Tag: Colonia

by Mike Pavlichko

Despite different records, the similarities between Middlesex and No. 6 Colonia – who square off Tuesday night – are striking

Both programs had star players who set school scoring records. Both have had to deal with the graduation of those players, Matti Chiera and Taylor Derkack for Colonia, Jess Devine for Middlesex.

Both have relatively new coaches, and both are figuring out life after some of their program greats, even if Colonia is a little ahead in that ride, with the Patriots are two years removed from their stars, while Middlesex is in its first year since.

Jill Bachonski – a Hall of Famer at William Paterson, where Chiera now is a junior playing alongside ex-GMC standouts like Leilani Pinder of South Brunswick and Olivia Smart of Edison – took over the head job two years ago, when Matti Chiera’s mom, Sandi, stepped down.

They got through a 7-20 season last year, but that experience has turned into gold this year: a 9-0 start and the No. 6 ranking in the latest Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. Middlesex is 6-4 after starting 0-3, then winning six straight before a 61-35 loss Monday night at Hightstown. But they’re figuring it out.

You can hear Tuesday evening’s game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame starting at 4:45, and tip-off at 5 pm. Mike Pavlichko will call all the action; click here to listen.

The first time around, when the two teams met five days before Christmas in Colonia, the Patriots jumped out to a 15-8 first quarter lead and were up eleven at the half.

But that was the third game of the 0-3 streak to start the season for the Blue Jays, and rookie head coach Zakiya Beckles – a 27-year-old Middlesex alum who was an assistant under previous coach Stew Lester – says that was still a period where her team was working some things out.

Beckles says it took a little longer with only eight players on the varsity squad, which makes it difficult to have live game-like action in practice.

Their top two scorers are sophomores. Avery Iskra is averaging just a shade under 14 points per game and 7.6 boards per contest, leading the team in both categories, along with 15 blocks and 32 steals, also team bests. Taylor Lawrence is averaging almost nine points a game. The Blue Jays’ scoring is more balanced this year.

The same can be said for Colonia, whose top scorer also is a sophomore. Ariana Sosa leads the team with 12.3 points per game, 16 treys, 23 steals, and 27 assists.

Middlesex has one senior, Alyssa Young, averaging 7.8 points a game, while Colonia has two, but only one in the starting five: Nashaleah Hooker, scoring at a 10.7 clip, with a team-best 13.4 rebounds per game, and five double-doubles.

Click below to hear preview interviews from both head coaches with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Colonia head coach Jill Bachonski
Middlesex head coach Zakiya Beckles

by Mike Pavlichko

Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten goes 29-3, leaving little change in Week 5 rankings

What happens when the top ten barely loses a game? Not much apparently.

There were only three losses in 32 games played this past week by the Bellamy & Son Paving girls’ basketball top ten, meaning very little change in the rankings.

It’s now five straight weeks at No. 1 for Rutgers Prep (8-2), which had two wins in a light week, 66-22 over Hunterdon Central on Monday, and 57-24 at Mount St. Mary on Thursday.

That’s followed by St. Thomas Aquinas (11-3) holding it down at No. 2, going 4-0 in the past week. They beat No. 5 East Brunswick 75-42 on Tuesday, then South Brunswick 68-23 on Thursday, and won 92-56 at Piscataway on Friday. Saturday, they beat St. Rose, 52-38, in the Coaches Choice St. Thomas Aquinas Challenge in North Edison.

Holding in third is Gill St. Bernard’s (8-3), which went 3-0 in the past week, beating Pingry 55-50 Tuesday, winning 65-33 at Hunterdon Central Thursday, then 70-39 at Thrive Charter on Saturday.

Hillsborough (8-2) held in fourth. The Raiders lost to Franklin, 72-44, on Tuesday, but came back to win two straight road games, 42-33 at Pingry on Thursday, and 55-17 at neighboring Montgomery on Friday.

East Brunswick (9-2) holds at No. 5. They also dropped their first game of the week – falling 75-42 to St. Thomas Aquinas Tuesday – but rebounded with a 44-40 win at Monroe Thursday, and a 59-46 victory against North Plainfield on Saturday.

Up a spot to seventh is Colonia (9-0), which swept three games in the week gone by. They narrowly beat Spotswood – their closest win of the year – 59-57 on the road Tuesday, then came back with a 51-35 win at Edison Thursday, and a 62-38 win over Old Bridge on Saturday.

Bernards (8-0) continues to win as well, but flip-flopped with Colonia to seven. They were 2-0 last week, beating Voorhees 40-39 Thursday, then picking up a 53-32 win over Hanover Park on Saturday.

Somerville (10-2) holds at No. 8 after a monster 5-0 week. Monday, they beat Science Park out of Newark on the road, 53-18, then won two more road games: 57-28 at Warren Hills Tuesday, and 52-44 at Delaware Valley Thursday. Then, they won twice over the weekend, 50-27 Saturday against Hopewell Valley, then 66-14 over South Plainfield in the Coaches Choice St. Thomas Aquinas Challenge in North Edison on Sunday.

Bound Brook (10-1) remains at No. 9 after a 4-0 week. They won 632-26 at College Achieve Central Tuesday, then beat South Hunterdon 60-18 at home Thursday, and Lawrence on Saturday, 61-36.

Woodbridge (8-2) remains in tenth. After a 73-55 win over North Brunswick on Tuesday, and a 64-27 victory at JP Stevens Thursday, the Barrons lost 61-44 to Monroe on Saturday to complete a 2-1 week.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 5:

by Mike Pavlichko

Saturday Hoops Roundup: No. 2 Gill St. Bernard’s boys make case for No. 1 with win over No. 3 Rutgers Prep, Montgomery back to winning; Colonia, Bernards girls stay unbeaten

It’s official: we’re in the thick of high school basketball season.

And we’re nearly at the midpoint of the regular season, considering we’re about a month in for most teams, and in the CJSR coverage area, the county seedings are a little less than a month away.

Here’s a look at games of note from Saturday afternoon/evening:

Gill tops Prep; Will Knights be No. 1?

It was a weak of heavy-hitters going at it in Somerset County this week, starting with Rutgers Prep’s win over Montgomery on Tuesday, the second straight loss for the Cougars. Gill St. Bernard’s beat them on Thursday, leaving the race for the top seed in the Somerset County Tournament mostly between those two.

Bridgewater-Raritan might have been in the mix, heading into Thursday’s home game against Immaculata at 8-0, but the Panthers took their first loss of the season that night, and Rutgers Prep got upset by Pingry.

Still, the Argonauts had a shot with a head-to-head at Gill St. Bernard’s Saturday afternoon. It was a tight one, with the Knights even trailing with five minutes and change left. But in the end, a career high night of 33 points – and ten rebounds – from Prosper Highlander, the Knights triumphed, 90-84.

That should give the Knights the inside track at the top seed in the SCT. With the seeding meeting on Monday, January 26th, all eyes will be on Gill this week, as the No. 1 spot is basically theirs to lose. But they will have to deal with the Big Blue on Tuesday, a game the Knights will host at 7 pm.

Gill gets Bridgewater on the road Thursday at 5:30 (the Panthers host Rutgers Prep Tuesday) but won’t get Immaculata – which beat the Panthers – until Tuesday, the 27th, after the seeding meeting.

Montgomery boys back on the winning track…

The Cougars always play tough competition – in their own league and out of conference – but this week ran into quite the buzzsaw. After an 8-0 start, they lost by two to Linden in the Warrior Classic at Manasquan, a close game Kris Grundy said was just a great game anyone could have won.

He was not as happy against Rutgers Prep, saying in a pre-game interview for Thursday’s meeting with Gill St. Bernard’s that they got out of their game a bit against the Argonauts. And pretty much the same thing happened Thursday against the Knights.

So, it was good to be home on Saturday for their annual Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout, where they picked up a win against a solid, 8-2 Overbrook team out of the Tri-County Conference. Mike Simborsko scored 19 points, while Connor Benedict added 15 for the Cougars, who are now 9-3 on the season and get a bit of an easier week coming up, with Hillsborough – a solid 7-3, but not on a par with Linden, Prep or Gill – on Tuesday, and Phillipsburg (1-7) on Thursday.

Colonia girls are back on the map

The Colonia girls’ basketball team had some grand times when Taylor Derkack and Mattie Chiera were on the floor, after Chiera graduated in 2023 and Derkack in 2024, the Patriots struggled to a 7-20 year in 2024-25 under first-year head coach Jill Bachonski.

Well, that’s a distant memory now, as Colonia has already surpassed last year’s win total and is undefeated: 9-0 on the season. Some wins have been on the close side, like a 59-58 victory where they held off a late surge by Spotswood, and a six-point win over Montclair on the first day of the Charlie Dolan Holiday Tournament up at Kearney, which they won. They also have biggger-margin wins over Edison (twice), and even Old Bridge on Saturday, 62-38.

And while Derkack and Chiera were clearly the stars a few years ago, this team is balanced, and young, so they’ll be together a while.

Sophomore Ariana Sosa is the leading scorer at 12.3 points per game, with a team best 16 treys, and 7.3 rebounds per game. Nasaleah Hooker – the only senior and one of two holdovers from the Derkack-Chiera era – is next at 10.7 points and 13.4 boards per contest. Freshman Samantha Howell is averaging 9.8 per game, and junior Hailey Conklin – the other holdout with Hooker – is averaging almost nine points per game.

That’s balance.

We’ll get our first look at Colonia on Tuesday night this coming week, when the Patriots travel to Middlesex for a 5 pm Red National Division game.

Bernards girls also remain perfect…

There’s just one unbeaten team left in the Somerset County – in fact, in the entire Skyland Conference – and it’s not Rutgers Prep, nor Gill St. Bernard’s nor even Bound Brook.

It’s the Bernards Mountaineers. They’re 8-0 after a 53-32 cruise past non-conference foe Hanover Park at home on Saturday afternoon.

Bernards won the Artie Flaherty Holiday Tournament at Metcuhen back in December. (Source: @Bernards_GBball on Twitter)

They’re a low-scoring team, averaging just 43.1 points per game, but they’re allowing a paltry 31.6 per game. So they’re winning by almost a dozen every time out and have been amazingly consistent: They won their opener by four, their most recent game by 21, but in between by 16, 14, 15, and then three straight games by eleven.

Senior and thousand-point scorer Aletha Reynolds (1,181 career points) is a four-year starter, and averaging 14.6 points per game this season, with three double-doubles already. Junior Jasmine Kelleher (9 ppg) and freshman Jane Freisen (8.2 ppg) have also been key.

Tuesday night will be a big matchup for the Mountaineers, their first meeting of the year – and only one before the SCT seeding – with Somerville (9-2), on the road, Tuesday night at 5:30.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – BOYS: No. 8 South Plainfield 56, Colonia 42

No. 8 South Plainfield got 17 points from Justin Vaca and 16 from Andrew Bena in a 56-42 win at home over Colonia, the Tigers’ first win over the Patriots since the 2005 GMC Tournament semis, snapping a 23-game losing streak in the series.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen call all the play-by-play from South Plainfield High School on January 6, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 8 South Plainfield gets outstanding D, scoring from Vaca, Bena in first win over Colonia since 2005, snapping 23-game skid

It was mid-fourth quarter. South Plainfield’s Justin Vaca was looking to make a pass, and he lobbed the ball with his right hand toward the basket.

Was it an alley-op? A pass to someone cutting in the back door?

It ended up going through the basket, a three-pointer to boot. That wasn’t the intent, but that’s kind of the way things went for the 8th-ranked Tigers Tuesday night, in a 56-42 win over visiting Colonia in a GMC crossover game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio..

It had been a long time since South Plainfield had beaten Colonia. In fact, it had been 21 years, it’s last victory coming in the 2005 GMC Tournament semifinals. Since then, they had played 23 times, with the Patriots winning every single matchup.

Until Tuesday night that is.

The Tigers (7-1) played tenacious defense, forcing uncharacteristic Colonia turnovers, and directly or indirectly, turned them into points on the other end. Vaca, the junior, finished with 17 points, including three that wasn’t meant to be, and had another right after it, helping extending a lead that was once eleven and had shrunk down to five all the way up to 12, before coming out with a 14 point win in the end.

Sophomore Andrew Bena finished with 16.

Colonia (2-6) got 17 out of Jayce Rodriguez, a sophomore who has seen an increased role with the departure of a lot of offensive firepower, but little other offense. Senior Dylan Chiera was next up with eight, but the Patriots were in foul trouble much of the night, including in the decisive fourth when they had fouls to give to try and get back in the game, just no one to commit them without fouling out.

Chiera did, and Desmond Rudanovic, Teagan Amponsah, Tyler Herman and Jayden Johnson all finished the game with four fouls.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from South Plainfield’s Justin Vaca, Andrew Bena and head coach John Greco, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Graphic displaying the logo of Sportsplex at Metuchen, featuring various sports icons and promoting their Instagram for gym session updates.
by Mike Pavlichko

Talented Colonia in need of wins as Patriots travel to No. 8 South Plainfield Tuesday night

They say “You are what your record is.” 

But this is one of those cases where that statement both does and doesn’t apply.

The South Plainfield boys’ basketball team is 6-1, and the old adage fits there.  But Colonia is 2-5, and, well, not quite so much there.

Sure, the wins haven’t come, but to say they are “struggling ” wouldn’t quite be accurate.  

They’ve played an immensely difficult schedule, including their opener against St. Peter’s Prep in the NJBCA Tip-Off Classic in Montgomery.  They took Piscataway to double overtime, but lost by two just before Christmas.

And a trip to Maryland over the break for some national competition also ended with a pair of losses.

But there is still plenty of talent that will be on display Thursday night when Colonia makes the much shorter trip to No. 8 South Plainfield for a GMC crossover game at 7 pm that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio as part of a doubleheader. It will immediately follow the Tiger girls’ game against JP Stevens at 5:30.  Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen will be on the call for both games; click here to listen.

Meanwhile, things have gone quite swimmingly so far for South Plainfield, whose only loss has come to East Brunswick (7-1), which sits in first place in the new GMC Red American Division.  (Colonia is in the Red National.)  And the Tigers just beat their next best divisional competitor, Sayreville, on Saturday, knocking the Bombers from the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, then taking their spot.

Historically, however, South hasn’t had much recent success against Colonia.  They haven’t played every year, and some years they’ve played three times, but the Patriots have won the last 23 in the series, going all the way back to 2005.  That includes the last four, which have all been in postseason play, either in the GMCT or the state tournament, with a 2022 matchup coming in the North 2, Group 3 championship game.

Last year, Colonia ended South Plainfield’s GMCT run in the semifinals, en route to a second straight county championship.

Click below to hear pregame interview from both head coaches:

South Plainfield head coach John Greco with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Dylan Allen
Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko

by Mike Pavlichko

Little change in Week 4 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten, as first six all hold court

Despite the top two teams in the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten going 1-2 last week, Rutgers Prep and St. Thomas Aquinas held their ground in Week Four, with the top six remaining unchanged, but one new team joining the rankings.

For a fourth straight week, it’s Rutgers Prep (6-2) at No. 1. The Lady Argonauts lost to Red Bank Catholic Monday in the Kevin Williams Christmas Classic Showcase at Toms River North’s RWJBarnabas Health Arena, 59-42, then bounced back Friday with a win over South Bronx Preparatory (NY) 62-41 in the Garden State New Year’s Ball at Weequahic. But they also lost Sunday down at Jefferson University in Philadelphia to Cardinal O’Hara, 52-42.

Holding in second is St. Thomas Aquinas (7-3), which also went 1-2 in the week gone by. They dropped their first two: Monday to St. Mary-Manhassett (NY), 63-50, and to unbeaten Westfield, 52-48, on Tuesday in the Coaches Choice Holiday Classic at FDU-Madison. But the Trojans rebounded Saturday with a division win at Monroe, 70-23.

Still in third is Gill St. Bernard’s (5-3), which went 3-0 in the past week. At the Holiday Hoopfest at Paterson Kennedy, they closed out with two wins: Sunday over Roselle Catholic, 50-20, and Tuesday over Immaculate Heart, 53-46. They wrapped the week with a 49-42 win Saturday over Hudson Catholic in the Garden State New Year’s Ball at Weequahic.

Hillsborough (6-1) only played one game last week, and won it, Saturday at Linden, a 72-37 victory. The Raiders held in fourth.

At No. 5 again this week is East Brunswick (7-1). The Lady Bears won their final game at the Holmdel Holiday Showcase over their hosts, 58-40, on Tuesday, then beat Piscataway 71-43 Saturday before falling to St. Joseph by the Sea (NY) in the Coaches Choice New York/New Jersey Staten Island Challenge at Moore Catholic.

Holding at six is Bernards (6-0), the highest-ranked undefeated team in the Top Ten. The Mountaineers won three games this past week, winning the Artie Flaherty Holiday Tournament at Metuchen with a 49-34 win over Brearley Monday, and a 39-28 victory over the host Bulldogs on Tuesday. They also beat Verona at home Saturday, 42-31.

Up a spot to seven is Colonia (6-0), which is having a great bounceback year after going 7-20 a year ago. The Patriots swept two games to win the Charlie Dolan Holiday Tournament at Kearny. They beat Montclair 52-46 Monday, then the host Cardinals 69-46 on Tuesday.

Down a spot to eight – flipping with Colonia – is Somerville (5-2). the Pioneers lost Tuesday in the Holmdel Holiday Showcase to Colts Neck, 52-40, on Tuesday, but bounced back Saturday with a resounding 70-37 win at Koinonia.

Staying at nine is Bound Brook (6-1). After taking their first loss of the season Monday to Union Catholic, 62-53, in their own Crusader Classic championship game, they came back with a Saturday win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 60-50, then beat Staten Island Academy (NY) in the Coaches Choice New York/New Jersey Staten Island Challenge at Moore Catholic.

Spotswood drops out from its position at No. 10 after a 1-3 week left them 3-4 overall. They beat North Plainfield Monday at Edison in the Gene Haley/Jim Muldowney Memorial Holiday Classic, but then lost three straight. The first was to Woodbridge on Tuesday in their final game in the showcase, 70-67. Then the Chargers lost at Middlesex, 51-41 on Saturday, and 60-43 Sunday to Tottenville (NY) in the Coaches Choice New York/New Jersey Staten Island Challenge at Moore Catholic.

That puts Woodbridge (6-1) in the top ten on the strength of a three-win week. They beat Edison Monday, 70-54, in the Gene Haley/Jim Muldowney Memorial Holiday Classic at Edison, then topped Spotswood, and wrapped it up with a 70-42 blowout of South Plainfield on Saturday.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 3:

Graphic showing the Week 4 rankings for the 2025-26 Girls' Basketball season presented by Bellamy & Son Paving, featuring team names, records, and previous rankings.

by Mike Pavlichko

Unbeaten Montgomery retains No. 1 spot in Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten, Rutgers Prep, Bridgewater edge up, Somerville joins

The combination of the winter break – and a winter storm that blew through the area Friday into Saturday this past weekend – meant a light schedule for many of the boy’s basketball teams in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

As a result, there was very little movement in the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten.

Montgomery (6-0) held on to the top spot, winning its only game of the week, 75-27 over Hamilton West. The Cougar Holiday Classic at Montgomery was moved from Saturday to Monday due to the storm.

Rutgers Prep (4-1) moved up a spot on the strength of a win over defending South Jersey, Group 2 champion Camden Sunday at the Pete & Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University outside of Philly. That dropped Gill St. Bernard’s (3-1) down one to third, as they were idle this week.

The next four teams all held court. The first of the bunch is No. 4 Piscataway (6-0), which won on Monday at Colonia, 75-73 in double overtime, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They followed it up with a win over previously unbeaten Perth Amboy on Tuesday, 80-52.

St. Joseph-Metuchen held in fifth, but we’ve updated the Falcons’ record to 3-0 after their December 8th opener against Wesley College of Australia – a 101-37 win – was posted.

East Brunswick (6-0) holds at six after a 2-0 week, with a 75-71 win over Franklin on Tuesday, and a 78-69 victory over Ranney Saturday in the Alfred E. Martin Buc Classic at Red Bank Regional, which puts them into Monday’s semifinals.

And holding at No. 7 is Sayreville (4-1), which was a 68-47 winner over Monroe on Monday in their only game of the week.

Bridgewater-Raritan (5-0) moves up a spot to No. 8, though they did not play, as previous No. 8 Colonia (2-4) drops out. The Patriots lost to Piscataway Monday in double-OT at home, 75-73, then fell to Friendship Tech Saturday in the Governor’s Challenge showcase event down in Salisbury, MD.

Somerville (4-0) joins the rankings at No. 9 , after a 1-0 week in which they beat Manville, 48-23, on the road.

And Immaculata (2-1) – idle last week – holds at No. 10.

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

A digital ranking table displaying the Week 3 standings for the 2025-26 boys' basketball season, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. The table includes team names, records, and previous rankings, with highlighted spots for the top ten teams.

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep holds No. 1 spot in Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten ahead of matchup with state No. 1 Red Bank Catholic; Aquinas, East Brunswick make moves

Make it three weeks in a row for undefeated Rutgers Prep at the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten, with St. Thomas Aquinas and East Brunswick making upward moves in the latest rankings.

Half the top ten remains undefeated on the season.

Rutgers Prep (5-0) was 2-0 last week, beating Princeton Monday, 72-26, then topping St. Rose of Belmar Saturday in the Kevin Williams Classic at the RWJBarnabas Arena at Toms River North in the “Showcase Bracket.” Monday at 6 pm, the Lady Argonauts – ranked No. 4 in New Jersey – will take on state No. 1 Red Bank Catholic in a huge early season clash.

St. Thomas Aquinas (6-1) moves up a spot this week to No. 2. The Trojans won their only game in the past week, beating St. Joseph Hill (NY) on Tuesday, 72-69.

Dropping one place to No. 3 is Gill St. Bernard’s (3-3). The Knights lost Friday to last year’s Group 4 state runner-up West Orange, 47-45, in the Holiday Hoopfest at Paterson Catholic, but got a win Sunday as the round robin event continued, 50-20 over Roselle Catholic.

Holding at No. 4 is Hillsborough (5-1). The Lady Raiders picked up a pair of wins in the Mercer County Community College Holiday Showcase at MCCC in West Windsor, beating Thrive Charter 67-52 on Saturday, and following it up with a 57-38 win over Ewing on Sunday.

East Brunswick (5-0) is off to its best start since a 7-1 run to begin 2021, picking up two wins in the week gone by. Monday, they beat Somerset County foe Mount St. Mary, 62-38, then topped Marlboro in the Holmdel Holiday Showcase on Sunday, 67-46.

The Bears’ move puts Bernards at No. 6, followed by Somerville in seventh. The Mountaineers beat Delaware Valley on the road Tuesday, 36-22, in their only game of the week gone by. The Pioneers played two and split, picking up a 43-30 victory at North Hunterdon Tuesday, but falling 66-25 to Manasquan (NJ No. 13) Sunday in the Holmdel Holiday Showcase.

The last three teams remain the same, starting with No. 8 Colonia (4-0). The Patriots won their only game of the past week, Friday against Montville, 60-40. They’re back in action Monday in the Charloe Dolan Holiday Tournament at Kearney against Montclair.

At No. 9 is Bound Brook (4-0), which beat Columbia Saturday in the Crusader Classic, 49-26.

And holding at ten is Spotswood (2-1), which did not play last week after a Sunday loss to Cheltenham (PA), 56-54, in the Shore games, which had not been reported in time to be included in last week’s record.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 3:

A table displaying the rankings of girls' basketball teams for Week 3 of the 2025-26 season, including team names, records, and previous rankings, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving.

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

INSTANT REPLAY – BOYS: No. 4 Piscataway 75, No. 8 Colonia 73 (2 OT)

Behind three players in double figures – led by Donald Nwaigwe tying a career high with 25 points – No. 4 Piscataway got its first win over Colonia in 13 years with a 75-73 double-overtime win against the 8th-ranked Patriots.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play from Colonia High School on December 22, 2025.