Category: Boys Basketball Top Ten

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep boys still No. 1, Bernards joins final Bellamy & Son Paving rankings ’til season’s end

In the final Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten before the end of the season, there was no change in the top five, Rutgers Prep holds on to the No. 1 spot, and Bernards makes its debut at No. 9.

Rutgers Prep (14-5) had a 3-0 week, with wins over county opponents in Montgomery and Hillsborough to essentially lock up the top seed in the county tournament ahead of Monday night’s seeding meeting. They also beat Paul VI in the Holy Cross Prep Showcase on Saturday.

Holding in second is St. Joseph-Metuchen (16-6). The Falcons went 2-2 with losses to Linden and Arts (of Newark) sandwiched around a pair of wins over GMC Red Division foe St. Thomas Aquinas as well as Notre Dame of Lawrenceville.

A 3-0 week kept Colonia (14-7) at No. 3, with wins over Piscataway, St. Thomas Aquinas and Ewing.

Holding in fourth is Montgomery (16-2). Despite a Tuesday loss to Rutgers Prep, they came back to beat Somerville, then Hillsborough on Saturday, likely locking up the No. 2 seed in the Somerset County Tournament.

Also holding steady at No. 5 is St. Thomas Aquinas (13-8). The Trojans lost to Union Catholic and at St Joe’s, before rebounding with a win in the Battle by the Bay showcase over Universal Audenried Charter (PA).

Watchung Hills (15-5) climbs two spots to sixth this week, supplanting Ridge, which they beat last week, but it was sandwiched around two out-of-area losses, the first to a very good Phillipsburg team, the second to Millburn.

Holding at No. 7 is Monroe (14-5). The Falcons won their only game last week, beating JP Stevens.

Ridge (12-7) drops down to eighth after an 0-3 week, with losses to Bound Brook and two top ten teams in Watchung Hills and South Plainfield, both on the road.

Bernards (12-7) makes its debut at No. 9, picking up an 18-point win over South Plainfield, then a victory over Wallkill Valley, before losing at Hopewell Valley on Saturday.

South Plainfield (16-6) drops one spot to tenth, after a loss to Bernards, but the Tigers also had wins over Timothy Christian, New Brunswick and Ridge.

Dropping out this week was Hillsborough (11-7), which has had a tough go of late, dropping five of its last six games. The Raiders beat Pingry last week, but then lost to Rutgers Prep and Montgomery.

Below are the full Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings for Week 8:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep, St. Joseph-Metuchen stay 1 and 2 in Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten

There is no change this week at the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings for Week 7, the next to the last rankings before the county tournaments get underway.

Rutgers Prep, St. Joseph of Metuchen and Colonia all kept their positions at one, two and three this week while the rest of the teams moved around, though no one new joined the Top Ten, and nobody dropped out.

Rutgers Prep (11-5) had a 1-1 week, beating Hillsborough on the road Tuesday in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, to get a leg up on the race for the top seed in the Somerset County Tournament. The Argonauts fell Sunday to St. Peter’s Prep, 53-45.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (14-5) dropped a weekend game to Linden in the Investors Savings Scholarship Games at AL Johnson in Clark, but beat two non-conference opponents during the week, topping Union City and Delbarton.

Colonia (11-7) lost a non-conference game to Phillipsburg on Tuesday, but picked up two GMC Red Division wins the rest of the week, beating East Brunswick at home and Monroe on the road.

Montgomery (14-1) nudged up one spot from fifth to fourth, and has won seven straight since a loss to Lenape on January 6th. They picked up wins this week over Somerville, North Hunterdon, and another Saturday at the Jeff Coney Classic over Cherry Hill East.

Down a spot to fifth is St. Thomas Aquinas (12-6), which dropped a pair this week to St. Peter’s Prep and Union Catholic.

Up a spot to No. 6 is Ridge (11-4). The Red Devils sandwiched a loss at Phillipsburg with a pair of wins over Somerset County foes Watchung Hills and Gill St. Bernard’s.

At seven is Monroe (13-5) after the Falcons went 2-1 this past week, getting wins over Piscataway and Lawrence, then dropping a home game to Colonia.

Watchung Hills (14-3) is up a spot to eighth coming off a 2-0 week, getting wins over Voorhees and North Bergen.

South Plainfield (13-5) drops to ninth. They were 2-1 this past week with wins over Sayreville and at North Plainfield bookending a loss to unranked Woodbridge Thursday.

Hillsborough (10-5) had a rough week, losing three straight, including to Rutgers Prep on Tuesday, then at Franklin Thursday and on the road against Westfield Saturday.

Below are the full Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten Rankings for Week 7:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep remains No. 1 in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, as Montgomery, South Plainfield, Watchung Hills edge upward

There was very little movement, and none at the top, in the Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten.

Rutgers Prep (10-4) went 3-0 this past week, part of a stretch that saw Somerset County teams go 11-1, picking up wins over Immaculata and at Ridge, whose only two prior losses were to St. Joseph-Metuchen – the highest ranked team in the GMC – and Phillipsburg.

The Argonauts are followed by St. Joe’s in second at 11-4. The Falcons went 2-1 this week, starting with an 80-61 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday to clinch the GMC Red Division, and ostensibly the top seed in the GMC Tournament. They followed it up with a 72-63 win at Colonia in their rematch with the Patriots, but fell Saturday afternoon to Elizabeth in a non-conference game.

Colonia (9-5) holds in third, after a 2-1 week that saw their loss to Joe’s bookended by a Monday win over Monroe, and a Saturday thrashing of South Brunswick.

St. Thomas Aquinas (12-4) maintains the No. 4 spot despite a 1-2 week. They beat Saddle River Day Monday, lost to St. Joseph on Wednesday, then fell to Newark Central in a Brick City showcase over the weekend.

Montgomery (11-1) moved up to fifth, flip-flopping with Hillsborough. The Cougars took a road win at Carteret, then beat state top-ten College Achieve Asbury Park 78-62 at home Sunday afternoon, in a game rescheduled from Friday due to snow.

Hilllsborough (10-2) also had a 2-0 week, winning at Hunterdon Central during the week and beating Governor Livingston at home on Saturday. The Raiders are 4-0 in the Skyland Delaware Division and have a huge clash at home Tuesday at 7 pm against No. 1 Rutgers Prep, a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

In seventh is Ridge (9-3), which split a pair this week. They lost to Rutgers Prep Wednesday, but came back Saturday for a home win against Hamilton West.

South Plainfield (11-4) climbed from ninth to No. 8 with a 2-0 week that saw a pair of road wins over Perth Amboy and Edison.

Watchung Hills (11-2) also went 2-0 last week, and moved from tenth to ninth; the Warriors beat Bound Brook Monday and Franklin Wednesday.

Monroe (11-4) dropped to tenth after a 2-2 week; they were the only area team to fit four games in their schedule over the last seven days. They dropped their first two at Colonia Monday and at home to Old Bridge Wednesday, before bouncing back with a win at East Brunswick Thursday and getting a win at JP Stevens on Saturday.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 6:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep leads Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten; Colonia jumps Aquinas after win

For the second week in a row, Rutgers Prep took the top spot in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, while Colonia flip-flopped with St. Thomas Aquinas after a Thursday win over the Trojans.

On the other end, Gill St. Bernard’s dropped out for the first time in the poll’s three-year-and-change history. They had been in the rankings for 32 straight weeks. The Knights were 0-3 this week and have lost five straight for the first time under head coach Mergin Sina, and overall since the 2007-08 season, in which Gill went 8-14, their last losing season.

Rutgers Prep (7-4) went 1-1 this past week, claiming a division win over Franklin Thursday, then falling to St. Benedict’s by ten Saturday in the Dennis Gregory Memorial Showcase at Caldwell University.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (9-3) stayed in the second slot after a 2-1 week themselves. They beat East Brunswick and Monroe on Wednesday and Thursday, then lost Sunday to St. Benedict’s at the same showcase as Prep.

Colonia (7-4) bumped up to third after a win over previous No. 3 St. Thomas Aquinas – which falls to fourth this week. That was the Trojans; lone game of the week, while Colonia fell to Elizabeth Sunday in the Investors Savings Bank Scholarship Games.

There are two big games this week in the GMC involving those three teams. St. Joseph visits St. Thomas Aquinas on Tuesday night, while the Falcons host Colonia on Thursday.

Holding at No. 5 is Hillsborough (8-2). The Raiders beat Gill St. Bernards for the second time this season on Thursday, then lost to Caldwell Sunday, 52-51.

In sixth is Montgomery (9-1), which was the only Top Ten team this past week to go without a loss. The Cougars beat Pingry on Thursday, then edged Scotch Plains-Fanwood by five at the Investors’ Games.

Up two spots to seventh is Ridge (8-2), which went 1-1 with a victory over Hunterdon Central Thursday, but a loss to Phillipsburg on Saturday.

Monroe (9-2) falls from seventh to eighth after a 1-1 week. They lost to No. 2 St. Joe’s 53-46 on Thursday, but rebounded with a Saturday rout of South Brunswick.

At No. 9 is South Plainfield. The Tigers are 9-4 after a 2-1 week, with wins at New Brunswick and home over North Brunswick, before a defeat at Westfield Sunday.

And back in the rankings after a week out is Watchung Hills (9-2) at No. 10. The Warriors won their only game last week, beating Immaculata out of the Skyland Delaware Division.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep elevates to No. 1 in Week Four Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

A GMC Red Division loss by St. Thomas Aquinas has knocked the Trojans from the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving boys’ basketball rankings, and Rutgers Prep moved up two places this week to take their spot.

South Plainfield also moves back into the rankings, while Monroe makes its debut.

Rutgers Prep (6-3) had a strong showing this week in its own conference to boost themselves to the top of the pile, with a win Thursday night by ten up at No. 6 Gill St. Bernard’s, along with a loss to Hudson Catholic and a win over Saddle River Day playing out-of-area.

Holding at No. 2 is St. Joseph-Metuchen (7-2). The Falcons are 5-0 in the GMC Red, the only team left in the division without a loss against the Red, earning wins over South Brunswick and Old Bridge before falling to Payne Tech of Newark Sunday.

St. Thomas Aquinas (10-2) drops third after the Monroe loss. They also beat East Brunswick and Piscataway this week.

Holding in fourth is Colonia (6-3), which scored wins this week over Old Bridge and East Brunswick. The Patriots host St. Thomas Aquinas Thursday evening at 5:45 pm in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

In fifth is Hillsborough (7-1), which swept two games this week over Immaculata (Thursday) and Robbinsville at Saturday’s Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout at Montgomery. The Raiders have a mammoth week coming up, with Rutgers Prep at home Tuesday, and a Thursday game at Gill St. Bernard’s.

Checking in at six is Gill St. Bernard’s (7-3), which went 1-2 this week, with its lone win coming over Trenton Catholic on Tuesday, then losses to Rutgers Prep and College Achieve Asbury.

Making its debut this season is Monroe (8-1) in seventh. The Falcons were 3-0 this week and are on a seven-game winning streak after victories over Piscataway, Aquinas and South Brunswick.

Holding in eighth is Montgomery, which beat Voorhees on the road Tuesday, but dropped the finale of their own Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout on Saturday night, falling 56-50 to Lenape.

At No. 9 is Ridge (7-1), which holds steady after a 2-0 week, with wins at Bound Brook and over Morristown.

Re-entering the poll this week, after a one-week absence, is South Plainfield (7-3), checking in at No. 10. The Tigers are on a four-game win streak, and were 3-0 last week, with victories over Sayreville, Watchung Hills and North Plainfield.

As a result, Watchung Hills (previously No. 7) and Sayreville (previously No. 10) are both out this week.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Few changes in Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ basketball Top Ten in Week 3, as teams go 17-8 over Christmas/New Year’s break

With only one team in the Week Two Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten losing more than once over the holiday break, there’s very little change to the Week Three boys’ basketball rankings, with St. Thomas Aquinas remaining atop the list.

In fact, the top eight teams stayed in exactly the same place this week, while the bottom two dropped out. Previous No. 9 Piscataway (4-3) lost a pair of games this past week to Immaculata and Morristown, while previous No. 10 South Plainfield split at their own Anthony J. Cotoia Tournament, losing to Edison 61-49, abut beating JFK, 68-31.

They were replaced by Ridge (5-1) and Sayreville (6-2), respectively. The Red Devils scored a big win in the final of their own Whitey Dukiet All-Star Holiday Classic, a 70-60 upset of No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, the only one of the top eight teams to lose to an unranked Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team. The Bombers played at the Huskies Holiday Classic, beating host Matawan by 15 in the opener and blowing past Old Bridge by 22. They then lost to Holmdel in the finale, 77-61.

St. Thomas Aquinas (7-1) – which held at No. 1 – actually took its first loss of the season at the Boardwalk Classic on New Year’s Eve, falling 81-54 to Middle Township. Earlier in the week, the Trojans ran their record to 7-0 with a pair of victories over East New York Family Academy (NY) and Thurgood Marshall Academy (NY) at the Vikings Invitational.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (5-1) fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in their holiday tournament final against Ridge, after beating Morris Knolls, 84-54, in their opener, but stayed at No. 2 with the team behind them – Rutgers Prep – staying put, splitting a pair with a loss to Archbishop Ryan , 75-56, on Friday, then a win in the Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University over Camden Eastside, 83-69.

Holding in fourth is Colonia (4-3) which picked up a pair of wins in their own LeGrand Tournament over Scotch Plains-Fanwood and Union City, before falling by three to Westfield, 48-45. The Patriots’ three losses this season have come by a grand total of six points, with the loss to the Blue Devils their largest margin of defeat in the early season.

At No. 5 again is Hillsborough. The Raiders swept the Oratory Holiday Tournament, beating Morristown-Beard 57-27, then edging their hosts, 49-48 in the finale.

Also with a holiday week sweep was Gill St. Bernard’s (6-1), which won all three in its Knights Holiday Tournament, over Pope John, Bernards, and Norman Thomas (NY).

Holding in seventh is Watchung Hills, which dropped the opener of the Cougar Classic at Chatham, 54-50 to the hosts, but came back to pick up wins over New Providence and Cranford.

Eighth place is still Montgomery (6-0), the only unbeaten team left in the entire Skyland Conference, and one of just two in the CJSR coverage area (Calvary Christian is the other at 4-0). The Cougars crushed both opponents in their preset matchup Cougar Holiday Classic, topping North Hunterdon, 72-39, then Bridgewater-Raritan 88-46 in the finale. It was the most points for Monty against a Somerset County opponent under head coach Kris Grundy, who took over in 2005-06.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Little change in Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten as Aquinas stays atop, Hillsborough moves up after big win

The top four teams all remained the same, while Hillsborough climbed into the Top 5 after a huge win over Gill St. Bernard’s, in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week One.

St. Thomas Aquinas (2-0) held in first after a pair of wins over JP Stevens and St. Joseph by the Sea (NY) to open the season.

Colonia (1-0) stayed at No. 2 after a win to open the season Saturday at JP Stevens, 65-35, while St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) held at No. 3 with a pair of wins at Piscataway, 92-82, and over Msgr. Farrell (NY), 56-43 on Saturday at the Friends of South Amboy games. The Patriots and Falcons meet in a big GMC clash Tuesday evening at Colonia.

Rutgers Prep (2-0) held at No. 4 this week, after opening wins over Franklin on Thursday, 53-49, and Saturday against Paramus Catholic, 98-45.

Hillsborough (1-1) is in fifth this week after a huge win over Gill St. Bernard’s, 49-48, its first over the Knights in nearly ten years. The Raiders lost to Delbarton Saturday, 64-56.

Gill St. Bernard’s (0-1) dropped to sixth after the loss to Hillsborough.

Checking in at No. 7 is Woodbridge (2-0), which had season-opening wins Thursday against Perth Amboy, 47-35, and Saturday at Edison, 69-40.

In eighth is Franklin (1-1), which came close to knocking off Rutgers Prep in is season opener Thursday, falling by four, 53-49, but them came back Saturday to beat Plainfield, 54-40. The Warriors travel to Gill St. Bernard’s Tuesday evening for a big Skyland Delaware Division game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio; click here to listen.

At No. 9 is Immaculata (1-1), up one spot. They beat Parsippany Hills on the road Thursday in their opener, but lost to a solid Delaware Valley team Saturday, 55-44. Tuesday night, they host Rutgers Prep.

And joining the rankings this week for the first time is Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0), which beat previous No. 9 Bound Brook, 53-45 on Opening Night Thursday as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, knocking the Crusaders (1-1) out of the rankings. The Panthers then beat JFK Saturday, 71-46.

Below are the full Week One Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Thomas Aquinas heads preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, while three new teams join the rankings

In the preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, three-time defending GMC Tournament champion St. Thomas Aquinas holds the No. 1 spot, while three new teams – one from the GMC and two from the Skyland Conference – take their place in the rankings.

Aquinas went 24-5 last year, and has won three straight GMCT titles, in 2020, 2022 and 2023. (There was no full tournament in 2021 due to the COVID-shortened season.) The Red Division champs turned over almost their entire roster, but are expected to be one of the favorites to win it again this year.

Colonia will be among the teams in that conversation, too. The Patriots are No. 2 in the preseason, coming off their second straight North 2, Group 3 title, and led once again by talented point guard Jaeden Jones, who was just named CJSR’s Offensive Player of the Year in football for 2023.

In third is St. Joseph-Metuchen, a Non-Public South A finalist a year ago that went 18-11. Though top-scorer Josh Ingram is gone to graduation, they Falcons bring back a good core and are another GMCT contender.

The next two spots are taken by Somerset County teams, each of which has won one of the last two SCTs. Rutgers Prep – 22-8 a year ago and Skyland Delaware Division champions – checks in at No. 4, while Gill St. Bernard’s – 19-8 last season – is at No. 5. Both had some roster turnover, but should be 1a and 1b – and the order is debatable until they play – in the county.

At No. 6 is Woodbridge, 14-12 last season and with a whole lot coming back, including top scorer Micah Eason. The Barrons were seven points away from an 18-8 year; after a two-point loss at South Plainfield in December, they dropped three games in a four game stretch in January by one point to Perth Amboy, by two at Edison, and by two up the road at JP Stevens.

No. 7 is Hillsborough, which returns four starters, but after winning the Raritan Division, moves up to the Skyland Delaware, swapping places with Bridgewater-Raritan. That’ll make for a very challenging schedule.

Franklin is in at No. 8, coming off a 17-11 season. The duo of Cam and Elisha Brown will help the Warriors make things interesting in the Delaware Division.

At No. 9 is Bound Brook, which is coming off back-to-back 22-5 seasons. But they’ll have to recover from the loss of top-scorer Jordan Summers and his Somerset County best 25.6 points per game. Middlesex transfer Jayden Pearyer will help, while “glue guy” Jarred Wooden runs the offense.

In tenth is Immaculata. The Spartans were 19-6 a year ago and return a host of talent, getting up and down the floor, playing good defense to boot. But they’re also up to the Delaware Division with Prep, Gill, Franklin and Hillsborough.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: East Brunswick Magnet 16, Timothy Christian 4

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Thomas Aquinas finishes the season where it began: No. 1 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

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: