Tag: Gill St. Bernard’s

by Mike Pavlichko

Hillsborough’s run to Group 4 state title propels Raiders to No. 1 in final Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball rankings

Having won its first-ever state championship – and the first by any public school in the nearly five-year history of Central Jersey Sports Radio – the Hillsborough Raiders are the No. 1 team in the final Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten.

‘Boro finished 26-6, and won the Central Jersey Group 4 title over Monroe – which landed at No. 5 – their second straight sectional title. They won their first last season, beating Elizabeth for the North 2, Group 4 championship.

And while they finished fourth in one of the toughest divisions in the state – five of their six losses came in the division – they also featured senior Cesci Schiro, who finished her stellar career with 2,106 points, the leading scorer in school history among girls or boys. For perspective, the entire team scored 2,066 points this season.

Hillsborough also picked up its most signature win in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, beating Rutgers Prep for the first time since 2006, before falling to Gill in the title game.

Check back this afternoon to hear our interview with CJSR’s 2025 Girls’ Basketball Team of the Year, the Hillsborough Raiders, including seniors Cesci Schiro, Mya Loniewski and Reghan Bice, as well as coach Courtney Tierney.

Coming in second was Gill St. Bernard’s. The Knights (23-5) were co-champs in the Skyland Delaware Division with Rutgers Prep – as they split their two regular season meetings – and won the Somerset County Tournament. They lost in the Non-Public North B finals to Montclair-Immaculate, in the school’s final season before it closes this summer, it was recently announced.

Rutgers Prep came in third at 20-7, also reaching a sectional final, bowing out to Gloucester Catholic in the Non-Public South B Final. They shared the Delaware Division title with Gill St. Bernard’s.

GMC Tournament champion St. Thomas Aquinas (23-7) finished fourth, also winning the Red Division in the Greater Middlesex Conference, with Monroe right behind them. The Falcons (20-10) finished second in the division to the Trojans and lost to them in the GMC Tourney final. They also reached the Central Jersey Group 4 championship game, falling there to Hillsborough.

Bernards (23-6) checks in at No. 6, the Skyland Conference Mountain Division champions, while Valley Division winner Somerville (23-6) finished seventh.

In eighth is GMC White Division champion Middlesex (21-9), with Spotswood (18-10) at No. 9.

Franklin – despite an 11-16 record, but having two losses each to Rutgers Prep and Hillsborough and three to Gill St. Bernard’s – finishes in tenth. They reached the Central Jersey Group 4 semifinals, where they lost to the Raiders.

Below is the complete Final 2024-25 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten:

by Alec Crouthamel

Gill St. Bernard’s girls face off in Non-Public North B final against Montclair Immaculate in first sectional since 2014

Gill St. Bernard’s has not made it to a sectional final in eleven years, but the Knights’ experience this season goes beyond their years.

Led by a quintet of seniors, four of whom playing college basketball at the next level, Gill St. Bernard’s has had one of its banner seasons and currently boasts an eight-game win streak.

Coming off a dominant 85-39 win over Hudson Catholic in the semifinals, the Knights will face off against a familiar foe in the finals on Monday.

In 2023 and 2024, Gill St. Bernard’s played Montclair Immaculate in the Non-Public North B quarterfinals and semifinals, respectively. The Lady Lions won both matchups, before falling to Morris Catholic in the championship in both years. With the Crusaders moving to Group A this season, it left a void in the title game.

This year? The natural progression continued, as the two will face off in the title game, Monday at 7 pm at Paterson Kennedy High School.

Led by UConn-bound Gandy Malou-Mamel, the Knights bring a fierce transition attack led by their defense, winning the Somerset County Tournament title before its sectional tournament run.

While Malou-Mamel’s numbers in scoring and rebounding already show her impact on the floor, what the numbers don’t show profiles her impact as well, as the defensive hub in the middle and setting up everything at the rim.

In the backcourt, senior Tessa Lozner directs traffic on offense with plenty of wing depth, led by forwards Sidney Quinn and Maya Abramson.

Montclair Immaculate (22-6) brings a balanced scoring attack led by forward Nila Giraud, who is playing her best basketball at the right time. She comes into the title game with four straight double-doubles, including a 32-point, 12-rebound performance in the Lady Lions’ semifinal win over Saddle River Day.

Giraud is one of five players scoring at least 200 points this season, with Giraud (15.8 points per game) doing so in only 16 games.

Is the third time the charm for Gill St. Bernard’s with its experience and pace, or will Montclair Immaculate reach the mountaintop on Monday?

Click below to hear Gill St. Bernard’s Head Coach Mark Gnapp talk about the Knights and the Non-Public North B final against Montclair Immaculate:

by Mike Pavlichko

Championship Week! Here’s the schedule for Monday’s Non-Public sectional finals, public group semis, and where they all could end up in the State Championship games at Rutgers

After a day of Sunday, high school basketball in New Jersey will enter its final week of the 2024-25 season Monday, when the Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep girls’ and boys’ basketball teams will play for non-public sectional titles.

The Knights will be up at J.F.K. High School in Paterson, while the Argonauts will be down at Jackson Liberty.

Then, Tuesday and Wednesday, the Hillsborough girls and the Colonia and Montgomery boys will play group semifinal games. And all winners from there and Monday’s games will move on to the state finals at Rutgers’ Jersey Mike’s Arena this weekend.

Here’s the upcoming schedule:

MONDAY

Non-Public North B – Girls’ Final
(1) Gill St. Bernards vs. (2) Montclair-Immaculate, 5 pm
(at Paterson Kennedy H.S.)
Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates.

Non-Public South B – Girls’ Final
(1) Gloucester Catholic vs. (2) Rutgers Prep, 5 pm (CJSR)
(at Jackson Liberty H.S.)

Non-Public North B – Boys’ Final
(1) Gill St. Bernard’s vs. (2) Roselle Catholic, 5 pm
(at Paterson Kennedy H.S.)
Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates

Non-Public South B – Boys’ Final
(1) St. Rose vs. (3) Rutgers Prep, 7 pm (CJSR)
(at Jackson Liberty H.S.)

TUESDAY

Group 3 Semifinals – Boys
Colonia (North 2) vs. Ramapo (North 1), 7 pm (CJSR)
(at the Dunn Center, Elizabeth)

WEDNESDAY

Group 4 Semifinals – Girls
Hillsborough (Central) vs. Cherokee (South), 5 pm (CJSR)
(at Central Regional H.S., Bayville)

Group 4 Semfinals – Boys
Montgomery (Central) vs. Lenape (South), 5 pm (CJSR)
(at Central Regional H.S., Bayville)

Here’s the full state finals schedule, with all games at Jersey Mike’s Arena on the Livingston Campus of Rutgers University in Piscataway. Games that could include CJSR-area teams are in bold.

FRIDAY
Non-Public B Final – Girls: 1 pm (Gill St. Bernard’s and/or Rutgers Prep)
Non-Public B Final – Boys: 3 pm (Gill St. Bernard’s and/or Rutgers Prep)
Non-Public A Final – Girls: 5 pm
Non-Public A Final – Boys: 7 pm

SATURDAY
Group 1 – Girls: noon
Group 1 – Boys: 2 pm
Group 3 – Girls: 4 pm
Group 4 – Boys: 6 pm (Colonia)

SUNDAY
Group 2 – Girls: noon
Group 2 – Boys: 2 pm
Group 4 – Girls: 4 pm (Hillsborough)
Group 4 – Boys: 6 pm (Montgomery)

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s a Somerset County Sweep in the NJSIAA state tournament, as Rutgers Prep, Gill St. Bernard’s boys and girls reach sectional title games

The Gill St. Bernard’s girls came first, then the Rutgers Prep boys and girls around the same time, one at home, and one down in South Jersey. The Gill boys put the exclamation point on it.

All four teams made the finals in their respective NJSIAA state high school basketball playoff sections Thursday night, and all will play for titles on Monday evening.

Note: This story will be updated as game statistics become available.

Non-Public North B – Girls’ Semifinals: Gill St. Bernard’s looked the part of the No. 1 seed Monday night, a well-oiled machine of a team that has played only one game – against Ranney – since winning the Somerset County Tournament title on February 22nd. Rust wasn’t a factor in the slightest, as Gandy Malou-Mamel led with 16, and Tessa Lozner and Sidney Quinn added ten each. Click here to read our recap, including audio with head coach Mark Gnapp.

(1) Gill St. Bernards def. (4) Hudson Catholic, 85-39
(2) Montclair-Immaculate def. (3) Saddle River Day, 68-56

Non-Public South B – Girls’ Semifinals: Second-seed Rutgers Prep clinched its fifth straight sectional finals berth with a 90-61 win over third-seed Wildwood Catholic in Somerset. Sophia Georgiades led the way with 22 points, including five treys, four of them back-to-back-to-back-to-back in the second quarter. Georgiades has now hit ten triples in the past two games. Ava LaMonica added 20. The Argonauts (20-6) have won the last three sectional finals – not missing out on a trophy since the COVID-shortened season, when there was no state tournament – and also made the finals in 2020, falling in the title game to Trenton Catholic.

Listen to Rutgers Prep coach Mary Klinger talk about the Argonauts’ win over Wildwood Catholic, and their fifth straight trip to a sectional final.

(1) Gloucester Catholic def. (4) Ranney, 59-44
(2) Rutgers Prep def. (3) Wildwood Catholic, 90-61

Non-Public North B – Boys’ Semifinals: Top-seed and Somerset County Tournament Champion Gill St. Bernard’s (22-6) nearly doubled up fourth-seed Morristown-Beard, 81-42, Monday night in Peapack-Gladstone. The Knights lead big almost from the word go in clinching their first berth in the title game since 2022, when they also won the SCT, but lost to Roselle Catholic in the sectional final, 68-62. They got out to a 9-0 lead, and led 22-5 after one quarter, and 43-13 at the half. Kieran Quinn led the way with 11 – including three triples, while Kobe Closeil and Prosper Highlander each scored 10 points. Stanley Njekwe added six points and ten rebounds. They will play the Lions again this year, as second-seed Roselle Catholic was an 85-73 home winner over third-seed Morris Catholic

(1) Gill St. Bernard’s def. (4) Morristown-Beard, 81-42
(2) Roselle Catholic def. (3) Morris Catholic, 85-73

Non-Public South B – Boys’ Semifinals: Rutgers Prep (20-9) made its first sectional title game since they beat Red Bank Catholic to win Non-Public South A in 2022, beating second-seed Holy Cross Prep down in Burlington County, 47-37, surviving a late surge by the Lancers.

(1) St. Rose def. (5) St. Joseph-Hammonton, 80-39
(3) Rutgers Prep def. (2) Holy Cross Prep, 47-37

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

FRIDAY

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 – Boys’ Final
(2) Mendham at (1) Colonia, 6 pm (CJSR)

SATURDAY

Central Jersey Group 4 – Girls’ Final
(2) Monroe at (1) Hillsborough, 1:30 pm (CJSR)

Central Jersey Group 4 – Boys’ Final
(3) West Windsor-Plainsboro North at (1) Montgomery, 3 pm
Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates after halftime.

MONDAY

Non-Public North B – Girls’ Final
(1) Gill St. Bernards vs. (2) Montclair-Immaculate, 5 pm
(at Paterson Kennedy H.S.)
Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates.

Non-Public South B – Girls’ Final
(1) Gloucester Catholic vs. (2) Rutgers Prep, 5 pm (CJSR)
(at Jackson Liberty H.S.)

Non-Public North B – Boys’ Final
(1) Gill St. Bernard’s vs. (2) Roselle Catholic, 5 pm
(at Paterson Kennedy H.S.)
Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for updates

Non-Public South B – Boys’ Final
(1) St. Rose vs. (3) Rutgers Prep, 7 pm (CJSR)
(at Jackson Liberty H.S.)

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernard’s girls headed to first sectional final since 2014, thanks to 85-39 rout of Hudson Catholic in Non-Public North B

Forcing turnovers, avoiding their own, getting in transition, defensive rebounding, three-point shots.

All of those facets of the game went exceedingly well Thursday night for the Gill St. Bernard’s girls’ basketball team.

The top-seeded Knights topped fourth-seed Hudson Catholic, 85-39, in the semifinals of the Non-Public North B section of the NJSIAA state tournament, sending Gill to the title game for the first time in eleven years.

The last time they were there, they lost 78-74 to St. Rose of Belmar. They last won it in 2012, when they reached the now-defunct Tournament of Champions final, falling to Manasquan. They beat Morris Catholic in the sectional final that year.

Gill jumped out to a 10-3 lead, and was up 32-13 after one, 45-15 at the half, and they maintained from there. Balanced scoring was the story, as Gandy Malou-Mamel scored 16, while Tessa Lozner and Sidney Quinn each chipped in 13. And freshman Nadia Mikalainis came off the bench to score ten – all in the fourth quarter – including a pair of treys.

The Knights (23-8) move on to play the second-seed Montclair-Immaculate (19-9), which beat third-seed Saddle River Day at home, 68-56.

Click below to hear Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mark Gnapp talk about the Knights’ win over Hudson Catholic:

by Mike Pavlichko

North Brunswick boys continue upset-filled state tourney run, while Montgomery, Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep advance

Look out for North Brunswick!

The Raiders’ boys’ basketball team – just 9-17 entering the NJSIAA state tournament – won their second game in a row in upset fashion in Central Jersey Group 4 Monday night, and in the process are just the second Greater Middlesex Conference boys’ team left in the postseason.

Top-seed Montgomery also advanced in the section Monday night, while Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep moved on to the semifinals in Non-Public North and South B, respectively.

Here’s a look at Monday night’s action. Scroll down further for the upcoming schedule, including Tuesday’s sectional semis in Groups 1 and 3, Wednesday’s semis for Groups 2 and 4, and Thursday’s non-public sectional semifinals.

Central Jersey Group 4: Top-seed Montgomery – the defending CJ4 champs – topped ninth-seed East Brunswick Monday, 66-47, pulling away with a strong third quarter after taking a 34-26 lead into the break. Christian Hill led the Cougars (22-5) with 20 points, while Ethan Lin added 14. East Brunswick (15-13) got 14 from Cam Vick, to lead the way in defeat. Montgomery will host 12-seed North Brunswick in the semifinals, after the Raiders topped 13-seed Manalapan in a surprise home game – as both teams picked up first round upsets – 57-50. The Raiders trailed 28-25 at the half, and by four going into the final eight minutes, but outscored the Braves (11-17) 17-6 in the fourth quarter to win it. Tommy Koroma scored 21 to lead North Brunswick, while Srijay Bandi added 19, and Joshua Anudon added ten.

Listen to North Brunswick head coach Raheem Byron talk about Monday’s win and his team’s early run in the state playoffs.

(1) Montgomery def. (9) East Brunswick, 66-47
(12) North Brunswick def. (13) Manalapan, 57-50
(3) West Windsor-Plainsboro North def. (6) Trenton, 68-58
(10) Freehold Twp. def. (2) Sayreville, 58-32

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: Third-seed Ridge advanced with a 55-51 win over 11-seed Irvington, holding off the Blue Knights in the fourth to win. The Red Devils (22-6) led 29-23 at the half and would need all of that cushion in the second half. Luke Kreitz led the way with 17 – including 5 of 6 from the foul line – while Gabe Kielb added 14 and Sidd Narayanbhatla scored ten. The Red Devils will go to the Dunn Center Wednesday to play second-seed Elizabeth (19-6) in the semifinals. Meanwhile, fourth-seed Piscataway was bested by fifth-seed Westfield at home, 71-53. The Chiefs got 16 points from Nate Davis in defeat, but end the season having tied a school record 24 wins under first-year head coach Bob Turco. The 2007-08 team also won 24 games, including the North 2, Group 4 title.

(1) Plainfield, def. (8) Linden, 74-58
(5) Westfield def. (4) Piscataway, 71-53
(3) Ridge def. (11) Irvington, 55-51
(2) Elizabeth def. (7) Dickinson, 65-62

Central Jersey Group 2: Seventh-seed Metuchen (20-8) saw its season come to an end with a 66-41 loss at second-seed Rumson-Fair Haven. The Bulldogs – who were the last area team in the section, got a team-best 13 from Cam Hayes-Durina, while Jason Woods added 11.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Bernards – the only area team in the section fell 82-51 Monday night at third-seed Madison. The Mountaineers – whose season comes to an end at 16-11 – got a team-high 24 points from Monty Douglass, and 11 from Richie Jobise in defeat.

Non-Public South A: Sixth-seed Immaculata – the last area team left in the bracket – fell 71-51 at third-seed Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft. Riley Gorman led the Spartans with 14 points, while Nick Swartwood added 13. Immaculata ends its season at 20-8, their best campaign since a 22-6 season in 2018, when they reached the Somerset County Tournament semifinals.

Non-Public North B: Top-seed and Somerset County Tournament Champion Gill St. Bernard’s rolled past eight-seed Timothy Christian in Peapack-Gladstone Monday night, 87-32, with only one Knight scoring in double figures. Kobe Closeil had 17, while Stanley Njekwe added eight and 12 rebounds. Gill got out of the gate quickly, with a 28-6 lead after one and a 51-14 lead at the half. Jalen Fleming led Timothy with 17 points – and went 9-of-10 at the charity stripe – ending his stellar career with 2,152 points, the school’s all-time leading scorer. They finish their season at 15-11, while Gill is now 21-6 and moves on to play fourth-seed Morristown-Beard in Thursday’s semifinals.

(1) Gill St. Bernard’s def. (8) Timothy Christian, 87-32
(4) Morristown-Beard def. (5) St. Mary-Rutherford, 52-46
(3) Morris Catholic def. (6) Montclair-Immaculate, 76-60
(2) Roselle Catholic def. (7) Saddle River Day, 77-39

Non-Public South B: Third-seed Rutgers Prep moves on to the semifinals with an 88-67 win over sixth-seed Wildwood Catholic. The Argonauts (19-9) were led by Jacob Canton with 24 points – including five treys – and was one of five players in double figure scoring. Andrew Kretkowski added 17, while Nicholas Nsenkyrie had a triple-double of ten points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. The Argonauts will travel to Delran to face two-seed Holy Cross Prep Thursday in the sectional semifinals.

(1) St. Rose def. (8) Ranney, 68-46
(5) St. Joseph-Hammonton def. (4) Bishop Eustace, 53-49
(3) Rutgers Prep def. (6) Wildwood Catholic, 88-67
(2) Holy Cross Prep def. (7) Holy Spirit, 48-40

TUESDAY

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 – Semifinals
(4) Chatham at (1) Colonia, 6 pm
(3) Payne Tech at (2) Mendham, 7 pm

Central Jersey Group 1 – Semifinals
(4) Manville at (1) Thrive Charter, 7 pm
(1) New Providence at (3) Point Pleasant Beach, 5 pm

WEDNESDAY

Central Jersey Group 4 – Semifinals
(12) North Brunswick at (1) Montgomery, 6 pm
(10) Freehold Twp. at (3) West Windsor-Plainsboro North

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 – Semifinals
(5) Westfield at (1) Plainfield
(3) Ridge at (2) Elizabeth

THURSDAY

Non-Public North B – Semifinals
(4) Morristown-Beard at (1) Gill St. Bernard’s
(3) Morris Catholic at (2) Roselle Catholic

Non-Public South B – Semifinals
(5) St. Joseph-Hammonton at (1) St. Rose
(3) Rutgers Prep at (2) Holy Cross Prep

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – SCT Boys Final: (1) Gill St. Bernard’s 52, (3) Rutgers Prep 46

Top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s got 15 points from freshman Connor Junker – including three huge three-pointers in the second half and critical foul shots down the stretch – en route to winning its first Somerset County Tournament title in three years, with a 52-46 victory over third-seed Rutgers Prep.

Click below to listen to all the action as called by Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe on Central Jersey Sports Radio on February 22, 2025, from Montgomery Township High School

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – SCT Girls’ Final: (1) Gill St. Bernard’s 68, (3) Hillsborough 48

Top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s won its first Somerset County Tournament title since 2014, beating third-seed Hillsborough 68-48 in the championship game. The Knights were led by UConn-bound Gandy Malou-Mamel with 22 points, while Hillsborough had a game-high 22 from Francesca Schiro.

Click below to listen to all the action as called by Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe on Central Jersey Sports Radio on February 22, 2025, from Montgomery Township High School.

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill’s back on top, as Knights take Somerset County boys title, 52-46, over two-time defending champion Rutgers Prep

Call the 2024-2025 high school basketball season the Season of Gill.

The last two years, it was Rutgers Prep sweeping the Somerset County Tournament on the boys’ and girls’ side. This year, Gill St. Bernard’s wields the broom.

A couple hours after the Knights’ girls took the title with a win over Hillsborough, the top-seeded boys held up their end of the bargain, coming from behind in the second half to beat third-seed and two-time defending champion Rutgers Prep, 52-46, at Montgomery High School in Skillman, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

And the hero was, perhaps, an unlikely one. The big names for Gill are Dorsett Mulcahy – who had 12 before fouling out with just under five minutes to play – and Kobe Closeil and Kieran Quinn and Stanley Njekwe.

But on this Saturday afternoon, it was 5′ 11″ freshman Connor Junker who played the hero. He finished with 15 points – the leading scorer – on four treys, two in the third and one in the fourth, then hit three of four free throws on a pair of late trips to the line that helped seal the deal.

Gill improved to 20-5 with the win, while Rutgers Prep dropped to 18-9. It was GSB’s third win this season over the Argonauts.

Gill couldn’t hit a bucket to save its life early in the third, as Prep took a three-point halftime lead and got it to as much as nine in the third quarter. But the Knights battled, and kept it close enough until they could make a move.

Junker provided that spark, and the rest of the team followed.

Not bad for a freshman. Now, what can he do for an encore?

Click below for postgame reaction from Gill St. Bernard’s freshman Connor Junker and head coach Mergin Sina, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Gill St. Bernard’s freshman Connor Junker. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernard’s girls take first Somerset County crown since ’14 with 68-48 win over Hillsborough

With four-time defending champion Rutgers Prep getting knocked out in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals last week, the one thing we all knew was there would be a new champion this year.

Would it be top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s, seeking its first title in eleven years? Or third-seed Hillsborough, which hadn’t won it since 2006, it’s last trip tot he title game?

Gill had beaten the Raiders twice this regular season, by 33 and 34 points. But they led those games by 13 and 14 at the half. So when Saturday’s title game hit halftime and Hillsborough was within four, there was at least the potential it could be different.

But it wasn’t as Gill came out with a 68-48 win to take the Somerset County title, their sixth overall, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

But while the Raiders doubled-down on Gill big and UConn recruit Gandy Malou-Mamel, and kept her relatively in check in the first half, the second say the Knights utilize 5-11 Maya Abramson more, which opened up things for Malou-Mamel. Even before that, Abramson had a big third, hitting a three to start then back-to-back buckets to gill Gill a double-digit lead for the first time.

Hillsbrough never led, and got the game to within a possession here and there, but could never quite get over the hump. And getting in foul trouble further stymied the cause.

Malou-Malel finished with 17 points, but had to work hard for every single one. Abramson added 14, including two treys, as did Sidney Quinn. Gill improved to 21-3 with the win.

Hillsborough falls to 20-6 with the loss, but they’ll open the state tournament as the No. 1 seed in Central Jersey Group 4, coming off their first-ever state title last year, in North 2, Group 2. Francesca Schiro scored 21 in the loss.

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