Category: Boys Basketball Top Ten

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernard’s hangs on to No. 1, Old Bridge joins final Bellamy & Son Paving boys’ Top Ten before the end of the season

In the final Bellamy & Son Paving boys’ basketball rankings before the end of the regular season, Gill St. Bernard’s remains No. 1, while red-hot Old Bridge joins the rankings for the first time this season.

Gill St. Bernard’s (17-4) went 4-0 in the past week, opening with a 58-43 home win over Delbarton Monday. They followed it up with a second win this season over Rutgers Prep, 77-64, on Tuesday, then were 54-35 winners over Manasquan in the Metro Classic at Franklin Friday, and beat Watchung Hills 52-32 in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals on Saturday. The Knights will play Ridge in the SCT semis this Saturday at 4 pm.

Holding at No. 2 is Colonia, which opened the week with a 62-56 win Monday over Newark Collegiate, then stunned national power La Lumiere (IN) with a late comeback to win 51-50 in the Metro Classic at Franklin. They lost their second game at the showcase to Camden, 62-55, on Saturday.

Rutgers Prep (14-8) stays at No. 3 after a 1-1 week. After the 77-64 loss at Gill St. Bernard’s on Thursday, they were 80-44 winners over Hillsborough in the SCT quarterfinals Saturday. They’ll play Montgomery in the semis Saturday at 12:45 pm, in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Speaking of the Cougars, Montgomery (17-4) went 3-0 this week to hold in fourth. They beat Pioneer Academy 82-51 on Tuesday, won 64-44 at Hunterdon Central Friday, then edged Pingry 67-58 in the SCT quarterfinals on Saturday. They get Rutgers Prep in the semifinals this Saturday at Franklin.

Holding at five is Ridge (17-4), whose two wins this week both came over Immaculata: Tuesday, 64-53, in a regular season game, then again in the SCT quarterfinals Saturday, 58-49, sending them into the semis against No. 1 Gill St. Bernard’s Saturday at 4 pm at Franklin High School.

Piscataway (19-4) stays at No. 6 after a 3-0 week. The Chiefs topped Monroe 53-40 on Wednesday, won 80-49 at Franklin in the Metro Classic Firday, then knocked off previously-undefeated AL Johnson, 87-43, on Saturday.

Staying at seven is St. Thomas Aquinas (13-7). The Trojans lost Tuesday at Arts (Newark) 68-62, before rebounding with a pair of wins, 72-55 Thursday at Point Pleasant Boro, and 69-62 at home against College Achieve Asbury Park’s regional team.

Sayreville (18-2) holds in eighth after a 2-0 week. They beat South Plainfield at home Tuesday, 79-66, then won a non-league game against Ferris, 70-43, on Saturday.

Moving up one place to night is Somerville, which went 3-0 last week. The Pioneers beat Roxbury Monday, 64-38, College Achieve Central 59-41 on Wednesday, before closing out the week with a 43-37 home win over Manville.

Making its season debut at No. 10 is Old Bridge (12-9), which has won six-in-a-row, including a win two weeks ago against then-No. 1 Colonia. The Knights topped Perth Amboy 59-32 on Tuesday, and won 71-59 at Woodbridge Thursday, before winning a non-conference game over Middletown South on Saturday, 55-28.

Dropping out was Immaculata, which only had those two losses to Ridge last week.

Below is the complete Week 9 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, the final rankings before the end of the regular season:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernard’s takes over top spot in Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten

There’s a new team atop the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings for Week 8, as Gill St. Bernard’s wrested the top spot away from Colonia in the week gone by.

It’s the first No. 1 ranking for the Knights since the finished the 2021-22 season at No. 1, going 20-7. They won the Somerset County Tournament that year, beating Rutgers Prep in the finals, and reached the Non-Public North B Final. Gill St. Bernard’s (13-4) won its only game last week, beating Hillsborough, 52-36. Saturday, they’ll open play in the 2025 SCT as the No. 1 seed, playing host to 9th-seed Watchung Hills (9-9) in the quarterfinal round.

Down to No. 2 is Colonia (16-3), which went just 1-2 in the week gone by. After a 50-40 road win at Monroe Tuesday, they lost at Old Bridge, 65-59, in a GMC Red Division game, and Saturday in a non-conference matchup at Phillipsburg, 64-58. The Patriots, though, are the Red Division champs, and should receive the No. 1 seed when the GMC Tournament is seeded Friday morning.

Holding at No. 3 is Rutgers Prep (13-7). The Argonauts swept two games this week, first getting a 78-41 win at Watchung Hills, then beating No. 4 Montgomery on Thursday, 63-59, in a rematch of last year’s Somerset County Tournament final. Prep is the third seed in this year’s tournament, and will face 6th-seed Hillsborough (10-8) Saturday in the quarterfinals.

Also holding in fourth is Montgomery (14-4), which went 2-1 this past week. Tuesday, they got a 65-53 win at Bridgewater-Raritan before falling to Prep Thursday, 53-59. Then came back with a win Sunday over Notre Dame, 62-44 in the Investors Bank Showcase at Kean University. The second-seed in the county tournament, the Cougars will host 7-seed Pingry (6-8) in the SCT quarterfinals on Saturday.

Up one spot to fifth is Piscataway (16-4). The Chiefs won both their games last week, 73-49 over St. Joseph-Metuchen on Tuesday, following a Monday non-conference win over Lincoln (Jersey City), 75-41.

Flip-flopping with them, down to sixth, is Ridge (15-4). They won at Pingry Tuesday, 60-47, then again Thursday over Newark Tech, 68-48, but fell to Westfield 61-53 on the road Saturday, giving them a 2-1 week. The Red Devils open SCT plat in the quarterfinal round Saturday at home against 5-seed Immaculata (15-4).

The next four teams all stayed the same.

St. Thomas Aquinas (11-6) remains in seventh after a 1-1 week, in which they took an 81-54 loss at Paul VI on Tuesday, before bouncing back with an 80-52 Red Division win at Monroe.

Sayreville (16-2) holds at No. 8 after a 2-0 week, with a 62-54 win over East Brunswick Tuesday, and a 69-46 win at Princeton Saturday.

Immaculata (15-9) holds in the ninth slot after a 72-55 win over Hunterdon Central on Tuesday, and a 52-39 win over 12-seed Somerville in the first round of the SCT. The 5th-seeded Spartans will visit 4th-seed Ridge (15-4) Saturday in the quarterfinals.

And Somerville (13-6) remains at No. 10, despite Saturday’s loss to the Spartans. They beat Bound Brook twice last week, the first 72-38 in the regular season Tuesday, then again 48-37 on Thursday in the first round of the Somerset County Tournament.

Below is the complete Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 8:

by Mike Pavlichko

Most of Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten remains the same, but Somerville joins the fray

With the top two teams unbeaten in the week gone by, and nearly all others taking at least one loss – to either ranked area squads of out-of-area schools, there was relatively little change in this week’s Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, with Somerville replacing Timothy Christian in the final spot.

Colonia (15-1) remains No. 1 after a 3-0 week, with a 72-55 win Tuesday over St. Joseph-Metuchen, and a victory over No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas, 69-53, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday night. The Patriots finished their week with a 73-48 road win at Columbia (Maplewood-South Orange) Friday evening.

Gill St. Bernard’s (12-4) holds at No. 2, picking up a 73-54 win Thursday out at Phillipsburg, then a 48-36 win Sunday at Hudson Catholic.

Nearly everyone else dropped at least one game this week, including third-place Rutgers Prep (11-7). After a Thursday win at Hillsborough, 74-57, and a Saturday victory over Saddle River Day, 63-43, the Argonauts lost a home game Sunday to Roselle Catholic, 64-55.

Montgomery (12-3) holds in fourth after a Wednesday win over North Brunswick, 81-60, and a solid 60-45 victory over Immaculata at home on Thursday. The Cougars fell Saturday to Camden Catholic, 68-57, in the Jeff Coney Classic at Rancocas Valley.

Holding in fifth is Ridge (13-3), which opened the week with a 50-47 loss at Caldwell in the Dennis Gregory Memorial Classic Showcase, but came back with a pair of wins over Somerset County squads: Thursday at Bridgewater-Raritan, 51-36, and Saturday at Bernards, 49-25.

Still in sixth is Piscataway (14-4) after a 2-1 week. They also opened with a loss, 63-60 to Union City in the MLK Showcase at County Prep High School in Jersey City. But the Chiefs rebounded with a Tuesday win over No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas, 76-72, and a Saturday home win over Montclair, 65-55, in the Clash of the Counties showcase.

St. Thomas Aquinas (10-5) holds in seventh. They beat Jackson Memorial Monday in the MLK Classic at Hudson County Prep, but came back with a pair of ranked GMC losses, to No. 6 Piscataway Thursday, 76-72, and at No. 1 Colonia, 69-53 Thursday, before topping Phillipsburg on Saturday, 81-71.

Sayreville (14-2) had a 2-0 week, and has won six straight. The red-hot Bombers were 63-50 winners at Woodbridge on Tuesday, then 61-50 over Perth Amboy on Thursday.Watchung Hills Monday, and beat North Hunterdon at home, 72-58, on Tuesday, but fell at No. 4 Montgomery Thursday, 60-45. They closed the week with a 60-51 win over South Plainfield.

Making its debut at No. 10 is Somerville, which is 11-5 after a 2-1 week. They won 56-54 at Voorhees Tuesday and 51-48 over North HUnterdon at home Thursday before falling at Warren Hills, 56-43, Saturday afternoon.

Timothy Christian (8-3) dropped out after losing its only game of the week, 54-45 to North Brunswick, following a couple of weather and illness-related cancellations by opponents.

Below is the complete Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Colonia’s OT win over Aquinas, 3-0 week help keep Patriots atop Bellamy & Son Paving Top 10

There was no change at the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 5, but the teams below them all moved around based on last week’s action, while Immaculata makes its debut in the rankings at No. 10.

But first, Colonia (10-1), which beat St. Thomas Aquinas on the road Tuesday, 70-62 in overtime, then picked up two more wins: a 69-57 victory at home against Old Bridge Thursday, and an 89-52 win over St. Joseph in a rescheduled game in Metuchen from earlier this season.

Jumping up to No. 2 is Gill St. Bernard’s (7-4), which beat then-No. 2 Rutgers Prep Thursday, 78-73. That followed a Tuesday win over Hillsborough, 55-46. But Gill would drop its next two games to non-conference opponents by a combined three points, the first coming Saturday, a 50-48 setback to St. Rose in the Hoop Group Boardwalk Showcase at Georgian Court University in Lakewood. Sunday, they lost 43-42 at Roselle Catholic.

Falling to third is Rutgers Prep (6-6). The Argonauts were Tuesday winners over Watchung Hills, 77-54, before falling to Gill Thursday in an all-out battle, 78-73. They rebounded with a Saturday win over St. Joseph-Montvlae in the Mel Henderson memorial Showcase at Hackensack High School, before falling Sunday, 80-63, to St. Peter’s Prep up at Caldwell University.

In fourth is Montgomery (8-1). The Cougars dropped as Gill St. Bernard’s jumped to the two-spot, but took care of business in the past week, going 2-0 with a 69-48 win over Hunterdon Central Thursday, and a 68-21 win over Mount Olive Saturday.

Also down one spot due to Gill’s move is Ridge (10-1), the first ten-win team in Somerset County, checking in at fifth. The Red Devils swept three games this week, 43-42 over Pingry Tuesday, 65-62 over Immaculata in Somerville Thursday, and 65-51 Saturday at Oratory Prep.

Holding at No. 6 is Piscataway (10-2), by virtue of a logjam at the top. The Chiefs were 3-0 this past week, winning 51-27 at Monroe Tuesday, 84-69 Thursday at St. Joseph-Metuchen, and Saturday at Tottenville (NY), 74-46. With the win over the Falcons, and a victory two Saturdays ago at St. Thomas, Piscataway is the first public school from the Greater Middlesex Conference to beat both Joe’s and Aquinas in the regular season in the same year since JP Stevens did it in the 2018-2019 campaign.

In seventh is St. Thomas Aquinas, which had a difficult week. After falling to Colonia in overtime Tuesday, they rebounded with a 64-45 win over Monroe Thursday that should have been the eighth and final game sat out by Austin Whitehurst, who was hired as head coach in the spring, but was suspended eight games by the NJSIAA in late November for a recruiting violation. Friday, he – along with the entire football coaching staff – were let go by St. Thomas Aquinas. Assistant Victor Verdecia – who filled in as head coach for those first eight games – is expected to remain in charge, at least for the time being. Aquinas officials – including Athletic Director Jerry Smith and principal Harry Ziegler – have not returned calls for comment.

South Plainfield (9-1) used a 3-0 week to go from tenth to eighth. The Tigers were 63-47 winners over East Brunswick on Tuesday, beat North Brunswick 49-44 on Thursday, then won at Woodbridge, 70-58, on Saturday.

Holding at No. 9 is Sayreville (9-2). the Bombers sandwiched a 69-53 win Monday at Perth Amboy and a 53-34 win at Monroe on Saturday around a Thursday loss at East Brunswick, 79-53.

And making its season debut at No. 10 is Immaculata (7-3). The Spartans won at Hunterdon Central Tuesday, 58-47, then fell to then-No. 4 Ridge, 65-52 on Thursday, before beating Hamilton West at home on Saturday, 83-52.

Previously-No. 8 Hillsborough dropped out after an 0-3 week that saw them lose a trio of road games, at Gill St. Bernard’s Tuesday, at Franklin Thursday, and at Cranford on Saturday. All were single-digit losses.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 5:

by Mike Pavlichko

After top three, Piscataway upset win at Aquinas shuffles Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten

The Week Four Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten finds the top three holding steady, but the rest shuffling around, thanks in large part to Piscataway’s big win Saturday at St. Thomas Aquinas.

Remaining at No. 1 is Colonia (7-2). The Patriots went 3-0 in the past week, starting with the finale in their own LeGrand Holiday Jubliee, 81-54 over Franklin. They beat Monroe Thursday, 57-27, then handed then-No. 5 Ridge its first loss of the season, 68-52, in the Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase at Montgomery on Saturday.

Rutgers Prep (4-4) holds in second, with the Argonauts splitting a pair this week. They beat Montclair Immaculata on January first in the New Year’s Jump-Off at Paterson Kennedy, 74-56, then fell Sunday to Bergen Catholic in the Big Jersey Bash Showcase II at Caldwell, 71-49. All four Prep losses have come out of the area.

Montgomery (6-1) holds steady in third, on the heels of a 2-0 week. They topped Bridgewater-Raritan in their own Cougar Holiday Classic on Monday, 63-44, then beat Westfield, 50-43, in their own Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase on Saturday.

Up one spot to fourth this week is Ridge (7-1), despite splitting a pair this week. They lost at the Coaches vs. Cancer Showcase at Montgomery, 68-52 to No. 1 Colonia, after beating Chatham during the week on Thursday, 59-53.

Gill St. Bernard’s (5-2) rose one place, despite an 0-2 week, with both against out-of-area competition. They fell to Don Bosco Prep Wednesday ion the New Year’s Jump-Off at Paterson Kennedy, 52-43, then lost to St. Peter’s Prep at the Big Jersey Bash Showcase II at Caldwell Sunday, 45-38.

Piscataway pulled up two spots to sixth, after a 3-1 week with an upset win. They lost at Hillside in the Comets’ own Joe Silver Holiday Tournament final on Monday, 60-48, then reeled off three straight wins. They beat Old Bridge Thursday, 80-54, before winning at then-No. 4 St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday, 62-46. Sunday, they beat a good Snyder team from Jersey City in the New Year’s Jump-Off at Newark Collegiate.

Falling three places to seventh is St. Thomas Aquinas (4-2). They won in overtime Thursday at St. Joseph-Metuchen, 68-62, then came back and lost to Piscataway at home, 62-46, on Saturday.

Hillsborough (6-1) is down one spot to eighth, having made room for Piscataway. The Raiders won their only game in the past week, beating Sparta at home, 57-40, on Saturday.

The last two teams flip-flopped, as Sayreville (7-1) took the No. 9 spot on a 3-0 week. First, they finished off their won Battle at the Bomb Shelter with a 53-51 win over Union, they won at North Brunswick Thursday, 58-43, before beating Woodbridge, 58-54, Saturday back at home.

Down to tenth is South Plainfield (6-1), which took its first loss of the season Thursday, 54-51 at Morris Knolls, surrounded by a pair of wins: Monday over Edison to win their own Anthony J. Cotoia Tournament, 51-3, and Saturday at South Brunswick, 74-54.

Below is the complete Week 4 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Colonia hangs on at No. 1 despite season’s first loss; two new teams join the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

Despite losses by the top two teams – both coming to out of state opponents – there was little change through the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week Three, although two news teams – Piscataway and South Plainfield – made their debuts.

Colonia (4-1) had a 2-1 week split by the holidays. The Patriots picked up a 60-40 win Monday over in-town rival Woodbridge, then dropped the opener in its own LeGrand Holiday Jubilee to Westfield, 53-47. They rebounded, however, with a 49-41 victory over Scotch Plains-Fanwood Saturday. The event wraps up Monday, with the Patriots playing Franklin at 1 pm.

Rutgers Prep remains in second. The Argonauts dropped its only game of the week, 80-63 to St. Rose of Belmar on Monday, to drop to 4-1 on the season.

Holding in third is Montgomery (4-1), which won its only game in the past week, a 68-35 rout over Princeton in their own Cougar Holiday Classic, which continues Monday. The Cougars will play Bridgewater-Raritan (3-2) at 2 pm.

Steady in fourth is St. Thomas Aquinas (3-1). The Trojans were 2-0 this past week, picking up a Friday win over Port Richmond (NY), 69-27, and a win Saturday at Bayonne in the Bayonne Holiday Classic, 58-55.

Ridge (6-0) holds in sixth after a 3-0 week. The Red Devils topped Summit Monday, 52-20, then won the Whitey Dukiet All-American Holiday Classic at Livingston for the third year in a row. They beat Morris Knolls 68-30 on Friday, then beat the host Lancers 66-37 Saturday for the title.

Gill St. Bernard’s 95-0) remains in sixth after a 2-0 week. The Knights beat Seton Hall Prep, 60-51, on Monday, then won at the Paramus Catholic Holiday Tournament, edging the Paladins 72-69.

And holding in seventh is Hillsborough (5-1). The Raiders swept two games to win the Oratory Holiday Tournament, beating Newark Academy 44-36 on Friday, then host Oratory Prep 57-42 on Saturday.

Then, there are two new teams. Piscataway makes its debut at No. 8 with a record of 4-1. They won at Sayreville Monday, 62-57, then came back and won twice in the Joe Silver Holiday Tournament at Hillside. They beat College Achieve Asbury Park’s regional squad 86-59 Friday, then Orange on Saturday, 72-48. They’ll play host Hillside at 2 pm Monday in the championship game.

Ninth is South Plainfield, making its debut at 4-0. They swept a two-game week, beating Carteret Monday, 72-34, then taking the opener of their own Anthony J. Cotoia Holiday Tournament on Thursday, 63-53. They play for the title Monday against Edison at 3 pm.

Sayreville dropped two spots to No. 8, after a 1-1 week in which they lost to Piscataway Monday, 62-57, then came back and beat Tottenville (NY) on Friday, 61-42.

Here’s the full Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 3:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top four hold court, but the rest shuffle in Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

With the top four combining to go 9-1 this past week, there’s no change in those spots in the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, but there were a number of other movements, with three new teams joining the rankings.

At the top, it’s still Colonia, which won its only game of the week, an 80-61 triumph Thursday night at Piscataway, in which junior Aiden Derkack joined the 1,000-point club. They have one more game before the holiday, Monday afternoon at 1 against in-town rival Woodbridge.

Rutgers Prep (3-1) holds at No. 2, on the strength of a three-win week. They beat Phillipsburg on Monday, 94-71, then edged out Hillsborough by five Thursday, before going on the road Saturday and picking up an 88-65 win over Delbarton.

Montgomery (3-1) has won three straight since a season-opening four-point loss to Hudson Catholic, and holds stead at No. 3. They fought off Pingry at home Tuesday, 51-47, then won at Immaculata on Thursday, 59-53, before beating then-No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen 61-47 Saturday in the finale of the Friends of South Amboy Tournament.

Holding in fourth is St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1). The Trojans won their season opener Thursday at Old Bridge, 63-50, but lost Saturday evening to Moore Catholic out of Staten Island in the Friends of South Amboy Tournament.

Moving up a spot to fifth is Ridge, which swept its opening week to go 3-0. The Red Devils won at Hunterdon Central on Thursday, 53-37, then topped Bridgewater-Raritan 55-48 at home on Wednesday, before wrapping up the week with a 67-52 win over Hoboken Saturday.

The next three teams are making their debuts this season, starting at No. 6 with Gill St. Bernard’s. The Knights (3-0) had a rare off year with a good deal of roster turnover, but are off to a great start with a win Tuesday against Franklin, 77-48, another over Phillipsburg Thursday, 73-47, and a two-point victory Saturday in the Brick City Showcase over St. Benedict’s, 53-51.

At No. 7 is Hillsborough (3-1). They sandwiched two wins around a five-point loss at No. 2 Rutgers Prep Thursday, 70-65. The Raiders opened Tuesdat with a 48-40 win at Watchung Hills, then got past Hunterdon Central at home on Saturday, 58-46.

In eighth is Sayreville (3-0). The Bombers went 2-0 in the week gone by, winning at South Brunswick, 60-51, on Thursday, then headed to the Friends of South Amboy Tournament Saturday and beat CSI/McCown (NY), 70-48.

St. Joseph-Metuchen dropped down to No. 9, starting the year 1-2. They lost at Seton Hall Prep Tuesday, 72-36, but then rebounded with a 57-35 win at Monroe Thursday. On Saturday, in the Friends of South Amboy Tournament, they lost to No. 3 Montgomery, 61-47.

Holding at No. 10 is Timothy Christian (2-0), which beat JP Stevens on the road, 64-51, on Thursday night, then topped Pilgrim Academy at home Saturday, 75-31.

Dropping out were No. 7 Franklin (1-1), No. 8 Woodbridge (1-1) and No. 9 Spotswood (0-3).

Below is the full Bellamy & Son Paving Week 2 Boys’ Basketball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

No changes in Boys’ or Girls’ Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten with limited, soft opening week

With few teams taking advantage of the NJSIAA’s early start schedule, there was no movement in this week’s Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, either on the girls’ or boys’ side.

Only three ranked boys teams were in action this weekend, all at the Tip-Off Showcase at Montgomery High School Saturday afternoon and evening.

Top-ranked Colonia won its opener, dropping St. Peter’s Prep out of Jersey City, 46-40, despite falling behind early, while No. 3 Montgomery lost in the event’s nightcap, falling to Hudson Catholic, 48-44.

Earlier in the day, No. 2 Rutgers Prep lost a heartbreaker to Manasquan on a buzzer-beater, 64-61, on a half-court trey by Matteo Chiarella. That’s the same Manasquan team that looked to have beaten Camden last year in the state Group 2 semifinals before the officials got together and waved the basket off, saying the shot came after the buzzer. It sparked a huge controversy as replays from multiple media outlets and fans showed the shot clearly beat the buzzer; however, the NJSIAA does not use replay in games.

Below is the full Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten:

Meanwhile, on the girls’ side, the top four all won their openers. No. 1 Rutgers Prep cruised past Ewing, 66-29, also at the Tip-Off Showcase at Montgomery. Earlier in the week, No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas beat St. Joseph Hill (NY) back on Tuesday, but lost Saturday to Monsignor McClancy (NY), 71-62.

Third-ranked Gill St. Bernard’s and No. 4 Hillsborough also won their openers. The Knights topped Albertus Magnus (NY) on the road, 58-31, while the defending North 2, Group 4 champion Lady Raiders powered past Linden at home, 69-23.

Spotswood – No. 10 in the preseason rankings – lost down in Virginia to Spotswood. Yes, you heard that right, the Chargers played their namesake in Virginia at the She Got Game Classic, but lost 59-35.

Below is the full Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten a mixed bag: Top 5 from last year stay put, roster turnover brings in four new teams

With several of the bottom five team’s in last year’s final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten graduating significant chunks of their rosters – with the exception of Ridge – four new teams join the preseason 2024-25 rankings, while the top five remain unchanged.

Colonia opens the season as the No. 1 team – right where it ended last year – coming off a 22-9 campaign, a GMC Tournamrnt championship, and a North 2, Group 3 title. The Patriots have made it to the Group 3 semifinals each of the last three seasons, and return junior point guard Aiden Derkack, who was the GMC Tournament MVP last year as a sophomore.

Rutgers Prep holds in at No. 2, coming off a 20-7 year where they won the Somerset County Tournament. The Argonauts bring back a slew of talented players from last year’s young and inexperienced squad, and while they’re still relatively young, they are much more experienced, with top scorers like senior Myles Parker and junior Jacob Canton returning.

In third is Montgomery, which fell to Prep in the SCT final, but went on to beat Monroe to win the Central Jersey Group 4 championship, and bowed out in the state semifinals to Lenape. While they lose seniors like Miggy Aguilar, Steve Donahue and Jack Fromelt, returning will be reigning Central Jersey Sports Radio Boys’ Player of the Year Bohdan Biekietov, as well as point guard Ethan Lin, who missed the late part of last season with a broken ankle.

St. Thomas Aquinas returns in fourth. The Trojans went 17-12 and made the GMC Tournament final last year, falling to Colonia after having won three straight full GMCT titles. And they’ll have a new coach this year, Austin Whitehurst, who takes over for Bob Turco after his departure to Piscataway. But Whitehead will miss the first ten games, suspended by the NJSIAA for a recruiting violation.

And checking in at No. 5 is St. Joseph-Metuchen. The Falcons – who were the top seed in the GMC Tournament last year but were knocked out by Aquinas in the semifinals – finished 19-9, but opted to look for a new coach and hired Karl Towns, Sr., the father of now-New York Knick Karl-Anthony Towns, who starred at the school in the mid-2000s, winning the GMCT and going to the now-defunct Tournament of Champions all three years he was there, winning the TOC his senior season, in 2014.

The rest is where it gets interesting.

The only one of the bottom five teams to be in this year’s preseason rankings is Ridge. The Red Devils return four of their top five scorers from last year’s 10-5 squad, and move up from a tenth-place tie in last year’s final rankings. Luke Kreitz and Quinn Dashefsky are the top two returning scorers, with several other key players back as well.

The remainder of the Top Ten is new.

Franklin graduates five of its seven top scorers, including top two scorers Cam Brown and Landen Miller but starts the year at No. 7 after a 16-12 season last year.

In eighth is Spotswood, followed by Timothy Christian. The Chargers were 20-7 last season, and shared the GMC Blue Division title with the Tigers. Top two scorers Kiye Walker and Daniel Yarus are gone to graduation, but several others return, and Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage – who quarterbacked the football team this year to an 8-2 record – should see an increased role.

For Timothy, they lose Myles Dickerson to transfer, but return their No. 2 and 3 scorers, seniors Jalen Fleming and big man Chukwudi Raphael Mamah.

In the final spot is Bound Brook, which went 16-11 last year, and will graduate No. 2 scorer Jeremiah Williams as well as Jarred Wooden, but returns top scorer Jackson Morrison.

Below is the full preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Preseason Top Ten:

by Mike Pavlichko

Two titles propel Colonia to No. 1 in final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top 10 of the season

On the strength of two championships this season – the GMC Tournament and the North 2, Group 3 section in the states – Colonia is the No. 1 team in the final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten of the season.

Colonia finished 22-9 on the season, beating St. Thomas Aquinas to win its first full county tournament since 2015 (they won the Towns/Williams four-team pod in the COVID-shortened season of 2021). Then, after the sudden passing of assistant coach Danny Brix, the Patriots won their third straight sectional title, before their season came to an end in the Group 3 semifinals against Ramapo.

In second is Rutgers Prep, which won its second Somerset County Tournament championship in a row, and finished 20-7, also taking the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title.

Montgomery (25-4) finished in third, its four losses coming to just two teams. They lost to Rutgers Prep twice, once in the regular season, and then again by three in the SCT title game. They also lost to Lenape in the regular season, and in the Group 4 semifinals, after winning their first sectional title since 2014, taking the Central Group 4 title with a win over Monroe.

In fourth is St. Thomas Aquinas, which finished 17-12 and reached the GMC Tournament finals, falling to Colonia.

GMC Red Division champion St. Joseph-Metuchen checks in at No. 5, with a 19-9 record.

After Watchung Hills (18-8) and Monroe (19-8) in sixth and seventh, respectively, GMC White Division Co-Champion South Plainfield checks in at No. 8.

Hillsborough is in ninth at 15-9, with two teams tied for tenth: Ridge and Bernards, both of which finished 15-10, with the Mountaineers claiming the Skyland Conference Mountain Division title.

See the final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings for the 2023-24 season below: