-8, 13.495), which is just a game below the .500 mark. Even though Phillipsburg is about 1.2 points out of 16th – generally not a terribly wide gap – they are only 3-14 (12.315). They have three games this week: Monday at Voorhees (13-5), Thursday against Cherry Hill East (11-11) and Friday against Mount Olive (4-16). The chances they win the first two are slim, and a win in the last of those may not be enough to move the needle. All that needs to be figured out to say Ridge is the safest, and we think the last two spots will come down to Perth Amboy, JP Stevens and East Side.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3

Colonia (16-2, 26.653) had a lead of 4.741 power points two weeks ago. But they were undefeated at the time, and have since gone 2-2. That, and a surge by Somerville (17-5, 29.004) – which went 5-1 in that same span, from 12-4 to 17-5 – has put the Pioneers on top by 2.351 points, a more than seven-point swing. Somerville’s time in the Somerset County Tournament ended Saturday with a loss by the eighth-seeded Pioneers to nine-seed Watchung Hills, and they have two regular season games this week against pretty good competition: at Bernards (17-3) Tuesday and at home against Voorhees (13-5) Thursday. They could even pick up another if they think they need it Friday or Saturday. Colonia, meanwhile, is locked into the GMC Tournament, where they are the 4th-seed and open play Wednesday in the first round against either 13-seed JP Stevens (8-11) or 20th-seed Highland Park (7-15). Our thinking here is that the top seed is in Somerville’s hands. It’s possible a win at Bernards Tuesday night could clinch it, although the Mountaineers also are playing to hold on to the No. 2 seed in North 2, Group 2. Colonia also could have to watch two teams behind them – Cranford (11-11, 24.717, 3rd) and Chatham (10-11, 24.365, 4th) – and that could come right down to the wire.

The next team from the CJSR area down the list is Carteret (13-8, 17,634). The Ramblers are in ninth, less than two points behind eighth-place Summit (19.464). That’s likely the only team within Carteret’s reach, since they are 15 in the GMCT and will open Monday against 18-seed North Brunswick (4-18), which isn’t likely to help them much, if at all. And if they do advance, they get second-seed East Brunswick, which is 18-4 and in contention for a top seed in Central Jersey Group 4. All that being said, never say never, but it’s highly likely the Ramblers don’t crack the top eight.

South Plainfield (7-16, 15.177) also is in a kind of n-man’s land. We think they’re fairly solidly in, even though it’s not a lock, as just about everything would have to go wrong for them to miss. It’s more tentative for 14th-place North Plainfield (4-15, 13.863) and 16th-place JFK (6-18, 13.495), with Newark’s Payne Tech (4-16, 13.604) in between them. While all are on the right side of the bubble, the biggest likely threats come from Randolph (6-12, 12.44), Rahway (4-14, 12.328) and even Warren Hills (2-17, 12.054) at 19, because at this stage of the game, just one win could be enormous when you only have two. Granted, the Blue Streaks have lost 13 straight, but if they can upset North Hunterdon (9-11) at home on senior night, that could be enough to drop JFK out for the time being. The Mustangs are the 22-seed in the GMCT and have 11-seed Edison (6-15) Monday, and if they win that one, visit No. 6 Woodbridge (15-6) Wednesday.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2

Not much change from last time, Bernards (17-3, 32.985) is still well behind first-place Caldwell (18-0, 38.284), but has expanded its lead over the team behind them, now Madison (16-3, 29.652). We think the Mountaineers are likely a two-seed, but they have a big one with Somerville (17-5) Tuesday at home, with the Pioneers playing to hold on to the top-seed in NOrth 2, Group 3.

Non-Public North A

The only area team here is Pingry (11-8, 23.702), and the Big Blue currently sit in 6th in what should be a 15-team field (all 15 in the section should make it) with Morris Catholic (16-5, 35.902) nearly three-points ahead of Immaculate Heart (16-3, 32.219) for the top-seed and an opening round bye.

Non-Public North B

Gill St. Bernard’s (17-4, 36.069) is the only CJSR-area team in the group, and they are in first-place by a wide-margin. They’ll hold on to it, and this should be an 11-team section, taking out those who don’t meet the 16-game minimum requirement.

Non-Public South A

As it was two weeks ago, it’s still between Red Bank Catholic (21-2, 47.621) and St. John Vianney (20-2, 44.071) for the top two seeds, even though the Caseys have a sizable lead this late in the game. Currently, St. Thomas Aquinas (17-5, 32.676) is in fourth, though they might have a crack at the No. 3 spot, currently held by Paul VI (16-1, 34.883). RBC has a home GMC crossover with Piscataway (12-6) Monday, and they will open Shore Conference Tournament play as the top-seed in the Round of 16 against either 17-seed Marlboro or 16-seed Point Pleasant Boro. Vianney won’t play again until that same round Thursday – unless they pick up another game in the meantime – when the two-seed faces either 18-seed Shore or 15th-seed Toms River South. Aquinas, however, also will have to watch teams right behind them, like Camden Catholic (16-4, 31.783) less than one full point behind, as well as Bishop Eustace (13-8, 30.989) in sixth and Trinity Hall (16-6, 30.471) in seventh. Further down, we have Immaculata (8-11, 17.154) in 14th out of 15th. All 15 will make it here, as it’s likely no one will drop out. The Spartans likely have a ceiling of 12 in this section.

Non-Public South B

Rutgers Prep (18-2, 38.04) has a decent lead here over Gloucester Catholic (17-3, 36.199), but not insurmountable. They have three more games this week: Tuesday at Montgomery (10-9), Thursday at Pingry (11-8), and Saturday – as the top-seed – in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals against 4th-seed Bound Brook (20-1), which you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. While the Argonauts should win the first two, they will be favored in the last of those, despite the Crusader’s record, simply by virtue of them getting the top-seed and Bound Brook the fourth. But make no mistake, a loss there – or in any of the three, really – could cost Prep. Not that it might matter much; unlike in the public sections, non-public finals are at neutral sites, so the only difference here might be what color jersey Rutgers Prep will wear if they make it to the finals at Jackson Liberty, where they lost last year to Gloucester Catholic in the title game.

Elsewhere, there are 15 teams in the section, but it’s likely some could opt out. For example, Timothy Christian has only played six games, lost them all, and opted out of the GMC Tournament. St. Joseph-Hammonton is 0-10 and Noor ul-iman is 1-6; both will be out because they haven’t played the minimum 16 to qualify per NJSIAA rule, which would leave this as a 12-team section, with the top four – including Prep getting byes. What does that mean for Calvary Christian (7-9, 12.305) in tenth and Wardlaw-Hartridge (5-11, 10.233) in 12th? Likely, Wardlaw finishes as the 12-seed, but Calvary could bounce up or down. They have Holy Cross Prep (9-11, 13.204) less than a point aheead of them in ninth and Doane Academy (9-9, 13.209) in 8th. Calvary got knocked out of the GMC Tournament Saturday in the play-in round by JFK, but they have two regular season games scheduled this week, both on the road: Highland Park (7-15) Thursday and Manville (13-6) Friday. If they could grab those, they might get to the top eight and get a first-round home game. More likely they split, and we think they could finish as high as nine, but they could drop with two losses.

by Mike Pavlichko

Recap: No big upsets in GMC Tournament’s play-in round, as 8 boys’ teams, 7 girls’ squads advance

The 2026 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament for basketball tipped off on Saturday, a day after the seeding meeting, with 15 teams advancing to next week’s preliminary rounds, which will be held on Monday for the girls, and Tuesday for the boys, all at higher seeds.

Scroll through for scores and recaps, as well as a look at the schedule in the next round, and who each winner will face. Not all times for the preliminary round have been announced, as they are set by the host schools.

2026 GIRLS’ GMCT PLAY-IN ROUND:

  • (25) South Amboy 32, (24) Piscataway Magnet 30: The Governors (15-5) built an early lead and led 21-10 at the half, then held off the Raiders the rest of the way. Valerie Figueroa led South Amboy with 11, including three treys.
  • (21) South River 54, (28) Wardlaw-Hartridge 23: The Rams (18-5) cruised to a 28-10 halftime lead and never looked back, led by 20 points from Gianna Castellano, and a double-double of 14 points and ten rebounds from Arianna Perez.
  • (20) Highland Park 56, (29) East Brunswick Magnet 25: Valentina Kambitsis led all scorers with 19 for the Owls (7-15), who controlled from start to finish, and held the Tigers to single-digit scoring in each quarter. Dallas Kimball added 14 rebounds for Highland Park.
  • (19) Metuchen 47, (30) Dunellen 30: The Bulldogs (9-10) got a game-high 19 points from Grace Vanleeuwen and 11 steals from Lucie Pallota in a solid defensive effort.
  • (22) JFK 53, (27) Calvary Christian 37: Sanai Trotman had a game-high 22 points for JFK (6-18), which pulled the upset over Calvary Christian, while Kayra Bilgili added 12, all from downtown.
  • (26) New Brunswick 34, (23) Mother Seton 33: In a low-scoring first-half, the Zebras (11-9) trailed 17-8 at halftime, but roared back on the strength on an 11-3 third quarter, and outscored the Setters by two in the final period for the one-point victory.
  • (18) North Brunswick 69, (31) Woodbridge Magnet 8: The Raiders (4-18) never allowed more than four points in a quarter, and shutout Woodbridge Magnet in the final eight minutes for the running-clock win.Amani Carty scored 25 points in the win, while Milan Bourne added ten.

PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE – MONDAY, FEB. 9

  • (17) Perth Amboy (10-7) at (16) Sayreville (16-4), winner at (1) St. Thomas Aquinas
  • (25) South Amboy (15-5) at (9) Old Bridge (8-12), winner at (8) Middlesex
  • (21) South River (18-5) at (12) South Plainfield (7-16), winner at (5) Spotswood
  • (20) Highland Park (7-15) at (13) JP Stevens (8-11), winner at (4) Colonia
  • (19) Metuchen (9-10) at (14) South Brunswick (2-19), winner at (3) Piscataway
  • (22) JFK (6-18) at (11) Edison (6-15), 5 pm, winner at (6) Woodbridge
  • (26) New Brunswick (11-9) at (10) North Plainfield (4-15), winner at (7) Monroe
  • (18) North Brunswick (18) at (15) Carteret (13-8), winner at (2) East Brunswick

2026 BOYS’ GMCT PLAY-IN ROUND:

  • (17) Monroe 72, (32) Wardlaw-Hartridge 40: The Falcons (5-16) controlled nearly from start to finish, up 10-9 after one and 26-15 at the half, pulling away in the second half.
  • (24) Timothy Christian 74, (25) Dunellen 47: The Tigers (3-17) had two 20-plus point scorers, while Nathanael Sleman hitting for a quasi triple-double: 22 points, 14 from the foul line, and 11 rebounds; he was 14-of-22 at the line. Julian Piniero added 24, including seven three-pointers.
  • (21) JP Stevens 53, (28) Perth Amboy Magnet 21: Pratyush Udupa had 17 to lead all scorers in the game as the Hawks (10-12) played solid defense throughout, holding the Patriots to single digits in three of the four quarters in the game. Rupert Yu and Toshwan Biswas added eight each in the win.
  • (20) JFK 68, (29) East Brunswick Magnet 56: The Mustangs had to rally in this one; down six after one, they cut it to four by the half, but trailed by seven in the third before a outscoring the Tigers 21-2 in the final eight minutes for a 12-point win. Kennedy (11-12) got a game-high 26 points from Grant Lorentzen, who went 6-of-8 from the foul line, while Omari Hill added 14 and went 5-of-6 at the stripe.
  • (19) Carteret 76, (30) South River 21: The Ramblers (9-13) ran away early, leading 46-14 at the half, holding the Rams to just seven points in each of the first two quarters, shutting them out entirely in the third. Qorey Carter led the way with 22 points and three treys, while Aaron Price added ten and six rebounds.
  • (22) Edison 76, (27) New Brunswick 48: The Eagles (10-11) led by three after one but a strong two middle quarters – outscoring the Zebras 43-23 – were the difference. Vibert Reynolds scored 20 for Edison to lead all scorers, while Ray Tavarez added 17 and Dheeraj Samparaboyina added 16.
  • (26) Highland Park 53, (23) North Brunswick, 38: The Raiders (6-16) got 14 points from Angel Rodriguez as they led nearly wire-to-wire. They held the Owls to just four fourth-quarter points.
  • (18) North Plainfield 70, (31) Calvary Christian 59: The Canucks improved to 12-11 and over .500 for just the second time this season with the win.

PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE – TUESDAY, FEB. 10

  • (17) Monroe (5-16) at (16) South Amboy (14-5), winner at (1) St. Joseph-Metuchen
  • (24) Timothy Christian (3-17) at (9) Metuchen (19-2), winner at (8) Old Bridge
  • (21) JP Stevens (10-12) at (12) Piscataway Magnet (17-4), winner at (5) St. Thomas Aquinas
  • (20) JFK (11-12) at (13) Middlesex (14-7), winner at (4) East Brunswick
  • (19) Carteret (9-13) at (14) South Brunswick (12-8), winner at (3) Colonia
  • (22) Edison (10-11) at (11) Woodbridge (5-14), winner at (6) South Plainfield
  • (26) Highland Park (6-16) at (10) Perth Amboy (20-4), winner at (7) Sayreville
  • (18) North Plainfield (12-11) at (15) Spotswood (13-9), winner at (2) Piscataway
by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County Tournament semis are set, as Immaculata boys, Bound Brook girls pull quarterfinal upsets, defending champs both win

They were upsets by seed, but the result wouldn’t have been surprising either way.

In what looked on paper like the most competitive matchups of the day, the fifth-seeded Bound Brook girls knocked off fourth-seed and 2025 SCT finalist Hillsborough 54-47 on the road Saturday morning, to advance to next week’s semifinals at Franklin.

And in a 5/4 upset on the boy’s side, Immaculata rallied in the second half to win at Pingry, 72-68, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Defending champs Gill St. Bernard’s – boys’ and girls’ – also advanced.

Scroll down for recaps of each game, followed by the semifinal matchups for next Saturday’s semifinals with times, per Tournament Director and Immaculata AD Tom Gambino. Game times are 10 am, noon, 2 pm and 4 pm at Franklin High School, and Central Jersey Sports Radio will have play-by-play coverage of one girls’ and one boys’ game, with recaps and postgame reaction from all four on cjsportsradio.com.

2026 SCT GIRLS’ SEMIFINALS

(5) Bound Brook 54, (4) Hillsborough 47: Freshman sensation Peytan Pugh led all scorers with 27 points, as the Crusaders bounced back from a 27-25 halftime deficit with a 13-7 third quarter to take the lead Pugh finished with a double-double, also grabbing 14 rebounds for the Crusaders (20-1), who are the first 20-game winner this season in the entire Skyland Conference. It will be Bound Brook’s first trip to the semifinals since 2022, when they lost to eventual champion Rutgers Prep, 86-42. They’ll face top-seed Rutgers Prep as they seek their first ever trip to the county final.

(1) Rutgers Prep 73, (9) Watchung Hills 30: The Argonauts expanded an eight-point lead at the end of one quarter to 44-19 at halftime, then held Watchung Hills to single digit scoring in the final three quarters en route to the win. Senior Ava LaMonica led all scorers with 22 points and a pair of treys for Rutgers Prep (18-2), which will face Bound Brook in the semifinals next Saturday. It’ll be the 12th straight trip to the semifinals for the Argos, as they look to get back to the championship game after getting knocked out in last year’s semifinals by Hillsborough. Prep had won the last four SCT titles before missing the game last season.

(3) Franklin 45, (6) Pingry 33: The Warriors (13-7) got 14 points from Jamila Riley, and despite just six points from Aleah Sunkins – the team’s top scorer, averaging over 18 per game coming in – came out with the quarterfinal victory. Franklin held Pingry to just two first quarter points, leading 9-2 after one, but the Big Blue tied it by halftime, and the teams went into the locker room at 15-all before Franklin pulled ahead for good on the strength of a 17-4 third quarter. They’ll meet Gill St. Bernard’s in the semis in their fourth straight trip to the semis; last year, they got knocked out in the final four by the eventual champion Knights, 61-34.

(2) Gill St. Bernard’s 67, (7) Bernards 46: Sisters Addy and Kaity plat combined for 49 of their team’s 67 points as the Knights jumped on Bernard’s early, up 23-9 after one quarter of play. The Mountaineers trimmed the deficit to nine by halftime, but Gill pulled away in the fourth. The Knights (17-4) will meet Franklin for a second straight year in the semis in their fourth straight trip to the girls’ final four.

SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS:

  • (1) Rutgers Prep (18-2) vs. (5) Bound Brook (20-1), 12 pm (CJSR)
  • (2) Gill St. Bernard’s (17-4) vs. (3) Franklin (13-7), 2 pm

2026 SCT BOYS’ SEMIFINALS

(1) Gill St. Bernard’s 71, (8) Ridge 55: The Knights (20-2) got a game-high 21 points from Prosper Highlander, who recorded a double-double, also grabbing 11 rebounds. Dorsett Mulcahy finished with 15 points and seven assists, while Connor Junker added 11 points. This will be Gill’s second straight trip to the semis as the Knights – whose girls’ team is in the semifinals as well – look to get back to the finals and sweep the Somerset County Tournament for a second straight year. The Skyland Conference’s first 20-game winner this season, they’ll face Immaculata next Saturday at Franklin.

(5) Immaculata 72, (4) Pingry 68: Riley Gorman scored 25 points – 17 in the second half – as Immaculata erased a 13-point second quarter deficit with a rally in the third to win on the road. Now 16-5, the Spartans are in the semis for the first time since 2020, seeking their first trip to a final since they beat Ridge to win it in 2009 as the top seed. Click here for our full game story, and postgame reaction from senior Riley Gorman and head coach Ryan McKeever, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen.

(3) Montgomery 53, (6) Hillsborough 38: The Raiders got out to an early lead, ahead 12-9 after one, but the Cougars clamped down on defense over the next eight minutes, holding Hillsborough to just seven points to take a 21-19 lead at the half, and they pulled away late, winning it in the fourth. Penn-bound Ethan Lin led all scorers with 21 points, including six from the free throw line. Montgomery (19-3) will face Rutgers Prep next Saturday in its third straight trip to the boys’ final four.

(2) Rutgers Prep 85, (7) Bridgewater-Raritan 58: The Argonauts (15-7) got a mammoth game from William Brunson, who scored 31 points, went 7-of-8 at the foul line, and hit six times from downtown, part of a 13-trey afternoon for his squad. Nicholas Nsenkyire added 12 for Rutgers Prep, which will be seeking its sixth straight finals appearance when the Argos’ face Montgomery next Saturday at Franklin in their ninth straight trip to the finals. Head coach Matt Bloom has never missed a Somerset County Tournament semifinal in his eight seasons as Prep’s head coach.

SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS:

  • (2) Rutgers Prep (15-7) vs. (3) Montgomery (19-3), 10 am (CJSR)
  • (1) Gill St. Bernard’s (20-2) vs. (5) Immaculata (16-5), 4 pm

by Mike Pavlichko

GMC Tournament Play-In Round game times announced; here’s Saturday’s schedule

The 2026 GMC Tournament for basketball gets underway this weekend with 15 games in the play-in round, eight for the boys and seven for the girls.

All games will be played Saturday at higher seeds. Winners move on to the preliminary round, which will be played at higher seeds on Monday for the girls, Tuesday for the boys.

Click below for the full GMC Tournament brackets, which are posted in our separate stories on the boys’ and girls’ tournaments:

Here’s the schedule of first round games, with times as reported on the GMC’s website:

2026 GMC Tournament – Girls’ Play-In Round:

  • (25) South Amboy at (24) Piscataway Magnet, 10 am
  • (29) East Brunswick Magnet at (20) Highland Park, 10 am
  • (26) New Brunswick at (23) Mother Seton, 10 am
  • (31) Woodbridge Magnet at (18) North Brunswick, 10 am
  • (27) Calvary Christian at (22) JFK, 10:30 am
  • (28) Wardlaw-Hartridge at (21) South River, 11:30 am
  • (30) Dunellen at (19) Metuchen, 2 pm

2026 GMC Tournament – Boys’ Play-In Round:

  • (29) East Brunswick Magnet at (20) JFK, 9 am
  • (32) Wardlaw-Hartridge at (17) Monroe, 10:30 am
  • (28) Perth Amboy Magnet at (21) JP Stevens, 11 am
  • (27) New Brunswick at (22) Edison, 11 am
  • (30) South River at (19) Carteret, 11:30 am
  • (25) Dunellen at (24) Timothy Christian, 12 pm
  • (26) Highland Park at (23) North Brunswick, 12 pm
  • (31) Calvary Christian at (18) North Plainfield, 3 pm
by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County Tournament moves into quarterfinal round this weekend as top four boys’ and girls’ seeds join the fray

Somerset County Tournament play resumes this weekend, with eight games – four girls’, four boys’ – all taking place in the late morning and early afternoon, with a couple of doubleheaders on tap.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live play-by-play coverage on Saturday afternoon at 1:00, when the 5th-seeded Immaculata boys visit 4th-seed Pingry. Mike Pavlichko will call all the action with pregame at 12:45; click here to listen.

Scroll through for a look at the full slate, with notes on each game.

SCT BOYS’ QUARTERFINALS:

(8) Ridge (10-10) at (1) Gill St. Bernard’s (19-2), 1 pm: The Red Devils draw the top-seed here in the Knights, who beat Rutgers Prep 73-68 Thursday night for their 15th straight win. And Gill hasn’t lost to a public school in nearly two years, their last defeat coming at the hands of Montgomery on Valentine’s Day 2024 against Montgomery in the very same quarterfinal round of the Somerset County Tournament. Ridge, meanwhile, lost four straight in the middle of the month, but has won four straight since, including a three-point victory at Hunterdon Central Thursday night, 46-43. These two played back on January 6th, with Gill coming away with a 79-46 win behind 19 points from Prosper Highlander, with three others in double-figures. Gabe Kielb led Ridge with 14 in defeat. The Red Devils were 4-58 winners at home over 9-seed Franklin last Saturday in the first round.

(5) Immaculata (15-5) at (4) Pingry (11-6), 1 pm (LIVE on CJSR): The two met on January 6th, with The Big Blue coming away with a 64-59 win in Somerville that snapped a five-game skid against the Spartans dating back to 2022. Immaculata will want to come out hot in this one to avoid a repeat of a disastrous first quarter in that first matchup that had them playing from behind all game. They trailed 28-10 after one, yet managed to get to within one in the fourth before losing by five. Pingry had balanced scoring, led by Daniel Hall’s 14 points. Riley Gorman led Immaculata with 18. This might be the best game of the day on the boys’ side, as their first meeting was the closest of any of this weekend’s quarterfinal matchups. Immaculata beat 12-seed Bernards, 74-49, last Saturday in the first round. Mike Pavlichko has the call on this one, with pregame starting at 12:45. Click the link above to listen to the game live. READ A FULL PREVIEW WITH HEAD COACH INTERVIEWS HERE.

(6) Hillsborough (15-5) at (3) Montgomery (18-3), 1 pm: These two teams have split their last four meetings, including a 53-37 win by the Cougars in their first matchup this season, back on January 13th. Mike Simborski was the only one in double figures for Montgomery, but had a monster game: 26 points, and 6-of-6 at the foul line. Aaron Feath was the lone double-digit scorer for the Raiders, scoring 15 while grabbing seven rebounds. Monty had a tough three-game stretch to start 2026, losing to Linden, Rutgers Prep and Linden in rapid succession, but they’ve won ten in a row since, including the Hillsborough win. The Radiers have won four straight and 12 of their last 14. They beat 11-seed Watchung Hills 60-50 in last Saturday’s first round.

(7) Bridgewater-Raritan (13-6) at (2) Rutgers Prep (14-7), 1 pm: The Panthers have lost seven straight games against the Argonauts going back to 2017, their last win coming in their first meeting that season, 61-55. Only one of those losses was by fewer than ten-points, a 53-52 Rutgers Prep squeaker in January of 2018. This year’s lone meeting came on January 13th, a 72-56 Rutgers Prep win that saw William Brunson lead the way to victory with 27 points, including 4-of-6 at the line, with three treys. Richie Gardner led the Panthers with 14, going 6-of-6 at the stripe. Bridgewater started the season 8-0 before taking their first loss, coming to Immaculata, and is coming off a 49-42 loss Thursday night to Montgomery, while Prep also lost Thursday night, a 73-68 home loss to Gill St. Bernard’s. BR beat 10-seed Somerville last Saturday in the first round, 71-43.

SCT GIRLS’ QUARTERFINALS:

(9) Watchung Hills (8-10) at (1) Rutgers Prep (17-2), 11 am: A look at their season results, and the Argonauts have been as dominant as usual, but coach Mary Klinger is still looking for more from her squad, especially consistency on the defensive side. But this is a tall order for the Warriors, who have had an up-and-down season, but have never won or lost more than two straight all year. Prep has not lost to a public school all year. These two did not meet this year, nor did they play last year. The Argonauts won their most recent meeting in January 2024, 84-42, and they’ve won seen straight dating back to 2016. Watchung Hills’ last win in the series also came in SCT play, 60-37 in the 2013 county quarterfinals. Sophomore Hailey Benbow and four-year starter Ava LaMonica are the top two scorers for Prep, with LaMonica a gritty defensive player who grabs steals and rebounds with reckless abandon. Watchung Hills is led by senior Eleni Esposito, averaging 10.9 points per game. Both teams get a ton of steals. Hills crushed Somerville in last Saturday’s first round, 69-33, the largest margin of any of the four games last weekend.

(5) Bound Brook (19-1) at (4) Hillsborough (15-4), 11 am: This might be one of the more intriguing games of the day on the girls’ side, with the Crusaders led by freshman sensation Payton Pugh. She’s averaging 17.8 points per game, and has 137 assists and 181 steals, all leading the team by wide margins, and a big reason why The Brook has won 15 straight games since their lone loss, a 62-53 defeat at the hands of Union Catholic on December 29th in the Crusader Classic final over the holidays. The Raiders, of course, are the defending state Group 4 champs, and two-time defending sectional champs, winning North 2, Group 4 in 2024 and Central Group 4 last season en route to the state title. But they’ve also lost two straight, those defeats coming a week apart: 57-55 in overtime at Bernards last Thursday, January 29th, and 72-30 to Rutgers Prep this past Thursday. Junior Alexa Gaspar (12.1 ppg) and senior Isabella Ruh (11.9 ppg) are neck-and-neck as the team’s top two scorers. The two haven’t played since 2023, an 82-69 Hillsborough win and their last meeting before that was in 2017, a 55-34 victory for the Crusaders. Bound Brook beat 13-seed Montgomery, 55-20, last Saturday in the first round.

(6) Pingry (11-7) at (3) Franklin (12-7), noon: The Warriors have won the last four in this series, with Pingry last winning in 2024. In their only meeting this year, Franklin won 57-40 on January 13th, with a balanced scoring attack that saw four players finish in double-figures, led by Alivia Stewart’s 12, and six rebounds, while Kayla Duncan hit three times from downtown. Val Triana led Pingry with 17 in defeat. Franklin has won five of its last six, while Pingry has won three straight coming in. The Big Blue beat 11-seed Mount St. Mary in the first round last Saturday, 44-35.

(7) Bernards (17-2) at (2) Gill St. Bernard’s (16-4), 11 am: It’s been a long time since the Mountaineers and Knights last met – eight years ago – with Gill coming away with a 60-33 win in February of 2018. The Mountaineers started the year 10-0 before a non-conference loss to Roselle Park on January 27th, 67-52, then lost their first league game of the year Thursday, 50-37 out at Voorhees. Aletha Reynolds finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Gill has won two straight and 14 of their last 15 dating back to a post-Christmas win over Roselle Catholic in the Holiday Hoopfest at Paterson Kennedy, a 50-20 victory. Bernards beat 10-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, 64-38, in last Saturday’s first round.

by Mike Pavlichko

As expected, St. Joseph-Metuchen earns top seed in boys’ GMC Tournament

For the second time in three seasons, St. Joseph-Metuchen has claimed the top seed in the GMC Tournament.

The Falcons are 20-1, their lone loss coming at South Plainfield, 55-54, on January 27th. The Tigers got the sixth-seed in the tournament. St. Joseph is the GMC Red American Division champ, going 7-0 in the division. On the boys’ side, the two Red, White and Blue Divisions only play once through the schedule with mandatory crossovers with the same “color” divisions

The top eight seeds all get double-byes to the first round with 32 teams in the tournament, after Somerset Tech opted out. After St. Joseph, 2025 runner-up Piscataway earned the second seed, followed by two-time defending champion Colonia, and East Brunswick rounding out the top four. Five through eight went to St. Thomas Aquinas, South Plainfield, Sayreville and Old Bridge.

Those games will be played on Tuesday, February 10th, at higher seeds, with times TBD.

The next eight teams get single byes to the preliminary round, with Metuchen at nine followed by Perth Amboy, Woodbridge and Piscataway Magnet. Teams 13 through 16 are Middlesex, South Brunswick, Spotswood and South Amboy. Those teams open play on Tuesday, February 10th.

Saturday’s play-in round will be played at higher seeds, with times TBD. The matchups are:

  • (32) Wardlaw-Hartridge at (17) Monroe
  • (25) Dunellen at (24) Timothy Christian
  • (28) Perth Amboy Magnet at (21) JP Stevens
  • (29) East Brunswick Magnet at (20) JFK
  • (30) South River at (19) Carteret
  • (27) New Brunswick at (22) Edison
  • (26) Highland Park at (23) North Brunswick
  • (31) Calvary Christian at (18) North Plainfield

Here’s the full 2026 Boys’ Basketball GMC Tournament Bracket:

by Mike Pavlichko

No big surprises in GMC Tournament seeding as St. Thomas Aquinas girls earn No. 1 seed

Winners of six straight GMC Tournaments, the St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ basketball team was awarded the No. 1 seed in this year’s event at the seeding meeting at Spotswood High School Friday morning.

St. Thomas has won those half-dozen titles under three different coaches, Brittney Griffin in 2019 and 2020, Joe Whalen in 2022 and 2023, and current mentor Tim Corrigan each of the last two seasons.

The Trojans are 17-4, and won the GMC Red American title, going undefeated in league play.The tournament seeding was a little different this year with six divisions and more crossovers, and no seeds were guaranteed. Previously, when the GMC had four divisions, each division winner was guaranteed at least a top eight seed.

After Aquinas, the rest of the top eight seeds went to East Brunswick at two, followed by Piscataway and Colonia, then Spotswood at the five, followed by Woodbridge, Monroe and Middlesex. The top eight seeds get byes into the first round, which will be played next Wednesday at higher seeds.

With only 31 teams in the tournament due to Somerset Tech, Timothy Christian and Perth Amboy Magnet opting out, teams 10 through 17 got byes in Saturday’s play-in round, and will play preliminary round games next Monday. Those teams include Old Bridge ninth, followed by North Plainfield at ten, then Edison, South Plainfield, JP Stevens, and South Brunswick at 14. Seeds 15 through 17 were Carteret, Sayreville and Perth Amboy.

Saturday’s play-in round will be played at higher seeds, with times TBD. The matchups are:

  • (25) South Amboy at (24) Piscataway Magnet
  • (28) Wardlaw-Hartridge at (21) South River
  • (29) East Brunswick Magnet at (20) Highland Park
  • (30) Dunellen at (19) Metuchen
  • (27) Calvary Christian at (22) JFK
  • (26) New Brunswick at (23) Mother Seton
  • (31) Woodbridge Magnet at (18) North Brunswick

Here’s the full 2026 Girls’ Basketball GMC Tournament Bracket:

brown ball on basketball hoop
by Mike Pavlichko

How would a shot clock in New Jersey high school basketball really affect play? We watched four random games to find out.

With the NJSIAA’s full membership set to vote in May whether to introduce a shot clock in high school basketball, the debate has intensified among players, coaches, fans, even administrators.

While many coaches believe it would be better for the game – eliminating long periods where teams with a lead, or looking for the last shot of the game or quarter, simply hold the ball – those opposed often cite the cost of both the equipment and personnel, as well as the logistics.

How many times have you seen an issue with just the standard game clock, the score, or even fouls?

But we decided to take a look at this story from a different angle. Just how much will it change the game?

Everyone has seen viral videos on social media of teams with a big lead holding the ball for a full minute, or maybe two, or even more? Those seem to be the exception to the rule.

Nonetheless, we broke down a few random games. Three of them we saw live in person, with live broadcasts on Central Jersey Sports Radio. All games were completed in regulation – no overtime – and there were no running clocks, with the final margins ranging from eight to 24 points, a good spread that includes close games where one team is trying to come back and a blowout where the backups played the final few minutes.

With the proposed shot clock being 35 seconds, we took a look at any possession that got close to that 35-second range for any potential violations. Keep in mind that a) without a shot clock currently, teams aren’t focused on beating the clock, and b) the review of games was conducted through game video available publicly online. Since the shot clock on a made basket doesn’t start until the ball is touched by a player on the inbound – while the game clock still runs – it’s not always easy to tell with 100% accuracy when the shot clock would start, as digital panning by cameras like Hudl (the most widely used system) follow movement on the court, and the inbound in the back court isn’t always visible in the frame.

January 17, 2026 – Boys’ Basketball: No. 6 East Brunswick 73, Woodbridge 49

East Brunswick visits Woodbridge on January 17, 2026. (Source: Hudl)

The Bears had a big lead early in this one, which could have led to some stalling by the Barrons to stem the tide. And when reserves came in for both teams midway through the fourth quarter, there could have easily been some long possessions. This was the one game Central Jersey Sports Radio did not see in person.

  • 1st Quarter: Woodbridge gets the ball with 59.6 seconds left on the clock down 20-6. A long shot is an airball with about 35 seconds remaining, but the Barrons get the rebound and hold for one final shot, a three at the buzzer that hits front iron as time runs out. That would have been a violation, giving the ball back to East Brunswick with the shot clock off with 24 seconds remaining in the period.
  • 2nd Quarter: Woodbridge gets a rebound off a missed East Brunswick free throw with the clock stopped at 43.1 seconds. Down the other end, Jayden Cummings gets called for an offensive foul on a drive to the basket, and the clock stops at 7.3, which would have made that a 35.8 second possession. In slow-mo, the whistle blows at 7.3, but the shot clock buzzer would have gone off at 8.1. If the officials had replay, they’d see contact right about at 8.1 Without it, they’d have to decide which happened first, the foul/whistle or the horn. We’ll call it a violation, which would have bailed out Cummings on the foul
  • 3rd Quarter: none
  • 4th Quarter: none

Summary: There’s at least one clear violation here, maybe a second. Either way, what’s most notable here that in a blowout win by 24, even with backups in, there were no second-half shot clock violations. Both teams were working their offense.

January 22, 2026 – Girls’ Basketball: No. 4 Hillsborough 70, No. 6 East Brunswick 52

The Raiders led this one by 18 at the half, and won by the same margin, though the Bears cut it to ten on two different occasions in the fourth quarter. Hillsborough simply pulled away at the end.

  • 1st Quarter: none
  • 2nd Quarter: East Brunswick holds the ball for 61 seconds, from the 1:34 mark until a miss with 23 seconds left on the clock, with Hillsborough getting the rebounds, clearly a shot clock violation.
  • 3rd Quarter: Hillsborough has the ball starting from the 7:15 mark, and runs it to about 6:34, when the ball is knocked out of bounds by the Bears, with the Raiders maintaining possession, scoring four seconds later on a layup by Morgan Bice. That inbound would have never happened, as the shot clock would have expired at the 6:40 mark. Another ‘Boro possession starting at around 4:48 on the clock ended with an Isabelle Ruh layup that would have been very close to a violation, but too difficult to tell without the actual clock.
  • 4th Quarter: Hillsborough has the ball from around the 7:04 mark (off an East Brunswick made basket) to 6:45, when head coach Courtney Tierney calls a timeout. They eventually draw an East Brunswick foul at the 6:25 mark, which would reset the clock. That possession lasted 39 seconds, and would have been whistled dead before the foul.

Summary: At least three, potentially four violations – one on East Brunswick, three on Hillsborough.

January 22, 2026 – Boys’ Basketball: Sayreville 57, Colonia 49

This was a tight one throughout, and also the game where Sam Jones became the school’s all-time leading scorer, boys’ or girls’, passing Rhonda Rompola less than a week after breaking Steve Makwinski’s boys’ record.

  • 1st Quarter: There was one close one here, as Colonia clearly held the ball for the last shot of the period. They got the ball with around 38 seconds left, and drew a foul on the baseline with about a second to go as the Patriots scrambled for a buzzer-beater. This might have drawn a shot clock violation, depending on the exact time the ball was touched by the receiving Colonia player on the inbound.
  • 2nd Quarter: none
  • 3rd Quarter: Colonia inbounds off a stopped clock at the 1:05 mark, and is called for a travel at the 29.4-second mark. This likely would have been a shot clock violation – assuming the shot clock and game clock operator were in exact sync – though with the travel call, it would have been a turnover regardless.
  • 4th Quarter: none

Summary: Two possible Colonia violations, but too close to say definitively.

February 3, 2026 – Girls’ Basketball: No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s 67, No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas 62

Senior Addy Platt of Gill St. Bernard’s puts up a trey against St. Thomas Aquinas on February 3, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

The lead in this one went back and forth in the first half, with five lead changes, and the Trojans led 28-24 at the half.

  • 1st Quarter: none
  • 2nd Quarter: St. Thomas inbounds the ball after a Gill made basket, and the shot clock would start once the ball is possessed on the inbound, at 37.2 seconds remaining in the half. At 3.9 a shot hits the rim; close, but not a violation, as the shot clock would have reset 33.3 seconds into the possession. The Trojans beat the clock by under two seconds.
  • 3rd Quarter: none
  • 4th Quarter none

Summary: Not a single violation.

OVERALL: In four basketball games, 128 minutes of regulation basketball, we saw four clear-cut violations in all: three in one game, one in another, and none in the other two. There were four additional “too close to call” violations, including one that would have resulted in a turnover on an offensive foul.

Ultimately, there may be other games between lesser teams – or maybe teams that play a different defense – that are low scoring and see a lot of long possessions. We looked at some higher-level games, with three of them featuring at least one team ranked at the time, and the fourth featuring teams that had been or are currently ranked. We don’t think it would have made much of a difference, especially since there isn’t currently a shot clock, and teams generally aren’t paying attention to the length of the possessions.

That could mean these games would have featured fewer shot clock violations than there actually were. But on the other hand, having a shot clock could lead to defenses forcing the issue more, harassing the team with the ball, or even some teams feeling the pressure of time ticking down. That could lead to more violations, or even more turnovers if the play gets frantic late in the shot clock.

But ultimately, coaches will adjust to that, and we believe the overall play will be better in the long-term as a result.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – GIRLS: No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s 67, No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas 62

Third-ranked Gill St. Bernard’s got a career high 31 points from senior guard Addy Platt – all but three of which came in the second half, 14 each in the third and fourth quarters – to beat No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, 67-62, in a GMC-Skyland Conference crossover game.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play from Gill St. Bernard’s in Peapack-Gladstone on February 3, 2026.