Tag: Bound Brook

July 3, 2026July 2, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Early look at Big Central Football 2026: Big graduation losses for Manville could level playing field in Freedom Silver Division

Just like some of the large school divisions, no change was made on the opposite end of the spectrum by the Big Central Conference when it comes to the Freedom Silver Division, which will keep the same six teams it had last year.

Manville is coming off a 10-1 season and a year in which it scored the first playoff win in school history, but they will see some significant graduation losses that could allow others to make a move. Bound Brook and Belvidere are coming off .500 seasons, while Middlesex will look to gain some ground, South Hunterdon has a new coach – but one who’s been with the program – and Dunellen will enter its second year with head coach Phlip McGuane, who took the post last season after longtime mentor Dave DeNapoli retired.

Here are the preliminary schedules for the Freedom Silver Division teams – in order of 2025 finish – compiled from the official league schedule and other online sources to the best of our knowledge as of the date of publication, along with a few notes on each squad. Division games are starred.

Manville Mustangs (10-1, 5-0, Freedom Silver Division Champions)
Head Coach: Dave Markowitch, 4th season (20-11)

Week 0: at Keansburg
Week 1: at Brearley
Week 2: Bound Brook*
Week 3: Dunellen*
Week 4: at South Hunterdon*
Week 5: Belvidere*
Week 6: Middlesex*
Week 7: Hillside
Week 8: at Dayton

It was a dominant year for the Mustangs in 2025, who went 10-1, beating Asbury Park for their first-ever postseason victory, before falling in the second-round at Burlington City. Manville posted four shutouts during the season, and never scored fewer than 31 points in league play. But, there are some big graduation losses, starting with senior quarterback Josh D’Ambrosio, who threw for 720 yards and nine TDs (with no picks!) while also rushing for 1,268 yards and 18 scores. No. 2 rusher Isaiah Bennett (925 yards, 17 TDs) also was the top receiver, with 262 yards and three TDs, but he’s also graduated. At QB, rising junior Aiden Johnson could get a shot. He threw just one pass last year, a 37-yard touchdown in a win over Highland Park. Senior tight end Collin Shimp is gone, too, and he was solid on the other side of the ball as well, logging three sacks and three TFLs last season. So is Evan Canica, who had three sacks and ten tackles for loss. But two freshmen who made an impact will return: linemen Levan Chankotadze (3 1/2 sacks, 8 TFLs) and Matthew Gorbatuck (3 sacks, 4 TFLS).

Bound Brook Crusaders (5-5, 4-1, 2nd place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Dave LePoidevin, 7th season (17-37)

Week 0: at Point Pleasant Beach
Week 1: Dayton
Week 2: at Manville*
Week 3: South Hunterdon*
Week 4: at Belvidere*
Week 5: Highland Park
Week 6: at Dunellen*
Week 7: Middlesex*
Week 8: Sussex Tech

The Crusaders are coming off their best season since the COVID-shortened year, when they went 5-2. Going 5-5 was a big step for Dave LePoidevin’s group, and they even made the playoffs, falling at Burlington City in the opening round. Rising senior Jayden Cruz should get a look at QB after the graduation of starter John Archer (829 pass yards and 7 TDs, 609 rush yards and 8 TDs), but he only threw one pass last year. The Brook also will have to replace top rusher Jake Markey, who carried 124 times (ten more than archer) for 910 yards and seven scores. But they will bring back top receiver, Zahmir Moore (22 catches, 347 yards, 4 TDs), for his senior season. The defense was very senior heavy, too, but Moore should continue to make an impact there, after logging three TFLs and three interceptions, including one for a touchdown last season. Rising junior Kayden Bailey (2 TFLs, 1 fumble recovery, 1 INT) also could have an impact.

Belvidere County Seaters (5-5, 3-2, 3rd place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Jordon Schreffler, 5th season (16-23)

Week 0: at Hackettstown
Week 1: at Roselle Park
Week 2: at Dunellen*
Week 3: Middlesex*
Week 4: Bound Brook*
Week 5: at Manville*
Week 6: at South Hunterdon*
Week 7: at North Warren
Week 8: Delaware Valley

Primarily a running team, the Seaters should be set at the quarterback position, with sophomore Jake Enderley (457 yards, 8 TD) back for his junior year, with No. 2 Elijah White (162 yards, 1 TD) also back for his senior year. Top rusher Geoffrey Young is gone with his 729 yards and six touchdowns, but White could make an impact there, and on the receiving end, where he caught 10 passes for 157 yards, while rising senior Kayden Thorpe also is back at wide receiver, with 14 catches for 141 yards and two scores last season. Defensively, the loss of senior lineman Brayden Duckworth (5 sacks, 1 TFL) will have an impact, but sophomore Nick Muha (5 sacks) should make a bigger impact now as a junior, while White also had two picks and a fumble recovery playing defensive back last season.

Middlesex Blue Jays (2-8, 2-3, 4th place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Robert Swercheck, 3rd season (8-12)

Week 0: at New Providence
Week 1: at Highland Park
Week 2: South Hunterdon*
Week 3: at Belvidere*
Week 4: at Dunellen*
Week 5: Roselle Park
Week 6: Manville*
Week 7: at Bound Brook*
Week 8: JP Stevens

The Blue Jays struggled last season, but were young, with a sophomore QB in Matthew Petti, Jr., who threw for 681 yards and seven touchdowns, while top rusher Gerard Boateng – also just a tenth-grade – rushed 70 times for 343 yards and two more scores. The experience should pay off there, and in the receiving unit. The top defensive players were a bit more senior-heavy, so Swerchek will have to work on that, looking to younger players like defensive back Tyler Orts, who ha d a TFL, two forced fumbles/recoveries and two interceptions last season. There’s talent, and Middlesex should be improved this season.

South Hunterdon Eagles (1-7, 1-4, 5th place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Kyle Hart, 1st season

Week 0: New Hope
Week 1: South River
Week 2: at Middlesex*
Week 3: at Bound Brook*
Week 4: Manville*
Week 5: at JP Stevens
Week 6: at Belvidere*
Week 7: Dunellen*
Week 8: OPEN

The first new coach out in Lambertville in 16 years, Hart’s No. 1 job is to increase numbers in the program, part of what led to a one-win season last year. But he played for the Eagles, and has spent the last several years working under Jefferis, so he’s intimately acquainted with the scenario out there. The bright side is their QB last year, Tucker Hicks, was a junior. he threw for 284 yards and a touchdown last year, while top rusher Kellen Healy (119 carries, 541 yards, 5 TDs) is back for his junior year. Their defense was young, too, and will be more experienced in 2026. That includes freshman Brendan Paciulli (3 sacks), freshman Tommy Silagy (1 sack, 2 TFLs) and Healy, who had two interceptions, one for a touchdown. The Big Central notes Week 8 is open with the possibility of picking up an NJIC squad later in the year.

Dunellen Destroyers (0-9, 0-5, 6th place Freedom Silver)
Head Coach: Phlip McGuane, 2nd season (0-9)

Week 0: at Metuchen
Week 1: at JP Stevens
Week 2: Belvidere*
Week 3: at Manville*
Week 4: Middlesex*
Week 5: at South River
Week 6: Bound Brook*
Week 7: at South Hunterdon*
Week 8: OPEN

The Destroyers were shut out four times last year, and scored in double figures just once, but the team was young. Never a big passing team, they only managed 90 passing yards and just a shade over 700 yards on the ground as a team, but Dunellen also was young. Of the three quarterbacks on their roster to play, two were sophomores and one was a freshman. Of eleven players to rush the football, only three were seniors. That could bode well for the program as many will be back, with another year experience under their belt. On defense, they’ll miss seniors line linebackers Kahbir Casey (3 1/2 sacks, 10 TFLs) and Jackson Portik (1 1/2 sacks, 14 TFLs), but freshman lineman Colin Reynolds had seven TFLs, and sophomore Ben Howard had 12, so the cupboard isn’t bare. Again, they’ll look to bank on a baptism by fire in 2025 to make 2026 a more successful season.

June 11, 2026June 12, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Skyland Conference 2026 All-Division baseball honorees unveiled

The coaches from the Skyland Conference have unveiled their 2026 All-Division teams, honoring 139 players from across its four divisions, including the 14 Somerset County schools in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

Here’s the full list of players honored, by division, with teams in alphabetical order:

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – DELAWARE DIVISION

First Team

Bridgewater-Raritan: Kellan Komline (P/OF), Michael Lobosco (C)
Hillsborough: Elijah Dawes (SS)
Hunterdon Central: Dany Contillano (OF), Nick Holot (OF)
Immaculata: Luca Catanzarite (2B), Owen Schilling (C), Ryan Auten (P), Cole Raymond (P)
Ridge: Jake Dolan (CF), Kieran Callanan (SS), Casey Kucerka (C)
Watchung Hills: Robert Centamore (P/DH), Jacob Jaconski (C), Lucas Sheehan (P)

Immaculata senior Ryan Auten threw a complete-game two-hit shutout in a 6-0 win over Ridge at Diamond Nation in Flemington, NJ, on April 22, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Second Team:

Bridgewater-Raritan: Kevin Kelly (3B/P), Andrew Schmeider (OF), Nick Spirra (2B/P)
Hillsborough: Tommy Kester (OF), Gavin Glazewski (P/1B), Jon Feltre (P)
Hunterdon Central: Jack Edwards (P), Liam Goyette (P)
Immaculata: Bryson Auten (P/3B), Justin Labrador (SS)
Ridge: Sawyer Paul (1B), Dimitri Romer (P/3B)
Watchung Hills: Brady Simo (3B), Stefano DiGeronimo (SS)

Honorable Mention:

Bridgewater-Raritan: Stephen Pikulin (1B/DH)
Hillsborough: Anthony Guerrero (OF)
Hunterdon Central: Cola Jacobs (P)
Immaculata: Jackson Lewis (OF)
Ridge: Lucas Grob (2B)
Watchung Hills: Landon Pudlak (2B)

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – RARITAN DIVISION

First Team:

Franklin: Stanley Madera, Mason Bonds
Montgomery: Ian Quinn, Henry Maddox
North Hunterdon: Hunter Brown, Alex Famolari, Brooks Lunger, Graham Berry
Phillipsburg: Nick Yaccarino, Chase Passmore, Mike Bracco
Rutgers Prep: Li Perez, Alex Perez, Maddox Chu, Ethan Nepomuceno
Somerville: Justin Snow, Michael Meyers

*Rutgers Prep’s Li Perez pitches in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals against Bridgewater-Raritan in Somerset, NJ, on May 14, 2026. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)*

Second Team:

Franklin: Dylan Shah, Shayne Rooney
Montgomery: Jake Hayes, Alex Bender, Mason Neufeld
North Hunterdon: Ty Kane, Jason Krisanda, Zach Linzer
Phillipsburg: Wyatt Garrison, Kevin Buonocole
Rutgers Prep: Peter Wheeler, Mason Cimini, Okasha Asrar
Somerville: Matty Brong, Jordan Snow, Michael Murphy

Honorable Mention:

Montgomery: Liam McDonnell
North Hunterdon: Evan Doty
Phillipsburg: Brent Ottw
Rutgers Prep: Micah Krugar-Serrano
Somerville: Dalton Carman

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – VALLEY DIVISION:

First Team:

Bernards: Casey Hoeckele, Sean Arcelay, James Ferrante
Gill St. Bernards: Gavin Bucceri, Niko West, Joey Fava, Jack Markovich, Trip Hogarty
Pingry: Langston McDonald, Aaron Wu
Voorhees: Alexander Dyevich, Matteo Tramutola
Warren Hills: Cohl Stevens, Owen Spender

*Pingry’s Zach Zaslow pitches against Montgomery at TD Bank Park on April 11, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

Second Team:

Bernards: Tyce Hanratty, James Gallagher
Gill St. Bernards: Andersen Eide, Noah Schultz, Jude Walters, Steve McRae
Pingry: Andrew Crowley, Zach Zaslow, Connor Lahay
Voorhees: Dylan Vernick, Jack Schlaudecker
Warren Hills: Reece Schott, Ryan Everett

Honorable Mention:

Bernards: Alex Frankfelder
Gill St. Bernards: A.J. Kolenski
Pingry: Michael Cardona
Voorhees: Turner Toombs
Warren Hills: Kyle Kucharski

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – MOUNTAIN DIVISION

First Team:

Belvidere: Jake Ackerman, Chris Knight
Bound Brook: Aiden Boehm, Ryan Cunha
Delaware Valley: Dylan Rasimowicz, Gabriel Miller, Cooper Fransen, David Hudock, Brooks Brunner, Carter Glacken
Manville: Collin Shimp, Brandon Shimp, Evan Canica, Josh D’Ambrosio
South Hunterdon: Trevor Lingerfield, Jack Budrewicz

*Manville (in white) and Montgomery square off at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 7, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

Second Team:

Belvidere: Justin Hummel, Troy Boehm, Carter Crow
Bound Brook: Gabriel Valentin, Jayden Cruz
Delaware Valley: Chris Cialone, Matt Feeney, Danny Cialone
Manville: Aidan Johnson, Ben Canuso, Bobby Petrone
South Hunterdon: Trevor Sinkus, Landon Katz, Michael Budrewicz

Note: The Mountain Division coaches did not choose any Honorable Mentions.

May 8, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Bernards, Pingry advance in first round of SCT

Both higher seeds advanced Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Somerset County Tournament, with 11-seed Bernards and 12th-seed Pingry both coming up with wins.

They’ll both move on the the second round, scheduled for Monday, with eight games on tap, and winners heading to Thursday’s quarterfinals, with all games at higher seeds.

(11) Bernards 13, (14) Bound Brook 3: In a ten-run rule walk-off, the Mountaineers (12-6) scored in every inning, including two in each of the first two innings, five in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the bottom of the fifth to end it when James Renz singled to left field, bringing in Casey Hocekele. Sean Arcelay had a 3-for-4 afternoon with a double, one RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a complete effort; seven different players drove in runs, with James Ferrante and Sonny Liranzo each knocked in in a pair.

On the mound, starter Landon Farmer went four innings, giving up three runs, only one of them earned. He also fanned six, then Tucker Gallagher pitched a scoreless fifth.

Bound Brook falls to 2-11.

Next up, Bernards will visit sixth-seed Hillsborough (7-9) Monday afternoon in the second round at 4 pm. It’ll be their first meeting since 2023, a meeting the Mountaineers won 5-0.

(12) Pingry 8, (13) Manville 1: The Big Blue (8-9) never trailed, scoring one in the second and three in the fourth before the Mustangs (7-9) could get on the board. Freshman Connor Lahey drove in two runs and scored once on a 3-for-3 day, while Langston McDonald also went 3-for-3 on the afternoon, and scored twice.

Zach Zaslow improved to 3-0 with the win, going the distance and scattering four hits over seven innings, giving up one unearned run, while striking out seven.

On Monday, Pingry will head to 5th-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (6-14). The two have not met since at least prior to 2008, the last year for which records are available online.

Here’s the Monday Somerset County Tournament second round schedule, with a look ahead to projected quarterfinal matchups on Thursday, all at higher seeds:

(9) Gill St. Bernard’s at (8) Montgomery, winner at (1) Immaculata
(12) Pingry at (5) Bridgewater-Raritan, winner at (4) Rutgers Prep
(11) Bernards at (6) Hillsborough (4 pm), winner at (3) Ridge
(10) Franklin at (7) Somerville, winner at (2) Watchung Hills

March 16, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls, back on top in Somerset County, are No. 1 team in Final Bellamy & Son Paving rankings

Sure, the Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball team won 20 games last year, but it still wasn’t up to Mary Klinger’s standards. The coach calls the regular season the “preseason.” A division title is nice, but the county and state tournaments are the goals. Win those, and it’s a good year for the Argonauts. In 2025, they won neither.

But this year, with much of the same crew back, the Argonauts returned to their familiar spot as Somerset County Tournament champions, and finish the year No. 1 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten.

Led by four-year varsity standout Ava LaMonica – the team’s top scorer, who will be playing collegiately next year at Buffalo – as well as fellow seniors Ava Frith and Sophia Georgiades, as well as super sophomore Hailey Benbow – the Argos’ second-best scorer and top rebounder – Rutgers Prep (25-4) didn’t lose a single conference game this season, its three regular season losses coming to Red Bank Catholic, Cardinal O’Hara (PA), and Blair right before the state tournament. Their fourth came to Gloucester Catholic in the Non-Public South B Final.

Prep beat Franklin – the eventual Central Jersey Group 4 champ – in the Somerset County Final, and won the Skyland Division title with a 6-0 record.

Gill St. Bernard’s checks in at No. 2. With a 22-6 mark, the Knights won the Non-Public North B title with a victory over Saddle River Day, then lout to Gloucester Catholic in the state Non-Public Group B final at Rutgers, the same Rams’ team that beat Rutgers Prep in the semifinals. Gill lost its only meeting with Rutgers Prep this season, 51-44 in late January, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Finishing third is St. Thomas Aquinas (24-7). The Trojans – with the senior trio of Jordan Barnes, Trista Whitney and Kayla Navarro – blew through the GMC this season, going 11-0 to win the Red American Division, and stormed to their seventh straight GMC Tournament championship, beating resurgent East Brunswick in the final. They would bow out to eventual state champion Red Bank Catholic in the Non-Public South A semifinals.

Checking in at four is Franklin (22-9). A Somerset County Tournament finalist under first-year head coach Jimmy Kreie, the Warriors returned to their former – and fairly recent – glory with a win in the Central Jersey Group 4 title game over neighboring Hillsborough. They were knocked out of the state tournament by Lenape in the state Group 4 finals.

Fifth is Hillsborough (21-7). The Raiders had won two sectional titles in a row – in North 2, Group 4 in 2024 and Central 4 last season – but fell at Franklin in the Central Jersey Group 4 title game.

East Brunswick checks in at No. 6 with a 23-6 record. Ava Catanho and Julianna DelosSantos-Branson led the Bears back to prominence this season, as they got to the GMC Tournament title game, where they lost to now seven-time reigning GMCT champion St. Thomas Aquinas.

Bound Brook (25-4) – re-ignited by freshman sensation Peytan Pugh – finishes at No. 7, thanks to a Mountain Division championship, going 8-0 in divisional play. They nearly knocked off Rutgers Prep in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, and reached the Central Jersey Group 1 title game, falling on the road to top-seed New Providence.

Finishing eighth is Bernards (24-5), which started the year 10-0, and was the Skyland Conference Valley Division champion at 11-1. They lost to defending champion Madison in the North 2, Group 2 semifinals.

At No. 9, it’s Colonia. After a down season, head coach Jill Bachonski has the Patriots looking solid, finishing 20-4, and going 8-0 to win the GMC Red National Division. They reached the GMC Tournament semifinals, falling to eventual champion St. Thomas Aquinas.

And No. 10 is Piscataway, making its season debut in the final rankings of the year. The Lady Chiefs finished 17-9, and went 6-0 to win the White American Division title, reaching the GMC Tournament semifinals, where they lost to East Brunswick.

Below are the complete final Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten rankings for 2025-26:

March 8, 2026March 7, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Central Jersey Group 1 Final (Girls): (1) New Providence 57, (2) Bound Brook 42

Senior Annie Conover scored 22 points – including six threes – part of a barrage of 12 triples on the day, to power top-seed New Providence past second-seed Bound Brook, 57-42, to win its second straight Central Jersey Group 1 title, and third sectional championship in four years.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the play-by-play from New Providence High School on March 7 2026.

March 7, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

New Providence three-point barrage dooms Bound Brook; Pioneers take second straight CJ1 title in 57-42 win

It’s not every day New Providence hits 12 three-pointers in a game – even if they have hit at least ten on four separate occasions this year, including 13 in an early January game against Fair Lawn – but they have that potential.

Saturday at home in the Central Jersey Group 1 final, they needed to hit against second-seed Bound Brook, and that’s exactly what the top-seeded Pioneers did, en route to a 57-42 victory that claimed their second straight sectional title, and third in the last four seasons.

Bound Brook never led, but it wasn’t like they never had a chance. They never trailed by double-digits in the first half, and were only down eight at halftime. This is the same team that fell behind 17-2 in the semifinals against Roselle Park – and the state’s top scorer in Sidney Smith – but rallied to take a double-digit halftime lead and win.

But New Providence (28-1) is the defending Group 1 champion for a reason. Senior Annie Conover led the way with 26 points, including six threes. Four of those came in the first half, and she had 14 at the break.

But it was sophomore Addy Fitzgerald – the only non-senior in the starting five – who may have buried Bound Brook. Even though the Crusaders had their opportunities as late as midway through the fourth quarter – and they had many throughout the game as well – Fitzgerald had three big third quarter treys, and finished with 14 points on the day.

Bound Brook (25-4) was led by Peytan Pugh, who had 22 points, two from beyond the arc, while senior Ty’asjah Ferguson added eight. Lauren Polakiewicz added six, on a pair of third-quarter triples.

*Bound Brook senior Ty’asjah Ferguson drives to the basket in the Central Jersey Group 1 title game at New Providence on March 7, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

New Providence moves on to the state Group 1 semifinals Wednesday at 5 pm at Monroe Twp. H.S. against the winner of the South Jersey Group 1 final, featuring second-seed Wildwood at top-seed Haddon Twp.

Click below for postgame reaction on New Providence’s Central Jersey Group 1 title from head coach Cap Pazdera and senior Annie Conover, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

*New Providence senior Annie Conover. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)*

The final scoreboard between Bound Brook (62) and Roselle Park (41).

March 5, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Central Jersey Group 1 Semifinals (Girls): (2) Bound Brook 62, (6) Roselle Park 41

Second-seed Bound Brook got 17 points and 16 steals from state steals leader and freshman sensation Peytan Pugh in a 62-41 home win over 6th-seed Roselle Park in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals, sending the Crusaders to their first sectional championship since 2020.

Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play from Bound Brook High School on March 4, 2026.

March 5, 2026March 5, 2026 by Mike Pavlichko

NJSIAA announces site designations for public school basketball tourney State semifinals

The NJSIAA has announced what sectional champions will play where next week, when the state high school basketball tournament moves to the group semifinal stage.

Groups 2 and 4 will play state semifinals on Tuesday, with Groups 1 and 3 taking their turn on Wednesday. Winners move on to the state Group Finals at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, with Groups 2 and 4 playing on Saturday, and Groups 1 and 3 finishing up on Sunday.

Here are the assignments for next week’s State semifinals.

Tuesday, March 10 – Groups 2 and 4

Group 4 North 1 vs. North 2: The Dunn Center, Elizabeth; boys at 5, girls at 7
Group 4 Central vs. South: Deptford H.S.; boys at 5, girls at 7
Group 2 North 1 vs North 2: Bloomfield H.S.; boys at 4:30, girls at 7
Group 2 Central vs. South: Monroe Twp. H.S.; boys at 5, girls at 7

Wednesday, March 11 – Groups 1 and 3

Group 3 North 1 vs. North 2: The Dunn Center, Elizabeth; boys at 5, girls at 7
Group 3 Central vs. South: Central Regional H.S., Bayville; boys at 5, girls at 7
Group 1 North 1 vs. North 2: Franklin H.S.; boys at 6, girls at 7:30
Group 1 Central vs. South: Monroe Twp. H.S.; boys at 5, girls at 7

Based on those assignments, here’s where the remaining public schools in the tournament from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area would land:

Montgomery, Hillsborough boys: The Central Jersey Group 4 winner would play down at Deptford at 5 pm Tuesday against the South 4 winner, either Cherry Hill East or Lenape.
Hillsborough, Franklin girls: The Central Jersey Group 4 winner would play down at Deptford at 7 pm Tuesday against the South 4 winner, either Lenape or Howell.
Colonia boys: The North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 winner would play at The Dunn Center in Elizabeth Wednesday at 5 pm against the North 1, Group 3 winner, either Teaneck or Montville.
Bound Brook girls: The Central Jersey Group 1 winner would play at Monroe Twp. H.S. Wednesday at 7 pm against the South 1 winner, either Haddon Township or Wildwood.

March 4, 2026 by Alec Crouthamel

Bound Brook shakes off rough first quarter, topples Roselle Park for first sectional title appearance since 2020

Just by looking at the final score, it looked like second-seeded Bound Brook girls basketball worked a ho-hum, big-time victory in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals against sixth-seeded Roselle Park.

But for those watching — and listening on Central Jersey Sports Radio — it was anything but.

The Crusaders (25-3) trailed 17-2 in the first quarter, but rallied back to take a double-digit halftime lead, and continued to build in the second half for a 62-41 victory over the upset-minded Panthers (18-8).

Bound Brook clinched a win, and its first appearance in the sectional title since 2020, when it won the Central Jersey Group 1 title and was won the Group 1 semifinal to end the COVID-19-shortened season.

Freshman guard Peytan Pugh paced the Crusaders with 17 points, while continuing her work as the state’s steals leader with countless swipes at the ball, turning into extra possessions on the offensive end. Bound Brook had three other scorers in double figures, as senior wing Ty Ferguson added 14 — all in the second and fourth quarters — while Lauren Polakiewicz made a trio of three-pointers for 12 points, and Jayden Campbell scored ten.

Roselle Park star guard Sidney Smith — the leading scorer in the state — finished with a game-high 26 points and was the only Panther in double figures. She finished five points shy of her season average, as the Crusaders threw multiple different looks and defenders at her to try to contain her premiere shotmaking.

Roselle Park took all of the momentum to start, playing uptempo on both ends of the floor as Smith scored eight points in the opening quarter and the Panthers’ supporting cast helped lead the way, as Hannah Djokic knocked down two three-pointers and Otilla Dobre added another.

After a 17-2 start, Bound Brook stabilized things a bit with two straight baskets to end the frame down by 11.

Then once the second quarter tipped off, the Crusaders were off to the races.

They outscored Roselle Park 28-7 in the quarter, as their own uptempo style got going, led by multiple steals from Pugh to set up transition opportunities. Bound Brook opened the quarter on a 16-0 run to take the lead back, and eventually went into the locker room with a double-digit lead, at 34-24. The trio of Pugh, Polakiewicz, and Ferguson combined for 24 of the 28 second-quarter points, as the Crusaders snatched all of the momentum back and kept it the rest of the way.

The Panthers wouldn’t go down without a fight, though. Early in the third quarter, Smith put on a heroic scoring run to get Roselle Park back within four, knocking down fallaway jumper after fallaway jumper. But Pugh knocked down a three in the final minute of the quarter and gave Bound Brook some breathing room with a seven-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Roselle Park gave the Crusaders an inch, and they took it a mile to open the fourth quarter. They outscored the Panthers 18-6 and put the game away with an increased focus on attacking the basket and continuing to double-team — and sometimes even triple-team — Smith, daring the superstar scorer to give the ball up and force someone else to beat them.

In the sectional semifinals, Bound Brook shook off a rough start and battled to dominate the final 24 minutes of the game to snap a six-year sectional title appearance drought. The Crusaders will move on to face New Providence in the Central Jersey Group 1 championship game, set for Saturday between the section’s top two seeds.

Click here to listen to postgame comments from Bound Brook head coach Jen Derevjanik and freshman guard Peytan Pugh, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

March 4, 2026 by Alec Crouthamel

Bound Brook heads into Central Jersey Group 1 semifinal, with a tall task at hand against Roselle Park

Some of the more eye-popping individual stat-holders in the state of New Jersey will all face off in Bound Brook on Wednesday.

The second-seeded Crusaders (24-3) head into a battle of star guards, taking on upset-minded Roselle Park, the sixth seed, in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals. Bound Brook can secure a spot in the sectional final for the first time since 2020, while the Panthers’ (18-7) third-year head coach, Staci Hartzler, has led the program to new heights recently, in the sectional semifinal for the first time in at least 20 years — as far back as this writer could find the records.

This upcoming matchup features the state’s top scorer and three-point shooter (Roselle Park’s Sidney Smith), second-leading rebounder (Panthers’ sophomore Emma Gregoire), and top steals leader (Crusaders’ freshman guard Peytan Pugh). They’ll all take the court in Bound Brook on Wednesday evening for a 5:30 tipoff. You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Alec Crouthamel, with pregame starting around 5:15. Click here to listen.

The Crusaders come into the matchup with a gaudy win-loss record and a nail-biting 66-61 win in the quarterfinals over seventh-seeded Thrive Charter in the quarterfinals, avenging a loss in that same matchup last season in the sectional semifinals.

Two of their three losses came in the same week against local powers, falling to Rutgers Prep in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals before losing to Gill St. Bernard’s seven days later. But Bound Brook has nearly run the table against the entire rest of its schedule.

Pugh has burst onto the scene as a freshman, leading the team in points, rebounds, assists, and, of course, steals. She’s also finding her stride at the right time, fresh off her second triple-double of the season with 26 points, ten rebounds, and 13 steals to tie her season-high, even dishing out five assists, as well.

Surrounding Pugh are two other productive guards, with Ti’asjah Ferguson serving as the top slasher on the team and Lauren Polakiewicz leading the way from the perimeter. Both scored in double-figures in the quarterfinals and will certainly be relied on to come up with big-time buckets if another close game goes down.

But Roselle Park will have revenge on its mind, just as the Crusaders did against Thrive.

The Panthers lost in this very matchup in the sectional quarterfinals last year, their first appearance in the round since 2009, as part of the first winning season for Roselle Park since that same year.

Smith, signed to play Division I basketball at Elon next year, gets plenty of attention for her scoring, especially after her fifth 40-point performance of the season in an upset win over Keansburg in the quarterfinals. But the Panthers feature some dangerous size and rebounding as well.

Both Gregoire and senior Madison Wilkes average double-digits on the boards per game, and they’ve put up video game numbers of their own, including six games with 20 or more boards this year for Gregoire.

A handful of the Garden State’s top individual performers will do battle in Bound Brook, as each team looks to snap multi-year sectional title droughts led by their respective star guards.

Click below to hear a preview interview with Bound Brook head coach Jen Derevjanik, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel: