Tag: Pingry

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

Few changes in Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, but Hillsborough joins the pack

Once again,m there were few changes in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 7, as Gill St. Bernard’s and St. Joseph-Metuchen remain Nos. 1 and 2, while Hillsborough joins the back having won eight of its last nine games. No one dropped out this week, with two teams tied for tenth.

At No. 1 is Gill St. Bernard’s (15-2), winners of eleven straight. The Knights went 3-0 in the week gone by, with an 88-63 win over Hunterdon Central Tuesday, a 79-41 victory at Watchung Hills Thursday, then another win over CBA, 64-52, at the Big Jersey Showcase at Caldwell University Saturday.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (16-0) holds in the No. 2 spot. The Falcons won a pair of GMC games during the week – 81-25 at Woodbridge Tuesday and 59-45 at No. 6 East Brunswick Thursday – then followed it up with a 39-35 win over Coatesville (PA) in a showcase Saturday at Paterson STEAM

Holding in third is Pingry (11-4), also with a 3-0 week. The Big Blue were 46-44 winners at Phillipsburg Tuesday, then 71-53 home winners over Ridge on Thursday, before winning a non-conference matchup Saturday against South Plainfield, 54-50. Tuesday at 5:30, they have a meeting at No. 5 Montgomery.

Rutgers Prep (11-6) checks in at No. 4, after a 2-1 week. They won a GMC crossover at East Brunswick Tuesday night, 77-63, then won at Immaculata Thursday back in Skyland Conference play, 93-87, before falling Saturday, 74-52, to Roselle Catholic in the Big Jersey Showcase at Caldwell University, snapping a five-game winning streak.

Montgomery (14-3) has won six straight and holds in fifth after going 2-0 this past week. They won Tuesday at Ridge, 44-37, then beat Franklin at home, 70-44.

Holding at six is East Brunswick (15-3), despite a 1-2 week, but those two losses were to teams above them in the rankings. Tuesday, they lost 77-63 to fourth-ranked Rutgers Prep, then Thursday, lost to undefeated No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 59-45. The Bears got back on the winning side of things Saturday with an 88-55 blowout of Old Bridge.

Still in seventh is Immaculata (12-3), after a 2-1 week. They had a Tuesday 60-55 win at Franklin and a Saturday 82-71 win at Irvington sandwiched around an 93-87 loss Thursday to No. 4 Rutgers Prep.

Jumping into the top ten this week is Hillsborough (11-4), which has won four straight.They beat rival and then-No. 8 Bridgewater-Raritan handily on Tuesday, 53-35, then got a 67-41 win Thursday at Hunterdon Central before beating Ewing at home, 57-44, Saturday afternoon.

Piscataway (12-5) holds steady at No. 8, after a 2-0 week, with a big one coming up this Tuesday. Last week, they beat St. Thomas Aquinas 61-58 in Edison on Thursday, then won 82-46 Saturday at Monroe. The Chiefs are back in action with a big one Tuesday at No. 6 East Brunswick.

And Hillsborough’s debut this week bumps Bridgewater-Raritan (11-4) down into a tenth-place tie with Somerville (11-5). The Panthers lost Tuesday at Hillsborough, 53-35, then bounced back with a Thursday home win over Phillipsburg, 50-36. The Pioneers, meanwhile, lost at North Hunterdon Tuesday, 60-41, then rebounded with a 62-59 win Thursday at Delaware Valley. And the two will meet later this season, on February 12th in Bridgewater.

Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 7:

by Mike Pavlichko

Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten holds steady; Gill, St. Joe’s remain 1-2

Six of the teams in the Bellamy & Son Paving boys’ basketball rankings had perfect weeks last week, and it led to no changes in the Week Six Top Ten.

Gill St. Bernard’s (12-2) picked up a pair of league wins in the week gone by – 69-38 over No. 3 Pingry Tuesday, and 74-46 at Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday. The Knights have won eight straight and – absent a big upset loss in the next week – should be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming Somerset County Tournament, which will be seeded next Monday, January 26th. In the past couple of weeks, they’ve beaten Rutgers Prep, Montgomery, Pingry (which knocked off Prep two weeks ago) and Bridgewater-Raritan (which was 9-1 heading into last week).

St. Joseph-Metuchen (13-0) remains undefeated and holds at No. 2, coming up with two GMC wins this past week: Tuesday at Colonia, 54-50, and Thursday over Piscataway at home, 64-57. On Saturday, they gained a 56-44 win over Berkmar (GA) in the Hoops for Harmony showcase at William Penn H.S. in New Castle, Delaware.

Holding in third is Pingry (8-4), despite a 1-2 week. The Big Blue – who jumped up big into the rankings a last week after beating Rutgers Prep, lost Tuesday at No. 1 Gill St. Bernard’s, 69-38, and at home Thursday to Hillsborough, 53-48, before winning Saturday at Princeton Day, 43-29.

At No. 4 again is Rutgers Prep (9-5), which was 3-0 in the week gone by, but has a head-to-head loss to Pingry from a couple weeks ago. This past week, Prep beat Bridgewater-Raritan at home, 72-56, then won 74-60 at Hunterdon Central. Saturday, the Argonauts beat Holy Cross, 77-59 in the Jimmy V. Classic down at Central Regional in Bayville.

Fifth is Montgomery (12-3), which is on a four-game win stream, picking up a trios of dubs in the week gone by. Tuesday, the Cougars won 53-37 at Hillsborough before grabbing a pair of home victories: Thursday over Phillipsburg, 74-48, and Saturday 62-57 over St. Thomas Aquinas in a GMC-Skyland crossover.

Holding at six is East Brunswick (14-1). The Bears won three games this week to extend their current winning streak to eight. Tuesday, they won at South Plainfield, 56-46, then beat Governor Livingston at home on Thursday, 59-27, before picking up a Saturday win at Woodbridge, 73-49.

In seventh again this week is Immaculata (10-2). The Spartans topped Hunterdon Central at home Tuesday, 64-56, then won Thursday at Watchung Hills, 61-59, before coming back home Saturday to beat in-town rival and No. 10 Somerville, 83-51, dropping eleven three-pointers in a game for the third time in their last four outings.

Holding at No. 8 is Bridgewater-Raritan (10-3), which had a brutal schedule this past week. First, it was a 72-56 loss at Rutgers Prep Tuesday, then a 74-46 loss to Gill St. Bernard’s at home on Thursday. The Panthers rebounded with a 66-50 win at South Plainfield on Saturday.

In ninth is Piscataway (10-5). The Chiefs won 77-57 at Old Bridge Tuesday, but then dropped two in a row, falling Thursday at No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, 64-57, and Saturday to Colonia, 65-62,

And holding in tenth is Somerville (10-4), which went 2-2 this past week. Monday, they won at College Achieve Central, 63-32, then they picked up a 73-64 win Tuesday at American History. But the Pioneers dropped their next two, including a 57-53 loss against Bernards on Thursday, and an 83-51 defeat at in-town rival and No. 7 Immaculata Saturday afternoon.

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

by Alec Crouthamel

Highlander’s big second half helps lead No. 1 Gill St. Bernard’s to emphatic win over No. 3 Pingry – and likely the SCT’s top seed

When you think of Gill St. Bernard’s basketball, you think uptempo, flying across the floor, and plenty of victories.

Through one half against No. 3 Pingry, those three factors were present at times, but not enough with a 21-15 lead.

Once both teams emerged from the locker room for the second half of play, things changed.

The Knights (11-2, 5-0) raced out of the gate and never looked back, pulling away for a 69-38 win, outscoring the Big Blue (7-3, 3-0) 48-23 in the final 16 minutes of play.

Fresh off a 33-point, ten-rebound performance in a thrilling win over Rutgers Prep on Saturday, Gill St. Bernard’s forward Prosper Highlander led the way once again, with a 20-point, 12-rebound follow-up performance. After scoring just two points in the first half, he came alive with 12 points in the third quarter with an array of drives to the basket and a three-pointer.

Oh, and he also picked up the tough assignments on defense, stuffing the stat sheet with three steals and two blocks.

Pingry controlled the tempo early on, scoring the first five points of the game and keeping close for much of the first half. Even after the Knights responded to the opening run with ten unanswered points of their own, the Big Blue ended the quarter with six unanswered to stay within a point at 12-11.

That momentum continued into the second quarter. Even as Gill St. Bernard’s appeared to be on the verge of pulling away, Pingry continued to stack up timely buckets to stay within arm’s reach, as head coach Jason Murdock and his team looked to build off the momentum of back-to-back wins over Immaculata and Rutgers Prep last week.

But the Knights’ intensity and pace on both ends of the floor eventually became too much to overcome. They methodically built up their lead as the third quarter went along, turning defense into offense plenty, before the lead eventually ballooned to 17 points to end the third quarter, and 31 points by the end of the game.

Gill St. Bernard’s standouts Connor Junker and Dorsett Mulcahy kick-started the offense in the opening quarter with six points apiece for all of the Knights’ scoring in the opening eight minutes. Junker finished with ten points with two three-pointers, while Mulcahy finished second on the team with 17 points and eight rebounds.

Dylan Cowell led Pingry with a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double to go along with three blocks, and was the Big Blue’s only double-digit scorer.

With the win, Gill St. Bernard’s now puts itself in an excellent position for the top seed in the upcoming Somerset County Tournament, as the Knights look to defend their title from a season ago. Last week, they won their only matchups before the seeding meeting with Montgomery and Rutgers Prep, with the Argonauts also having lost to Pingry.

Amid a schedule head coach Mergin Sina calls one of the toughest in the state, Gill St. Bernard’s passed yet another test as the calendar flips to 2026.

Click below for postgame reaction from Gill St. Bernard’s senior forward Prosper Highlander and head coach Mergin Sina, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Top Ten losses reshuffle the entire deck in Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball rankings

For the first time this season, the entire Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten got a complete reshuffle.

It was a challenging week to be sure, as a few top ten teams suffered multiple losses this week, whether in conference play or at showcase games. And the end result is one new team in the rankings, and a new No. 1 squad.

Gill St. Bernard’s (9-3) is the new top team after getting through a heck of a schedule this past week. They opened with a 79-46 win over Ridge, then passed tests from two of the Skyland Conference’s elite – winning 64-53 Thursday at Montgomery (in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio) and again Saturday at home over Rutgers Prep, 90-84. The Knights should have the inside track at the top seed in the county tournament, but first will have to get by Pingry Tuesday; the Big Blue knocked off Rutgers Prep Thursday, and would have a legitimate argument for that top seed if they can beat Gill on the road.

Meanwhile, St. Joseph-Metuchen moves up to No. 2, as they remain undefeated at 10-0. The Falcons went 4-0 in the week gone by; they were 61-45 winners over St. Thomas Aquinas at home Tuesday and beat Old Bridge 75-35 on Thursday in GMC play. Then, Saturday at the Iverson Classic Breakout Series at Paramus Catholic, they beat Archbishop Carroll (PA) 61-50. And on Sunday, they beat Wings Academy (NY), 77-36.

With an upset of Rutgers Prep Thursday, Pingry enters the top ten at No. 3. The Big Blue are 7-2, and last week, knocked off one of the league’s heavyweights in the Argonauts at home. That followed a Tuesday win over then-No. 10 Immaculata, which came back Thursday to hand Bridgewater-Raritan its first defeat of the season. Pingry took a loss Saturday, however, at Oratory Prep, 60-58.

Falling one spot to fourth was Rutgers Prep (6-5), which opened the week with an 89-73 win over Montgomery, but then lost three straight – at Pingry on Thursday, 64-58; Saturday at Gill, 90-84, and Sunday, 79-64, to St. Francis (NY) at their Shooting Stars Shootout showcase event.

Falling from No. 1 back behind Prep is Montgomery, which lost two league games during the week, at Rutgers Prep on Tuesday, then to Gill at home on Thursday. But the Cougars ended a three-game skid with a 66-45 home win over an eight-win Overbrook team from the Tri-County Conference in their own Coaches vs. Cancer Classic down in Skillman.

East Brunswick (11-1) has won five straight, and rises one spot to six this week. The Bears beat Woodbridge 80-54 on Tuesday, Monroe 72-40 on Thursday, then used a big second-half rally to win at Sayreville, 48-47, on Saturday, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Immaculata (6-2) climbed to No. 7 this week from ten. After a loss to Pingry, 64-59, back on Tuesday, they rebounded by knocking off undefeated and then-No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan on the road, 64-57. They also won Saturday, beating Hamilton 77-42.

Down two spots to No. 8 is Bridgewater-Raritan (9-1), which took its first loss of the year Thursday against Immaculata at home. That was sandwiched in between a pair of wins: Tuesday, 69-50, at Watchung Hills, and Saturday at Hillside, 69-54.

Piscataway (9-3) is down to nine after a two-loss week. They fell 68-67 Thursday to previously-ranked Sayreville, then lost Sunday afternoon to East Orange at nearby Plainfield in the Stay Public Basketball Showcase, 74-53.

And down one spot to tenth is Somerville (8-2). The Pioneers lost Tuesday 48-24 to Delaware Valley, but bounced back with a pair of wins: Thursday at home over College Achieve Central, 71-26, then Saturday, 52-20 over Westfield in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Montgomery.

Dropping out this week is No. 8 South Plainfield. The Tigers (8-3) beat Colonia Tuesday at home, 56-42, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, then Woodbridge 88-68 on Thursday, but fell twice over the weekend: Saturday to Ramapo 54-30 in the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at Montgomery, then Sunday 67-46 to Westfield in the Stay Public Basketball Showcase at Plainfield.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Saturday Hoops Roundup: No. 2 Gill St. Bernard’s boys make case for No. 1 with win over No. 3 Rutgers Prep, Montgomery back to winning; Colonia, Bernards girls stay unbeaten

It’s official: we’re in the thick of high school basketball season.

And we’re nearly at the midpoint of the regular season, considering we’re about a month in for most teams, and in the CJSR coverage area, the county seedings are a little less than a month away.

Here’s a look at games of note from Saturday afternoon/evening:

Gill tops Prep; Will Knights be No. 1?

It was a weak of heavy-hitters going at it in Somerset County this week, starting with Rutgers Prep’s win over Montgomery on Tuesday, the second straight loss for the Cougars. Gill St. Bernard’s beat them on Thursday, leaving the race for the top seed in the Somerset County Tournament mostly between those two.

Bridgewater-Raritan might have been in the mix, heading into Thursday’s home game against Immaculata at 8-0, but the Panthers took their first loss of the season that night, and Rutgers Prep got upset by Pingry.

Still, the Argonauts had a shot with a head-to-head at Gill St. Bernard’s Saturday afternoon. It was a tight one, with the Knights even trailing with five minutes and change left. But in the end, a career high night of 33 points – and ten rebounds – from Prosper Highlander, the Knights triumphed, 90-84.

That should give the Knights the inside track at the top seed in the SCT. With the seeding meeting on Monday, January 26th, all eyes will be on Gill this week, as the No. 1 spot is basically theirs to lose. But they will have to deal with the Big Blue on Tuesday, a game the Knights will host at 7 pm.

Gill gets Bridgewater on the road Thursday at 5:30 (the Panthers host Rutgers Prep Tuesday) but won’t get Immaculata – which beat the Panthers – until Tuesday, the 27th, after the seeding meeting.

Montgomery boys back on the winning track…

The Cougars always play tough competition – in their own league and out of conference – but this week ran into quite the buzzsaw. After an 8-0 start, they lost by two to Linden in the Warrior Classic at Manasquan, a close game Kris Grundy said was just a great game anyone could have won.

He was not as happy against Rutgers Prep, saying in a pre-game interview for Thursday’s meeting with Gill St. Bernard’s that they got out of their game a bit against the Argonauts. And pretty much the same thing happened Thursday against the Knights.

So, it was good to be home on Saturday for their annual Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout, where they picked up a win against a solid, 8-2 Overbrook team out of the Tri-County Conference. Mike Simborsko scored 19 points, while Connor Benedict added 15 for the Cougars, who are now 9-3 on the season and get a bit of an easier week coming up, with Hillsborough – a solid 7-3, but not on a par with Linden, Prep or Gill – on Tuesday, and Phillipsburg (1-7) on Thursday.

Colonia girls are back on the map

The Colonia girls’ basketball team had some grand times when Taylor Derkack and Mattie Chiera were on the floor, after Chiera graduated in 2023 and Derkack in 2024, the Patriots struggled to a 7-20 year in 2024-25 under first-year head coach Jill Bachonski.

Well, that’s a distant memory now, as Colonia has already surpassed last year’s win total and is undefeated: 9-0 on the season. Some wins have been on the close side, like a 59-58 victory where they held off a late surge by Spotswood, and a six-point win over Montclair on the first day of the Charlie Dolan Holiday Tournament up at Kearney, which they won. They also have biggger-margin wins over Edison (twice), and even Old Bridge on Saturday, 62-38.

And while Derkack and Chiera were clearly the stars a few years ago, this team is balanced, and young, so they’ll be together a while.

Sophomore Ariana Sosa is the leading scorer at 12.3 points per game, with a team best 16 treys, and 7.3 rebounds per game. Nasaleah Hooker – the only senior and one of two holdovers from the Derkack-Chiera era – is next at 10.7 points and 13.4 boards per contest. Freshman Samantha Howell is averaging 9.8 per game, and junior Hailey Conklin – the other holdout with Hooker – is averaging almost nine points per game.

That’s balance.

We’ll get our first look at Colonia on Tuesday night this coming week, when the Patriots travel to Middlesex for a 5 pm Red National Division game.

Bernards girls also remain perfect…

There’s just one unbeaten team left in the Somerset County – in fact, in the entire Skyland Conference – and it’s not Rutgers Prep, nor Gill St. Bernard’s nor even Bound Brook.

It’s the Bernards Mountaineers. They’re 8-0 after a 53-32 cruise past non-conference foe Hanover Park at home on Saturday afternoon.

Bernards won the Artie Flaherty Holiday Tournament at Metcuhen back in December. (Source: @Bernards_GBball on Twitter)

They’re a low-scoring team, averaging just 43.1 points per game, but they’re allowing a paltry 31.6 per game. So they’re winning by almost a dozen every time out and have been amazingly consistent: They won their opener by four, their most recent game by 21, but in between by 16, 14, 15, and then three straight games by eleven.

Senior and thousand-point scorer Aletha Reynolds (1,181 career points) is a four-year starter, and averaging 14.6 points per game this season, with three double-doubles already. Junior Jasmine Kelleher (9 ppg) and freshman Jane Freisen (8.2 ppg) have also been key.

Tuesday night will be a big matchup for the Mountaineers, their first meeting of the year – and only one before the SCT seeding – with Somerville (9-2), on the road, Tuesday night at 5:30.

by Mike Pavlichko

Pingry knocks off No. 3 Rutgers Prep, 64-58, and all heck breaks loose in Somerset County hoops

The last few years in Somerset County boys’ basketball have been about Rutgers Prep, Gill St. Bernard’s and Montgomery. They first two have split Somerset County titles, while Montgomery has won back to back Central Jersey Group 4 champions. Bridgewater-Raritan, undefeated heading into Thursday play – more on that in a bit – now is in the mix this year, as well.

Well, now you can add Pingry, too.

A pesky club for years, giving some of the Skyland Conference’s best teams fits, they knocked off third-ranked Rutgers Prep (No. 9 in New Jersey) at home Thursday night, 64-58, in a game that will have a profound effect on the Somerset County Tournament seeding when it takes place later this month.

The Big Blue (7-1) trailed 34-29 at halftime, but used a monster third and incredible defense to hold Rutgers Prep (8-3) to just seven third quarter points, winning the period 17-7, going into the third up 46-41, hanging on to win through an even fourth quarter.

Dylan Cowell came up huge for the Big Blue, scoring 29 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, one of three Pingry players to complete double-doubles on the night, along with 15 points and ten boards from Neel Sappidi, and 12 points and 14 rebounds from Ryan Rust.

William Brunson had 15 points and 12 boards for a double-double for Rutgers Prep.

Now the race gets interesting…

To reset the race for the top seed in the Somerset County Tournament, among the top teams:

  • Rutgers Prep beat Montgomery Tuesday, 89-73, but fell to Pingry Thursday night
  • Montgomery lost to Rutgers Prep Tuesday, and to Gill St. Bernard’s 64-53 Thursday night
  • Rutgers Prep visits Gill St. Bernard’s Saturday afternoon at 3:30

And then, there’s Bridgewater-Raritan. The Panthers had been undefeated heading into Thursday, but they lost 64-57 at home to Immaculata to fall to 8-1. Bridgewater gets their version of Murderer’s Row next week, when the Panthers visit Rutgers Prep Tuesday and host Gill St. Bernard’s Thursday.

Pingry visits Gill next Tuesday night.

There’s still a lot of basketball to play, but as the dust settles from January 8, 2026, it would appear Gill St. Bernard’s – if they can win the games the should – has the early inside track at the No. 1 seed.

But hey, we’ve still got more than two weeks until the seeding meeting.

by Mike Pavlichko

More postseason honors, as Skyland Conference announces all-Division teams

The coaches from the Skyland Conference have unveiled their 2025 All-Division teams, honoring 156 players from across its four divisions, including the 14 Somerset County schools in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

Here’s the full list of players honored, by division:

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – DELAWARE DIVISION

First Team

  • Ridge: Quinn Dashefsky, Jake Dolan, Aidan Stieglitz, Sawyer Paul
  • Immaculata: Jayson Labrador, Owen Schilling, Ryan Auten, Jackson Trego
  • Hunterdon Central: Danny Contiliano, Soren Gregoe, Ryan Lundari, Anthony Petiro
  • Bridgewater-Raritan: Matt Lehberger, Kellan Komline
  • Hillsborough: TJ Westlake
  • North Hunterdon Alex Famolari, Zach Fronio
Ridge starter Aidan Stieglitz throws against Rutgers Prep in the SCT semifinals at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 19, 2025. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)

Second Team:

  • Ridge: Kieran Callanan, Lucas Liston, Casey Kucerka, Toby Nicholson
  • Immaculata: Justin Labrador, Colin Kassai, Rob Sikorski
  • Bridgewater-Raritan: Jack Lanum, JR Rosado, Michael Lobosco
  • Hillsborough:  Brayden Fox, Alex Reiling, Andrew Advani, Elijah Dawes, James Drinkwater
  • North Hunterdon: Brandon Suler, Liam Kane

Honorable Mention:

  • Ridge: Ryan Luo
  • Immaculata: Cole Raymond
  • Hunterdon Central: Kevin Pepe
  • Bridgewater-Raritan: Nico Moore
  • Hillsborough: Tommy Kester
  • North Hunterdon: Hunter Brown

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – RARITAN DIVISION

First Team:

  • Watchung Hills: Robbie Centamore, Jake Kierstead, Stefano DiGeronimo, Max Eder, Jacob Jaconski
  • Phillipsburg: Nichole Yaccarino, Brady Handwerk, Felilx Matos
  • Somerville: Ryan Ciesla, CJ Banos, Owen Melchione, Andrew Kessler
  • Franklin: Izaiah Robinson, Stanley Madera, Mike Schiermeyer
  • Montgomery: John Donahue, Jake Hayes
Watchung Hills junior Rob Centamore pitches against Somerville in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division game at Torpey Athletic Complex on April 15, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Second Team:

  • Watchung Hills: Max Payne, Ethan Clayton, Chris Dorsi, Brady Griffith
  • Phillipsburg: Chase Passmore, Wyatt Garrison, Jett Genovese
  • Somerville: Chase Koplitz, Salton Corman, Michael Meyers
  • Franklin: Dylan Shah, Elijah Zavatsky, Roderick Ray, Shane Rooney, Jacob Gordon
  • Montgomery: Mason Neufeld, Henry Maddox

Honorable Mention:

  • Watchung Hills: Ethan Byrd
  • Phillipsburg: Mike Bracco, Sam Michalski, Dylan Wayne
  • Somerville: Ethan Flynn, Robby Wright
  • Franklin: Shaylen Patel, Defraily Sosa
  • Montgomery: Evan Puleio

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – VALLEY DIVISION:

First Team:

  • Rutgers Prep: Cody Rullo, Li Perez, Maddox Chu, Ethan Nepomuceno
  • Bernards: Casey Hoeckele, James Ferrante, Landen Farmer, Matthew Falzarano
  • Delaware Valley: Cooper Freansen, James Hintennach, David Hudock
  • Gill St. Bernard’s: Joey Dwek, Aaron Wu, Drew Aromando
  • Warren Hills: Kyle Kucharski
  • Pingry: Matthew Carrieri, Aaron Wu
Ethan Nepomuceno of Rutgers Prep bats against St. Thomas Aquinas in the Non-Public South A quarterfinals in North Edison on May 30, 2025. (Photo: Alec Crouthamel)

Second Team:

  • Rutgers Prep: Peter Wheeler, Matt Bilmes
  • Bernards: Matty Stefani, David DiPierro
  • Delaware Valley: Dylan Rasimowicz, Chris Cialone, Gabe Miller
  • Gill St. Bernard’s: Miko West, Owen Ehrenkranz
  • Warren Hills: Marco Frasca, Jacob Valverde, Jack Fournier, Dan Willis, Cohl Stevens
  • Pingry: Joaquin Stevenson, Riley Wong

Honorable Mention:

  • Rutgers Prep: Alex Perez
  • Bernards: Alex Fraunfelder
  • Delaware Valley: Brady Reardon
  • Gill St. Bernard’s Joey Fava
  • Warren Hills: Luke Barrett
  • Pingry: Michael Cardona

SKYLAND CONFERENCE – MOUNTAIN DIVISION

First Team:

  • Voorhees: Bryen Flaherty, Brenton Ansbach, Alex Dyevich, Julian Liu, Matteo Tramutola
  • Manville: Evan Canica, Brandon Shimp, Josh D’Ambrosio, Bobby Petrone
  • South Hunterdon: Edward Cooper, Aaron Parisi, Nate Lawton, Landon Katz
  • Belvidere: Jake Ackerman, Christopher Knight
  • Bound Brook: Aiden Boehm
Manville (in white) and Montgomery square off at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater on May 7, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Second Team:

  • Voorhees: Dylan Vernick, Joe Wernecki
  • Manville: Collin Shimp, Tyler Johnson
  • South Hunterdon: Michael Budrewicz, Mason Currie, Ty Dunn, Trevor Lingerfield
  • Belvidere: Matthew Beaney, Justin Hummel, Cameron Yeisley
  • Bound Brook: Ryan Cunha, Lucas Coleman

Honorable Mention:

  • Voorhees: Carter Nielson
  • Manville: Aidan Johnson
  • South Hunterdon: Trevor Sinkus
  • Bound Brook: Jon Coiro
by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernard’s knocked out of state tourney, Pingry and others postponed due to rain

It was already a limited schedule for the NJSIAA state baseball tournament, with Wednesday dedicated to non-public schools, and many already had byes.

Of the two Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area teams to be scheduled to play, only one did, as Gill St. Bernard’s got eliminated by Hawthorne Christian, while Pingry’s game against Union Catholic – along with one other in that section – was postponed, and moved to Thursday at 3 pm.

NON-PUBLIC NORTH B FIRST ROUND

(10) Hawthorne Christian 3, (7) Gill St. Bernard’s 2: The Knights (12-12) fell into a 3-0 hole in this one and couldn’t recover, with a seventh-inning rally falling short. Gill gave up a run in the first and two in the third to the Defenders,, then got one back in the bottom of the fourth on a one-out RBI single by Owen Ehrenkranz, who was stranded after two fly ball outs followed. In the seventh, Joey Fava led off with a single to center, then took second on a passed ball, moved to third on a groundout by Trip Hegarty, then scored on a comebacker to the mound. But that left the bases empty, and Hawthorne starter Matt Altomare got the final out for a complete-game, five-hit win. The Defenders will visit two-seed Morristown-Beard Friday.

In the only other game in the section, 8th-seed Newark Academy routed nine-seed Morris Catholic, 11-1, and will visit top-seed Montclair-Kimberley Academy on Friday.

In Non-Public South A, nine-seed St. John Vianney was scheduled to meet 8th-seed Paul VI Wednesday afternoon at 4 pm. We’ll have a score on that game once it’s final and reported.

UPCOMING STATE PLAYOFF SCHEDULE:

THURSDAY

Central Jersey Group 4 Quarterfinals
(9) Hillsborough at (1) Hunterdon Central, 4 pm (pp’d to 3 pm Friday)
(12) Montgomery at (4) Hightstown, 4:30 pm
(11) Franklin at (3) Edison, 4 pm
(10) Manalapan at (2) Old Bridge, 5 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 Quarterfinals
(9) Bridgewater-Raritan at (1) Ridge, 4 pm (at Diamond Nation, Flemington)
(5) Phillipsburg at (4) Elizabeth, 1 pm
(11) Ferris at (3) Westfield, 4 pm
(7) Columbia at (2) Woodbridge, 4 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 Quarterfinals
(8) Middletown North at (1) Colonia, 4 pm
(12) Carteret at (4) North Hunterdon, 4 pm (at Diamond Nation, Flemington)
(6) Cranford at (3) South Plainfield, 2 pm
(7) Somerville at (2) Millburn, 4 pm

Central Jersey Group 2 Quarterfinals
(9) South River at (1) Governor Livingston, 4:30 pm (at Snyder Ave Park, Berkeley Heights)
(13) Cinnaminson at (5) Raritan, 4 pm
(14) Bordentown at (11) Allentown, 4 pm
(10) Rumson-Fair Haven at (2) Robbinsville, 4 pm

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2 Quarterfinals
(8) Lyndhurst at (1) West Essex, 3 pm
(5) Rutherford at (4) West Morris, 4 pm
(11) Mendham at (3) Passaic Valley, 4:15 pm
(10) Bernards at (2) Madison, 3:15 pm

Central Jersey Group 1 Quarterfinals
(9) South Hunterdon at (1) Middlesex, 4 pm
(5) Florence at (4) Shore, 4 pm
(6) Delaware Valley at (3) Metuchen, 4 pm
(7) South Amboy at (2) Pt. Pleasant Beach, 3 pm

Non-Public South A First Round
(11) Pingry at (6) Union Catholic, 3 pm
(10) Donovan Catholic at (7) Notre Dame, 3 pm

FRIDAY

Central Jersey Group 4 Quarterfinals
(9) Hillsborough at (1) Hunterdon Central, 3 pm

Non-Public South A Quarterfinals
(9) St. John Vianney/(8) Paul VI winner at (1) Christian Brothers
(5) Immaculata at (4) St. Joseph-Metuchen
(11) Pingry/(6) Union Catholic winner at (3) St. Augustine
(10) Donovan Catholic/(7) Notre Dame winner at (2) Red Bank Catholic

Non-Public North B Quarterfinals
(8) Newark Academy at (1) Montclair-Kimberley
(5) Rutgers Prep at (4) St. Thomas Aquinas, 4 pm
(6) Pope John at (3) St. Mary-Rutherford, 4 pm
(10) Hawthorne Christian at (2) Morristown-Beard

by Mike Pavlichko

SCT underway as Franklin routs Bound Brook; Montgomery looks to keep momentum going in matchup with Pingry

The opening round of the 2025 Somerset County Tournament is a split, with one game Wednesday and one Thursday, since 12th-seed Montgomery already had a regular-season game scheduled the day the tournament was supposed to start.

But the Cougars will hope to bottle whatever their secret sauce was against Manville Wednesday in a 5-2 win at TD Bank Park heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio when they take on 13-seed Pingry at 4:30 Thursday afternoon out at Diamond Nation in Flemington.

(11) Franklin 11, (14) Bound Brook 1

The Warriors got out to an early lead in this one, scoring twice in the bottom of the first on a double-steal and a groundout. After Bound Brook got one in the top of the second on a double by Jon Coiro to cut the deficit in half, the Warriors plated seven in the bottom of the inning to take a 9-1 lead.

Dylan Shah drove in two, two errors by the Crusaders led to the next two runs, and a Manny Vasquez bases-clearing double drove in three.

Franklin added six more in the fourth on a sac fly by Elijah Zavatsky, two walks, two hard ground balls in the infield, and a sac fly by Stanley Madera.

Starter Shayne Rooney got the win, allowing five hits and one run in four innings of work, with a very efficient 70-pitch outing as Franklin improves to 6-7. The Warriors will play at 6-seed Bridgewater-Raritan Monday in the first round, the round of 16.

Montgomery (4-11) vs. Pingry (3-13)
Thursday, 4:30 pm at Diamond Nation, Flemington

Montgomery had about as solid a win as they had all season Wednesday in a 5-3 regular-season victory over Manville. They played great defense, executed two sac bunts including a suicide squeeze, got solid pitching and timely hitting, even caught a runner stealing who had reached on an tough error in the second. What else could you ask for?

Now, they’ll need to bottle that up against the Big Blue.

Montgomery had been hitting just a shade over .200 coming into Wednesday’s game, but they scored six runs on five hits to get the win, an efficient effort. Senior John Donahue has been their big bopper, hitting .436, but even more impressive was that the bottom third of the order went 3-for-6 against the Mustangs with two walks, three runs scored, two sac bunts, and two RBIs.

Pingry’s top hitters include sophomore Riley Wong (.469, 9 RBI) and senior Joaquin Stevenson (.432) while senior Matt Carrieri is hitting .346 with three home runs, and freshman Sam deLaurier (.342) has knocked in a team best 12 runs.

UPCOMING SCT SCHEDULE:

First Round – Monday, May 12
(9) Gill St Bernard’s at (8) Bernards, winner at (1) Ridge
(12) Montgomery/(13) Pingry at (5) Somerville, winner at (4) Rutgers Prep
(11) Franklin at (6) Bridgewater-Raritan, winner at (3) Watchung Hills
(10) Manville at (7) Hillsborough, winner at (2) Immaculata

The quarterfinals will be played Wednesday, May 14, at higher seeds.

Central Jersey Sports Radio’s live coverage – presented by Zoned Sports Academy of Bridgewater – will begin on Monday, May 19 with the semifinals at 1 and 4 pm at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater.