Tag: Bound Brook

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County Tournament resumes Saturday morning with four second round games

The Somerset County Tournament kicks into high gear Saturday with four second round games, all played at the home of the higher seeded teams. Here’s a look at all four matchups, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s coverage of the SCT presented by Zoned Sports Academy in Bridgewater:

#11 Manville (7-2) at #6 Pingry (4-3), noon

Of course, the main goal is to advance in the SCT, but Manville baseball has had a lot of lean years, and at 7-2, a win against Pingry would equal their win total from 2019, when the team was 8-13. And that was he first time they’d won more than five games in a season since at least the start of the last decade. But the Mustangs aren’t resting on their laurels. They have three players hitting .400 or better, including senior Josh Barrios at .400, and senior Geoffrey Mathis and junior James Mascola hitting .500 on the year. Mathis has a team-leading 16 RBIs and has hit two home runs on the year, adding a pair of doubles and a pair of triples. Pingry hasn’t shown the form yet it did last year, when the Big Blue had a 23-3 campaign and won the Prep A Tournament. But that can happen when you lose your hits leader in Liam Royster and strikeout leader on Thomas Santana to graduation. Hitting .320 last year, Pingry is hitting just .199 on the year, and scored only 23 runs through seven games. Senior Jake Francis is their top pitcher, allowing no earned runs and striking out 26 while walking only three in 18 innings pitched, and he’s hitting .222 with a team-leading eight runs batted in. Will this be the year they beat Pingry? It hasn’t happened in at least 19 years of our research, during Manville’s entire time in the Skyland Conference.

#10 Bernards (4-3) at #7 Hillsborough (3-7), 11 am

This is a rare meeting between the two schools, as they have only played each other twice since 2012. The Raiders won both matchups, 2-0 in the 2012 SCT quarterfinals and 7-6 in the 2014SCT semis. The difference is both of those years, Hillsborough had a winning record: 17-14 the year of the first meeting, and 15-8 the second time around. The Mountaineers got off to a rough 1-3 start but have since won three straight over Voorhees, Warren Hills and Roselle Park, outscoring those three opponents 46-1, with the Blue Streaks the only team to score off Bernards – and an unearned run, at that. Bernards is hitting a monstrous .428 as a team, no doubt buoyed by the last three games. Nevertheless, senior Tyler Hepinstill is hitting .688 with 11 hits in 19 at bats. Charlie Gonella is hitting .476 with six runs batted in, and Matt Giunta has knocked in a team-leading eight runs. On the pitching side, the team ERA is 3.15, good enough to keep any decent-hitting team in a ballgame. Hillsborough, meanwhile, is struggling, having started the season 0-4, and dropping five of its first six games. They’ve lost two straight coming in, but to no slouch teams: Ridge (8-0) and Hunterdon Central (8-7). It’s a team trying to figure it out at the plate, hitting just .207, while the team ERA is 4.48 on the season. Then again, playing in the Skyland Delaware Division can do that to a team. With Ridge, Hunterdon Central and Bridgewater-Raritan, that division is simply loaded.

#12 Rutgers Prep (3-7) at #6 Franklin (4-5), 11 am

This is an intriguing one, as Rutgers Prep is one of those teams that has a ton of talent, including standouts Zach Fronio and Andrew Parisi coming back, among others, but just hasn’t figured it out yet as a group this season. What can you say when a guy like Parisi is hitting .520 (13-25) and leads the team in walks with 13, for a whopping .840 on base percentage? Fronio is hitting well also (.423) and so is freshman Ethan Nepomuceno (.400). Can the pitching get it together? That may be the issue against Franklin, which won at Prep 15-3 just eleven days ago. The Warriors are led by sophomore Izaiah Robinson (.419, 9 RBI) and junior Jacob Cruz (.400) at the plate, though pitching has also been an issue, allowing nearly six runs a game. Looking at common opponents here is interesting, too. In its last three games, Prep beat Phillipsburg 7-5, Watchung Hills 8-0, and lost to Montgomery 11-10. Franklin lost to the Stateliners earlier in the season, 3-1, but beat Montgomery back on the 13th by a 10-1 score. They also beat Gill St. Bernard’s on opening day, 4-3, while Rutgers Prep blanked them 25-0. The Argos could pull an upset if the right team shows up this morning.

#9 Immaculata (1-6) at #8 Bound Brook (4-4), 11 am

This will be the first meeting between the schools at least in the past decade or so. The Spartans are just 1-6, but played Ridge to a tight 2-0 loss on Opening Day, lost 3-2 to West Morris, and 6-2 at Bridgewater-Raritan – the tournament’s top seed – in a regular season game just five days ago. So, they can hang. But they’re not hitting well as a team, just .259 at the moment. Playing in the Delaware Division surely has a lot to do with it, seeing some great pitching in-league on a day-in, day-out basis. The leading hitter among regulars in the lineup is sophomore Jayson Labrador at .381, then Colin Kassai at .360, but there’s a drop-off after that. But playing Bound Brook may be more their speed right now, making this a good matchup. The Crusaders may be 4-4, but after a hot 3-0 start, the Crusaders have lost four of their last five, although the last one was a tight 4-3 loss to red-hot Manville, which is 7-2 and having its best season in years. The Crusaders are hitting well, .319 as a team, led by senior Jake Anderson at .500, with five runs batted in. Sophomore Nick Anderson is right behind him at .478 and a team-leading 11 RBIs. The team ERA is well under four, with Anderson getting it done on the mound; he’s got a 1.34 ERA with 15 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 20 and walking only six.

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:

South River's gym
by Mike Pavlichko

Par for the course this year, South River expecting a packed gym for C2 semifinal against Bound Brook

They met back on January seventh in Bound Brook with both teams undefeated. South River came away with a tight, 66-61 win over the home team Crusaders.

But now, with a trip to the Central Jersey Group 1 title game on the line, they will meet again – this time at top-seed South River, 1:00 Saturday afternoon.

And there won’t be a seat to be had.

READ MORE: No. 10 South River frustrates No. 6 Bound Brook in unbeaten clash at GMC-Skyland Challenge

The South River band box fits 500. Fourth-seed Bound Brook has been allotted 180 tickets. Both schools will be selling them after school Friday, and Rams’ Athletic Director Carl Buffalino says if they sell out, the doors will be closed. That’s it. No one else gets in.

My money is on a sell-out, and it’s going to be one helluvan atmosphere.

Spotswood at South River
South River and Spotswood square off before a packed house, with the students on their feet the entire game, in a GMC Blue Division matchup on January 20, 2023 (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

South River tickets are on sale from 2:15 to 4 pm in the high school’s main office. Even at tiny South River, a small Group 2 school, those 300-plus tickets will go fast.

Bound Brook is selling tickets at the attendance office at the high school from 2:30 to 4:30, with permission slips for student buses making the trek down River Road and Route 18. They’ll be lucky to have any tickets left by 3:00.

The Rams (25-3) have been the darling of the GMC all year, since they knocked off St. Joseph-Metuchen the day after Christmas. m They earned the three-seed in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, but lost 53-41 in the semifinals to South Brunswick, the seven-seed. (The Vikings also are in a sectional semifinal – Central Group 4 – Saturday afternoon.)

They have a senior-laden team that has grown up together, including standouts Laz Rodriguez, Roman Santos, Gavin Franco and Jeremy Grospe, whose sophomore brother Alex runs the point and is a sharpshooter like his sibling.

Bound Brook (22-4) is coming off a revenge win over Rumson-Fair Haven at their place Thursday night, against the team that blew them out down the Shore last year in the Central Jersey Group 2 title game. The Crusaders don’t go deep into their bench, but Jordan Summers has been a four-year monster for The Brook, with senior Jordan Robinson and sophomore Jackson Morrison right behind him in scoring.

The Crusaders may be a bit more physical, but both can unleash the three-ball. To wit, Bound Brook has nailed 177 from beyond the arc this season. South River has hit 166 treys.

It’s gonna be a helluva game.

by Mike Pavlichko

Bound Brook-South River rematch on tap in states as four boys’ teams advance in NJSIAA sectional quarterfinals Thursday night

They met January 7th as part of the GMC-Skyland Challenge. They’ll meet again Saturday for a trip to the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals.

Fourth-seed Bound Brook (22-4) avenged last year’s sectional title game blowout loss at Rumson-Fair Haven by rallying late to beat the 5th-seeded Bulldogs, 46-45, in one quarterfinal game, as Jordan Summers notched a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards, while Jackson Morrison added 13 points.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Bound Brook head coach Anthony Melesurgo:

In the other half of that side of the bracket, top-seed South River (25-3) built an early lead – 22-8 at the end of one quarter – and cruised past 9th-seedPoint Pleasant Boro, winning 83-56 at home. Brothers Jeremy and Alex Grospe each had 19 points and combined for eight treys; Jeremy had five.

It sets up a rematch of a January battle between the teams, which were both unbeaten at the time, and which saw the Rams win 66-61 in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Saturday’s CJ2 title game will tip off at 1 pm.

The other semifinal will be 3rd-seed Raritan at 2-seed Manasquan.

In other action, in Central Jersey Group 4, just one team advanced: that was 6th-seed South Brunswick (19-6) pulling the seed upset over 3rd-seed North Brunswick (21-7) on the road, 72-46. The Vikings jumped out to a 22-5 lead over the first eight minutes and never looked back, led by Kalani Antoine’s monster game of 31 points.

South Brunswick will get to host another game now, as 7th-seed Marlboro knocked off 2nd-seed Freehold Township on the road, 55-42. Saturday’s CJ4 semifinal is set for 1 pm. The other semifinal will be 5-eed Middletown South at top-seed Trenton.

And over in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4, third-seed Hillsborough advanced, while top-seed Ridge was upset and seventh-seed Franklin was eliminated.

The Raiders (19-7) were 48-41 home winners over 6th-seed Columbia out of Maplewood-South Orange, behind 16 points from St. Thomas Aquinas transfer Phillip Unangst, and 14 from Jayden Green. They’ll play in the sectional semis Saturday at Linden; the 2nd-seeded Tigers eliminated 7th-seed Franklin 49-43.

The other semifinal will be 8th-seed Newark East Side at 5th-seed Westfield. East Side knocked off top-seed Ridge 49-43.

In North 2, Group 2, 11th-seed Bernards was eliminated by 14th-seed Newark West Side 69-46.

Below are Thursday night’s results in sections involving area teams, with full scores where teams remain alive. Scroll further down for the upcoming schedule.

Central Group 4
#1 Trenton def. #8 West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 60-47
#5 Middletown North def. #4 Jackson Memorial, 63-58
#6 South Brunswick def. #3 North Brunswick, 72-46
#7 Marlboro def. #2 Freehold Twp., 55-42

Central Group 2
#1 South River def. #9 Point Pleasant Boro, 83-56
#4 Bound Brook def. #5 Rumson-Fair Haven, 46-45
#3 Raritan def. #6 Delaware Valley, 47-33
#2 Manasquan def. #7 Roselle, 76-41

North 2, Group 4
#8 Newark East Side def. #1 Ridge, 49-43
#5 Westfield def. #13 Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 59-56
#3 Hillsborough def. #6 Columbia, 48-41
#2 Linden def. #7 Franklin, 49-43

North 2, Group 2
#14 Newark West Side def. #11 Bernards, 69-46

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

North 2 Group 3 Semifinals
#4 Colonia at #1 South Plainfield
#7 Payne Tech at #6 Snyder

Non-Public South A Quarterfinals
#8 Red Bank Catholic at #1 Camden Catholic
#5 Union Catholic at #4 Paul VI
#6 St. Joseph-Metuchen at #3 Immaculata
#7 Rutgers Prep at #2 St. Augustine

Non-Public North B Quarterfinals
#8 Timothy Christian at #1 St. Thomas Aquinas
#5 Morris Catholic at #4 Roselle Catholic
@6 Montclair-Immaculata at #3 St. Mary-Rutherford
#7 Saddle River Day at #2 Gill St. Bernard’s

SATURDAY

Central Group 4 Semifinals
#4 Jackson Memorial at #1 Trenton
#7 Marlboro at #6 South Brunswick

Central Group 2 Semifinals
#4 Bound Brook at #1 South River
#3 Raritan at #2 Manasquan

North 2, Group 4 Semifinals
#8 Newark East Side at #5 Westfield
#3 Hillsborough at #2 Linden


by Mike Pavlichko

Bernards boys’ upset Hackettstown, while seven other higher seeds advance in Group 2 and 4 opening round action

Of the eight Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area teams advancing in the opening round of the state playoffs on Tuesday for Groups 2 and 4, seven were higher seeds – including top-seed South River in Central Jersey Group 2 – while Bernards pulled off an upset in North 2, Group 2..

The 11th-ranked Mountaineers got a team-high 19 points from Ryan Gaglione – and another 14 from Connor Laverty – to get past 6th-seed Hackettstown on the road, 52-49. Bernards trailed 27-22 at the half and cut the deficit to four after three quarters, but rallied on a 17-10 fourth quarter to win.

Below are full first-round results from Tuesday night in all the sections involving CJSR-area teams. Scroll further down for the upcoming schedule, including matchups resulting from tonight’s games.

Central Group 4
#1 Trenton def. #16 Sayreville, 118-47
#8 West Windsor-Plainsboro South def. #9 Montgomery, 56-46
#5 Middletown south def. #12 Manalapan, 92-65
#4 Jackson Memorial def. #13 East Brunswick, 67-59
#3 North Brunswick def. #14 Princeton, 55-54
#6 South Brunswick def. #11 Old Bridge, 61-35
#7 Marlboro def. #10 Hightstown, 56-48
#2 Freehold Twp. def. #15 Howell, 61-48

Central Group 2
#1 South River def. #16 East Brunswick Magnet, 80-33
#9 Pt. Pleasant Boro def. #8 Spotswood, 51-42
#5 Rumson-Fair Haven def. #12 Roselle Park, 90-54
#4 Bound Brook def. #13 Holmdel, 57-43
#3 Raritan def. #14 Johnson, 66-37
#6 Delaware Valley def. #11 Bordentown, 59-39

North 2, Group 4
#1 Ridge def. #16 Woodbridge, 74-53
#8 Newark East Side def. #9 Bayonne, 56-39
#5 Westfield def. #12 Watchung Hills, 56-50
#13 Scotch Plains-Fanwood def. #4 Elizabeth, 65-55
#3 Hillsborough def. #14 JP Stevens, 53-46
#6 Columbia def. #11 Phillipsburg, 65-54
#7 Franklin def. #10 Irvington, 74-65
#2 Linden def. #15 Piscataway, 53-41

North 2, Group 2
#1 Caldwell def. #16 Becton, 67-41
#8 Science Park def. #8 Lyndhurst, 67-41
#5 McNair def. #12 Verona, 61-36
#4 Newark Central def. #13 Dayton, 66-57
#14 West Side def. #3 Rutherford, 76-71
#11 Bernards def. #6 Hackettstown, 52-49
#10 Hanover Park def. #7 New Providence, 51-41
#2 Madison def. #15 Newark Central, 52-42

Here is the upcoming schedule for all sections in which area teams remain:

WEDNESDAY

Central Group 1 Quarterfinals
#9 South Hunterdon at #1 Eagle Academy
#12 Brearley at #4 Keyport
#6 Manville at #3 Pt. Pleasant Beach
#7 Florence at #2 Shore

