Tag: Gill St. Bernard’s

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep finishes No. 1 in final Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten

Though in the end, they fell just a few points short of a fourth state championship, Rutgers Prep’s Somerset County title, Non-Public South B title, and sheer dominance over area opponents have garnered them the No. 1 ranking in the final Bellamy & Son Paving girls’ basketball rankings of the 2023-24 season.

Rutgers Prep finished the season 24-5, and steamrolled though New Jersey competition much of the year. The Argonauts’ lone loss of the year to a New Jersey school came in the Non-Public Group B final Friday afternoon at Rutgers, a 52-49 defeat at the hands of Morris Catholic, which won its second straight state championship. Still, Prep’s sectional title was its third straight, coming after they beat Gill St. Bernard’s to win its fourth straight Somerset County Tournament championship.

Rutgers Prep is the only team to be No. 1 in the four-year run of the Bellamy & Son Paving/Central Jersey Sports Radio girls’ basketball top ten, holding the top spot for 37 straight weeks, with no sign of slowing down. The Argonauts have not lost a game to a Somerset County or Skyland Conference opponent since the 2019 SCT final, a loss to Franklin.

Coming in second was St. Thomas Aquinas, which went 22-8, sweeping the GMC Red Division to the tune of a 13-0 mark, then ran through the GMC Tournament for its fifth straight county title, this one under first-year head coach Tim Corrigan. The Trojans reached the Non-Public South A quarterfinals, before falling to Our Lady of Mercy.

Coming in at No. 3 was Gill St. Bernard’s, which finished 24-5, lost by three to Prep in the SCT final, and lost at Montclair-Immaculate in the Non-Public North B semifinals.

In fourth is Hillsborough (21-9), which had a solid regular season despite losing three times to Gill St. Bernard’s, twice to Rutgers Prep and once to Franklin. The Raiders went on a magnificent run in the North 2, Group 4 finals, claiming their first-ever sectional championship with a 59-46 win over Elizabeth.

At No. 5 is Colonia (22-9), which reached its second straight GMC Tournament championship game, a year after making its first-ever appearance, and that despite the loss to graduation this year of all-time leading scorer Matti Chiera, who was replaced at the top of the list this year by senior Taylor Derkack.

Checking in at No. 6 South Brunswick, which finished 16-12 and scored a quarterfinal knockout of Monroe in the Central Jersey Group 4 state tournament on a buzzer-beater by Avery Jenne. Monroe (18-10) came in right behind them in seventh place. The Falcons reached the semifinals of the GMC Tournament

Middlesex (17-4) is No. 8, as the Blue Jays had a fantastic run in the county and state tournaments. In the GMC Tournament, they upset third-seed JP Stevens in the first round, then knocked off six-seed South Brunswick in the quarterfinals, and took Colonia to overtime before falling in the semis. They also reached the Central Jersey Group 1 title game in the states, falling to Shore Regional for a second straight season.

Somerville (23-5) finished ninth, and reached the quarterfinals of both the Somerset County and NJSIAA state tournaments, JP Stevens (20-6) came in tenth.

Below is the final Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the 2023-24 season:

by Mike Pavlichko

Closest ever? A look back at the 2024 Somerset County Basketball Tournament

The county finals are always intense, but the 2024 version of the Somerset County Tournament may have been the most thrilling in the history of the event.

Sure, there have been many games, and many close finishes, but not always in both games.

Rutgers Prep – the top-seed on both the girls’ and boys’ side – swept the titles for a second straight year. The girls beat second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s, 58-55, while the boys’ topped Montgomery on the Cougars’ home floor, 64-61.

Here’s a closer look at the 2024 title games:

Closest ever? This year’s edition of the finals saw two of the closest games ever. On the girls’ side, it was only the sixth time the final had been determined by three points or less. Same deal on the boys’ side. It was also the second-lowest combined margin of victory in the SCT finals, going back to 1988, when the old A and B division tournaments were merged into one county tournament. The 2014 finals saw a combined six-point margin, but the Gill St. Bernard’s girls beat Franklin by four, while Hillsborough beat the Gill boys by just one. The slimmest combined margin was five points in 2000, when the Bridgewater-Raritan boys beat Hillsborough by five, and the Immaculata girls topped Hillsborough by one. But this year’s finals were the closest two games in tourney history.

Defense does it for Prep boys: Considering all the firepower the Argonauts have – including a 6-6 freshman in Andrew Kretkowski who can hit the three and cause major matchup problems for their opponents – it was end-game defense that won the last two SCT titles for Rutgers Prep. Last year, the Argonauts were locked in a tight battle with Gill St. Bernard’s, got an and-one from Cameron Piggee to take their first lead of the game, and held Gill in the final couple of seconds when they couldn’t get a good look at a final shot. In this year’s hectic finale, Prep took the lead on a pair of foul shots by Jacob Canton after Myles Parker got called for a charge, but Montgomery got whistled for a technical foul – presumably for taunting, though the officials never explained it clearly. After two more shots, with a three-point lead, they held Montgomery off with defense, forcing the Cougars down the sideline, never able to get a good shot off. You want to beat Prep? You better have a late lead, because their end-game defense just won them their second title in a row.  And you might also want a time out.  Neither Gill in 2023 or Montgomery this weekend had one left to call to set up a play.

Seeing double: There have been five “double wins” in the Somerset County Tournament, with the last three coming courtesy of Rutgers Prep. In addition to their girls’ and boys’ teams sweeping this year and last, they also both won the title in 2020, giving the Argonauts sweeps in three of the last four Somerset County Tournaments. The last one to do it before Prep was Gill St. Bernard’s in 2012, and Bridgewater-Raritan was the first to do it in 1995, the eighth full SCT. But if you go back to 1988, the first full event, there’s sort of one more: The Bridgewater East girls won the title in 1988 over Ridge, while the Bridgewater West boys won it as well, defeating Rutgers Prep.

And then there were three: With the Montgomery boys making their first-ever SCT title game this year, that leaves three current county schools that have never made the finals: Bernards, Manville, and Pingry.

Movin’ on up: With the Rutgers Prep girls’ win, Mary Klinger now has her tenth Somerset County Championship, and all have come in the last 21 years. She won her first in her 20th season. The Argonauts are now just two wins behind Immaculata for the most girls titles ever; the Spartans have won 12, but none since 2007. They also own the longest string of consecutive titles, winning five from 1999 to 2003. They also won four in a row from 1991 to 1994. As for the Prep boys’ they move out of a tie with Bridgewater West and Ridge into fourth all by themselves on the list of all-time SCT titles with their third. Franklin has won five, Gill St. Bernards has won eight, and Bridgewater-Raritan has ten overall. Gill has the longest streak of titles, winning five consecutive from 2015 through 2019, and BR won four straight from 2004 to 2007.

Records in the finals: The Rutgers Prep girls are now 10-4 all-time in the SCT finals, while Gill St. Bernard’s drops to 5-5. The Argonaut boys are now 3-5 all-time in the SCT title game; Montgomery is 0-1.

What’s next? All four teams could make deep runs in the state tournament, which starts next week for most schools, but not for all the teams in Somerset County. With the NJSIAA scheduling all Group Finals at Rutgers this year, the rest of the schedule going back means a later start, and more break in between county tourneys and the states. The Rutgers Prep girls got the top seed in Non-Public South B, and won’t be in action until the sectional quarterfinals on Monday, February 26th, when they’ll take on the winner of 9-seed Timothy Christian and 8-seed Bishop Eustace. The late start is good new for Mary Klinger’s squad, which hopes to have sophomore Ava LaMonica back from an ankle injury suffered in Thursday’s semifinals against Franklin. Klinger says X-rays showed no break, and the ankle just needs some rest .Gill St. Bernard’s earned the third-seed in Non-Public North B, so it’s possible they could meet Prep if both win their sections. And while the Argonauts also would have to win their title (they’re widely considered the favorite) the Knights would have to knock off state-ranked No. 1 Morris Catholic, the top-seed in the section and defending Group B champion. It might be possible, if they play like they did against Prep in the SCT finals. Gill opens play in the eight-team bracket on Monday, the 26th, as well. On the boys’ side Montgomery figures to be a heavy favorite in Central Jersey Group 4. The Cougars earned the top-seed and open play on Wednesday this week, hosting 16th-seed West Windsor-Plainsboro South. And if things go to chalk, they could very well wind up hosting an all-CJSR-area final on Friday, March 1, against second seed Monroe. Meanwhile, the Rutgers Prep boys are the third-seed in Non-Public South A, and open on Monday, the 26th after a first-round bye, against the winner of 11-seed Notre Dame and 6-seed Red Bank Catholic. The top-seed is CBA, which Prep beat last year by 16 in the first round.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: Somerset County Tournament Girls’ Final: (1) Rutgers Prep 58, (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 55

Top-seed Rutgers Prep won its fourth straight Somerset County Tournament title, beating second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s 58-55 in their tightest battle in several years. Senior Mikayla Blakes scored 18 to lead the Argonauts to victory.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the action live on Central Jersey Sports Radio from Montgomery Township High School on February 17th, 2024:

by Mike Pavlichko

SCT Girls’ Final Preview: Rutgers Prep goes for fourth straight while Gill St. Bernard’s looks to stop the juggernaut

Until someone can prove otherwise, there’s the Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball team, and there’s everyone else.

The Argonauts finished their second regular season in four years without a solitary single-digit win. Their closest margin this year was ten points, twice. They are unbeaten against New Jersey schools, and have won 50 straight against Somerset County competition.

Let that sink in for a moment, then you’ll know the task at hand when Gill St. Bernard’s takes the court at Montgomery Township High School Saturday afternoon for the Somerset County Tournament girls’ championship game against Rutgers Prep, which is seeking its tenth title overall, and third in a row.

Gill is the 6th-ranked school in the state. Rutgers Prep is No. 2. They’re not that far apart. Except Prep beat them twice this year: 71-46 on January fourth at home, and 68-35 on February 6th up in the Hills.

The Knights aren’t a pushover. Not by a longshot. They just make it look easy.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will have coverage of Saturday’s entire Somerset County Tournament Championship Doubleheader, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas calling all the play-by-play. Coverage starts at 12:40 pm for the girls’ game, with the boys final – between defending champ Rutgers Prep and first-time finalist Montgomery – tipping off at 3 pm. Click here to listen.

LaMonica’s injury aside – she won’t be available Saturday, though an X-ray on her ankle came back negative for a break – it has been the usual cast of characters, led by Vanderbilt commit and five-star recruit Mikayla Blakes, who leads the team at 20.4 points per game, with 73 assists and 79 steals.

And the future is now for the Argos, with two sophomores next in scoring: GiGi Battle at 11.7 points a game and LaMonica at 11.3 points a contest. They’ll have to make up for that somehow on Saturday, but there’s still three-point specialist Chloe Escanillas, at 11.1 points a game, with a team-best 59 treys. Add in the talents of junior Leah Crosby – who transferred in from St. Thomas Aquinas – and senior Zahra Alexander, there’s plenty of scoring to go around.

On the Gill side, they have an experienced lineup with balanced scoring. Junior Gandy Malou-Mamel is averaging a double-double this season: 17.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Then, senior Brooke Baisley – A Boston U. commit – at 14.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a game, who can also hit the three with 41 on the season. Sidney Quinn, a junior, adds 10.2 per game. But they also have length, which Prep coach Mary Klinger says is one of the biggest challenges they present.

Click below to hear both coaches talk about the semifinal matchup, and scroll down for more info on the game:

Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger
Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mark Gnapp

MORE ON THE SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT GIRLS’ FINAL:

(1) Rutgers Prep (20-4) vs. (2) Gill St. Bernard’s (23-3)
When: Saturday, 1 pm
Where: Montgomery Township High School
Broadcast Team: Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas (LISTEN HERE)

COACHES: 

Rutgers Prep: Mary Klinger (40th season, 708-255)
Mark Gnapp: Mark Gnapp, 5th season (95-39)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Rutgers Prep: The Argonauts beat 8th-seed Ridge in the quarterfinals, behind 28 points from Mikayla Blakes and 17 points and six boards from GiGi Battle. Newcomer Leah Crosby added 8 points and 7 rebounds. In the semifinals the next night, Thursday night, the y beat fifth-seed and in-town rival Franklin, 57-24. The Argonauts held the Warriors to single-digit scoring in all four quarters, and Klinger was happy with he defensive effort. With Ava LaMonica going down early with an ankle injury, the rest of the team was balanced in scoring, with four in double figures. Chloe Escanillas had 12, while Leah Crosby chipped in 11, and Mikayla Blakes and GiGi Battle logged ten points apiece. Crosby finished one rebound off a double-double with nine boards.

Gill St. Bernards: The Knights also cruised through two games in the SCT, beating 7th-seed Somerville in the quarterfinals Wednesday, 47-31. All five starters scored in double figures, led by Brook Baisley’s 17 points. Gandy Malou-Mamel and Tessa Lozner each had 12, while Maya Abramson had 11 and Sindey Quinn scored 10. Thursday, in the semis, they beat third-seed Hillsborough, 76-47, led by 18 from Quinn, while Malou-Mamel registered a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds, her 15th such feat in the 25 games she’s played this season.

TOP SCORERS:

Rutgers Prep: Mikayla Blakes (20.4 ppg, 51 treys), GiGi Battle (11.7 ppg, 12 treys), Ava LaMonica (11.3 ppg, 10 treys), Chloe Escanillas (11.1 ppg, team-best 59 treys)
Gill St. Bernard’s: Gandy Malou-Mamel (17.5 ppg), Brooke Baisley (14.3 ppg, team-best 41 treys), Sidney Quinn (10.2 ppg, 21 treys)

TOP REBOUNDERS:

Rutgers Prep: Leah Crosby (6.8), GiGi Battle (6.2)
Gill St. Bernard’s: Gandy Malou-Mamel (10.2), Sidney Quinn (6.8), Brooke Baisley (6.7)

RECENT MEETINGS: Rutgers Prep has won 22 straight against Gill St. Bernard’s – including the last two county title games – and 24 of the last 28 in the series going back to 2010. The average margin of victory for Rutgers Prep in those two finals was 27 points.

SCT HISTORY:

Rutgers Prep: Rutgers Prep coach Mary Klinger won her first Somerset County Tournament title 20 years ago, in 2004. That was her 20th season. The Argonauts have a total of nine titles, also winning in in 2008, 2011, three straight from 2015 to 2017, and three more in 2020, 2022, and last season. (In the COVID-shortened 2021 season, there was no county tournament, but there was a Skyland Conference pod series, and Rutgers Prep won the top pod over Gill, 69-41 in the final, finishing 13-0 on the season. The last time Prep lost in a final was in 2019 to Franklin; that’s also their last loss against a Somerset or Skyland Conference opponent. Overall, Rutgers Prep is 9-5 in the SCT championship game.

Gill St. Bernard’s: The Knights are no stranger to the Somerset County Tournament final. Since their first appearance in 2009 – when they beat Somerville to win it – they took four more titles, in 2010, and then three more from 2012 to 2014. Overall, they’re 5-4 in the SCT finals.

Notable: Go back to that last loss Rutgers Prep had to a Somerset County or Skyland Conference opponent. It was the 2019 Somerset County Tournament final. The loss came to Franklin, which went 32-0 that year, and won the Tournament of Champions with Diamond Miller, who’s now with Minnesota in the WNBA. She was the last five-star recruit to come out of Somerset County. That is, until Mikayla Blakes, who announced last month she’ll be taking her talents to play college ball at Vanderbilt, where she’ll also be studying to be a doctor.

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls headed to fourth straight SCT final with 57-24 home win over Franklin; Gill advances with home win over Hillsborough

Make it 9 straight finals appearances in the Somerset County Tournament for the Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball team.

The top-seeded Lady Argonauts – 20 years after head coach Mary Klinger won her first-ever county title – will now have a chance to win their fourth straight, and seventh in nine seasons, thanks to a 57-24 win over fifth-seed Franklin.

Saturday’s final will have Prep against 2nd-seed Gill St. Bernard’s, which beat 4th-seed Hillsborough 76-47 in Peapack-Gladstone Thursday evening. (Scroll down for more on that game.)

From the very first basket of the game – scored by Chloe Escanillas, who bolted like a lighting strike to the basket off the opening tip – the Argonauts were off and rolling.

It was a sign of things to come as the junior led her team with 14 points including a pair of three-pointers.

Vanderbilt commit and senior Mikayla Blakes showcased her incredible speed on the floor off a fast break to lay in a basket with just under five minutes to play in the first.

Overall, it was aggressive offense, stingy-defense, and stellar communication in the first half that had the No. 1 seed up 30-11 at the break with sophomore GiGi Battle leading the team with eight points

Franklin senior Iyanna Cotten led the Warriors (14-12) in points with 6 at the break while the team committed that many fouls in the first half and had an additional 8 fouls in the 2nd half.

Cotten finished the game with 10 points in the loss.

Sophomore guard Ava La Monica left the game midway through the first half for Rutgers Prep (20-4) after appearing to twist her left ankle. 

She didn’t put any weight on her leg and had to be helped off the floor and didn’t return. Coach Klinger said Ava will be going for x-rays and her status for Saturday is unknown at this point.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Vin Ebeneau, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Rutgers Prep junior guard Chloe Escanillas
Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger

(2) Gill St. Bernard’s 76, (4) Rutgers Prep 47: The Knights led virtually wire-to-wire, ahead 24-12 on the visiting Raiders after one quarter. Gill held a 40-19 lead at the half. Four players scored in double figures for the Knights, who got 18 from Sydney Quinn, 17 from Gandy Malou-Mamel, and 10 each from Maya Abrmson and Brooke Baisley. Hillsborough (16-8) was led by Francesco Schiro’s 23 points, a game high. It’ll be the third straight trip to the finals for Gill St. Bernard’s (23-3), which made it the last two years, losing both times to Rutgers Prep, 64-35 in 2022 and 64-39 last season. Both regular season meetings went to Rutgers Prep this year, 71-46 (as heard on CJSR) on January 4th, and 68-45 on February 6th.

by Mike Pavlichko

Boys’ SCT second round goes to chalk as well, as Franklin, Ridge, Pingry and Gill St. Bernards win

Just like on the girls’ side, all top eight seeds will be in Tuesday’s Somerset County Tournament quarterfinals, as all the higher seeds won Saturday afternoon in the second round.

The semifinals will be at the higher seeds, the top four teams that got byes to the semis.

(8) Pingry 54, (9) Bound Brook 52: The Big Blue had a seven point half time lead, but Bound Brook almost came back. They cut it down to three by the end of the third, trailing 41-38, but couldn’t get close enough, falling by two, dropping to 15-10 on the season. Pingry (16-4) has three players record double-doubles, as Trey Maultsby had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Mason Vance added 12 and 12, and Donnie Gregory chipped in 12 and 10. Pingry will come down from the Watchung Mountains to take on top-seed Rutgers Prep (16-6) for their first meeting since 2015 in the SCT quarterfinals Tuesday night, in likely the second game of a doubleheader with the Argonaut girls’ team, which will be hosting Ridge.

(5) Ridge 48, (13) Somerville 40: The Red Devils led this one most of the way, yet it was still close, as Ridge led by just two entering the fourth quarter, pulling away to take the game by eight. Quin Dashefsky scored 11 points and added seven rebounds, while Owen Chwatek had nine points on a trio of treys for Ridge (14-8). Quinn Carran led all scorers with 19 in defeat for Somerville (10-14). The Red Devils travel down to Hillsborough (14-7) to take on the fourth-seeded Raiders Tuesday in the SCT quarterfinals. The two didn’t play this year, but last season, Ridge won both matchups by similar scores, 55-53 in the first meeting, 54-45 in the second.

(6) Franklin 66, (11) Bridgewater-Raritan 42: The Warriors (13-10) used a huge second quarter to bury Bridgewater-Raritan (10-14) before the break. They led by four after one, but used a 26-8 second quarter to get its lead to 45-23 at half, and the rest was just gravy. Landen Miller led all scorers with 19, while Keith Morris chipped in 18 and Jah’naad Cady added 10. Johny Magner led the Panthers in defeat with 17. Franklin will visit third-seed Watchung Hills Tuesday in the SCT quarterfinals, which won their only meeting this year on January 18th in a tight one, 40-39.

(7) Gill St. Bernard’s 57, (10) Immaculata 50: The Knights’ – who’ve uncharacteristically struggled this season, their second in a row with big roster turnover – snapped a four-game skid with the win over the Spartans, improving to 10-13 on the year. They trailed 16-15 after the first eight minutes, but doubled up ‘Lata (10-12) in the second period to take a 35-26 lead, and hung on in the second half. Stanley Njekwe had a doble-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Dorsett Mulcahy led all scorers in the game with 16. Gill now will travel to second-seeded Montgomery on Tuesday in the quarterfinals. The Cougars (19-2) last played Gill in 2022. It’s believed Montgomery has never beaten Gill, going 0-8 against the Knights, with their first meeting coming in 2011

by Mike Pavlichko

Final Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ rankings before counties and states have Rutgers Prep atop for a 36th straight week

The run continues for the Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball team, and – if anything – the Lady Argonauts further bolstered their resume with a big win over a state-ranked team this weekend.

Rutgers Prep (17-4) holds the top spot for a 36th straight week – the only team to be No. 1 on the girls’ side in the four years we’ve run it. They beat Franklin and Blair this week, then topped state No. 3 (Prep is No. 2) Red Bank Catholic in the Coaches’ Choice USA Shore Classic on Sunday.

Gill St. Bernard’s (19-2) also had a solid week, going 3-0, with wins over Trenton Catholic, Ridge and St. Rose of Belmar in the Coaches’ Choice showcase.

Staying put in third is St. Thomas Aquinas (17-6), which beat North Brunswick, then lost to national power Long Island Lutheran, but came back for a win at Colonia before falling Saturday to Ocean Township in the Coaches’ Choice event.

Colonia (16-7) moves up a spot to fourth this week. The Patriots went 2-1 with wins over Piscataway and Paterson Eastside surrounding a home loss to Red Division rival St. Thomas Aquinas.

Hillsborough (13-6) also is up a spot, now at No. 5, with a 3-0 week, taking wins from Morristown, South Plainfield and Watchung Hills.

JP Stevens (17-2) made a big jump after a 3-0 week, which included wins over South Plainfield, Woodbridge, and finally, North Plainfield.

As a result, North Plainfield (16-4) dropped to seventh. They had a 1-1 week, with their win coming over Middlesex.

In eighth is Somerville (18-2). The Pioneers held steady with a 3-0 week that saw wins over Belvidere, American History, and Bound Brook.

Monroe (13-8) drops to ninth, going 2-1 this week with wins over North Brunswick and Woodbridge, but they closed out with a loss to South Brunswick.

And East Brunswick (13-8) falls one spot to tenth after a 2-1 week with wins over Edison and South River bookending a loss at South Brunswick.

Below are the full Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s now 35 straight weeks for Rutgers Prep atop Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten

The powerhouse that is Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball shows no sign of slowing anytime soon, as the Lady Argonauts maintain their position at No. 1 in the Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the 35th strtaight week they’ve been atop the rankings. They’re the only team to hold that position in the nearly four-year history of the CJSR/Bellamy Top Ten.

In fact, none of the teams in the rankings moved at all this week.

Rutgers Prep (14-4) split its week, with a win over Roselle Catholic Monday, but a loss at the Mecca Showcase Sunday to Bishop McNamara of New York.

Holding in second is Gill St. Bernard’s (15-4), which went 3-0 in the week gone by, notching victories over Pingry, at Hillsborough, and at Mendham.

In third is St. Thomas Aquinas (15-4). They also were unbeaten in the past week, with wins at Notre Dame (NY), over East Brunswick, at Monroe, and over Piscataway.

Holding in fourth at 15-3 is North Plainfield, which had wins at Middlesex and South Plainfield sandwiched around a home loss by four to Woodbridge on Tuesday.

Colonia (14-6) holds at No. 5, going 3-1 this past week. While they opened with a home loss to Piscataway, they came back for three Red Division wins, topping Old Bridge, East Brunswick and Monroe.

Hillsborough (10-6) remains in sixth after a 2-1 week with wins over Watchung Hills and Randolph, followed by a two-point loss to Gill St. Bernard’s.

Monroe (11-7) held in seventh, despite an 0-3 week. They opened with a loss to Piscataway, then took losses to a pair of Top Five teams in St. Thomas Aquinas and Colonia.

Somerville (15-2) stays at No. 8 on a 4-0 week. They beat Union, Manville, Delaware Valley and Bridgewater-Raritan.

East Brunswick (11-7) holds in ninth. They split a four-game week, starting with a road win against West Winsdor-Plainsboro South. They then dropped two back-to-back, at Aquinas and home to Colonia, before closing the week out Saturday with a home win over North Brunswick.

And JP Stevens (14-2) holds on to the No. 10 spot. The Hawks went 3-0 this past week, with wins over Perth Amboy, at Edison, and back home over Sayreville on Saturday.

Below is the full Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 7:

by Mike Pavlichko

Little change in Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten, but JP Stevens makes its debut

None of the top nine teams in the Week 5 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten saw any change in their ranking, but a new team joined the group in Week 6.

JP Stevens is 11-2 on the year, and has won four straight games, with its only divisional loss coming to White Division leader North Plainfield, with a rematch on tap next week.

In the meantime, Rutgers Prep remains in the No. 1 spot with a 13-3 record following a 3-0 week that saw wins during the week over Hillsborough and Ridge – the second of which earned head coach Mary Klinger her 300th coaching win – as well as over Montclair-Immaculate in the More than a Highlight showcase Saturday.

That’s 34 straight weeks at No. 1 for Prep, which is the only team to hold the spot in the three-plus year history of the CJSR/Bellamy & Son rankings.

Gill St. Bernard’s (13-2) played in the same event Saturday, beating St. Mary’s-Manhasset (NY) following an earlier win during the week over Watchung Hills, keeping them at No. 2 in the rankings.

Third is St. Thomas Aquians (11-4), which also had an unbeaten week, including a home victory over South Brunswick and a road win at Old Bridge.

Checking in at No. 4 is North Plainfield (13-2). The Canucks went 3-0 this week, beating Perth Amboy, Edison and Sayreville, and have won eight straight games, the longest current streak among CJSR-area teams.

Colonia (11-5) holds in fifth despite a 1-2 week, which began with an MLK Day loss at the Jarel Lowery Showcase to Newark Central, and a mid-week non-conference loss to Chatham. The Patriots regrouped with a three-point road win over South Brunswick.

In sixth is Hillsborough (8-5), which fell to Rutgers Prep Wednesday, but bounced back with wins over Immaculata and Pingry.

Holding at seven is Monroe (11-4). The Falcons split a pair this week, beating East Brunswick, but losing an out-of-conference game to Plainfield.

Somerville (11-2) holds in 8th, bookending a mid-week loss to Voorhees with wins over Belvidere and Linden.

In ninth, it’s East Brunswick (9-5), which lost to Monroe Wednesday, but beat Piscataway Saturday afternoon.

Dropping out was Bound Brook (8-4), which went 1-2 this past week with losses to Piscataway and Westwood sandwiched around a victory over Manville.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 6:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls stay No. 1, Gill edges up, East Brunswick joins Bellamy & Son Week 5 Top 10

There weren’t too many changes in the Week 5 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten.

Gill St. Bernard’s moved up to second, and East Brunswick’s win over ranked South Brunswick knocked the Vikings (6-5) out of the top ten, with the Bears joining the rankings this week.

Rutgers Prep (10-3) is now at 34 weeks and counting at No. 1, after a 2-1 week that saw wins over Franklin and at Watchung Hills, but a loss Saturday to nationally-ranked Long Island Lutheran (No. 2 in MaxPreps’ rankings). Head coach Mary Klinger is two wins away from 700, sitting at 698 with the next two games set for Tuesday at Hillsborough, then Thursday night at home against Ridge.

Gill St. Bernard’s (11-2) moved up to second this week after going 3-0, with a pair of wins during the week against Union City and Franklin, then picking up a 93-69 win over St. Joseph by the Sea in the College Choice USA Showcase on Saturday.

That puts St. Thomas Aquinas (9-4) at third. The Trojans beat Colonia 72-59 on Thursday, but then fell to Neumann Goretti 69-52 at the College Choice USA Showcase Saturday.

Teams four through six stay the same. North Plainfield (10-2) swept two games this week from JP Stevens and JFK; Colonia (10-3) split with a win over Passaic Charter, but a loss at Aquinas Thursday; and Hillsborough (6-4) lost at North Plainfield Thursday, then beat Scotch Plains-Fanwood Saturday.

Monroe (8-3) and Somerville (9-1) moved up one spot each to seventh and eighth, respectively. The Falcons went 2-0 this past week, with a couple of non-conference wins over Central Regional and Allentown. The Pioneers beat South Hunterdon Thursday, then won at Bound Brook Saturday in a make-up of Tuesday’s game, postponed due to stormy weather and heavy rains.

East Brunswick (8-4) makes its debut at No. 9, after knocking off No. 7 and Red Division foe South Brunswick, 59-53 on Thursday. The Bears also beat Old Bridge Saturday, 62-49, and have won three straight.

And holding in tenth is Bound Brook (7-2), which split a pair this week, winning at Belvidere Thursday 51-43, then falling at home to Somerville Saturday.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Week 5 Girls’ Basketball Top Ten: