Second-seed Rutgers Prep held off a late push from third-seed Montgomery for a 66-57 win in the semifinal round of the Somerset County Tournament behind 20 points from Will Brunson and 15 from Nicholas Nsenkyrie.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play from Franklin High School in Somerset, NJ on February 14, 2026.
With playoff qualification in high school basketball closing Saturday at the NJSIAA cutoff, four Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area teams appear to have earned top four seeds, including a top-seed for Somerville in the Group 3 section of North Jersey, Section 2.
Below is a look at all the area teams in the Central Jersey playoff brackets, based on NJ.com power point standings as of 2 pm on Sunday, February 15, 2026. It should be noted that the standings could change as the NJSIAA confirms records and details of the formula heading into Tuesday’s seeding meeting in Robbinsville, at which point the brackets will be announced. They become official (pending any discrepancies) as of noon on Wednesday.
First round action begins on Tuesday, March 24th.
Below is our analysis of the sections, and unofficial projected matchups, in the North Jersey, Section 2 playoff sections. Click on the header for each section to visit the NJ.com standings for that section. Please note that unlike football, there is no “head-to-head” jump of teams, unless they are tied in power points, in which case head-to-head is merely the first of several tiebreakers.
Top eight seeds get first round home games, the top four are guaranteed the first two rounds, and top two get home court advantage through the semifinals.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4:
Bayonne (19-4) and Westfield (15-7) remain the top two here, just as they were a week ago, but a big run by Piscataway (15-7) to the GMC Tournament semifinals Tuesday night appears to have helped the Lady Chiefs skyrocket from sixth to third in the span of just a week. That means they could host at least two home games in this section, if they advance that far. Their rise knocked Plainfield (13-10) down one peg to fourth, rounding out the first four.
There were major changes in the next four, too. Columbia (16-7) dropped from four to five, Elizabeth (14-9) fell from five to six, and Bridgewater-Raritan (12-11) used a 2-0 week to shoot up three places to seventh, with North Star Academy (10-11) holding in the next spot to finish up the top eight, all of whom are guaranteed at least a first-round home game.
Woodbridge (16-7) went 1-1 since our last update and fell from seven to nine, while Watchung Hills (10-12) dropped from nine to ten. Union (12-7) gained a spot to get to 11, and Linden (9-17) held in 12th. The rest are Ridge (9-14), Perth Amboy (12-9) and JP Stevens (9-14), all up one spot apiece to 13, 14 and 15, while Scotch Plains-Fanwood fell three spots from 13 to the 16th and final playoff position.
Here are the projected first round matchups:
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3:
The lead was larger a week ago – just over two points – and now it’s down to fractions, but it appears Somerville (18-6) had enough padding between them and second-place Colonia (19-2) to keep the Patriots at bay. They finish just 0.354 points apart. Millburn (16-8) rose from five to three, while Cranford (12-13) dropped a spot to fourth. The top eight is rounded out with Chatham (12-12), North Hunterdon (10-13), Mendham (10-11) and Summit (11-13), with only the top three teams out of the top eight having above .500 records.
Carteret (13-9) is four games over .500, but will have to settle for the ninth-seed and open on the road, along with tenth-place South Plainfield (8-17), which moved up one spot from a week ago. Fort Lee and Randolph are next, then North Plainfield (5-18) at 13, followed by Orange, Cliffside Park and Warren Hills to finish the top 16. JFK was 6-18 last week, and with one loss, and other teams winning, dropped out and fell to 18 to miss the playoffs.
Here are the projected first round matchups:
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2:
No change in the top two here, where Caldwell (19-2) hold on to its No. 1 position over Bernards (20-3), the only Central JErsey Sports Radio coverage area team in the section.
Here are the projected first-round matchups:
With playoff qualification in high school basketball closing Saturday at the NJSIAA cutoff, it looks like Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep – ranked Nos. 3 and 9 in the statewide rankings, and both Somerset County Tournament semifinalists – will be getting the NO. 1 seeds in their respective playoff sections.
Below is a look at all the area teams in the Central Jersey playoff brackets, based on NJ.com power point standings as of 2 pm on Sunday, February 15, 2026. It should be noted that the standings could change as the NJSIAA confirms records and details of the formula heading into Tuesday’s seeding meeting in Robbinsville, at which point the brackets will be announced. They become official (pending any discrepancies) as of noon on Wednesday.
First round action begins on Tuesday, March 24th.
Below is our analysis of the sections, and unofficial projected matchups, in the North Jersey, Section 2 playoff sections. Click on the header for each section to visit the NJ.com standings for that section. Please note that unlike football, there is no “head-to-head” jump of teams, unless they are tied in power points, in which case head-to-head is merely the first of several tiebreakers.
Who gets home games and byes depends on how many teams qualify in each section, with some having fewer than 16 eligible teams. There is a 16-game minimum to qualify for the postseason, and some teams won’t make it, while others who have not had much success could opt-out.
Nothing changed at the top since our last update, with Gill St. Bernard’s (23-2) getting the top seed by more than two points over Roselle Catholic (18-6). Morris Catholic (20-4), and St. Mary-Rutherford (21-3) round out the top four, which has three 20-game winners. After Morristown-Beard and Montclair-Kimberley at five and six, Timothy Christian at 5-18 – which went 2-1 this past week – finishes as a solid seven.
Then, it’s Pioneer Academy, Eastern Christian, Saddle River Day, and Wardlaw-Hartridge (4-12) checking in at 11, followed by Koinonia (4-16) at 12. We think that will be the field, as Golda Och and Franklin School (Jersey City) didn’t meet the 16-game minimum, while Hawthorne Christian did, but is 0-20. We think they’ll opt out.
Assuming a 12-team field, the top four would get byes. Here are the projected first round matchups:
The top three seeds here were unchanged from a week ago, and it looks like No. 1 will go to Paul VI (18-3), followed by Christian Brothers (19-3) and St. Peter’s Prep (18-3). But St. Joseph-Metuchen (24-1) pulled all the way up to No. 4 after their out-of-state opponent records were added in; they had not been updated as of last Sunday. That knocks Red Bank Catholic (18-6) down to five and Immaculata (17-6) down to six. After that, it’s Camden Catholic, St. Augustine and Union Catholic before you get to Pingry (12-8) at ten, followed by St. Thomas Aquinas (11-13), a GMC Tournament semifinalist, where they’ll play St. Joe’s. Ironically, it looks like the Trojans will face Immaculata in the opening round, just as they did in football this year. The last three are St. John Vianney, Donovan Catholic and Notre Dame.
We don’t anticipate any opt-outs here, so here are the projected first round matchups in what we believe will be a 14-team field, with the top two seeds getting byes:
We don’t anticipate any opt-outs here, but St. Joseph-Hammonton – which finished 8th at 9-14 – is disqualified from the tournament after an early-January benches-clearing brawl in a game against LEAP Academy. Somerset County Tournament finalist Rutgers Prep (16-8) gets the top seed, followed by Holy Cross Prep (21-4) and Holy Spirit (18-6) rounding out the top three, all getting first round byes in what we anticipate will be a 13-team field. Calvary Christian (6-14) gets to 12 seed, should they play.
Here are the projected first-round matchups:
With playoff qualification in high school basketball closing Saturday at the NJSIAA cutoff, Piscataway appears to have locked in the top seed in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4, while four-time defending champs Colonia in North 2, Group 3 have used a late-season surge to appear to take the top seed, yet again.
Below is a look at all the area teams in the Central Jersey playoff brackets, based on NJ.com power point standings as of 2 pm on Sunday, February 15, 2026. It should be noted that the standings could change as the NJSIAA confirms records and details of the formula heading into Tuesday’s seeding meeting in Robbinsville, at which point the brackets will be announced. They become official (pending any discrepancies) as of noon on Wednesday.
First round action begins on Tuesday, March 24th.
Below is our analysis of the sections, and unofficial projected matchups, in the North Jersey, Section 2 playoff sections. Click on the header for each section to visit the NJ.com standings for that section. Please note that unlike football, there is no “head-to-head” jump of teams, unless they are tied in power points, in which case head-to-head is merely the first of several tiebreakers.
Top eight seeds get first round home games, the top four are guaranteed the first two rounds, and top two get home court advantage through the semifinals.
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4:
In a section that features powerhouse Linden and defending Group 4 champion Plainfield, beating each other up in the Union County Conference play didn’t help either get the top seed, which appears it will go to Piscataway (19-6) by a sizable margin of a little more than two points. The Tigers (16-8) get the No. 2 seed, it would appear, moving up from three a week ago, followed by Union (18-4) and the Cardinals (19-4) to complete the top four.
After that, it’s Bayonne, followed by Perth Amboy (21-5) in sixth, then Elizabeth and Dickinson to round out the top eight.
After Columbia at nine, Ridge (13-11) moves up one spot from our Super Bowl Sunday analysis to get the tenth spot, followed by North Star Academy and Scotch Plains-Fanwood. Bridgewater-Raritan (12-13) dropped a spot in the last week and appears to get the 13th seed, with Ferris and Westfield after them before JP Stevens (11-13), which survived the bubble. The Hawks dropped from 15 to 16 in the past week, during which they went 1-1, getting jumped by the Blue Devils.
Here are the projected first round matchups:
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3:
How about the Colonia Patriots? This is a squad that lost a ton, started the year 2-6, and now is 16-8, having won 14 of their last 16 games. Their reward? The No. 1 seed, it appears, and by just under six-tenths of a point. As of last week, they were threatening, but still in the No. 2 slot by about half what their final margin was behind Millburn (20-4). The Millers fell to three, while third-place Chatham (19-4) moves up and gets the two spot after a 3-0 week. Warren Hills (19-4) rounds out the top four.
After fifth-seed Mendham, South Plainfield (17-7) holds steady from a week ago and should get thee sixth seed, with Cranford (16-8) and Randolph (14-1) rounding out the top eight.
A week ago, Somerville (now 15-9) and North Plainfield (13-12) were at nine and ten, and they appear to hold on to those spots, the last two teams from the CJSR coverage area. JFK (11-13) had been in 14th, and Carteret (9-15) had been in 16th by less than a point, but both got bounced – to 18 and 17, respectively – as Fort Lee came from the wrong side of the bubble to take 15th, and North Hunterdon 16th.
Here are the projected first round matchups:
North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2:
Please note, power points closed at noon Sunday, still only counting games through Saturday. This section has been changed to reflect an update to the standings since our data was pulled earlier in the morning.
Newark Collegiate appears to have held on to the top spot, while the only CJSR-area team in the section, Bernards (8-15), dropped on spot, dropped from eight to nine, where they will begin the playoffs on the road.
Here are the projected first-round matchups:
With playoff qualification in high school basketball closing Saturday at the NJSIAA cutoff, it looks like Hillsborough will be the only Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area team getting a top seed, having wrestled it away from Montgomery in the final week.
Below is a look at all the area teams in the Central Jersey playoff brackets, based on NJ.com power point standings as of 2 pm on Sunday, February 15, 2026. It should be noted that the standings could change as the NJSIAA confirms records and details of the formula heading into Tuesday’s seeding meeting in Robbinsville, at which point the brackets will be announced. They become official (pending any discrepancies) as of noon on Wednesday.
First round action begins on Tuesday, March 24th.
Below is our analysis of the sections, and unofficial projected matchups, in the Central Jersey playoff sections. Click on the header for each section to visit the NJ.com standings for that section. Please note that unlike football, there is no “head-to-head” jump of teams, unless they are tied in power points, in which case head-to-head is merely the first of several tiebreakers.
Top eight seeds get first round home games, the top four are guaranteed the first two rounds, and top two get home court advantage through the semifinals.
When we run football playoff projections, we have our own spreadsheets and formulas to run scenarios with, and of course, it’s relatively easy to keep up with, since teams play one game every week, and most teams play every week. In basketball, teams pick up and cancel games last minute, and we operate with the numbers as posted online. With so many variables, wed some educated guess work, and in this case we were wrong. We believed East Brunswick (19-6) may have had a shot at Montgomery (20-4) – at least had they beaten St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday in the GMC Tournament quarterfinals – but as it turns out, the Cougars have been jumped, twice. Hillsborough (18-6) climbed to the top with 34.807 power points, with a narrow lead over Marlboro (18-4, 34.298). Montgomery ends up in third in the standings, as we look at it today, with 33.98 points, a difference of 0.827 points. Marlboro had a thrilling win Saturday over Howell in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals, and Hillsborough had a big win over Rutgers Prep on Monday, a team Montgomery has lost to twice, most recently Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals. But let’s get back to that. Hillsborough has lost twice this season – by 15 and 16 points – to Montgomery, their neighbors to the south, including just last Saturday in the SCT quarterfinals. Montgomery has just four losses, and besides the two to Prep, one came to Gill St. Bernard’s and another to Linden, all in the span of a week in January, and all are Top 10 teams in NJ.com’s state rankings. Rutgers Prep is ninth, Linden No. 8 and Gill No. 3. From our vantage point, crunching the numbers, ‘Boro has more residuals, and more of its opponents have more wins, however, the new OOWP (Opponent’s Opponent Winning Percentage) is higher for Montgomery, meaning the teams Montgomery faced actually played better opponents than the teams Hillsborough faced, which would seem to indicate that the teams Hillsborough played had more wins, but lesser quality wins than the teams Montgomery faced. One remedy could be to increase the OOWP factor in the future, but more research and analysis on this is likely needed.
Be that as it may, we’ve got Hillsborough at No. 1, then Marlboro, Montgomery, and East Brunswick rounding out the top four. That’s followed by Jackson Twp., Trenton, then Sayreville (15-10) in seventh, up one spot from our analysis last week, with Freehold Twp. in eighth.
Franklin (10-14) looks like they finish ninth – right where we left them a week ago – while South Brunswick (14-9) gained two spots, rising from 12th to ten. Edison (11-12) holds in 13th, and the bottom didn’t change, meaning Old Bridge stays on the right side of the bubble at 8-16 in the 16th and final playoff spot.
Here are the projected first round matchups:
As expected, Wall (19-1) hung on to the top spot here, and Metuchen (21-3) – the only 20-game winner in the section – appears to have held on to the No. 2 spot by a decent margin, so we don’t expect anything to change. Ocean Township (17-9) and Delaware Valley (18-7) round out the top four. There’s a long way down to the next area team, Spotswood (14-10), which fell one spot to 13 in the final standings. But, it appears bubble-team East Brunswick Magnet (11-13) is out, dropping from 16 to 17 – the wrong side of the bubble – in the past week.
Here are the projected first round matchups:
The top five did not change over the past week, even though the margin between one and two here got a bit closer. Still, Thrive Charter (17-5) – in probably its last year in this section based on the state’s new “success formula” that moves non-traditional public schools up based on playoff wins and championships – should be the No. 1 seed, followed by Point Pleasant Beach (18-7), Middlesex (16-8) in third, and Shore (17-5) rounding out the top four.
Then, there are three area teams in a row, Piscataway Magnet (17-6) holding in fifth, Manville (15-8) up a spot to six and South Amboy (16-7) up two spots to seventh, with Henry Hudson (16-8) rounding out the top eight.
Bound Brook (15-10) climbed up one spot and appears it will get the nine seed, and after New Providence, Roselle Park and South Hunterdon, Perth Amboy Magnet (10-10) hods on to the 15th spot and qualifies after a 2-0 week. Central Jersey College Charter dropped from 17 to 18, out of the running.
Here are the projected first-round matchups:
It feels like a broken record at this point.
Gill St, Bernard’s boys basketball wins, powered by a frenetic and physical second half.
The top-seeded Knights (23-2, 7-0) won their 19th straight game with a 67-53 victory over fifth-seeded Immaculata in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, to advance to their second straight championship appearance.
The Spartans (17-6, 4-1) held their own and then some for the first 16 minutes of action, taking a 28-25 halftime lead after slowing down the game on both ends of the floor for much of the half, coupled with some impressive shotmaking.
Gill St. Bernard’s senior guard Dorsett Mulcahy set the tone with 26 points and seven rebounds, including 14 of the Knights’ 22 third-quarter points as they powered ahead. Fellow senior Prosper Highlander added 16 points and six rebounds, including ten in the second half.
The first quarter was a clash of styles, as Immaculata tried to slow it down while Gill St. Bernard’s wanted to keep on running. The Spartans hit shots in the opening stretch but the Knights ended the first quarter with a 10-8 lead.
Immaculata turned up the heat on both ends in the second quarter, as the balanced shotmaking continued and the Spartans went into halftime with a three-point lead. Senior guard Riley Gorman finished the half tied for the game lead with eight points, while junior Tyler Burns added seven.
Four Immaculata scorers finished in double figures, led by Burns’ 14 — including seven third-quarter points all at the foul line — while Gorman added 12. Junior Bryce Higgins scored 12 points of his own and senior Noah Doss scored ten.
Gill St. Bernard’s came out of the locker room ready to run — as the Knights always are — and eventually took a lead back that they would not relinquish.
Mulcahy got to the basket time and time again, while also knocking down a three-pointer and hitting all three of his free throw attempts. Highlander drew the assignment of Gorman on defense, and came into his own as well in the third quarter with four points. By the time the quarter came to a close, Gill St. Bernard’s had built a 48-39 lead, as both teams found themselves in foul trouble in the frame.
The Knights ran some more in the fourth quarter and put the game out of reach fairly early on. Highlander scored six points while sophomore guard Connor Junker hit a three-pointer of his own as part of a seven-point final stretch.
By the time the dust settled, Gill St. Bernard’s outscored Immaculata 42-25 in the second half and was able to finish the job multiple minutes before the final buzzer sounded.
The Knights advance to their second straight Somerset County Tournament finals appearance, and tenth all-time, tying Bridgewater-Raritan for the county record. They will play in a rematch of last year’s championship bout against second-seeded Rutgers Prep, which defeated Montgomery 66-57 earlier on Saturday for the Argonauts’ fifth straight championship appearance. Gill St. Bernard’s won last year’s tournament matchup 52-46.
They’ll do it all over again next Saturday at Montgomery High School, with tip-off at 3 pm.
Click below for postgame reaction with Gill St. Bernard’s senior Dorsett Mulcahy and head coach Mergin Sina, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
Five higher seeds advanced in the boys’ basketball GMC Tournament Tuesday night, while Monroe, JP Stevens and North Plainfield came away with upset wins in preliminary round action.
The GMCT now moves on to the First Round, the round of 16, as the top eight seeds that earned double byes begin play, hosting game on Thursday night, with winners moving on to Saturday’s quarterfinals, all at higher seeds – unlike years past where the quarters were held at neutral sites.
Scroll through for a recap of each game, followed by a look ahead to Thursday’s first round matchups, complete with records and times.
(17) Monroe 49, (16) South Amboy 44: The Falcons (6-16) built an eight point lead at the end of one, 18-10, but saw it shrink to six by halftime and two heading into the final quarter, but hung on to win by five. Josh Ellis scored 15 points to lead Monroe – including three triples – while Kyle Fernandes added 10 and scored twice from beyond the arc. While a minor upset by seed in a 17/16 game, the Governors had a 15-6 season going, with a 9-1 finish as co-champs in the GMC Blue American Division with Piscataway Magnet, which also lost Tuesday night.
(9) Metuchen 72, (24) Timothy Christian 47: The Bulldogs (20-2) made it back-to-back 20-win seasons for the GMC White National Division champions, who matched last year’s win total with a win over the Tigers. Cameron Hayes-Durina and Matt Smith each led Metuchen with 21 points apiece, with smith adding two baskets from beyond the arc. The game was tight through the first half, with Timothy Christian down just four points at the half, but the Bulldogs pulled ahead i the third and ran away with t in the fourth on the strength of a 21-9 final eight minutes. Aiden Badger had game-high honors, scoring 22 to lead Timothy Christian in defeat.
(21) JP Stevens 66, (12) Piscataway Magnet 41: The Hawks (11-12) got to a game below .500 with the win over the Raiders (17-5), GMC Blue American Division co-champions with South Amboy. JP Stevens – which had lost six straight and nine of its last ten heading into the postseason – has now won two straight in the GMC Tournament.
(13) Middlesex 69, (20) JFK 37: The Blue Jays (16-7) found themselves down 10-6 after one quarter, but snapped out of it quickly against the Mustangs, outscoring them 20-11 in the second quarter to take a five-point halftime lead, then held Kennedy to single digits in each of the final two quarters – winning the second half 43-16 – en route to the victory. Jax Robel had a game-high 17 for Middlesex, including three from downtown, while Julian Samuels added 16 and Mark Melchiorre added eleven. Middlesex hit nine times from beyond the arc in the game.
(14) South Brunswick 60, Carteret 58 (OT): The Vikings (13-8) needed extra time to pull this one out in a tight game most of the way. South Brunswick led by nine after one and by seven at the half, but went to overtime tied up at 54, wininng the final four minutes 6-4. Four players scored in double figures for the Vikes, who got 18 from Arjun Jadhav, a dozen each from Jeremiah Jackson and Kevin Burgman, with another 11 from his twin, Kyle Burgman. Al-Naiquan Boseman led Carteret with 14 in the losing effort.
(11) Woodbridge 67, (22) Edison 60: The Barrons (6-14) built a seven point lead in the first half and hung on the rest of the way for the win behind a 24-point night from Emmanuel Cruz, who hit three treys and was five-of-seven from the foul line. Jayden Cummings added 17, as Woodbridge hit seven triples in the game. Dheeraj Samparaboyina led Edison with 22 in defeat.
(10) Perth Amboy 70, (23) North Brunswick 49: The Panthers (21-4) continue to play solid basketball as hey jumped out to an early lead over the Raiders and never looked back, up 17-10 after one and 35-26 at the break. Yandel Susana scored 15 and went 5-of-7 from the foul line, while “Ricky” Ricardo Reyes added 14 and six assists. The GMC White American Division champs have won more games than any other Amboy team since 1993 – also they last time they won a division title – when they finished 24-2. Amboy is third Middlesex County history with its 19th 20-win season. Colonia has 24, and St. Joseph-Metuchen is in the midst of its 25th 20-victory campaign, now at 22-1 after a 74-38 road win at Newark West Side Tuesday night.
(18) North Plainfield 76, (15) Spotswood 66: The Canucks (13-11) got monster games from Quadir Williams and Cayden Prince, who scored 26 and 24 points, respectively, en route to a ten-point road win over the Chargers, who also got a big game from Leo Carone, with 21 points and three treys in the losing effort. North Plainfield led 62-44 after three, but a Spotswood rally fell short.
FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE – THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12
The Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament is in full swing for basketball, with the boys’ preliminary round set for Tuesday, and the girls’ first round – where the top eight seeds begin play – scheduled for Wednesday.
The boys’ first round takes place Monday, where those top eight seeds begin play against Tuesday’s winners, and both the boys and girls will move on the the quarterfinals on Saturday, with game to be played at higher seeds, after years of having neutral site games either at Middlesex College or other high school venues in the league.
Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live coverage of next week’s semifinals and finals, all to be played at Monroe Township High School. The girls are next Tuesday, Feb. 17th, at 5 and 7 pm, while the boys play Wednesday at the same times. Friday’s Championship Games shift later, to 6 and 8 pm, with the girls followed by the boys.
Here’s the definitive schedule for the next two days in the GMC Tournament, with team records and times, and projected next round matchups for the boys.
BOYS’ GMC TOURNAMENT – PRELIMINARY ROUND on TUESDAY, FEB. 10
(First Round will be played on Thursday, Feb. 12)
GIRLS’ GMC TOURNAMENT – FIRST ROUND on WEDNESDAY, FEB. 11
The 2026 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament for basketball tipped off on Saturday, a day after the seeding meeting, with 15 teams advancing to next week’s preliminary rounds, which will be held on Monday for the girls, and Tuesday for the boys, all at higher seeds.
Scroll through for scores and recaps, as well as a look at the schedule in the next round, and who each winner will face. Not all times for the preliminary round have been announced, as they are set by the host schools.
2026 GIRLS’ GMCT PLAY-IN ROUND:
PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE – MONDAY, FEB. 9
2026 BOYS’ GMCT PLAY-IN ROUND:
PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE – TUESDAY, FEB. 10
Somerset County Tournament play resumes this weekend, with eight games – four girls’, four boys’ – all taking place in the late morning and early afternoon, with a couple of doubleheaders on tap.
Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live play-by-play coverage on Saturday afternoon at 1:00, when the 5th-seeded Immaculata boys visit 4th-seed Pingry. Mike Pavlichko will call all the action with pregame at 12:45; click here to listen.
Scroll through for a look at the full slate, with notes on each game.
SCT BOYS’ QUARTERFINALS:
(8) Ridge (10-10) at (1) Gill St. Bernard’s (19-2), 1 pm: The Red Devils draw the top-seed here in the Knights, who beat Rutgers Prep 73-68 Thursday night for their 15th straight win. And Gill hasn’t lost to a public school in nearly two years, their last defeat coming at the hands of Montgomery on Valentine’s Day 2024 against Montgomery in the very same quarterfinal round of the Somerset County Tournament. Ridge, meanwhile, lost four straight in the middle of the month, but has won four straight since, including a three-point victory at Hunterdon Central Thursday night, 46-43. These two played back on January 6th, with Gill coming away with a 79-46 win behind 19 points from Prosper Highlander, with three others in double-figures. Gabe Kielb led Ridge with 14 in defeat. The Red Devils were 4-58 winners at home over 9-seed Franklin last Saturday in the first round.
(5) Immaculata (15-5) at (4) Pingry (11-6), 1 pm (LIVE on CJSR): The two met on January 6th, with The Big Blue coming away with a 64-59 win in Somerville that snapped a five-game skid against the Spartans dating back to 2022. Immaculata will want to come out hot in this one to avoid a repeat of a disastrous first quarter in that first matchup that had them playing from behind all game. They trailed 28-10 after one, yet managed to get to within one in the fourth before losing by five. Pingry had balanced scoring, led by Daniel Hall’s 14 points. Riley Gorman led Immaculata with 18. This might be the best game of the day on the boys’ side, as their first meeting was the closest of any of this weekend’s quarterfinal matchups. Immaculata beat 12-seed Bernards, 74-49, last Saturday in the first round. Mike Pavlichko has the call on this one, with pregame starting at 12:45. Click the link above to listen to the game live. READ A FULL PREVIEW WITH HEAD COACH INTERVIEWS HERE.
(6) Hillsborough (15-5) at (3) Montgomery (18-3), 1 pm: These two teams have split their last four meetings, including a 53-37 win by the Cougars in their first matchup this season, back on January 13th. Mike Simborski was the only one in double figures for Montgomery, but had a monster game: 26 points, and 6-of-6 at the foul line. Aaron Feath was the lone double-digit scorer for the Raiders, scoring 15 while grabbing seven rebounds. Monty had a tough three-game stretch to start 2026, losing to Linden, Rutgers Prep and Linden in rapid succession, but they’ve won ten in a row since, including the Hillsborough win. The Radiers have won four straight and 12 of their last 14. They beat 11-seed Watchung Hills 60-50 in last Saturday’s first round.
(7) Bridgewater-Raritan (13-6) at (2) Rutgers Prep (14-7), 1 pm: The Panthers have lost seven straight games against the Argonauts going back to 2017, their last win coming in their first meeting that season, 61-55. Only one of those losses was by fewer than ten-points, a 53-52 Rutgers Prep squeaker in January of 2018. This year’s lone meeting came on January 13th, a 72-56 Rutgers Prep win that saw William Brunson lead the way to victory with 27 points, including 4-of-6 at the line, with three treys. Richie Gardner led the Panthers with 14, going 6-of-6 at the stripe. Bridgewater started the season 8-0 before taking their first loss, coming to Immaculata, and is coming off a 49-42 loss Thursday night to Montgomery, while Prep also lost Thursday night, a 73-68 home loss to Gill St. Bernard’s. BR beat 10-seed Somerville last Saturday in the first round, 71-43.
SCT GIRLS’ QUARTERFINALS:
(9) Watchung Hills (8-10) at (1) Rutgers Prep (17-2), 11 am: A look at their season results, and the Argonauts have been as dominant as usual, but coach Mary Klinger is still looking for more from her squad, especially consistency on the defensive side. But this is a tall order for the Warriors, who have had an up-and-down season, but have never won or lost more than two straight all year. Prep has not lost to a public school all year. These two did not meet this year, nor did they play last year. The Argonauts won their most recent meeting in January 2024, 84-42, and they’ve won seen straight dating back to 2016. Watchung Hills’ last win in the series also came in SCT play, 60-37 in the 2013 county quarterfinals. Sophomore Hailey Benbow and four-year starter Ava LaMonica are the top two scorers for Prep, with LaMonica a gritty defensive player who grabs steals and rebounds with reckless abandon. Watchung Hills is led by senior Eleni Esposito, averaging 10.9 points per game. Both teams get a ton of steals. Hills crushed Somerville in last Saturday’s first round, 69-33, the largest margin of any of the four games last weekend.
(5) Bound Brook (19-1) at (4) Hillsborough (15-4), 11 am: This might be one of the more intriguing games of the day on the girls’ side, with the Crusaders led by freshman sensation Payton Pugh. She’s averaging 17.8 points per game, and has 137 assists and 181 steals, all leading the team by wide margins, and a big reason why The Brook has won 15 straight games since their lone loss, a 62-53 defeat at the hands of Union Catholic on December 29th in the Crusader Classic final over the holidays. The Raiders, of course, are the defending state Group 4 champs, and two-time defending sectional champs, winning North 2, Group 4 in 2024 and Central Group 4 last season en route to the state title. But they’ve also lost two straight, those defeats coming a week apart: 57-55 in overtime at Bernards last Thursday, January 29th, and 72-30 to Rutgers Prep this past Thursday. Junior Alexa Gaspar (12.1 ppg) and senior Isabella Ruh (11.9 ppg) are neck-and-neck as the team’s top two scorers. The two haven’t played since 2023, an 82-69 Hillsborough win and their last meeting before that was in 2017, a 55-34 victory for the Crusaders. Bound Brook beat 13-seed Montgomery, 55-20, last Saturday in the first round.
(6) Pingry (11-7) at (3) Franklin (12-7), noon: The Warriors have won the last four in this series, with Pingry last winning in 2024. In their only meeting this year, Franklin won 57-40 on January 13th, with a balanced scoring attack that saw four players finish in double-figures, led by Alivia Stewart’s 12, and six rebounds, while Kayla Duncan hit three times from downtown. Val Triana led Pingry with 17 in defeat. Franklin has won five of its last six, while Pingry has won three straight coming in. The Big Blue beat 11-seed Mount St. Mary in the first round last Saturday, 44-35.
(7) Bernards (17-2) at (2) Gill St. Bernard’s (16-4), 11 am: It’s been a long time since the Mountaineers and Knights last met – eight years ago – with Gill coming away with a 60-33 win in February of 2018. The Mountaineers started the year 10-0 before a non-conference loss to Roselle Park on January 27th, 67-52, then lost their first league game of the year Thursday, 50-37 out at Voorhees. Aletha Reynolds finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Gill has won two straight and 14 of their last 15 dating back to a post-Christmas win over Roselle Catholic in the Holiday Hoopfest at Paterson Kennedy, a 50-20 victory. Bernards beat 10-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, 64-38, in last Saturday’s first round.