Tag: Colonia

by Mike Pavlichko

Colonia heads to fifth straight Group 3 semifinal preparing for a new opponent for the first time

What Colonia basketball has done under Jose Rodriguez has been nothing short of incredible.

The Patriots are officially a public school GMC dynasty these days.

Back on Saturday, they won their fifth straight sectional title, taking down Chatham in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 title game. It was also their sixth sectional title in seven playoff years under Rodriguez, now in his eighth year as head coach. The only year they didn’t win one was in his second year, 2020, when they lost to Irvington in the finals.

The one year there were no state playoffs, they beat St. Thomas Aquinas – on the road – to claim the GMC’s top four-team pod, the Karl Towns/Jay Williams pod. Then, in 2024 and 2025, they won back-to-back GMC titles.

That’s a lot of hardware.

The one thorn in their side the entire run has been Ramapo. They lost to the Raiders in the 2018 Group 3 semifinals, J-Rod’s first year at the helm, then again four years straight from 2022 to 2025.

But they won’t this year.

A sixth seed this year, Ramapo got knocked out in the opening round, coughing up a 31-17 halftime lead and losing in overtime to 11th-seed Morris Knolls, 68-67.

Finally, Colonia gets to prep for someone different.

That someone different is Montville, the four-seed that won the North 1, Group 3 title with a 65-61 upset win Saturday over second-seed Teaneck. The Mustangs are 23-5, and Colonia will play them in the Group 3 semifinals Wednesday at 5 pm at The Dunn Center in Elizabeth, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Pregame is set for 4:45; click here to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the action.

Colonia, as many know by now, lost three huge pieces from last year’s team, with Aiden Derkack transferring to Spire Academy in Ohio, R.J. Wortman enrolling early at Rutgers to play football, and defensive specialist Zach Smith graduating, but rebounded from a 2-6 start to go 18-4 the rest of the way. That stretch included a run to the GMC Tournament semifinals, where they narrowly lost to Piscataway.

After two dominating wins to open state tournament play, the Patriots escaped with a Rolaids-worthy win over Mendham – the team they beat last year in the sectional finals – by four, 34-30 in an unusually low-scoring game. It was their lowest offensive output of the season, by one over a 62-35 season-opening loss to St. Peter’s Prep at the NJBAC Tip-Off Classic in Montgomery.

But they rebounded nicely with a 57-46 win over Chatham in the North 2, Group 3 final, in which they had a little more breathing room.

Montville, meanwhile, surprised many to get here, but Rodruguez knows the Mustangs have earned their spot. After wins over the 13- and five-seeds, they knocked off top-seed Tenafly on the road to get to the title game. Led by senior guard Chris Ferrare (19.3 ppg, team-best 112 assists and 55 treys), Montville has three double-digit scorers, including Eddie Camaj (12.4 ppg) and Joey Beyer, who’s averaging an even double-double of 10.9 points and rebounds per game.

Colonia, meanwhile, is led by Jayce Rodriguez, the coach’s son, averaging just a shade under 20 points per game, with a team-high 75 treys, while Desmond Rudanovic is tops on the boards at eight per game. Senior Dylan Chiera – also the QB on the football team – is averaging just under ten points per game, and has a team-best 39 steals.

The Patriots are looking for their first-ever trip to a state final, having won 11 sectional titles overall. Besides the six in the last seven playoff years under Rodriguez, they won Central Jersey Group 4 in 1973, Central 3 in 1985 and 1994, then North 2, Group 3 in 2007 and 2015.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez about the Patriots’ Group 3 semifinal matchup with Montville:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Final (Boys): (1) Colonia 57, (2) Chatham 46

Jayce Rodriguez scored 25 points and the rest of the lineup had balanced scoring as top-seeded Colonia beat second-seed Chatham at home to with the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 championship, its fifth straight and sixth in the last seven playoff seasons, all under coach Jose Rodriguez.

Click below to listen to Alec Crouthamel and Nick Hart call all the play-by-play from Colonia High School on March 7, 2026.

Colonia celebrates a North 2 Group 3 sectional final win over Chatham (Photo: Nick Hart)
by Alec Crouthamel

Not one, two, three, or four: Colonia downs Chatham for fifth straight sectional title in North 2 Group 3 final

Flash back to January 7th.

Colonia boys basketball had gotten off to a 2-6 start, still working through a young team with all new roles and skillsets.

Two months later, the Patriots (20-10) have put it all together and reached the sectional mountaintop once again.

Top-seeded Colonia won its fifth consecutive sectional championship, defeating second-seeded Chatham 57-46 in the North 2 Group 3 final. The Cougars (24-6) fell to the Patriots for the fourth time in 11 years in the sectional playoffs, with Colonia winning last year in the semifinals, the quarterfinals in 2023, and the 2015 final.

Though sophomore Jayce Rodriguez was the lone Patriot in double-figures with a game-high 25 points, it was a true team effort on both ends of the floor for Colonia while facing off against a high-octane attack from Chatham.

Both teams took a bit to find their footing, but Rodriguez scored seven points in the opening quarter, and senior point guard Dylan Chiera added six, as the two teams ended the first quarter tied at 17.

The Cougars executed their defensive gameplan well in the opening half, with plenty of aggression guarding one-on-one and in the passing lanes, as several of their baskets came off Patriots turnovers.

But the Patriots managed to weather the storm and came up with some big-time key buckets late to pull ahead 29-24 at the half. Colonia went into the locker room with momentum on its side, as the offense had found a few possessions to pull ahead.

Then in the second half, the Patriots’ emphasis — and success — came on the other side of the ball.

They contained a dangerous Chatham offense that had scored at least 65 points in each of its first three sectional tournament games, mixing in both man-to-man and zone to throw off the Cougars’ offensive rhythm.

Two underclassmen came up big for Colonia on that end as well. Freshman forward Desmond Rudanovic battled foul trouble for much of the game, and yet a foul away from being disqualified, he stood tall in the lane at 6-foot-7 and recorded a blocked layup in the fourth quarter, and altered multiple other shots.

When Rudanovic had to leave the floor, sophomore Teagan Amponsah etched his name in Patriots basketball lore. He came up with two blocks in the second half and played tremendous defense inside and outside, on a Chatham wing room with plenty of size, strength, and experience. Seniors Michael MacAniff and Marco Mannino led the way for the visitors with 14 and 12 points, respectively.

Senior forward Nfa Clyne — last year a key rotation piece off the bench known for his defense — rose to the moment as a full-time starter as well. He nearly recorded a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, but every single bucket was key down the stretch as all nine of his points came in the fourth quarter. He crashed the glass countless times and helped Colonia come up with big possessions throughout the game, and even beat Chatham at its own game multiple times with fast-break layups to beat the Cougars’ press.

Colonia controlled the score and tempo for much of the second half, never feeling truly in danger. The Cougars cut the deficit to three points in the beginning of the third quarter, but the Patriots immediately responded with a 7-0 run to push the lead to double-digits for the first time.

The rest of the game was played in that same range of differential. Every time Chatham would force a turnover or hit a tough bucket, the Patriots stayed calm and executed on the ensuing possessions themselves.

By the time the buzzer sounded, Colonia had clinched its fifth straight sectional title under head coach Jose Rodriguez, and it did so in the exact fashion the eighth-year head coach wanted: A true team-wide effort that put the young team’s development on full display.

The Patriots advance in the state tournament once again, where they will face off against North 1 Group 3 champion Montville in the Group 3 semifinal. The Mustangs — the fourth seed in the sectional tournament — upset the top two seeds, Tenafly and Teaneck, in back-to-back games for their first sectional final appearance since 1982. The two teams will face off on Wednesday at the Thomas Dunn Sports Center in Elizabeth, with tipoff set for 5 pm.

Click below for postgame reaction on Colonia’s North 2 Group 3 title from head coach Jose Rodriguez, sophomore Jayce Rodriguez, and senior Nfa Clyne, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Colonia and Piscataway square off in a GMC Red American Division game in Colonia on December 22, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
by Alec Crouthamel

Colonia goes for staggering five-peat in North 2, Group 3 title game against Chatham, in rematch of 2015 final

Coming into this season, Jose Rodriguez had seven seasons under his belt as Colonia’s head boys basketball coach.

In five of those years where a postseason was played, the Patriots (19-10) have appeared in a sectional final.

They have reached that milestone once again in Year 8, as top-seeded Colonia looks to strengthen its stranglehold on the North 2 Group 3 section with its fifth straight title in the balance.

In order to do so, though, the Patriots will have to go through a familiar foe in second-seeded Chatham, as the two teams face off in the sectional playoffs for the third time in four years. They first battled in the 2023 quarterfinals, then in last year’s semifinals, and now in this year’s title game. The Panthers (24-5) lost both previous matchups, but are in the sectional finals for the first time since 2018, when they made a run to the Group 3 final before falling to Nottingham.

You can hear the game on Saturday at 2 pm, with pregame coverage starting at 1:45, as Alec Crouthamel and Nick Hart will call the action. Click here to listen.

Colonia has rebounded from a 2-6 start to the year, with a difficult opening schedule and a young team, and the Patriots now find themselves on the verge of yet another sectional title, with Rodriguez earning GMC Coach of the Year honors.

The top seed in the bracket, Colonia worked through the first two games against 16-seed North Hunterdon and nine-seed Somerville with ease, but had to grind out a 34-30 victory over five-seed Mendham in a rematch of last year’s sectional title.

After scoring just one point in the first quarter, the Patriots rallied and woke up their offense to get back in the game, and eventually made plays late to seal a win.

Freshman forward Desmond Rudanovic hit two key go-ahead baskets in the final three minutes, set up by senior point guard Dylan Chiera. Leading scorer Jayce Rodriguez led the team with 12 points and had to battle against standout guard Talon Wehmeyer on both ends of the floor.

Even with the relative inexperience, save for Rodriguez, Chiera, and senior Nfa Clyne in the main rotation, the Patriots found a way to get back to yet another sectional final.

Chatham, on the other hand, brings a gaudy record with wins at the right time, coming into the game with a stretch of 16 wins in 17 games. The lone loss came to Morris Catholic in the Morris County Tournament final.

The Panthers bring a senior-laden rotation that puts a lot of different players on the floor, due to their frenetic, uptempo style. Similar to Colonia, the first round and quarterfinals went smoothly as Chatham defeated 15th-seeded Fort Lee 89-43 and seventh-seeded Cranford 72-53. Then in the semifinals, Chatham had to gut out a 65-57 win over sixth-seeded South Plainfield, after ending the third quarter in a tie game.

Both coach and players bring experience in bunches, with six of the Panthers’ seven leading scorers all in their senior year. Head coach Todd Ervin is no newbie, either, now in his 34th season at the helm. Chatham has won 584 games, five Morris County Tournament titles under his direction — and two straight second-place finishes this year, both losses to Morris Catholic in the final — along with the 2007 Group 2 state title, and a Group 3 finals appearance in 2018.

On the floor, seniors Michael MacAniff and Ryan Leach lead the way at guard, with a stable of fast and experienced athletes ready to run around them.

Colonia will look to extend its sectional dynasty with its fifth consecutive title, while Chatham looks to unseat the kings and get revenge for its two postseason exits at the hands of the Patriots.

Click below to hear preview interviews with both head coaches and Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez
Chatham head coach Todd Ervin

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.
by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – GMC Tournament Boys’ Semifinals: (2) Piscataway 64, (3) Colonia 61

Donald Nwaigwe scored 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Izayah Brown added 16 and went 10-of-11 from the charity stripe in a 64-61 win for second-seed Piscataway over third-seed Colonia, sending the Chiefs back to the GMC Tournament title game for the second straight year.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Vin Ebenau call all the play-by-play from Monroe Township High School on February 18, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

GMC Tournament Boys’ Final Preview: Top-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen, two-seed Piscataway look to end title droughts Friday night in county final

Mark Taylor has won two GMC Tournament titles, Bob Turco three. Friday night, both will look to end title droughts for their boys’ basketball teams, droughts of varying degrees.

The Piscataway program – with Turco in his second year as head coach after winning three straight GMC titles for St. Thomas Aquinas in 2020, 2022 and 2023 – hasn’t won a title since 2009, when Guy Jensen’s top-seeded squad beat third-seed St. Joseph of Metuchen, which proceeded to win nine of the next ten championships.

The last of those came in 2019, the second year under head coach Mike Thompson after Dave Turco – who’d won five in a row, seven of eight, and each of his last two appearances – before he was replaced. After all that, six years without a title – or even an appearance in the finals, after having made a dozen in a row – is a long stretch.

For one of them, the drought will end Friday night.

You can hear the GMC Tournament championship doubleheader exclusively on Central Jersey Sports Radio Friday, starting with the 6 pm girls’ opener between six-time defending champ and top-seed St. Thomas Aquinas and second-seed East Brunswick, seeking its first title since 2016. The boys’ championship tips at 8:00. Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will call all the action, with pregame starting around 7:45. Click here to listen.

Both coaches have been game changers for their respective programs, but both will tell you it’s about the players, not the coaches. That was the case Wednesday evening in the semifinals, where Piscataway found itself trailing Colonia 28-22 at halftime, and the locker room speech essentially boiled down to “We gave you the game plan, now just go execute.” The did in the second half, and here they are.

Turco came to Piscataway and breathed new life into the program, playing them in as many summer league games as they could get into, and learning defensive fundamentals that have paid off big-time: this will be their second straight trip to a county final, and Turco’s sixth. And in large part, it’s due to homegrown talent like seniors Donald Nwaigwe (team-bests 16.3 oints per game, 8.5 rebounds and 27 blocks), Isaiah Fowler (14.2 ppg), Josh Lima (12.8 ppg) and the like.

Mark Taylor did it a different way, being at a parochial school. If Turco left Aquinas to get out of that game, Mark Taylor at St. Joseph is playing it. He brought in three highly-touted transfers this year, and it’s paid immediate dividends.

Junior Imaad Johnson came in from Union and is averaging 11.3 points per game, with a team-best 33 treys. Junior Andrew Kretkowski, who made an impact as a freshman two years ago at Rutgers Prep and was key as a sophomore last year, came in from the Easton Ave. school and is scoring 17 points a game, hitting from down low, nailing jumpers, and connecting from beyond the arc 23 times already.

Neither had to sit like perhaps the biggest piece Taylor brought in: 6’7″ junior Aidan Carter, a lengthy guard who is leading the team with 18.9 points per game, 9.8 boards, 155 assists and 58 steals, while also hitting 21 treys.

Thanks to Piscataway Township and Mayor Brian Wahler for sponsoring Friday night’s GMC Tournament final!

MORE ON THE GMC TOURNAMENT BOYS’ FINAL:

(1) St. Joseph-Metuchen (25-1) vs. (2) Piscataway (20-6)
When: Friday, 8 pm
Where: Monroe Township High School
Broadcast Team: Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe (LISTEN HERE)

COACHES:

St. Joseph: Mark Taylor, 1st season, second stint (624-178 overall, including 172-69 in first run at St. Joe’s, as well as Ridge and St. Benedict’s Prep)
Piscataway: Bob Turco, 2nd season (417-133 overall, including St. Thomas Aquinas, Notre Dame, and Monroe)

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

St. Joseph head coach Mark Taylor with Mike Pavlichko
Piscataway head coach Bob Turco with Mike Pavlichko

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

St. Joseph: The first two games were a cruise for the Falcons, who got past 17th-seed Monroe in the first round, 86-49, then picked up an 85-30 win at nine-seed Metuchen. The semifinals were a different story. Though they held fifth-seed St. Thomas Aquinas off the board for nearly the first six minutes of the game Wednesday night, the Trojans were within six about midway through the fourth quarter, but that was about as close as they would get, as St. Joseph won 63-51.

Piscataway: After the round of 16, one might say the Chiefs have been a bit more tested. Following a 95-40 win over 18th-seed North Plainfield in the round of 16, they beat seventh-seed Sayreville 80-66. And in the semifinals, they erased a six-point halftime deficit against third-seed Colonia, and pulled out a 64-61 victory Wednesday night to get back down to Monroe Friday for a chance at the title.

TOP SCORERS:

St. Joseph: Aidan Carter (junior, 18.2 ppg, 21 treys), Andrew Kretkowski (junior, 17 ppg, 23 treys), Imaad Johnson (junior, 11.3 ppg, team-best 33 treys)
Piscataway: Donald Nwaigwe (senior, 16.3 ppg, 11 treys), Isaiah Fowler (senior, 14.2 ppg, 38 treys), Josh Lima (senior, 12.8 ppg, 38 treys), Landon Pernell (junior, 12.8 ppg, team-best 46 treys)

TOP REBOUNDERS:

St. Joseph: Aidan Carter (9.8), Joel Patrick (8.9), Andrew Kretkowski (7.8)
Piscataway: Donald Nwaigwe (8.5), Isaiah Fowler (4.1)

MISCELLANEOUS:

St. Joseph: Aidan Carter (155 assists, 58 steals), Joel Patrick (79 blocks)
Piscataway: Landon Pernell (114 assists, 83 steals), Donald Nwaigwe (27 blocks)

RECENT MEETINGS: St. Joseph has won eight of the last ten meetings, but they’ve split the last four. Piscataway won both matchups last year, 73-49 and 84-69, but the Falcons won both this year, by similar scores: 64-53 in overtime on January 3rd at home – a game win which the Chiefs were held to just one second half and one overtime field goal – and 64-57 on the road just 12 days later.

Thanks to Piscataway Township and Mayor Brian Wahler for sponsoring Friday night’s GMC Tournament final!

GMC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

St. Joseph (12-9):

  • 1991:  (3) Piscataway 33, (1) St. Joseph 29
  • 1992:  (1) Bishop Ahr 61, (2) St. Joseph 47
  • 1993:  (3) St. Joseph 57, (4) South Brunswick 54 (OT)
  • 1997:  (5) North Brunswick 66, (2) St. Joseph 55*
  • 1998:  (1) St. Joseph 66, (2) Sayreville 54*
  • 1999:  (1) St. Joseph 55, (2) Colonia 47*
  • 2001:  (2) Colonia 79, (1) St. Joseph 65
  • 2003:  (1) Cardinal McCarrick 67, (3) St. Joseph 56
  • 2005:  (3) South Plainfield 66, (4) St. Joseph 65
  • 2008:  (1) Cardinal McCarrick 56, (6) St. Joseph 52
  • 2009:  (1) Piscataway 63, (3) St. Joseph 56
  • 2010:  (1) St. Joseph 65, (2) Monroe 48
  • 2011:  (2) St. Joseph 51, (1) Piscataway 43
  • 2012:  (1) St. Joseph 70, (2) North Brunswick 65
  • 2013:  (2) St. Joseph 66, (1) East Brunswick 63 (2OT)
  • 2014:  (1) St. Joseph 59, (2) East Brunswick 45
  • 2015:  (2) Colonia 54, (1) St. Joseph 38
  • 2016:  (1) St. Joseph 56, (2) South Brunswick 48
  • 2017:  (1) St. Joseph 50, (3) Sayreville 44
  • 2018:  (1) St. Joseph 46, (7) Colonia 43
  • 2019:  (3) St. Joseph 49, (5) Piscataway 46

*coached by Mark Taylor

Piscataway (7-5):

  • 1968:  (3) St. Peter’s 64, Piscataway 60 (MCT, only top four were “seeded”)
  • 1976:  (2) Piscataway 85, (4) Perth Amboy 83
  • 1977:  (1) Piscataway 77, (6) Carteret 74 
  • 1991:  (3) Piscataway 33, (1) St. Joseph’s 29
  • 1994:  (2) Piscataway 49, (1) St. Peter’s 44   
  • 1995:  (1) Piscataway 61, (3) East Brunswick 46
  • 1996:  (1) East Brunswick 51, (2) Piscataway 44
  • 2007:  (6) Piscataway 59, (5) Cardinal McCarrick 50
  • 2009:  (1) Piscataway 63, (3) St. Joseph 56             
  • 2011:  (2) St. Joseph 51, (1) Piscataway 43     
  • 2019:  (3) St. Joseph 49, (5) Piscataway 46
  • 2025:  (1) Colonia 70, (2) Piscataway 63

OTHER NOTES:

Championship Coaches: Of the four coaches in this year’s semifinals, three have won GMC titles, but those are the only three. That’s right, only three current Greater Middlesex boys’ coaches have ever won the event. Jose Rodriguez of Colonia – this year’s GMC Coach of the Year – won the last two with the Patriots. Before that, Bob Turco won three straight when he was at St. Thomas Aquinas, in 2020, 2022, and 2023. And Mark Taylor won two titles in his first run at St. Joseph, in 1998 and 1999.

Championship Coaches, Part Two: When Piscataway made the finals last season, Bob Turco became the first coach in GMC history to bring three different schools to the championship game. Until this year, he was one of three to bring two different schools to the GMC title game, and two share the same last name. Ken Pace brought JFK in 1990 and won it over top-seed Perth Amboy, then he took Colonia several times in the 90s, winning in 2001 over top-seed St. Joseph. Speaking of the Falcons, Bob’s brother Dave brought Carteret to two finals, winning in 2002 over a Pace-coached Colonia club. Then, of course, he went to – and won – a slew of titles with St. Joseph. Bob has been to the GMCT’s ultimate game as the head coach of Monroe – losing his only trip there in 2010 to his brother Dave and the Falcons – then and went to four straight as head coach at St. Thomas Aquinas, winning the first three.

Piscataway Doubles: The Chiefs have won seven titles, and every coach who’s won it has brought back multiple trophies. Windy McGriff’s P’way teams won back-to-back MCT titles in 1976 and 1977. Paul Schoeb – who later became the school’s athletic director, is now retired, but took in the semifinals this week at Monroe – won three in a span of five years, taking the GMC crown in 1991, as well as 1994 and 1995. Guy Jensen then won championships in 2007 and 2009. Turco is looking to be the fourth coach in Piscataway history to win the county title, gunning for his first when the play St. Joe’s Friday night. Should the Chiefs win Friday night, he’ll get a chance to go for two next season.

Repeat, Repeat: With Colonia out in the semifinals, Friday night’s winner may very well begin a streak. In fact, the Patriots were the last one-off champion, back in 2015. That snapped a string of five straight titles by the Falcons, who won nine of ten in a stretch from 2010 through 2019. They won the next four after that loss. Following that, St. Thomas Aquinas won three straight titles from 2020 through 2023, then Colonia’s two-year streak, which officially was snapped Wednesday night when they got knocked out in the semifinals.

How have the seeds fared? There have been 59 MCT/GMCT championship games, and the top seed has won 28 times. The second seed has won 16 times. When it’s the No. 1 vs. the No. 2, The top seed is just 16-11 overall, and 10-6 in the GMC era. Overall, the top seed is 28-16 in the championship game.

No Double Vision, Again: Colonia’s win over St. Thomas Aquinas two years ago snapped a two-season run of clean sweeps by the Trojans on the girls’ and boys’ side. There have been eight double champions in the GMC era – there were three in the MCT – but it didn’t happen last year and won’t again this year, with the St. Thomas Aquinas and East Brunswick girls in the final, along with St. Joe’s and the Piscataway boys. That’s good for attendance, since there will four sets of fans attending, rather than just two.

1-2, 1-2: Since the dawn of the GMC in 1986, this is the ninth time both the girls’ and boys’ title games have featured the 1 vs. the 2 seeds. And this will be the second straight year. Last year, top-seed Colonia beat second-seed Piscataway for the boys’ title, while top-seed St. Thomas Aquinas beat second-seed Monroe for the girls’ championship. The last time it happened before that was in 2016, when the top-seeded St. Joe’s boys beat South Brunswick, and the 2nd-seeded East Brunswick girls beat Monroe. It also happened the year before, in 2015, when the second-seeded Colonia boys beat St. Joseph, and top-seed Piscataway topped Monroe on the girls’ side. Other double 1 vs. 2 years include 2010, 1998, 1994, 1992 and 1989.

by Mike Pavlichko

In third epic this year, Piscataway rallies from halftime deficit to edge Colonia, earn trip to second straight GMC Tournament title tilt

An hour or so before Wednesday night’s GMC Tournament semifinal, Piscataway came into the gym as a walking MASH unit.

Senior Josh Lima was about 80-percent due to a tight quad, head coach Bob Turco said before the game. Tyler West had a tricky knee and didn’t get to play much, in the end, And Landon Pernell, the football team quarterback just starting to get his basketball legs, also has been bothered by a calf injury

But the second-seeded Chiefs – though they were down 28-22 at the half – persevered, and had others step up, in coming out with a 64-61 win over third-seed Colonia, sending Piscataway back to the GMC’s championship game for a second year in a row.

The Chiefs (20-6) made it there last year in a big turnaround under first-year head coach Bob Turco, who raised eyebrows when he left St. Thomas Aquinas, where he had won GMC titles in 2020, 2022 and 2023. He got bested last year by his former ballplayer at Carteret and protege Jose Rodriguez and Colonia in the final, but not this time.

Turco told his team at halftime they just needed to execute. They had the game plan. Just go out and do it. And do it they did.

After Izayah Brown kept the team in the game early with eight first half points off the bench to lead the Chiefs, the starters took the ball and ran with it, literally, in the second half.

Thanks to Piscataway Township and Mayor Brian Wahler for sponsoring tonight’s game!

It was a tight game throughout. No one led by more than seven. Piscataway came out hot to start the second half and finally – after chipping away – got their first lead of the game at the 4:01 mark of the third period on a three by Landon Pernell. Another shortly after extended their lead, and while there were a couple of ties after that, the Chiefs never gave the lead back.

Pernell finished with 14, Brown with 16, and senior Donald Nwaigwe finished with 17, including a monster dunk late with the game still in the balance.

Dylan Chiera led Colonia (16-9) – which had gone 14-2 since a tough 2-6 start – with 14 points, while Jayce Rodriguez added 13, but the team’s leading three-point shooter – who had 66 on the year coming in – was held to just one make from beyond the arc.

Piscataway will face the winner of the second Wednesday night semifinal between top-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen and fifth-seed St. Thomas Aquinas. The final will be back here at Monroe Twp. High School at 8 pm, following the girls’ title game between St. Thomas Aquinas and East Brunswick at 6 pm. Both games can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Click below for postgame reaction from Piscataway senior Donald Nwaigwe and head coach Bob Turco, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – GMC Tournament Girls’ Semifinals: (1) St. Thomas Aquinas 76, (4) Colonia 56

Junior Lauryn Downing scored 22 points – including six triples – to lead top-seed St. Thomas Aquinas to a 76-56 win over fourth-seed Colonia in the GMC Tournament semifinals, bringing the Trojans back to the title game for a chance to win their seventh straight championship.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen call all the play-by-play from Monroe Township High School on February 17, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Expect another thriller: Wednesday rematch of 2025 GMC Tournament final pits Piscataway against Colonia for trip to 2026 title tilt

Last year’s GMC Tournament final was an exciting one, for a number of reasons. Besides the fact is was some great, high-level basketball between Piscataway and Colonia, it was the first all-public title game since 2006, when the Patriots beat Metuchen for the championship.

It was Bob Turco taking the Chiefs to the finals in his first year as head coach, and for the first time since 2019. And it was the veteran mentor’s sixth straight appearance in the finals, the first five of those coming while he was at St. Thomas Aquinas. In fact, he and protege Jose Rodriguez had met in the finals the year before, just with Turco leading a different team.

Wednesday night, the two will meet again, with a trip to the finals on the line as they square off in the opener of a GMCT semifinal doubleheader that you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Second-seed Piscataway (19-6) and third-seed Colonia (16-8) will play at 5 pm, with pregame at 4:45. Join Mike Pavlichko and Vin Ebenau for all the action, with the second game scheduled to tip at 7 pm between top-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen and 5th-seed St. Thomas Aquinas. Click here to listen.

While Colonia was considered a favorite to repeat even before the 2024-25 season began, Piscataway was the story last year: Turco taking an 11-14 team from the year prior to the county final with a 22-4 mark.

This year, Colonia is the big story. In the summer, Aiden Derkack transferred to national powerhouse Spire Academy in Ohio. Defender extraordinaire Zach Smith graduated. In December, glue guy R.J. Wortman announced he’d signed on to play Rutgers football, and enrolled in January, leaving him off the roster. And Colin Kroner and Julien Jones didn’t return.

The immediate result was that the Patriots started the season just 2-6. But over the last five weeks and change, they are 14-2. Among the highlights, a revenge win at Piscataway by three – avenging a home loss to the Chiefs by two in December – and a 52-46 win over state-ranked and previously-unbeaten Wall in their final game before GMC Tournament play.

Jayce Rodriguez – coach Jose Rodriguez’ son – and Dylan Chiera are the two most experienced players back. Their steadiness has helped the rest of the team find its footing. If there was ever a more apt place to use the cliche “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” we don’t know about it. Rodriuguz is scoring 20.4 points per game, with a team-best (by far) 66 treys, while Chiera is averaging 10.2, with a team-best 94 rebounds and 29 steals, tied with fellow senior Nfa Clyne.

The defense also has been a key, and while their points allowed have gone down, their scoring has gone up.

The fact these two have played two epics this season should come as no surprise. The Chiefs have some major ballers, too and much of last year’s key players are back. That includes Donald Nwaigwe, one of four players averaging double figures on a balanced squad where the top three scorers are seniors.

Nwaigwe is scoring at a 16.3 point clip, followed by Isaiah Fowler (14.4) and Josh Lima (13.0) while junior Landon Pernell – who Turco says has found his “basketball legs” after playing quarterback for the football team this fall – is averaging 12.7 per game, and has hit a team-high 42 treys on the year.

Thanks to Piscataway Township and Mayor Brian Wahler for sponsoring tonight’s Piscataway game!

These are two teams that can shoot, get to the basket, rebound, play defense, and frustrate the heck out of opponents, and like the earlier meetings this year, should come right down to the wire again.

Click below for preview interviews with both head coaches:

Piscataway head coach Bob Turco with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko
Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Vin Ebenau