North 2 Group 3 Quarterfinals
#8 Summit at #1 South Plainfield
#5 Chatham at #4 Colonia
#6 Snyder at #3 Mendham
#7 Payne Tech at #2 West Morris

Non-Public South A First Round
#11 Pingry at #6 St. Joseph-Metuchen
#10 Christian Brothers at #7 Rutgers Prep

Non-Public North B First Round
#9 Eastern Christian at #8 Timothy Christian

Non-Public South B First Round
#12 Doane Academy at #5 Calvary Christian

THURSDAY

Central Group 4 Quarterfinals
#8 West Windsor-Plainsboro South at #1 Trenton
#5 Middletown South at #4 Jackson Memorial
#6 South Brunswick at #3 North Brunswick
#7 Marlboro at #2 Freehold Twp.

Central Group 2 Quarterfinals
#9 Point Pleasant Boro at #1 South River
#5 Rumson-Fair Haven at #4 Bound Brook
#6 Delaware Valley at #3 Raritan
#7 Roselle at #2 Manasquan

North 2, Group 4 Quarterfinals
#8 Newark East Side at #1 Ridge
#13 Scotch Plains-Fanwood at #5 Westfield
#6 Columbia at #3 Hillsborough
#7 Franklin at #2 Linden

North 2, Group 2 Quarterfinals
#8 Science Park at #1 Caldwell
#5 McNair at #4 Newark Collegiate
#14 West Side at #11 Bernards
#10 Hanover Park at #2 Madison

FRIDAY

Non-Public South A Quarterfinals
Winner of #11 Pingry/#6 St. Joseph-Metuchen at #3 Immaculata

Non-Public North B Quarterfinals
Winner of #9 Eastern Christian/#8 Timothy Christian at #1 St. Thomas Aquinas
Winner of #10 Hawthorne Christian/#7 Saddle River Day at #2 Gill St. Bernard’s

by Mike Pavlichko

Unranked wins by Immaculata, St. Joseph-Metuchen jostle bottom half of Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings

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:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep inches up after win over Gill, but STA remains No. 1 in Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving boys’ rankings

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.

READ: Edison community and beyond comes together to “Fight For Allie,” help local 11-year old girl beat brain tumor

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:

by Mike Pavlichko

Aquinas continues winning, stays atop Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball 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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top five hold, bottom five shuffle, plus one new team in 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.

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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.

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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:

by Mike Pavlichko

Summers adds to his family’s legacy, joining the list of Bound Brook’s 1,000-point scorers

First, there was Janee’a Summers, who led the Bound Brook girls basketball team to the Tournament of Champions her senior year, finishing with 2,400 points even and with the title of all-time leading scorer – girls or boys, mind you – and a whopping 1,639 rebounds. This after the Lady Crusaders went 13-15 her freshman season.

Then, there was Cam’ron Summers, who – with his brother, as just a sophomore – led the boys’ team to a perfect 14-0 record in the COVID-shortened 2021 season, their first undefeated season in modern history, and the Skyland Conference Gold Pod Championship.

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Now, there’s Jordan Summers. Averaging just under 26 points a game this season to lead the entire CJSR coverage area – which includes the GMC and Somerset County – Summers became the 16th Bound Brook boys’ player to score 1,000 points in program history.

And the way it happened tipifies the program under head coach Anthony Melesurgo, with a rousing, come-from-behind home win in front of a raucous crowd in The Brook. The scored his 1,000th in a 70-69 home win over Pingry, the Crusaders’ second win over the Big Blue by a single point this season. the first came on the season’s Opening Night up in Martinsville.

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The Crusaders are ranked No. 8 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten this week, and are 9-0, with a 6-0 record in the Skyland Conference Valley Division, two full games ahead of Pingry as they seek their third straight division title.

Bound Brook hasn’t lost a division game in any of the last three seasons, and has won 29 straight Valley Divison games. Their last loss in the Valley was on January 23rd, 2020 at Delaware Valley. Their last regular season home loss in the division came on December 27, 2018, also to Delaware Valley.