Tag: Gill St. Bernard’s

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending champ Gill St. Bernard’s, Immaculata get set to tussle in Saturday’s final Somerset County Tournament semi

With four Somerset County Tournament semifinal games on tap at Franklin High School this Saturday, it’ll be defending champion and top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s taking on fifth-seed Immaculata for a trip to the championship game next week at Montgomery in the last of the hoops extravaganza’s four games.

There was little doubt who the top-seed would be. The Knights are 22-2, their only losses coming to St. Peter’s Prep and Linden. They’ve beaten everyone they’ve played in the Skyland Conference and Somerset County, and are ranked No. 3 in New Jersey (one of three Somerset schools in the top ten, with Rutgers Prep nine and Montgomery at ten).

They are the team everyone is chasing.

The Spartans (17-5) are one of those doing the chasing. And they have their share of quality wins in the county this year. They handed Bridgewater-Raritan its first loss of the season when the Panthers were 8-0, and – if you believe in the transitive property of sports – beat a Pingry team in the quarterfinals last week on the road, one which they had lost to earlier in the season, but also which had knocked off Rutgers Prep.

Gill and ‘Lata will face off at 4 pm, and Alec Crouthamel will have coverage on Twitter, with a game story and postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen later at cjsportsradio.com.

Make no doubt about it, it’s a huge challenge for Immaculata. Gill is stacked, and that’s a fact. Senior point guard Dorsett Mulcahy is averaging 19.8 points per game with 57 treys, second only to sophomore Connor Junker, who has 58 and is scoring nearly 13 per contest; he was the hero of last year’s county final, with a game-high 15 points and four treys in the win over Rutgers Prep.

They fly up and down the floor, run half-court sets well, and play strong defense, all the ingredients needed.

Likewise, Immaculata plays with particular intensity as well. Their challenge will be having the depth, physicality, length and speed to match. The focal point of the offense is Riley Gorman and Tyler Burns.

Gorman, who scored his 1,000th point in the first round against Bernards, is averaging a whopping 22 points per game, and has hit 71 treys on the year for a team that has hit 183. (Gill has 219, third best in the state.) Burns is averaging a cool 15 points per game, with another 42 triples.

Immaculata is seeking its first trip to the finals since 2009, when they were the top seed and beat Ridge for the trophy. Gill is looking for its second straight trip, but has made 13 of the last 14 title games going back to their very first appearance in 2010.

by Mike Pavlichko

New-look Gill St. Bernard’s back in a familiar spot, while Franklin looks to take next step in Saturday’s SCT semis

Both of the teams who will meet in Saturday’s second girls’ basketball Somerset County Tournament semifinal game have some newness to them.

Jimmy Kreie is in his first year as Franklin head coach, and he has he third-seeded Warriors a win away from getting back to county championship for the first time since 2019, when Audrey Taylor’s squad went 34-0 and won the Tournament of Champions for the second time in three years.

Mark Gnapp at second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s graduated a slew of talent, but has persevered this season with less height, but more speed to get up and down the floor, and is poised to make its fifth straight appearance in the county final.

Tip-time as the two square off this Saturday in the SCT semifinals at Franklin High School is 2 pm. Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for coverage, and he’ll have a game story and postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen later at cjsportsradio.com.

The Warriors (16-7) had a rough start, partially due to the schedule. They lost their opening three games to Rutgers Prep, Gill, and Demarest, three teams that now are a combined 57-8. Since then, they are 16-4.

Junior Aleah Sunkins has been impressive, averaging a double-double – 18.9 points per game and 10.8 rebounds – while hitting 26 treys. Senior Alyssa Meyers has been bombs away from downtown, connecting on 40 triples. And the rest of the team’s scoring has been quite balanced, making defenses have to pick their poison: let Sunkins get her points, our double-down and risk leaving someone else who can score open.

It’s been a similar scenario for the Knights (18-4), who are led in scoring by senior Addy Platt, who’s averaging 19.8 points per game, with her youngest sister Kaity, a junior at 12.8, with everyone else fairly even after that. With an emphasis this year on defense and getting out in transition, they’ve hit just 89 treys on the year, and don’t rely as much on the long ball as Franklin – with 127 – does.

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:

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County Tournament semis are set, as Immaculata boys, Bound Brook girls pull quarterfinal upsets, defending champs both win

They were upsets by seed, but the result wouldn’t have been surprising either way.

In what looked on paper like the most competitive matchups of the day, the fifth-seeded Bound Brook girls knocked off fourth-seed and 2025 SCT finalist Hillsborough 54-47 on the road Saturday morning, to advance to next week’s semifinals at Franklin.

And in a 5/4 upset on the boy’s side, Immaculata rallied in the second half to win at Pingry, 72-68, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Defending champs Gill St. Bernard’s – boys’ and girls’ – also advanced.

Scroll down for recaps of each game, followed by the semifinal matchups for next Saturday’s semifinals with times, per Tournament Director and Immaculata AD Tom Gambino. Game times are 10 am, noon, 2 pm and 4 pm at Franklin High School, and Central Jersey Sports Radio will have play-by-play coverage of one girls’ and one boys’ game, with recaps and postgame reaction from all four on cjsportsradio.com.

2026 SCT GIRLS’ SEMIFINALS

(5) Bound Brook 54, (4) Hillsborough 47: Freshman sensation Peytan Pugh led all scorers with 27 points, as the Crusaders bounced back from a 27-25 halftime deficit with a 13-7 third quarter to take the lead Pugh finished with a double-double, also grabbing 14 rebounds for the Crusaders (20-1), who are the first 20-game winner this season in the entire Skyland Conference. It will be Bound Brook’s first trip to the semifinals since 2022, when they lost to eventual champion Rutgers Prep, 86-42. They’ll face top-seed Rutgers Prep as they seek their first ever trip to the county final.

(1) Rutgers Prep 73, (9) Watchung Hills 30: The Argonauts expanded an eight-point lead at the end of one quarter to 44-19 at halftime, then held Watchung Hills to single digit scoring in the final three quarters en route to the win. Senior Ava LaMonica led all scorers with 22 points and a pair of treys for Rutgers Prep (18-2), which will face Bound Brook in the semifinals next Saturday. It’ll be the 12th straight trip to the semifinals for the Argos, as they look to get back to the championship game after getting knocked out in last year’s semifinals by Hillsborough. Prep had won the last four SCT titles before missing the game last season.

(3) Franklin 45, (6) Pingry 33: The Warriors (13-7) got 14 points from Jamila Riley, and despite just six points from Aleah Sunkins – the team’s top scorer, averaging over 18 per game coming in – came out with the quarterfinal victory. Franklin held Pingry to just two first quarter points, leading 9-2 after one, but the Big Blue tied it by halftime, and the teams went into the locker room at 15-all before Franklin pulled ahead for good on the strength of a 17-4 third quarter. They’ll meet Gill St. Bernard’s in the semis in their fourth straight trip to the semis; last year, they got knocked out in the final four by the eventual champion Knights, 61-34.

(2) Gill St. Bernard’s 67, (7) Bernards 46: Sisters Addy and Kaity plat combined for 49 of their team’s 67 points as the Knights jumped on Bernard’s early, up 23-9 after one quarter of play. The Mountaineers trimmed the deficit to nine by halftime, but Gill pulled away in the fourth. The Knights (17-4) will meet Franklin for a second straight year in the semis in their fourth straight trip to the girls’ final four.

SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS:

  • (1) Rutgers Prep (18-2) vs. (5) Bound Brook (20-1), 12 pm (CJSR)
  • (2) Gill St. Bernard’s (17-4) vs. (3) Franklin (13-7), 2 pm

2026 SCT BOYS’ SEMIFINALS

(1) Gill St. Bernard’s 71, (8) Ridge 55: The Knights (20-2) got a game-high 21 points from Prosper Highlander, who recorded a double-double, also grabbing 11 rebounds. Dorsett Mulcahy finished with 15 points and seven assists, while Connor Junker added 11 points. This will be Gill’s second straight trip to the semis as the Knights – whose girls’ team is in the semifinals as well – look to get back to the finals and sweep the Somerset County Tournament for a second straight year. The Skyland Conference’s first 20-game winner this season, they’ll face Immaculata next Saturday at Franklin.

(5) Immaculata 72, (4) Pingry 68: Riley Gorman scored 25 points – 17 in the second half – as Immaculata erased a 13-point second quarter deficit with a rally in the third to win on the road. Now 16-5, the Spartans are in the semis for the first time since 2020, seeking their first trip to a final since they beat Ridge to win it in 2009 as the top seed. Click here for our full game story, and postgame reaction from senior Riley Gorman and head coach Ryan McKeever, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen.

(3) Montgomery 53, (6) Hillsborough 38: The Raiders got out to an early lead, ahead 12-9 after one, but the Cougars clamped down on defense over the next eight minutes, holding Hillsborough to just seven points to take a 21-19 lead at the half, and they pulled away late, winning it in the fourth. Penn-bound Ethan Lin led all scorers with 21 points, including six from the free throw line. Montgomery (19-3) will face Rutgers Prep next Saturday in its third straight trip to the boys’ final four.

(2) Rutgers Prep 85, (7) Bridgewater-Raritan 58: The Argonauts (15-7) got a mammoth game from William Brunson, who scored 31 points, went 7-of-8 at the foul line, and hit six times from downtown, part of a 13-trey afternoon for his squad. Nicholas Nsenkyire added 12 for Rutgers Prep, which will be seeking its sixth straight finals appearance when the Argos’ face Montgomery next Saturday at Franklin in their ninth straight trip to the finals. Head coach Matt Bloom has never missed a Somerset County Tournament semifinal in his eight seasons as Prep’s head coach.

SEMIFINAL MATCHUPS:

  • (2) Rutgers Prep (15-7) vs. (3) Montgomery (19-3), 10 am (CJSR)
  • (1) Gill St. Bernard’s (20-2) vs. (5) Immaculata (16-5), 4 pm

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – GIRLS: No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s 67, No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas 62

Third-ranked Gill St. Bernard’s got a career high 31 points from senior guard Addy Platt – all but three of which came in the second half, 14 each in the third and fourth quarters – to beat No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, 67-62, in a GMC-Skyland Conference crossover game.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play from Gill St. Bernard’s in Peapack-Gladstone on February 3, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Addy Platt’s career game boosts No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s past No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, 67-62, in GMC-Skyland crossover

In some ways, it was a tale of two halves.

While the lead bounced back and forth between No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas and No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s in Gladstone Tuesday night, it was the Trojans leading most of the way in the first 16 minutes of a GMC-Skyland Conference crossover.

That, despite the fact the game saw five first half lead changes.

One more came in the third quarter, and Gill never looked back, en route to a 67-62 win heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The Knights (15-4) – who had a 12-game win streak snapped back on Tuesday at No. 1 Rutgers Prep, got the lead back in the game for good on a team effort and an individual effort: the team getting the ball to senior Addy Platt, and Platt putting it through the net nearly every time she touched it.

The elder Platt finished with a new career high of 31 points. Held to just three first quarter points – all in the first quarter – she scored 14 in the third quarter, including a trey, and added 14 more in the fourth.

If big players make big plays in big games, Addy Platt is a big-time player.

Her younger sister, Kaity, a junior, added nine, while Nadia Mikalainis came off the bench to score 12, including a pair of treys.

St. Thomas (17-4) – which will get the No. 1 seed in the GMC Tournament when it’s seeded Friday morning – was led by Jordan Barnes with 15, and Trista Whitney with 14.

Gill will begin Somerset County Tournament play – and defense of its 2025 crown – Saturday at home at 11 am when the second-seeded Knights host 7th-seed Bernards at 11 am.

Click below for postgame reaction from Gill St. Bernard’s senior Addy Platt and head coach Mark Gnapp, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Final CJSR regular season broadcast pits No. 2 vs. No. 3 as St. Thomas Aquinas girls visit Gill St. Bernard’s

A matchup between St. Thomas Aquinas and Gill St. Bernard’s is rare.

While the two prominent girls’ basketball programs met last year, with Gill claiming a 67-54 win last January 12th in the Coaches’ Choice St. Thomas College Challenge on the Trojans’ home floor, the last time they had played was in 2008, a three-point win for the Knights.

Gill has a different look this season, graduating a slew of talent like Gandy Malou-Mamel (UConn), Sidney Quinn (Naval Academy) and others. But yet, they’re back where they’ve always been – near the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with a good shot at defending their Somerset County Tournament crown.

St. Thomas, on the other hand, has a lot of they key parts back, with a starting lineup that is averaging at least ten points per game each, a team which Gill St. Bernard’s coach Mark Gnapp knows you can’t just limit one or two girls, you have to play the whole team.

It’s an intriguing late-season regular season matchup, a good tune-up for the county tournaments and state tourney that are just down the road. And you can hear it on Central Jersey Sports Radio Tuesday evening, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call. Tip off is at 5:30 pm up in Peapack-Gladstone, with pregame at 5:15. Click here to listen.

The one big question is whether junior point guard Lauryn Downing will play. She’s been bothered by an ankle injury, and has missed the last two games at Columbia and against Rumson-Fair Haven Sunday. Both were wins, and the Trojans did just fine, but head coach Tim Corrigan calls her “one of the best point guards in New Jersey,” and he’d sure like to have her Tuesday night.

Senior Jordan Barnes paces the Trojans in scoring, with a 16.5 point per game average. The rest of the leaders are spread out. Downing averages 6.4 assists per game, and leads the squad with 68 steals and 24 triples. Then Leah KEarney (11.1 ppg) leads the team in rebounding (10.4 per game) and has a team-best 28 blocks.

For Gill, senior guard Addy Platt has taken the scoring baton, averaging 18.3 points per game, while also leading the team with 42 blocks and 77 steals. Younger sister Kaity, a junior, leads at 6.8 rebounds per game, while Melina Miller has a team best 96 assists, and freshman Naima Morales-Solivan has a team-best 20 treys.

St. Thomas hasn’t lost at all in 2026, having won 11 straight, all in the New Year, while Gill had won a dozen in a row before last Thursday’s 51-44 loss at Rutgers Prep, in a game that decided the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title. Aquinas is the GMC Red American champion, its ninth straight division title dating to 2019. (Division champs were not crowned in the COVID-shortened season of 2021.)

Click below to hear preview interviews with both head coaches:

St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Tim Corrigan with Chris Tsakonas
Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mark Gnapp with Mike Pavlichko
by Mike Pavlichko

Another week of chaos in Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten as Colonia, South Plainfield rejoin

Some big wins and tournament losses this week threw a wrench into the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings, with the list pared down to ten this week, while three teams dropped out, and two new ones took their place, rejoining the Top Ten after bowing out earlier this season.

Holding on at the No. 1 spot – and on a 14-game winning streak – Gill St. Bernard’s (18-2) went 3-0 this week. They beat Immaculata at home Tuesday, 89-68, then won a pair of games down at the Metro Classic at Stockton University. They beat Paramus Catholic 65-46 on Friday, then got a 67-53 win over Spire Academy’s (OH) International team.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (19-1) stays in second, mainly on its overall body of work, despite taking its first loss of the season at previously-unranked South Plainfield, 55-54 in overtime. The Falcons rebounded with a 56-30 win at Monroe on Thursday, a 58-52 win over Crestwood Prep (Canada) Friday at the Metro Classic, and a 67-43 win over New York Military (NY) at home Sunday afternoon.

Moving up a spot to third is Rutgers Prep (13-6). The Argonauts were 2-0 last week, beating Franklin 83-65 on Tuesday, then Salem, 67-55, on Thursday.

Also up a spot this week is Montgomery (16-3), which has won eight straight, including a pair in the week gone by. The Cougars topped then-No. 3 Pingry Wednesday, 68-54, then beat Central Jersey College Charter, 72-32 on Friday.

Down two spots to fifth is Pingry (11-5), which lost its only game this week, 68-54 to Montgomery.

Up one spot to six is Immaculata (14-4). The Spartans lost at No. 1 Gill St. Bernard’s on Tuesday, but came back with a 74-54 home win over North Hunterdon Thursday, then beat Bernards 74-49 on Saturday afternoon in the Somerset County Tournament second round. The fifth-seeded Spartans will travel to four-seed Pingry this Saturday in the quarterfinals.

At seven – up two spots – is Piscataway. The Chiefs beat then-No. 6 East Brunswick 81-74 on Tuesday, then South Plainfield 70-49 on Thursday, before falling 72-62 to Ewing in the Mary Walker Classic in Hackensack on Sunday.

Hillsborough (13-5) holds steady at NO. 8 after a 1-2 week. It began with a 54-52 loss Tuesday at Montclair, but the Raiders came back with a GMC crossover win over Sayreville on Thursday, 89-74, then beat Watchung Hills at home Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament’s second round, 60-50. Sixth-seeded Hillsborough will visit neighbor and third-seed Montgomery this Saturday in the quarterfinals.

Then, there are two “new” teams.

South Plainfield (12-8) rejoins the rankings at No. 9, starting the week off by knocking off the top -ranked GMC team, St. Joseph-Metuchen, ending its 16-game win streak to start the season, 55-54 in overtime. After a 70-49 loss Thursday to Piscataway, the Tigers rebounded with a 77-62 home win over Notre Dame.

And back in at No. 10 is Colonia (10-8), which has been improving all season long. After a 65-29 win at Monroe Tuesday, the Patriots beat then-No. 6 East Brunswick at home, 56-44, and completed a 3-0 week when they beat Roselle Saturday, 62-51.

The Bears dropped out to make room for the two new teams after a 1-2 week, also losing to Piscataway, but also beating St. Thomas Aquinas.

And the two teams tied for tenth dropped out, as well. Briddgewater-Raritan (12-5) beat Somerville Saturday in the Somerset County Tournament, but lost to Ridge on Tuesday. Somerville (12-7) went 1-2 as well, falling to Warren Hills along with Bridgewater-Raritan in the SCT, while beating College Achieve in the preliminary round on Tuesday.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 8:

by Mike Pavlichko

Finally, some movement in Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten, as Franklin joins the mix, Bernards and East Brunswick rise

It couldn’t go on like this forever.

For three weeks, the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten essentially remained the same, but that’s not the case this week. A number of top ten teams played each other, necessitating a shuffle, with a win by Franklin propelling them into the Top Ten and forcing a reset of sorts.

The Warriors had beaten Hillsborough earlier in the season, but at the time, were just 5-4, albeit with two of those losses coming to Rutgers Prep and Gill St. Bernard’s, with the others coming to very good schools out of conference. But now, they have won nine of their last eleven, and we consider them worthy of the rankings.

Still, the top three remained the same, including Rutgers Prep (16-2) at No. 1. The Argonauts only had one game on a school day this past week, beating Gill St. Bernard’s 51-44 at home in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio to clinch the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title. They finished off a 2-0 week with a win Sunday over Trinity Hall, 63-53, in the Coaches Choice Shore Challenge at Holmdel, the Argonauts’ tenth straight win.

That same showcase was the site of St. Thomas Aquinas’ (17-3) only game this week, and they beat Rumson-Fair Haven 49-37 Sunday, for their eleventh straight win. They’ll be back at it Tuesday at 5:30 at No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s (14-4), in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, our final regular season broadcast of the season. The Knights played twice in the past week, beating Bridgewater-Raritan 76-45 Tuesday before the loss to Prep.

From thee to eight is where things shift around. Bernards (16-1) moves up three places to four, after beating then 57-55 back on Thursday. That was sandwiched between a Tuesday home win over Delaware Valley, 58-35, and a Saturday home win over Bridgewater-Raritan, 64-38, in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament. The 7th-seeded Mountaineers visit two-seed Gill St. Bernards in the quarterfinals Saturday.

Franklin (10-6) makes its debut at No. 5. The Warriors didn’t play this week, but beat Hillsborough earlier this year. Just 5-4 at the time, they’ve won nine of eleven and are 8-2 in the New Year, and make the rankings after Somerville dropped out.

Hillsborough (15-3) falls two spots to No. 6 after the loss to Bernards Thursday, 57-55, which followed a Tuesday home win over Ridge, 60-37.

East Brunswick (15-4) actually falls to seven, mainly due to Franklin’s debut and Bernards rising, but the Bears were 2-0 this past week. And their first win was huge, knocking off previously-undefeated Colonia 59-48 on Thursday. They also cruised past Edison 53-35 on Saturday.

Colonia (15-1) drops to No. 8 off a 1-1 week. After the East Brunswick loss, the Patriots rebounded with a 63-35 win over South Brunswick on Saturday afternoon.

Bound Brook (17-1) stays put at No. 9 on the strength of a 2-0- week. They beat South Hunterdon 71-19 on Tuesday, then beat Montgomery 55-20 in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament. The fifth-seeded Crusaders will visit four-seed Hillsborough Saturday in the quarterfinals.

And Woodbridge (13-5) also stays put, holding in tenth, on busy week. The Barrons went 3-1, with wins Tuesday at Highland Park, 66-53, and Wednesday at Metuchen, 58-43, before taking a loss at Piscataway, 51-43, on Friday. But they came back home Saturday and beat Perth Amboy, 64-41.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 8:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – GIRLS: No. 1 Rutgers Prep 51, No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s 44

Top-ranked Rutgers Prep got 15 points from sophomore Hailey Benbow and 14 from senior Ava LaMonica as the Argonauts defeated No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s at home, 51-44, claiming the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title in the process.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the play-by-play from the Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset on January 29, 2026.