East Brunswick Magnet sent 25 hitters to the plate in the first two innings and scored a combined 15 runs, jumping on Timothy Christian early en route to a 16-4 road win on Opening Day, in a GMC Gold Division game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko and Dennis McNulty call all the action from Piscataway, NJ, on April 3, 2023.
On the strength of a 25-4 season – and its third straight GMC Tournament Championship – the St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball team finishes the year at No. 1 in the final Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, never budging from the top spot from the preseason rankings all the way through to the end.
The Trojans have been the dominant boys’ team in Middlesex County for the last several years. Though their three-year run as full county tournament champs was interrupted by a loss in the GMC’s COVID-year, one-off, Karl-Anthony Towns/Jay Williams four-team postseason pod to Colonia, they have won 31 straight games against Greater Middlesex Conference opponents since.
St. Thomas Aquinas has won 57 straight divisional regular season games, with the Trojans’ last loss coming in January 2018 at Carteret, back when they were in the Blue Division. And they are now 103-23 in five seasons with head coach Dave Turco at the helm.
Checking in at No. 2 in the final rankings is Colonia, which had a fantastic year, going 22-9 this season. Though they didn’t win the Red Division (STA did) or make the GMCT Final, they were the only boys’ basketball team in the Central Jersey Sports Radio Coverage area to win a sectional title this season, beating Snyder to win its second straight North 2, Group 3 title, and third in the last four playoff seasons.
St. Joseph of Metuchen finished third, checking in at 18-11, rising all the way from No. 10 in the last rankings before the playoffs. The Falcons finished the year strong, reaching the Non-Public South A title game, where they lost to eventual Group A state champ Union Catholic.
Rutgers Prep (22-8) finishes fourth, having won both the Somerset County Tournament championship – beating defending champ Gill St. Bernard’s in a thriller – and the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title.
South River (26-4) checks in at No. 5, the darling of the GMC all year long. The Rams won the Blue Division title, but got the attention of Central Jersey basketball fans in late December, when they knocked off St. Joseph in Metuchen the day after Christmas. They picked up the third seed in the county tournament, and reached the semifinals. In the states, they went to the Central Jersey Group 2 final, losing to eventual state Group 2 champion Manasquan.
Gill St. Bernard’s finished 19-8 and comes in sixth in the final rankings. The SCT finalist had a successful season considering a Mergin Sina’s squad had almost a complete roster turnover of key players from last year’s team, and its highly-touted point guard returned to Europe just a couple of weeks into the season.
South Brunswick had a nice run all the way to the County finals, as well as the Central Jersey Group 4 final, and finished 20-7 on the season, checking in at No. 7.
In eighth is South Plainfield (23-6), which won the GMC White Division, and had one of the county’s top scorers in Brandon Dean.
Ninth is Bound Brook (22-5), the Skyland Conference Valley Division champs, followed by Hillsborough (19-8).
Below are the full final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings for 2022-23:
The top four teams didn’t move in the Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings, but the bottom half got shuffled this week after two wins by unranked teams over ranked opponents, namely Immaculata and St. Joseph-Metuchen.
The Spartans knocked off previous No. 6 Bound Brook Saturday, 75-53, while the Falcons stunned Rutgers Prep in Somerset, 73-61, behind 33 points from Josh Ingram.
These are the final rankings until the season is over.
St. Thomas Aquinas (20-2) remained No. 1 after a 1-1 week in which they beat Colonia, 49-48, for their second win over the Patriots this season. They lost Saturday to the Patrick School, 68-52.
Rutgers Prep (14-7) held at No. 2, dropping their only game of the week to St. Joe’s. The Argonauts are likely to earn the No. 1 seed in the Somerset County Tournament, which will be seeded tonight in Somerville. Central Jersey Sports Radio will have the seeds as soon as they come out.
Gill St. Bernard’s (15-5) had a 2-0 week, with wins out-of-league against Linden and Arts.
Colonia (16-6) held serve in fourth, despite the loss to Aquinas. The Patriots also beat Union Tuesday, but lost to Ewing Saturday.
The rest all moved around, starting with South Plainfield. The Tigers (19-3) moved up two spots to No. 5 on the strength of a 3-0 week, that included just one win over a GMC team, New Brunswick on Thursday, as well as victories over Rahway and Oratory Prep.
Ridge (15-4) checks in at No. 6 after a 2-0 week highlighted by a 66-53 win over previous No. 5 South River, handing the Rams (20-2) just their second loss of the season.
Immaculata (16-4, unranked last week) checks in seventh after a mammoth 75-53 win over Bound Brook on Saturday. The Spartans had a 3-0 week, also picking up wins over Pingry and Warren Hills.
North Brunswick (19-3) held in 8th on after a three-win week against the GMC, over Old Bridge, Woodbridge and North Plainfield.
South River (20-2) checks in at No. 9, dropping four spots after the loss to Ridge. They picked up league wins during the week over JFK and Carteret.
Tied for tenth are Bound Brook (16-3) and St. Joseph-Metuchen (12-8). The Crusaders had wins over Newark Vocational and Dayton before the loss to Immaculata, while the Falcons lost to Linden Tuesday in the Investors Bank Challenge at AL Johnson in Clark before knocking off Rutgers Prep.
Below are the full Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings for Week 8:
Rutgers Prep’s convincing rematch win over Gill St. Bernard’s last Tuesday night on Easton Avenue moved the Argonauts up another notch in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 7, St. Thomas Aquinas remains No. 1 in the rankings.
Both squads had 3-0 weeks, with the Trojans now 19-1, and the Argonauts 14-6 overall. Gill (13-5) also lost to Paterson Eastside 62-51 to finish the week with a 1-2 mark.
The next four teams all stay put, with just one loss among them. Colonia (15-4) remains in fourth, followed by South River (18-1), Bound Brook (14-2), and South Plainfield (16-3).
The Crusaders were the only one of the four clubs to lose a game in the week gone by, coming to Franklin, which is 11-8 overall, but with four of those losses coming to Gill and Rutgers Prep, and a loss each to South Plainfield and North Brunswick, the first- and second-place teams in the GMC White Division, with just four defeats between them.
North Brunswick (16-3) rejoins the rankings at No. 8 with a 4-0 week, including victories over Princeton, Perth Amboy, Edison and Sayreville, while Hillsborough makes its debut at No. 10. The Raiders had a thrilling four-point win id double-overtime at Immaculata, plus wins over Watchung Hills and Edison for a 3-0 week.
Ridge (13-4) drops to tenth following a 2-1 week, including wins over Montgomery and Somerville, sandwiched around a loss to Watchung Hills.
Dropping out this week are No. 8 St. Joseph-Metuchen (10-7) – after an 0-3 week, with losses to St. Thomas Aquinas, Seton Hall Prep and Newark Central – and No. 10 Immaculata – which went 1-2 this past week, including a win over Perth Amboy and a loss at Phillipsburg.
Below are the full Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Week 7 Rankings:
On the strength of a 3-0 week, St. Thomas Aquinas continues to hold the No. 1 ranking in the Bellamy & Son Paving Week 6 Boys’ Basketball Top Ten.
The Trojans (16-1) had a 2-0 week, beating St. Joseph-Metuchen Tuesday 66-62 on the road to clinch the GMC Red Division and likely the top seed in the upcoming GMC Tournament, as well as Miami Northwestern 78-59 in a showcase game.
Gill St. Bernard’s (12-3) held at No. 2, with a 2-1 week that included divisional wins over Franklin and Hunterdon Central and a weekend loss to St. Benedict’s Prep. Rutgers Prep (11-6) inched up to third on a 3-1 week, with wins over Hunterdon Central, Saddle River Day and at Ranney, while losing to Manasquan Sunday 64-54.
The Knights and Argonauts will face off Tuesday night at 7 in Somerset in a game with Skyland Conference Delaware Division implications, but which also could determine the top seed in the upcoming Somerset County Tournament. Gill won their previous meeting on January 5 on a buzzer-beating corner three from Nick Losada.
Colonia (12-4) dropped a spot to fourth despite wins at JP Stevens and against South Brunswick, as the Patriots also lost to St. Joe’s 47-45.
South River (14-1) and Bound Brook (12-1) had perfect weeks and held steady in fifth and sixth, respectively.
South Plainfield (13-2) nudged up two spots to seventh on a 3-0 week, with a non-conference win over New Providence, as well as divisional wins over Perth Amboy and Edison.
St. Joe’s (10-4) went 1-1 in divisional play against the two top teams in the GMC Red, splitting with Aquinas and Colonia, while also beating Roselle this past weekend in non-conference play, and moves up to No. 8.
Ridge (11-3) drops to ninth after a 1-2 week that included losses to Immaculata and Phillipsburg, despite a win over North Brunswick (12-3), which dropped out of the rankings on a 2-1 week that included a loss to Ridge.
Immaculata (12-2) – tied for tenth last week with the Falcons – holds the spot all on their own, with a 3-0 week that included the win over Ridge, and victories over Watchung Hills and Koinonia.
Below are the full Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings:
There was no movement among the top five teams in the Week 6 Bellamy & Son Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, but plenty below them, and a new team in the fray as well.
St. Thomas Aquinas (13-1) held onto the top spot with a 2-0 week, while Gill St. Bernards (10-2) used a 3-0 week to stay put at No. 2.
Colonia (10-3) held at third despite a 1-2 week, with one of those losses to top-ranked Aquinas, and the other an out-of-area loss to state-ranked Linden.
Rutgers Prep (8-5) holds in fourth after a 2-1 week, the loss coming out-of-area to state-ranked Seton Hall Prep., while South River holds at five despite suffering its first loss of the season, coming to Red Division opponent Piscataway.
Bound Brook (10-1) – which lost to the Rams a week ago – rebounded with a 3-0 week and climbs two spots to sixth, Ridge (10-1) also moved up two spots on a 3-0 week.
North Brunswick (10-2) joins the rankings at No. 8 after beating South Plainfield (10-2) Saturday, dropping the Tigers to ninth.
St. Joseph-Metuchen (8-3) holds in tenth, tied with Immaculata (9-2), which went 1-2 this week, 1-1 in-league with a five-point loss at Hillsborough, while dropping a non-league game to Ranney.
Below are the complete Week 5 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings:
St. Joe’s is out, South River is in.
The Rams’ win over the Falcons in Metuchen over the Christmas break has put them in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Week Three Top Ten, taking the tenth spot, while knocking out St. Joe’s, which suffered its second loss of the early season. South River is undefeated at 6-0.
That moved the five teams below the Falcons all up one notch this week, while the first four places remained the same.
St. Thomas Aquinas leads the pack at 7-0, followed by Rutgers Prep (5-2) and Gill St. Bernard’s (4-2). The Argonauts had a 2-1 break, while the Knights were 1-2, but all three losses came to out-of-area opponents, and only Gill suffered a loss to an in-state opponent. Colonia (6-1) held in fourth.
The next four teams are all unbeaten: Watchung Hills (5-0) in fifth, followed by Bound Brook (5-0), South Plainfield (6-0), and Immaculata (4-0), with Ridge (4-1) checking in ninth.
Below are the full Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings:
Immaculata is in, South Brunswick is out; but those are the only two changes in the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving rankings for boys’ basketball.
St. Thomas Aquinas (4-0) remains No. 1, followed by Rutgers Prep, which is 3-1 after suffering its first loss of the season to Devon Prep (PA).
Gill St. Bernard’s (3-0) holds in third, followed by Colonia (4-0) and St. Joseph-Metuchen (3-1), who the Patriots beat last Tuesday in triple overtime in Metuchen.
The bottom five have Watchung Hills (3-0) at six, followed by Bound Brook (3-0) and South Plainfield (4-0).
Unbeaten Immaculata takes South Brunswick’s spot at No. 9. The Spartans (3-0) beat Ridge last Tuesday night 80-73, while the Vikings (2-2) suffered back-to-back losses, albeit to two of the top teams in their GMC Red Division, St. Thomas Aquinas and Colonia.
Ridge (2-1) holds in tenth despite the loss to Immaculata.
Below are the full Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving rankings:
The ten teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings went a combined 16-2 on the opening weekend of the season, leaving little change in the Top Ten after a short Week One that began with the first games of the season back on Thursday.
St. Thomas Aquinas remains atop the leaderboard, followed by Rutgers Prep, Gill St. Bernard’s, Colonia, and St. Joseph of Metuchen rounding out the top five, with all of them 2-0. Watchung Hills is sixth at 1-0.
Bound Brook (1-0), South Plainfield (2-0) and South Brunswick (2-0) all moved up one spot after seventh-ranked Montgomery dropped out, going 0-2 on the opening weekend.
Ridge took the tenth spot after starting the season with a pair of wins over Hillsborough and Hoboken.
Below are the full Week 1 Rankings:
Central Jersey Sports Radio is taking no time off with the end of football, and getting ready for the 2022-23 high school basketball season.
This year’s coverage of high school basketball on Central Jersey Sports Radio will kick off on Thursday, December 15th – the season’s Opening Day – as the Rutgers Prep girls, the defending Somerset County Tournament Champions, entertain rival Franklin. We’ll also have coverage of Somerset County Tournament boys champ Gill St. Bernard’s, GMC Tournament boys and girls champions St. Thomas Aquinas, and many more.
Click here for the full broadcast schedule.
Thanks to our loyal sponsors, the CJSR coverage is all free to you – with no paywall – whether it’s games, stories, interviews or analysis.
Bellamy & Son Paving will be the sponsor of the boys’ and girls’ Top Ten rankings once again this year. Joe Bellamy has been a founding sponsor of CJSR since the 2020 football season, and we thank him for his unending support of local student-athletes. Click here to visit the Bellamy & Son Paving website.
All season long, our game recaps and postgame reaction will be sponsored by SportsPlex at Metuchen. For an immersive sporting experience, they have youth and adult leagues and classes, and can host your party. Click here to visit the SportsPlex at Metuchen website.
Of course, we’ll have coverage of both county tournaments. GMC Tournament coverage – starting with the seeding meeting in early February – will be sponsored by Dayton Toyota Service and Dayton Collision on Route 130 in South Brunswick. We’ll be expanding our coverage this season, adding the girls’ semifinal games to the boys’ semifinals we’ll be covering from Monroe Township High Schools, as well as the Championship Doubleheader.
We’ll have semifinal coverage of at least one Somerset County Tournament game – as those are played at higher seeds all on the same night rather than on a neutral court – plus the girls’ and boys’ Championship Doubleheader.
State tournament coverage will be announced at a later date.
