Tag: HS Basketball

January 4, 2024January 4, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

No. 9 Ridge toughs one out at Bound Brook in first game of the New Year

Having joined the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the first time this week at No. 9, Ridge had a fresh target on its back to start 2024.

The Red Devils put that ranking and 5-1 record on the line Thursday night, traveling to Bound Brook against a team that has dominated the Valley Division for several years, but is finding it tough adjusting to its move this season to the Skyland Conference’s Raritan Division.

And they came through with a 59-42 win in the end.

It was a tight first half, with Ridge ahead by four after one quarter, and at the half.

For most of the third, Jackson Morrison fought tooth and nail to keep The Brook in it. And he was the only Crusader to score, through most of those right minutes.

And a Jackson layup on a drive with 5:31 to go got Bound Brook within nine. But Ridge extended the lead to 15 on a drive and a quick jumper from Luke Kreitz, and another jumper from Quinn Dashefsky for a mini 6-0 run, that turned into a 10-2 spurt by the 2:55 mark to make it 57-40.

Ridge never looked back over the final three minutes, which saw the Crusaders play perhaps a little more desperately than they needed to, taking some uncharacteristic ill-advised shots, while the Red Devils converted buckets on the other end with ease.

Kreitz, a junior, finished with a game-high 19 points, including two triples.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

January 4, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

Big 2nd quarter Rutgers Prep run powers No. 1 Argonauts past No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s

Make it 21 straight for Rutgers Prep over Gill St. Bernard’s.

Thursday night’s big Skyland Conference Delaware Division battle wasn’t without its moments for Gill. The Knights took a 6-0 lead early, forcing Prep coach Mary Klinger to call a time out. They played even for a while.

And after the first 8 minutes, GSB led 15-13, the first time they outscored Rutgers Prep in a quarter in 15 of them, dating back to the first quarter of their Somerset County Tournament final of 2022, an eventual 64-35 Prep win.

But in between quarters, Rutgers Prep adjusted to great defense by Gill, which was breaking up passes and blocking shots on D, and finding good looks on offense, too. They went on a big run in the first 3:13 of the second quarter to take a six-point lead, and never looked back.

Senior Mikayla Blakes led all scorers with 27 for the Lady Argonauts, including five threes, in her first game back after missing the last four, including all three at the prestigious John Wall Classic in North Carolina. Sophomore Ava LaMonica chipped in 19, including a triple.

Rutgers Prep improved to 6-2, 3-0 in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division with the win. Gill took its first loss to drop to 8-1, 3-1 in the Delaware.

Click below for postgame reaction with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

December 30, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

Ridge boys pull off big win, Devine nets 1,000 for Middlesex girls, as holiday tourney week wraps up with Friday, Saturday games

Unranked in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, the Ridge boys’ basketball team came up with a huge victory Friday, topping No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 70-60, to take the title in their very own holiday tournament, the Whitey Dukiet All-American Holiday Classic in Basking Ridge.

It was the Falcons’ first loss of the season, dropping them to 5-1. Ridge is also 5-1.

The Red Devils rallied to come back in this one, down ten at the end of the first quarter, managing just eight points, and they trailed 32-21 at the half. But Ridge exploded for 49 points in the second half against St. Joe’s, which was also ranked in the statewide Top 20.

Ridge was led by Owen Chwatek with 21, one of three players in double figures, including Luke Kreitz, who not only scored 20, but also was a perfect 13-for-13 from the foul line, key down the stretch to the rally.

Here’s a closer look at Friday action on the boys’ side. Scroll down further for a look at girls’ holiday tournament action.

FRIDAY BOYS’ RESULTS:

Butch Kowal Tournament at Rahway: An all-GMC consolation game saw North Plainfield hand Timothy Christian its second straight loss after a 4-0 start, 59-58 in overtime. Nfii Bannavti led the Canucks with 18 points, while Chukwudi Raphael Mamah finished with a double-double, leading all scorers with 27 points, adding 15 rebounds. North Plainfield rallied from a 45-40 deficit heading into the final eight minutes to send the game to overtime.

Cougar Classic at Chatham: After splitting its first two games in the three-day round-robin format event, Watchung Hills (7-1) got a season-high 24 points from John Kelly, while three other players scored in double figures, en route to a 68-55 win over Cranford.

Cougar Holiday Classic at Montgomery: The host Cougars used a three-point barrage – 14 of them – to beat visiting Bridgewater-Raritan in the finale of the round-robin event, 88-46. Steve Donahue matched a career high of 27 points and set a new career high with six triples in the game. Read the full game story and hear postgame reaction here. Montgomery (6-0) is the last undefeated team left in the Skyland Conference. Bridgewater falls to 4-3 with the loss.

Falcon Holiday Tournament at Monroe: The host Falcons (5-1) took the trophy with a 47-40 win over Carteret (3-3), in a low-scoring game that was tied 15-all at the half. Mark Laughery and Nick Cicchetti each had 11 points to lead Monroe. The consolation game saw South Brunswick (1-4) cruise past New Brunswick (2-4) for its first win of the season, 72-21.

Mike Shello Holiday Tournament at Dunellen: Friday’s final saw Manville (4-2) get past host Dunellen at the Faber School, 44-31, behind 15 points from Tyler Kesolitz and 11 from Edryn Morales. Joel Cruz-Maiza had 12 in defeat for the Destroyers (1-5). In the consolation game, Highland Park (4-2) got by Academy for Urban Leadership Charter in overtime, 59-57.

*Manville celebrates a win over Dunellen to take the Mike Shello Holiday Tournament title at the Faber School in Dunellen on December 29, 2023. (Source: @manville_bball on Twitter)*

North Warren Holiday Extravaganza: The consolation game here went to Perth Amboy Magnet (3-4), which beat Somerset Tech (2-4) in an all-GMC matchup, 58-49.

Ravens Winter Classic at Robbinsville: After a 14-13 first quarter lead, North Brunswick (4-3) fell to their undefeated hosts (5-0) in the title game, despite a 19-point day from Brandon McCain, and 15 each from Tommy Koroma and Jack Garbolino.

Voorhees Holiday Tournament at Voorhees: A deep hole of 20-5 after one quarter doomed Wardlaw-Hartridge (0-6) in a 78-35 defeated to Mount Olive in the consolation game Friday afternoon.

FRIDAY GIRLS’ RESULTS:

Blue Devils Invitational at Shore Regional: After a loss to Monmouth, 46-11, in their opener, Sayreville bounced back for its first win of the season, a 47-10 drubbing of Jackson Liberty (0-7). Danielle Verlingo led the Lady Bombers with her first career double-double: 12 points and ten rebounds.

Chatham Tournament at Chatham: It was a third straight loss in the three-day, round robin showcase for Watchung Hills (1-6), which fell 60-49 to Cranford Friday.

Clem Santy Holiday Tournament at Dunellen: The trophy goes to Highland Park (3-2) in this one, which beat Manville (3-4) by a 45-39 score Friday afternoon behind a double-double from Vanessa Kohler, who had 17 points and 15 rebounds, and six steals to boot. Manville had three players in double figures, including leading scorer Valentina Barrios with 14. Middlesex (3-3) doubled up host Dunellen (3-2) in the consolation game, 52-26, behind 33 points from Jessica Devine, who cracked the 1,000 point mark in the game

Middlesex junior Jess Devine with hear teammates after scoring her 1,000th point against Dunellen in the consolation game of the Clem Santy Holiday Tournament in Dunellen on December 29, 2023. (Source: @GoJaysAthletics on Twitter)

Cougar Holiday Classic at Montgomery: In the round robin event’s finale Friday, the host Cougars (3-3) beat visiting Bridgewater-Raritan (1-6) by a 42-37 score, behind 17 points from Aliza Schulberg and 10 from Alia Johnson.

Falcon Holiday Tournament at Monroe: The host Monroe (5-1) beat visiting Westfield 50-46 for the title Friday afternoon, with three players in double figure scoring. Evangelina Francisco had 19, while Halley Cottrell dropping in 16 – including four triples – and Avery Labaska had ten. In the consolation game, Franklin (3-3) evened up its record at .500 with a 52-31 victory over winless Marlboro behind a 27-point night from Aleah Sunkins.

*The Monroe girls’ basketball team won their Falcon Holiday Classic Friday with a 50-46 win over Westfield. (Source: @CoachVogtman on Twitter)*

Holmdel Holiday Showcase at Holmdel: It was a clean sweep of both games for St. Thomas Aquinas in the eight-team, two-day event. The Trojans (5-2) held off Holmdel by, 56-53, despite a late rally by Holmdel, which was down nine entering the final quarter. Gianna Chuffo led the way with 12 points, while Jordan Barnes added 11, and the team hit seven triples on the day. Meanwhile, East Brunswick (5-2) split its two games, bouncing back from an opening loss to Colts Neck with a narrow 54-52 win over Jackson Memorial (4-1). Gabby Nieves led three players in double figures with 15 for the Lady Bears. And Mount St. Mary (4-3) got back on the winning track with a 44-38 decision over Colts Neck, led by Mia Gestosani’s 16 points.

John Wall Invitational at William Peace Univeristy, Raleigh, NC: Rutgers Prep (5-1) got a win Friday over Terry Sanford (NC) in the Frances A. Pulley bracket, 75-52, splitting its first two games. They’ll play Grace Christian School (NC) in Saturday’s 3:00 championship game.

KSA Events Holiday Tournament: In the Red Bracket of the round-robin showcase, Gill St. Bernard’s (8-0) beat Metropolitan (NY) handily, 73-32, behind a team-best 16 from Gandy Malou-Mamel, who also had ten rebounds for a double-double. Brooke Baisley added 14. In the Pink bracket, Pingry (4-2) beat Birmingham Community Charter (CA) by a 56-32 score, getting a team-high 15 from Ngozi, Nnaeto.

Lady Chiefs Holiday Showcase at Piscataway: The roubd-robin six-team event saw Colonia, Old Bridge, and host Piscataway all take on wins Friday, and all finish 3-0 in the three-day event. The Patriots (6-2) beat in-town rival Woodbridge (3-3) in Friday’s opener, 41-22, fueled by a 15-point day from senior Taylor Derkack, who’s closing in on the girls’ all-time scoring record set last year by former teammate Matti Chiera, who’s now at William Paterson. Piscataway (3-3) evened up its mark entirely thanks to the showcase, beating Edison (1-6) behind 17 from Olivia Smart for a 52-35 victory. And Old Bridge (4-3) topped the smallest school in the event, Spotswood (3-3) in a 45-41 finale to the afternoon. The Knights got a double-double out of Danielle Boateng, with 19 points and 10 rebounds.

MCMS Holiday Tournament at East Brunswick Magnet: None of the local squads in the six-team tournament made the final. In the fifth-place game, Piscataway Magnet (2-4) topped East Brunswick Magnet (0-6) by a 51-11 score.,

Metuchen Bulldog Holiday Tournament at Metuchen: The title goes to Bernards (5-2), which beat Brearley in the event’s final Friday, 43-26, getting 13 from Aletha Reynolds, the only Mountaineer in double-figures in a low-scoring game. Host Metuchen dropped both games in their event, falling 35-23 to Governor Livingston to drop to 2-3 overall.

West Orange Holiday Showcase: Entering the tourney undefeated, the Lady Canucks (5-2) took two straight losses. After a 65-27 loss to Teaneck Wednesday, they fell by two to Paterson Eastside (5-2) Friday afternoon.

SATURDAY GIRLS’ SCHEDULE:

John Wall Invitational at William Peace Univeristy, Raleigh, NC: Rutgers Prep (5-1) takes on Grace Christian School (NC) in Saturday’s 3:00 championship game.

Ridge Holiday Classic at Ridge: In the round-robin event, South Brunswick (3-3) and host Ridge (4-3) will go at it at 11:30 Saturday morning in Basking Ridge. The Vikings lost to state-ranked Bayonne in their opener before beating Hunterdon Central Thursday. The Red Devils topped Randolph and Payne Tech in their opening two games.

West Windsor-Plainsboro North Tournament: After wins in its first two games of the eight-team, three-day tourney against Matawan and Princeton – allowing just eight points in the opener and 47 total in two games, Somerville (4-0) will take on a solid Neptune team (5-2) in the 4:15 pm final Saturday afternoon.

SATURDAY BOYS’ SCHEDULE:

Albert E. Martin Buc Classic at Red Bank Regional: After a loss in the opening round but a Thursday win over Notre Dame, 50-47, East Brunswick will play in Saturday’s third-place game against Port Richmond (NY) out of Staten Island at 3:30.

ALJ Crusader Holiday Tournament: The final for this one will have JP Stevens, which is just 1-4 on the season, but their only win came in the opener to the event, a 57-29 win over East Brunswick Magnet. That puts them up against host AL Johnson (3-2) in the final at 7:30 pm. The 6:00 consolation game has Metcuhen facing EBM.

Huskies Holiday Classic at Matawan: The GMC will factor heavily into this one, with three of the four teams involved playing for the top four spots. The championship is at 3:15 and will feature Sayreville (6-1) taking on Holmdel (4-1). The Bombers beat host Matawan in the opener, then Old Bridge in the semifinals on Thursday. The third-place game has the Knights (3-4) facing Woodbridge (4-2) at 1:30. Perth Amboy (3-4) will take on Raritan (0-6) in the seventh place game to open the Saturday slate at 10 am.

Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University: This is a one-off for Rutgers Prep (3-2), which will face Camden Eastside (4-0) at 2:45 today, before heading to the New Year’s Jump Off on January first to play Hudson Catholic.

LeGrand Tournament: Host Colonia (4-2) will look to sweep the round-robin event when the Patriots play Westfield (2-4) at 1:00 after winning its opener over Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 39-32, then beating Union City 49-36 on Friday. Colonia has won two straight after starting the year 2-2. Aiden Derkack scored in double figures in both games of the event, averaging 15.5 points per game in those two.

Winter Holiday Classic at West Windsor-Plainsboro South: After Somerville narrowly edged Spotswood in one of Thursday’s semifinals, 60-56, the Pioneers (4-2) will play in Saturday’s 4:15 pm final against West Windsor-Plainsboro North (3-4), which beat the hosts and their district rival South 57-42 on Thursday in the other semi. South (1-5) will take on Spotswood (4-2) in Saturday’s third-place game, with tip scheduled for 2:30.

December 14, 2023December 14, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

Is New Jersey ready for another game-changer? Dave Boff and a small charter school down the Jersey Shore may be the one to do it

It’s been over a decade since Kevin Boyle took his ball and went down to the Sunshine State to coach. The move stunned the Jersey basketball world, as he left the powerhouse St. Patrick program in Elizabeth to take the reins at the Montverde Academy, where he quickly coached his way to his first-ever unbeaten season, and a share of two national championships.

It was a seismic shift. In the years that followed, St. Pat’s became The Patrick School, no longer affiliated with the Diocese of Newark, and moved to Hillside, while the other big North Jersey powerhouse, St. Anthony in Jersey City, led seemingly forever by Bob Hurley, Sr., closed in 2017.

Dave Boff coached for Hurley, and after spending his first three seasons as coach at Governor Livingston, took over at Roselle Catholic, bringing that program to new heights, attracting major Division 1 talent to the Union County school, and winning four Tournament of Champions titles. Boyle (with five) and Hurley (with a dozen) are the only coaches to win more.

But last year, Boff capped off his 15th season with the Lions by announcing he was leaving to take on a new challenge and opportunity, as administrator and head boys’ basketball coach at College Acheive Public Charter School in Neptune City.

Sure, it may be closer to his home in Tinton Falls, as NJ.com reported when the news broke in late April, but it’s likely there’s way more to the story.

College Achieve is a small operation, at least for now. But Boff will get a chance to build a program from the ground up. He’s already had players follow him, and others transfer in from various other schools, including St. Thomas Aquinas in the GMC.

But here’s the main difference. College Achieve Charter is a considered a “public school.” Yet, unlike most public schools, which can only draw students from their geographical boundaries, unless they’re a “choice” school, they can pull from all over the place.

And, as the NJSIAA decreed in a major overhaul of transfer rules last year, they can also recruit, as long as it’s before ninth grade.

Unlike football, which requires a massive amount of players, and has seen many non-public Catholic schools close in recent years, new charters are popping up all the time. In fact, in Central Jersey Group 1 alone, there are nine charter schools, two vocational-technical schools – Perth Amboy Magnet and Somerset Tech – and 13 true, traditional public schools.

And if they don’t realize it now, they will come the state tournament in February. Last year’s CJ1 title winner was Eagle Academy of Newark, which had an enrollment of about 250 students as of a few years ago, according to national education statistics. The top seed, they finished 25-6, and beat Shore (21-6) by four in the finals, but lost in the Group 1 semis to Woodbury.

The win over Shore being a close game, and with Eagle Academy being one of just two charters that qualified in that section, it didn’t really grab major headlines.

But if you think they, or anyone else, has a chance against Boff and College Achieve, you might also think you have a chance at winning Powerball, or dating and breaking up with Taylor Swift and she won’t write a song about you.

Wrong on both accounts. (We’ll see how well this stretch of story ages in a couple of months.)

And this may be where the game-changer comes in: Boff will essentially do what he did at Roselle Catholic, attracting the best talent from across New Jersey, just like many other non-publics over the years.

But unlike at Roselle Catholic, or Hurley at St. Anthony’s, or Boyle at St. Pat’s, he’ll be competing against traditional public schools come playoff time.

Central Jersey Group 1 also includes several small schools in the CJSR coverage area for basketball. They include Dunellen, Highland Park, Manville, Somerset Tech, and South Amboy. Do you think any of them have a hope and a prayer against College Achieve?

No. Not in this world, and not in the next.

So it may be time for that next seismic shift in high school basketball in New Jersey.

The number of charters has exploded in recent years. They’re not going away; there will only be more and more of them in the years ahead.

And that means the NJSIAA may have to rethink how it classifies schools. As charters and other non-publics increase their attention and dedication to athletics, it’s becoming an unlevel playing field for the public schools in the same sections.

It would be like putting Bergen Catholic football into Central Jersey Group 5. Or just taking Boff’s Roselle Catholic team and putting it in Central Jersey Group 1.

The dominance of non-publics is one of the reasons the NJSIAA, tired of seeing the same teams in it and winning it every year, got rid of the Tournament of Champions in all sports that had it – much to the chagrin of many high school basketball fans in New Jersey, along with a significant number of players and coaches.

(Lacrosse coaches got so fed up with the decision, they hosted their own, independent TOC last year, with the NJSIAA’s blessing, once the playoffs were done.)

In the same vein, the NJSIAA may need to lump the charters, academies, and other similar schools, in with the non-publics. Maybe the classification needs a name-change to make it happen, but it’s an idea that merits serious consideration.

Don’t get us wrong: we’re not criticizing anyone. Not Boff, not College Achieve, not the NJSIAA. Or any other non-public school that can draw kids from other towns.

But this is like picking up Roselle Catholic, moving it down the Jersey Shore, and putting them in a public school section. No one has ever done it before. But if it works, we’ll see much more of it.

So when College Achieve – which can legally recruit through eighth grade and bring in freshmen from neighboring towns – blows out a public schools that can’t bring in kids from other towns in the Central Jersey Group 1 by 50 in the finals don’t tell us we didn’t warn you.

We’re telling you now.

The game will change. Will the NJSIAA keep pace?

December 12, 2023December 11, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

The season opens Thursday, but there’s already early reaction to foul changes in H.S. hoops

With the goal of improving game flow and reducing injuries, the National Federation of State High School Associations – NFHS – adopted new rules in the off-season that will dramatically alter how boys’ and girls’ basketball will play out this season across the country, including right here in New Jersey.

Exactly how is yet to be determined. Check back in March, when the season’s over.

The main gist is this: The days of the one-and-one are gone. Seven fouls in a half for the bonus, ten for the double-bonus? All kaput.

Beginning this season, there will be no more one-and-one foul shots on non-shooting fouls. Foul totals will reset each quarter, and teams will shoot two shots starting with the fifth foul by their opponent in each quarter.

The changes were adopted in May by the NFHS, which sets nationwide standards for rules, and which the NJSIAA follows. You can read or original story on the changes by clicking here. Changes were also made to the location of throw-ins, and some tweaks were made to permitted undershirt colors and uniform rules as well.

The NFHS believes not only will it improve game flow, but cut down on injuries, noting studies showed higher rates of injuries on rebounding situation.

Not everyone is sold. St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball coach Bob Turco says he thinks teams trailing late in a game will be more likely to foul, and start fouling earlier.

“It changes your philosophy of when to foul,” says Turco. “It’s going to be a big adjustment in your philosophy both offensively and defensively. It’ll be a big adjustment and I believe can, and will, change how most of us coach down the stretch.”

But Rutgers Prep veteran girls’ coach Mary Klinger says, “I love it.”

“In prior years, you could get in early foul trouble in the first quarter. Here they wipe it clean and you start fresh,” she says. “I like that.”

Klinger also things it’ll take away some of the frustration fouls late in a game, since it’s automatically two shots from the fifth foul on in the fourth quarter.

Couldn’t it make it harder for teams to come back? “You’re assuming they make the foul shots,” Klinger adds.

“The statistics show the game is shorter with the two fouls,” says Klinger.

“I think it’ll be a good thing overall,” says Aquinas girls’ coach Tim Corrigan, who played scholastically at St. Joseph-Metuchen, and spent last year as an assistant after a couple of seasons heading up Watchung Hills.

“I think coaches will probably just have to make a little bit of adjustment at the end of a game,” Corrigan says.

“(Strategy) might vary game to game,” he adds, depending on how good an opponent shoots from the foul line. He also believes it’ll cut down on teams having to foul on end to get to the bonus to begin with.

Corrigan ultimately thinks it’ll improve the flow of the game. And when a game is called tightly, the fouls resetting at the end of each quarter will limit that. Essentially, a team could commit eight fouls in a half without the other team going into the bonus, assuming there are no more than four per quarter.

Spotswood boys’ coach Steve Mate – the longest tenured coach in the GMC, now in his 29th season – says it will definitely change things.

“It is going to be a little more difficult down the stretch when you might have to foul, Mate says. Instead of it being a one-and-one, you know they’re getting two shots. They’re more relaxed on the line. I’m just not sure if that’s the thing that should be happening.

“I don’t see it as a positive,” Mate says. “I just think it’s something that was done. I’m not sure why.”

And he says it’s hard to judge based on scrimmages, when you’re not so much worried about winning, but developing your team.

December 8, 2023December 9, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

It’s a new season, and an entirely new roster, for St. Thomas Aquinas boys’ basketball

In the current state of high school – and college sports – some players come, some players stay and some players go.

After the 2022-23 season, which saw St. Thomas Aquinas win its third straight GMC Tournament Championship, nearly the entire Trojans’ roster departed.

Some, like Chris Santner and Terrell Pitts, graduated; they’re at TCNJ and East Stroudsburg, respectively. The rest – including All-State point guard Deuce Jones – took their talents elsewhere.

All but now-senior Davon Grant. He and his 23 career points in two seasons seeing limited varsity action is all that returns for veteran head coach Bob Turco.

The roster is a full again, but as Turco tells it, there were no summer leagues they could play in, with a team barely assembled. So this year’s group will be getting a late start.

They could get off to a hot start, or they might not. But they’re not worried about where they start; it’s all about where they finish. And Turco knows the Trojans – which have won three straight GMC Tournament titles – don’t need to be division champs or the No. 1 seed to win it all.

Click below to hear St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Bob Turco talk about this year’s new-look Trojans:

December 7, 2023December 6, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

Central Jersey Sports Radio unveils 2023-24 H.S. Basketball broadcast schedule

As Central Jersey Sports Radio gets set for its fourth season of high school basketball coverage, we’re announcing our Broadcast Schedule for the 2023-24 campaign.

Just like in the past, we’ll be bringing you boys’ and girls’ basketball in both the Greater Middlesex Conference and Somerset County, with a regular season schedule of ten games – plus additional regular season contests to be added in late February and early January.

And, we’ll have coverage of the GMC and Somerset County Tournaments. That all starts with each tourney’s respective seeding meetings, all the way through to Championship Week in mid-February, including the GMC girls’ and boys’ semifinals, selected Somerset County semis, the GMC championship doubleheader on February 16th, and the Somerset County Tournament championship twinbill on the 17th.

State tournament coverage will be added as well.

It all gets started with games on back-to-back nights next week. We’ll be at Bridgewater-Raritan on opening night as the Bound Brook boys visit the Panthers on Thursday, December 14th, with the GMC boys’ taking the airwaves the next night at JFK visits Timothy Christian.

After Franklin visits Gill St. Bernard’s in a Skyland Conference game the following Tuesday night, it’s the girls’ turn as South Brunswick visits Colonia in the GMC on Thursday evening.

And of course, follow us on cjsportsradio.com for all the latest high school basketball news, rankings and game broadcasts, including postgame reaction after all broadcasts, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

For the full broadcast schedule, click here.

April 19, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

GMC will keep pilot program for Red Division boys’ basketball in ’23-’24

The pilot program that allowed GMC Red Division boys’ basketball teams to only play each other once this past season will continue next year.

Greater Middlesex Conference President Mike Pede confirmed the recent extension of the program by the division’s Athletic Directors for another season, since the league is in the middle of a two-year scheduling cycle.

Typically, teams in each division play each other twice. But some public schools didn’t want to play powerhouses like St. Joseph-Metuchen and St. Thomas Aquinas twice in a season, fearing it would hurt their potential playoff standing. And the pilot allowed some schools more scheduling flexibility to play in showcases in and out of the state.

The GMC Red was a mammoth nine-team division last year, meaning each team otherwise would have had 16 division games, more than anyone else in the conference. With a shorter season thanks to NJSIAA changes to the school year sports calendar, that limited opportunities to find opponents that could help their power point totals.

So, a pilot program approved last spring that would allow teams to play each other once. They would be permitted to play any other school twice, but when it came to seeding the county tournament, only the first matchup would count.

Now, that will continue for another season. Beyond that, in the future, the league could change divisional alignments, scheduling, or come up with some other idea entirely.

“The GMC has done an amazing job looking forward and thinking outside the box,” Pede told Central Jersey Sports Radio. And he says all those changes are considered with the student-athletes in mind.

For example, in baseball, the league moved to a five-division setup based on factors beyond school size, adding the GMC Silver. As a result, Piscataway – a large school which has struggled in the Red (5-15 in 2021) and White (7-18 last year) Divisions of late – is in the Blue this year. They are 3-5, but have lost only one of those five games by ten runs or more. Last year, they lost eight of their 15 games by that margin.

“This is not a GMC issue,” Pede said, indicating that it’s not something being considered in other sports. “This is a boys’ basketball Red Division issue.”

“If they feel there’s a problem with boys’ Red Division basketball, let’s fix the problem,” Pede added. “Let’s not fix what’s not broken.”

February 6, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

Unranked wins by Immaculata, St. Joseph-Metuchen jostle bottom half of Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings

The top four teams didn’t move in the Week 8 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings, but the bottom half got shuffled this week after two wins by unranked teams over ranked opponents, namely Immaculata and St. Joseph-Metuchen.

The Spartans knocked off previous No. 6 Bound Brook Saturday, 75-53, while the Falcons stunned Rutgers Prep in Somerset, 73-61, behind 33 points from Josh Ingram.

These are the final rankings until the season is over.

St. Thomas Aquinas (20-2) remained No. 1 after a 1-1 week in which they beat Colonia, 49-48, for their second win over the Patriots this season. They lost Saturday to the Patrick School, 68-52.

Rutgers Prep (14-7) held at No. 2, dropping their only game of the week to St. Joe’s. The Argonauts are likely to earn the No. 1 seed in the Somerset County Tournament, which will be seeded tonight in Somerville. Central Jersey Sports Radio will have the seeds as soon as they come out.

Gill St. Bernard’s (15-5) had a 2-0 week, with wins out-of-league against Linden and Arts.

Colonia (16-6) held serve in fourth, despite the loss to Aquinas. The Patriots also beat Union Tuesday, but lost to Ewing Saturday.

The rest all moved around, starting with South Plainfield. The Tigers (19-3) moved up two spots to No. 5 on the strength of a 3-0 week, that included just one win over a GMC team, New Brunswick on Thursday, as well as victories over Rahway and Oratory Prep.

Ridge (15-4) checks in at No. 6 after a 2-0 week highlighted by a 66-53 win over previous No. 5 South River, handing the Rams (20-2) just their second loss of the season.

Immaculata (16-4, unranked last week) checks in seventh after a mammoth 75-53 win over Bound Brook on Saturday. The Spartans had a 3-0 week, also picking up wins over Pingry and Warren Hills.

North Brunswick (19-3) held in 8th on after a three-win week against the GMC, over Old Bridge, Woodbridge and North Plainfield.

South River (20-2) checks in at No. 9, dropping four spots after the loss to Ridge. They picked up league wins during the week over JFK and Carteret.

Tied for tenth are Bound Brook (16-3) and St. Joseph-Metuchen (12-8). The Crusaders had wins over Newark Vocational and Dayton before the loss to Immaculata, while the Falcons lost to Linden Tuesday in the Investors Bank Challenge at AL Johnson in Clark before knocking off Rutgers Prep.

Below are the full Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Rankings for Week 8:

January 15, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

Two GMC division leaders fall, but what will the impact be on tourney seeding?

The teams atop the Greater Middleex Conference White and Blue Divisions both suffered losses this Saturday, with South River taking its first L of the season, and South Plainfield picking up its second.

There’s still a lot of basketball to be played, but how will it affect the seeding in the GMC Tournament next month?

Well, a lot still depends on what happens in the Red Division.

There has been much talk about South River getting one of the top three seeds in the tournament after the Rams shocked St. Joseph with a win over the Falcons in Metuchen by eight on the day after Christmas. Any Blue Division team beating a Red is a big deal, let alone one considered at the top of the division.

But what about a loss to a Red Division team, and one that has been struggling immensely?

That’s what happened Saturday, when South River suffered a stunner of its own, falling by a single point to Piscataway, which is now just 5-8 on the season.

Put a pin in that for a moment and let’s circle back to the Red Division title race. With Colonia having beaten St. Joe’s, and St. Thomas Aquinas beating Colonia last Thursday night (as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio), the division comes down to this: if Aquinas can beat the Falcons on the road Tuesday night – also to be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio – the Trojans will be division champs. Colonia will be second, and the Falcons third.

Should that happen, Aquinas is easily your No. 1 seed, followed by Colonia. What about South River?

The prevailing thought was the Rams could – and should – get the third seed by virtue of having beaten St. Joseph head-to-head. And while there has long been a perceived Red Division bias in many sports in the GMC, there are rarely head-to-head matchups to consider. More often, a debate has been something like: “Do we go with this undefeated Blue team or this 5-win Red Division team as the sixth seed?”

The head-to-head makes this one different. Will the loss to Piscataway make a dent? After all, if a Blue beating a Red is such a big deal, that would be because of the preconceived notion that a Blue team is not supposed to beat a Red. So, why should a loss to a Red team be a knock on South River?

Should the Rams lose one of their remaining Blue Division games, all bets are probably off. And that’s not out of the realm of possibility; they host Spotswood on Friday night in a rematch of an early season game that saw the Rams win by their closest margin against a GMC opponent all year, just six points. But if they finish the season without another GMC loss, they really should be in play for one of the top three seeds.