Tag: East Brunswick

by Mike Pavlichko

East Brunswick’s Travis Retzlaff named CJSR GMC Girls’ Basketball Coach of the Year

First came the recognition from the league’s coaches, now from everyone else.

Or at least, in this case, Central Jersey Sports Radio, which has named East Brunswick’ Travis Retzlaff its GMC Girls’ Coach of the Year for 2025-26.

The Bears had a special season, winning 23 games, its best season since Keith Lane’s squad went 22-4 a decade ago and won the GMC Tournament championship.

This year, it was a second place finish in the Red National behind St. Thomas Aquinas, and a run to the GMC finals against the Trojans, who won their seventh straight.

But with a relatively young club – their biggest loss will be top rebounder Julianna DelosSantos-Branson – and standout Ava Catanho returning for her junior year, the Lady Bears should be well poised for success the next few seasons, perhaps even the league’s best shot to dethrone the Trojans.

To see a team without a lot of veterans do what East Brunswick did, getting the most out of a young squad – and keeping them composed in big games – takes a steady and patient coach, something that fits the bill for Retzlaff.

The Lady Bears also reached the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, falling to Hillsborough.

Click below to listen to Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with CJSR GMC Girls’ Coach of the Year Travis Retzlaff:

by Mike Pavlichko

Four titles earns Gill St. Bernard’s No. 1 ranking in final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

When high school basketball teams open their preseason, hitting the gym in earnest for the first time, they can set all kinds of different goals. For most with high-end aspirations, there are four main ones: win the division, win the county, win a sectional, win a state championship.

In 2025-26, it was check, check, check, and check one more time for Gill St. Bernard’s. And that’s why they finish as the No. 1 team in the final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings of the year.

With a mark of 28-2, the Knights won the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, and while they played though the division only once due to the new alignment, they decided to play Rutgers Prep twice anyway, the last meeting coming after the SCT seeding meeting, and took both matchups. They then beat the Argonauts in the Somerset County Tournament final, went on to avenge a defeat at the hands of Roselle Catholic in the Non-Public Group B title game, then put on a defensive masterclass in the Non-Public B state final at Rutgers, beating Holy Cross Prep of Delran to win the program’s first state title in school history

The Knights are followed by a very close second in St. Joseph-Metuchen. In their first season under alum Mark Taylor – in his second go-round coaching the Falcons – they went 29-2, their lone loss coming to South Plainfield by one on the road before falling in the Non-Public South A final to St. Peter’s Prep – which, by the way, beat every Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team it played this year: Colonia, Gill St. Bernard’s, Rutgers Prep, St. Thomas Aquinas (twice) and St. Joe’s.

Montgomery finishes in third. At 26-5, the two-time defending champion Cougars won a third straight Central Jersey Group 4 title, but this time had to go on the road to do it after being the top seed each of the last two seasons. Not only did they win at top-seed Hillsborough in the final, but the Cougars dominated Cherry Hill East in the Group 4 semifinals, and made it all the way to Rutgers for the state Group 4 final, where they lost back on Saturday to Plainfield for a second straight season, in a tight game most of the way.

Close behind in fourth is Colonia, which finished 21-11 after a 2-6 start, and having lost several key starters, including Aiden Derkack (transfer to Spire Academy in Ohio) and R.J. Wortman (early football enrolee at Rutgers) among others. The Patriots bowed out to Piscataway in a tight GMC Tournament semifinal game, but wound up getting the top-seed in North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3, and won the sectional title for a fifth straight year, and sixth time in the last seven playoff seasons, all under head coach Jose Rodriguez. They made their first state final ever, too, but fell to Ocean City Sunday in the Group 3 finals at Rutgers, giving the Red Raiders their first state title in over 60 years.

Checking in at five is Piscataway (23-8). The Chiefs – despite a lack of height – were tough again in the GMC Red American Division this year, and took St. Joe’s to overtime in early January. They made it all the way to the county final, where they fell to the Falcons in the title game, and bowed out of a brutal North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 playoff section in the semifinals to eventual state Group 4 champion Plainfield.

At six, it’s Rutgers Prep (18-10). The Argonauts still had Will Brunson, but had to deal with the loss of Andrew Kretkowski, who transferred to St. Joseph-Metuchen. But they still showed out this season, reaching the Somerset County Tournament final, where it was another battle with Gill St. Bernard’s, who won the championship.

Hillsborough (22-8) checks in at No. 7, after putting together their first 20-win season under head coach Tim Palek, who just wrapped up his fifth season on the bench. The Raiders had fans enthralled through their playoff run, with an exciting win over Jackson Twp. in the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, and they took Montgomery to overtime in the championship before taking the loss.

At No. 8, it’s Immaculata (21-7), the Skyland Conference Raritan Division champs. Season highlights included a home win over in-town rival Somerville, and handing Bridgewater-Raritan its first loss on the road after an 8-0 start by the Panthers.

The last three teams were unranked in the final poll before the postseason.

East Brunswick comes in at nine – going 21-7 this season, and winning the GMC Red National Division with an 8-0 mark – while two others share the tenth and final spot.

We put Perth Amboy (22-6) in at the ten spot along with Manville (19-9), honoring two teams for their full body of work, teams that might not otherwise get recognized in a crowded field of 48 teams between Middlesex and Somerset Counties. The Panthers won their first division title since 1993, claiming the GMC’s White American with an unblemished 12-0 record. The Mustangs, meanwhile, were Skyland Conference Mountain Division champions at 8-0, and beat rival Bound Brook twice this season, with the first of their two victories being their first against the Crusaders in 20 years.

Dropping out were Pingry (13-10) and South Plainfield (18-11).

Below is the complete final Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for 2025-26:

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough girls knock off East Brunswick, 60-49 in CJ4 semis, earn chance to three-peat as sectional champions

Tuesday night’s Central Jersey Group 4 semifinal for the Hillsborough girls’ basketball team was a roller coaster, and from the start they were a little out of sorts.

But by the second half, the Raiders figured things out, and the rest of the game was like coasting to the ride’s finish line on a straightaway.

It all amounted to a 60-49 win for second-seeded Hillsborough at third-seed East Brunswick, sending the Raiders to a third straight sectional final, after they won North 2, Group 4 in 2024, and Central Jersey Group 4 last season, along with the overall state Group 4 Championship.

Isabelle Ruh notched her 18th double-double of the season in 27 games – and second straight in the state tournament – with a 17-point, 15-rebound night, while Morgan Bice added 13 and Kayla Cebedo added 15.

Head coach Courtney Tierney said with Gaspar out, some players had to slip into different roles, and it took a little while to get accustomed to that. But once they did, the Raiders (21-6) looked like the championship team they’ve been the last two seasons.

But they will have a stiff test Thursday night in the final at top-seed Franklin. To begin with, the game was moved one day earlier to accommodate a state wrestling event Franklin is hosting on Friday. Tip-off will be 6 pm.

That also means they’ll have one less day to prepare for the Warriors (21-8), who beat them in their only regular season meeting this year, 72-44, back on January 6th in Hillsborough.

East Brunswick’s season ended at 23-6. Sophomore Ava Catanho finished with 17 points – tying Ruh for game-high honors – and added nine rebounds.

Click below to hear postgame comments from Hillsborough girls’ basketball coach Courtney Tierney with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – GMC Tournament Girls’ Final: (1) St. Thomas Aquinas 62, (2) East Brunswick 41

Jordan Barnes led all scorers with 20 points, and Leah Kearney was named tournament MVP, as the top-seeded St. Thomas of Aquinas Trojans won their seventh straight GMC Tournament title, beating second-seed East Brunswick 62-41in the 40th girls’ GMC Championship game.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the play-by-play from Monroe Township High School on February 20, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Make it seven straight for St. Thomas Aquinas: Trojans top East Brunswick, 62-41, to win yet another GMC Tourney title

It never gets old for St. Thomas Aquinas.

Having won six straight GMC Tournament titles coming in to Friday night’s 40th championship game, second-seed East Brunswick hung around for a while. The Bears were down just six after one, and even had a chance to cut it to nine before the half, but missed a three and ended up down 12.

But the third quarter was the difference. Things opened up – for both teams – but the last thing anyone wants to do is get into a track meet with St. Thomas. They did, and STA extended its lead to 49-29 at the end of three, and by that time, it was well in hand.

In the end, it ended up as a 62-41 win for the top-seed St. Thomas Aquinas (22-5) over second-seed East Brunswick (21-5), as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. It was the Trojans’ seventh straight title, extending their GMC-record streak, the longest for either the boys or girls in the 40-year history of the event.

Senior Jordan Barnes was the game’s high scorer, finishing with 20 points. She was MVP as a sophomore, and probably anyone could have been, but it went to Leah Kearney, well-deserved with a 12-point night, averaging 10 per game in the four tournament games.

The win wa also the 80th straight over GMC opponents – regular season and postseason – with their last loss coming in January of 2022, here against Monroe.

That means the senior fore of Barnes, Trista Whitney – who had nine in the final – and Kayla Navarro never lost a single game against a GMC opponent.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with junior and GMC Tournament MVP Leah Kearney, senior Trista Whitney, head coach Tim Corrigan, and senior Jordan Barnes, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

GMC Tournament Girls’ Final Preview: Lucky 7? Or a boxcar? St. Thomas Aquinas and East Brunswick to battle Friday night for league title

Win a couple of championships, and people start talking about a dynasty. Win six in a row, and it’s a pretty good bet that’s what you’ve got.

Win seven?

That’s what the St. Thomas Aquinas girls’ basketball program will try and do Friday night down at Monroe Twp. High School when they play in the 40th Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament championship game.

As the top-seeded Trojans seek their ninth GMC title, and 10th county trophy overall, East Brunswick will be looking for its sixth GMC – and seventh overall as the second-seeded Bears return to the title game for the first time since 2016.

That year, the Bears beat Monroe for the title with Keith Lane at the helm, but the team they beat in the semifinals was Bishop Ahr, which now is St. Thomas (again – that was the school’s name originally). That’s also the last time they beat Ahr/Aquinas, with 14 losses in between.

You can hear Friday’s GMC Tournament championship doubleheader exclusively on Central Jersey Sports Radio Friday night, starting with the 6 pm girls’ opener, followed by the boys’ championship at 8:00 between top-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen and second-seed Piscataway. Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe will call all the action, with pregame starting at 5:45 for the girls’ game. Click here to listen.

Until Colonia’s 20-point loss to St. Thomas on Tuesday in the semifinals, East Brunswick had gotten the closest to STA in almost three years back on January 17th, within 21 points in a 76-54 loss. It was their narrowest margin of victory against a GMC opponent since the Patriots got within seven in a 49-42 loss to Aquinas in the 2023 GMC Tournament title game.

MORE ON THE GMC TOURNAMENT GIRLS’ FINAL:

(1) St. Thomas Aquinas (21-5) vs. (2) East Brunswick (21-4)
When: Friday, 6 pm
Where: Monroe Township High School
Broadcast Team: Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe (LISTEN HERE)

COACHES:

St. Thomas Aquinas: Tim Corrigan, 3rd season (66-20)
East Brunswick: Travis Retzlaff. 7th season (102-62)

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Tim Corrigan with Justin Sontupe
East Brunswick head coach Travis Retzlaff with Justin Sontupe

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

St. Thomas Aquinas: The difference between the Trojans last year and this year in divisional play – the GMC’s top division, the Red American – is negligible; they won their ten games against East Brunswick, Piscataway, Monroe and North Plainfeld by an average 40.4 points per game. That’s down slightly from an even 45 last season, their highest in the last six seasons where they’ve won the GMC Tournament title. And in their first two games, they were not really tested. Not in an 83-39 win over 16-seed Sayreville in the round of 16, nor in a 79-41 win over 8-seed Middlesex in the quarterfinals. But in the semis, Colonia had some chances, but couldn’t get closer than 17 points in the second half after Aquinas built a sizeable lead, and Aquinas won by 20. That’s the closest anyone has gotten to STA in the GMC since the 2003 final, when the beat Colonia 49-42.

East Brunswick: The Bears cruised in their opening two games as well, 68-30 over 18th-seed North Brunswick in the first round, and 59-31 over seven-seed Monroe at home in the quarterfinals. The semis were a bit closer, but East Brunswick was able to control most of the way en route to a 52-38 win Wednesday night.

TOP SCORERS:

St. Thomas Aquinas: Jordan Barnes (senior, 16.9 ppg, 5 treys), Trista Whitney (senior, 11.8 ppg, 21 treys), Lauryn Downing (junior, 11.7 ppg, team-best 37 treys), Leah Kearney (junior, 10.8 ppg, 4 treys)
East Brunswick: Ava Catanho (sophomore, 18.1 ppg, team-best 50 treys), Zoey Alexio (junior, 10.1 ppg, 46 treys), Julianna DelosSantos-Branson (senior, 9.6 ppg, 15 treys)

TOP REBOUNDERS:

St. Thomas Aquinas: Leah Kearney (9.8), Jordan Barnes (5.5)
East Brunswick: Julianna DelosSantos-Branson (8.4), Sophia Tannura (junior, 4.4)

MISCELLANEOUS:

St. Thomas Aquinas: Lauryn Downing (143 assists), Leah Kearney (37 blocks), Trista Whitney (79 steals)
East Brunswick: Ava Krzywdzinski (133 assists, 59 steals), Ava Catancho (20 blocks)

RECENT MEETINGS: Aquinas has won 14 straight in the series, dating back to 2019 when they were still called Bishop Ahr, winning the first in that stretch under that moniker. Until the last few years, St. Thomas had been in the White Division, so the two didn’t play all that frequently. In fact, they only played four times – three times in the GMC Tournament – from 2014 to 2019. East Brunswick’s last win came in 2016, when they beat Ahr in the GMC Tournament semifinals, 44-0, en route to the title, which they won over Monroe. That was the Bears’ last trip to the title game.

GMC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

St. Thomas Aquinas (also previously known as Bishop Ahr) (9-5):

  • 1984:  (1) Bishop Ahr 52, (2) St. Peter 49 (MCT)
  • 1985:  (1) St. Peter 40, (2) Bishop Ahr 21 (MCT)
  • 1986:  (1) Hoffman 55, (2) Bishop Ahr 52
  • 1987:  (1) Hoffman 74, (2) Bishop Ahr 46
  • 1994:  (2) Bishop Ahr 51, (1) East Brunswick 36
  • 1996:  (2) East Brunswick 50, (5) Bishop Ahr 43
  • 2001:  (5) Bishop Ahr 55, (2) East Brunswick 43
  • 2014:  (2) Piscataway 50, (12) Bishop Ahr 45
  • 2019:  (1) Bishop Ahr 47, (2) Edison 32
  • 2020:  (1) St. Thomas Aquinas 64, (3) Monroe 41
  • 2021:  (3) Monroe 46, (2) St. Thomas Aquinas 40 (de facto championship: Somogyi Family Pod)
  • 2022:  (1) St. Thomas Aquinas 64, (7) South Brunswick 58
  • 2023:  (1) St. Thomas Aquinas 49, (3) Colonia 42
  • 2024:  (1) St. Thomas Aquinas 71, (2) Colonia 52
  • 2025:  (1) St. Thomas Aquinas 93, (2) Monroe 34

East Brunswick (5-7):

  • 1992:  (2) St. Peter 60, (1) East Brunswick 58 (OT)
  • 1993:  (3) JP Stevens 62, (1) East Brunswick 42
  • 1994:  (2) Bishop Ahr 51, (1) East Brunswick 36
  • 1995:  (1) Piscataway 44, (3) East Brunswick 37
  • 1996:  (2) East Brunswick 50, (5) Bishop Ahr 43
  • 1997:  (1) Piscataway 58, (2) East Brunswick 40
  • 1998:  (2) Piscataway 52, (1) East Brunswick 51
  • 1999:  (1) East Brunswick 62, (3) Piscataway 51
  • 2000:  (1) East Brunswick 68, (2) Edison 43
  • 2001:  (5) Bishop Ahr 55, (2) East Brunswick 43
  • 2002:  (1) East Brunswick 62, (2) Edison 51
  • 2016:  (2) East Brunswick 42, (1) Monroe 31

OTHER NOTES:

Postseason Awards: The GMC coaches unveiled their All-Conference and All-Division picks Tuesday, and two St. Thomas players made the list of ten all-GMC picks: seniors Jordan Barnes and Trista Whitney. Barnes committed to Rider back in July, while Trista Whitney will be heading to Maryland-Eastern Shore. Ava Catanho of East Brunswick was named All-GMC, and she’s just a sophomore. The only other 10th grader to make the list was Alyssa Iduh of Piscataway. Head coach Travis Retzlaff of East Brunswick was named Coach of the Year. As for All-Division, besides Barnes and Whitney, juniors Lauryn Downing and Leah Kearney were honored from St. Thomas, and senior Julianna DelosSantos-Branson also was named from East Brunswick.

Athletic Lineage: Speaking of Catanho, if that name sounds familiar, it is. The young East Brunswick star is the daughter of Kara Motusesky, an assistant under head coach Travis Retzlaff, and former Rutgers football standout and Elizabeth native Alcides Catanho. Motusesky’s brother, Mark, is the boys’ coach at East Brunswick, having succeeded longtime head coach Bo Henning, and she herself was a standout for he Bears (a 1993 alum), scoring 1,614 points in her career. She held the girls’ scoring record until Jess Olszewski topped it in the 1999-2000 season, finishing 42 points ahead with 1,656. The Motuseskys are also cousins of longtime Spotswood baseball coach Glenny Fredricks.

Injuries? Not a problem: Not much to speak of here. Lauryn Downing missed a handful of games heading into the GMC Tournament – including a big clash up at Gill St. Bernard’s, which they lost 67-62 as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio – with a slight ankle sprain. She probably could have played, but even a big game like that isn’t as important as having her healthy for the GMC Tournament run. Downing looked in fine form Tuesday night down in Monroe in the semifinal win over Colonia, draining a career-high six threes.

The names may change… The last four St. Thomas/Bishop Ahr girls’ coaches have all won championships for the Trojans. Current mentor Tim Corrigan has won the last two in his first two seasons as coach, following two titles under Joe Whalen. Before that, Britney Griffin won a pair of titles – in 2020 as Aquinas, and 2019 as Bishop Ahr. Her predecessor, longtime coach Kevin Harper – one of the winningest girls’ coaches in New Jersey history, with 722 victories at Piscataway Tech, Ahr and Middlesex – took them to four finals, winning in 1994 and 2001.

Second Win: Tim Corrigan is one of a dozen GMC girls’ coaches who have won multiple titles (also counting the MCT from 1975 through 1985), including two from his school – Kevin Harper and Brittney Griffin. The others are Reggie Carney of East Brunswick, who has the most titles at seven, followed by Ernie Vajda of now-defunct St. Peter’s-New Brunswick with five. Piscataway’s Pat Mayo won five in the 2000s at Piscataway. Andy Eng of JP Stevens and Bev Hall of Piscataway each won three times, while George Hosea (South Brunswick), Corey Floyd (Piscataway), Pat Daly (New Brunswick) and Paul Kumlin (Piscataway) all have won two. Four different Piscataway coaches have won multiple titles over the years.

Streaking: St. Thomas is third on the list of consecutive finals appearances, making their sixth in a row this year, winning all previous five. They also have won more consecutive games in the GMC Tournament than any other school in history, 27 and counting, four each in the past six tournaments, and three this year.

How the seeds fare: In 48 championship games, the top seed has won 31 times, while the second seed has won nine times. When it’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the title game, which has happened only 24 times, the top-seed is 19-5. When the top seed is in the final, it has won seven straight. The last team to knock off a No. 1 seed? East Brunswick in 2016.

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. It happened last year, with both No. 1 seeds winning: the St. Thomas Aquinas girls and the Colonia boys. They last time both games had the top two seeds before that? Again, 2016 keeps popping up. , when the top-seeded St. Joe’s boys beat South Brunswick, and the 2nd-seeded East Brunswick girls beat top-seed 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

INSTANT REPLAY – GMC Tournament Girls’ Semifinals: (2) East Brunswick 52, (3) Piscataway 38

Sophomore Ava Catanho scored 13 points while junior Mia Figueroa added another 11 second-seed East Brunswick clinched its first GMC Tournament finals berth in a decade with a 52-38 win over third-seed Piscataway.

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

East Brunswick, surging Piscataway to meet in GMC Tournament semis Tuesday, seeking first finals trips in a while

In the last six years that St. Thomas Aquinas has won the GMC Tournament, they have faced Monroe and Colonia twice, South Brunswick and Edison once.

And while they’re a heavy favorite to get back to the finals again this year – and win it all – there’s one certainty: they will finally face someone new if and when they get there.

Second-seed East Brunswick (20-4) and third-seed Piscataway (15-7) haven’t seen the title game in a while, but one of them will be there Friday night down at Monroe Township High School. To get there, they’ll have to win the opener of Tuesday night’s GMC Tournament semifinal doubleheader, also at Monroe.

You can hear that game live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Dylan Allen calling all the action. Coverage begins at 4:45 with the pregame show, and tip-off between the Bears and Chiefs at 5:00. Click here to listen. The game will be immediately followed by top-seed and six-time defending champ St. Thomas Aquinas playing fourth-seed Colonia at 7 pm.

East Brunswick has been fantastic all year long, in a season that has been the culmination of the vast majority of the team playing together for the last several years, even before they got to high school. They’re fast and athletic, can play “D” and shoot the three. Ava Catanho leads the team in scoring at 18.3 points per game, and has a team-high 49 treys on the year, with juniors Zoey Alexio and Sophia Tannura not far behind, with 46 and 42, respectively. They are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the state, with 188 on the year coming into the game.

Julianna DelosSantos-Branson – “JDB,” as she’s known to her teammates, is the team’s top rebounder at 8.3 per game, and also has a team-best 19 blocks and 15 steals. Sophomore Ava Krzywdzinski dishes out 5.3 assists per contest.

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

They’ll face a Piscataway team that scores a little less – just under 54 points per game, while EB scores 59 – but can also hit from beyond the arc, with 135 on the season, led by sophomore Caelyn Cook, who has 47 treys, while leading the team in scoring at 13.5 and assists with 67. Sophomore Alyssa Iduh averages a double-double – 11.8 points and 14.1 rebounds, while also rejecting a team-best 64 shots. He has 15 double-doubles in 22 games played this season. Another sophomore, Violet Azcona, has 54 steals to lead the team, averaging 11.5 points a game.

Notice a trend here? This team is young. There are no seniors on the roster, one junior, and two freshmen. The starting lineup is all sophomores, as are their top six scorers.

East Brunswick may have a little more depth in what has been a tremendous season, the Bears’ first 20-win campaign since 2017-18. They lost in the GMC Tournament semifinals that year, and were knocked out of the state tournament in the first round. They are hoping for a better outcome this year, seeking their first finals berth since 2016, when they beat Monroe for their sixth county title overall.

Piscataway is seeking its first trip back since 2018, when they also won it, beating Edison for their 14th overall crown.

The Bears and Chiefs combined have won 17 of the 39 GMC Tournament titles, heading into this, the 40th edition. Two of Piscataway’s and one of East Brunswick’s crowns came in the old Middlesex County Tournament, before the formation of the GMC in 1985-86.

Click below for preview interviews with both head coaches:

East Brunswick head coach Travis Retzlaff with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko
Piscataway head coach Brian Tuskan with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Dylan Allen
by Mike Pavlichko

Another week of upheaval in Bellamy & Son Paving girls’ top ten, while Rutgers Prep on 12-game win streak stays No. 1

In the final Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten before the end of the year, Gill St. Bernard’s has edged up to No. 2, while Colonia and Bound Brook also rose.

Still at No. 1 is Rutgers Prep (18-2). Winners of 12 straight the Argonauts went 2-0 in the week gone by, picking up a Thursday win at then-No. 6 Hillsborough, 72-30, then taking their opening game in the Somerset County Tournament, beating Watchung Hills 73-30 at home Saturday in the quarterfinals. Prep, the top-seed, will take on fourth-seed Bound Brook this Saturday at noon at Franklin High School in the semifinals, a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Moving up a spot to second is Gill St. Bernard’s (17-4), by virtue of their head-to-head win over previously No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, 67-62, back on Tuesday, a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They followed it up with a 66-40 won over Watchung Hills on Thursday, then a 67-46 win over Bernards Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals. Second-seeded Gill will play third-seed Franklin in this weekend’s semifinals at 2 pm on the Warriors’ home court.

The loss to the Knights sent St. Thomas Aquinas (17-5) down one spot to third, coming off a rare 0-2 week. Their second loss cam Saturday at home to George (PA) 75-69.

Moving up one spot to four is Franklin (13-7). The Warriors lost Wednesday at Morris Catholic 63-51, but bounced back with a 70-50 win over Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday, and a 54-33 victory over Pingry in the SCT quarterfinals. The third-seeded Warriors will play at home Saturday in the semifinals against second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s.

Bernards (17-3) dropped a spot to fifth after a 1-2 week. The Mountaineers started the week with a 55-11 win over North Plainfield, but followed it up with a 50-37 loss at Voorhees on Thursday night. Bernards was knocked out of the Somerset County Tournament by Gill St. Bernard’s on Saturday, falling 67-46.

East Brunswick (18-4) had a 3-0 week, and moves up a spot to six after winning five straight since a road loss at Hillsborough. The Bears won 78-47 Monday at Woodbridge, picked up a 73-59 win over Spotswood Tuesday, then were 37-22 winners at Middlesex on Thursday.

Checking in at No. 7 is Colonia (16-2), also up one spot, following a 1-1 week. They beat Monroe Tuesday, 48-45, but lost Wednesday at Piscataway, 60-54.

Bound Brook is also up one spot, to No. 8, after a big SCT win on Saturday. First, though, they beat Old Bridge, 57-24, on Tuesday, then routed North Plainfield 67-29 on Thursday before winning at Hillsborough, 54-47, in the county quarterfinals. The Fourth-seeded Crusaders will play top-seed Rutgers Prep at noon this Saturday in the semifinals at Franklin High School, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Hillsborough (15-5) falls down to ten after two losses this week, and three straight overall. Granted, all three have been against top ten teams, with the most recent a 72-30 loss to No. 1 Rutgers Prep Thursday, and Saturday’s loss in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, 54-47 to Bound Brook.

And holding in tenth is Woodbridge (15-6). The Barrons lost Monday to East Brunswick, 78-47, then came back and beat Sayreville on Wednesday, 62-57, and won Friday at Carteret, 66-55.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 9: