Tag: Piscataway

by Mike Pavlichko

Shots stop falling for No. 4 Piscataway, and No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen takes down Chiefs in OT

There were a couple of ways this one could have gone at halftime, when No. 4 Piscataway took an 18-point lead into the home locker room at halftime over visiting No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen on Saturday afternoon.

It wasn’t likely to stay that way. It felt like had the Chiefs kept the momentum going they’d come out with a huge home win, pulling further away. Or, the Falcons would make a game of it.

Switching to a 1-3-1 zone after playing most of the first half man-to-man – something Piscataway head coach Bob Turco figured they’d do at some point, if not from the tip, St. Joe’s beat the Chiefs at their own game.

In the first half, a stifling defense forced at least a dozen turnovers, as Piscataway built a 35-17 halftime lead.

But after the break, the tables were turned. The Chiefs scored three points in the third quarter – all from the foul line – and had only one field goal in the fourth – a trey from Josh Lima. And still, they never trailed, going to OT tied at 49-49.

But St. Joe’s would take its first lead in OT, and pull away for a 64-53 win heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Senior guard Alijah Murphy and junior forward Andrew Kretkwoski each had game-highs of 18 points. Kretkowski – a transfer in from Rutgers Prep – was in-and-out, in foul trouble a good part of the game, but had a couple of monstrous dunks – on in the second quarter, and another in overtime that signalled the game was over, even with time still remaining on the clock.

Piscataway wasn’t just not hitting shots, they took very few, unable to get good looks, and were dominated down low by 6′ 10″ sophomore center Joel Patrick, swatting away layups and grabbing rebounds with authority.

In a battle of unbeatens, the Falcons improved to 6-0, while the Chiefs fall to 9-1, their first loss of the season, just two days after knocking off state 12th-ranked Teaneck in the BWB Resolution Bumble at FDU-Madison on New Year’s Day.

Click below for postgame reaction from St. Joseph’s Andrew Kretkowski, Alijah Murphy and head coach Mark Taylor, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Unbeaten Montgomery retains No. 1 spot in Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten, Rutgers Prep, Bridgewater edge up, Somerville joins

The combination of the winter break – and a winter storm that blew through the area Friday into Saturday this past weekend – meant a light schedule for many of the boy’s basketball teams in the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

As a result, there was very little movement in the Week 3 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten.

Montgomery (6-0) held on to the top spot, winning its only game of the week, 75-27 over Hamilton West. The Cougar Holiday Classic at Montgomery was moved from Saturday to Monday due to the storm.

Rutgers Prep (4-1) moved up a spot on the strength of a win over defending South Jersey, Group 2 champion Camden Sunday at the Pete & Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University outside of Philly. That dropped Gill St. Bernard’s (3-1) down one to third, as they were idle this week.

The next four teams all held court. The first of the bunch is No. 4 Piscataway (6-0), which won on Monday at Colonia, 75-73 in double overtime, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They followed it up with a win over previously unbeaten Perth Amboy on Tuesday, 80-52.

St. Joseph-Metuchen held in fifth, but we’ve updated the Falcons’ record to 3-0 after their December 8th opener against Wesley College of Australia – a 101-37 win – was posted.

East Brunswick (6-0) holds at six after a 2-0 week, with a 75-71 win over Franklin on Tuesday, and a 78-69 victory over Ranney Saturday in the Alfred E. Martin Buc Classic at Red Bank Regional, which puts them into Monday’s semifinals.

And holding at No. 7 is Sayreville (4-1), which was a 68-47 winner over Monroe on Monday in their only game of the week.

Bridgewater-Raritan (5-0) moves up a spot to No. 8, though they did not play, as previous No. 8 Colonia (2-4) drops out. The Patriots lost to Piscataway Monday in double-OT at home, 75-73, then fell to Friendship Tech Saturday in the Governor’s Challenge showcase event down in Salisbury, MD.

Somerville (4-0) joins the rankings at No. 9 , after a 1-0 week in which they beat Manville, 48-23, on the road.

And Immaculata (2-1) – idle last week – holds at No. 10.

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

A digital ranking table displaying the Week 3 standings for the 2025-26 boys' basketball season, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. The table includes team names, records, and previous rankings, with highlighted spots for the top ten teams.

Colonia and Piscataway square off in a GMC Red American Division game in Colonia on December 22, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – BOYS: No. 4 Piscataway 75, No. 8 Colonia 73 (2 OT)

Behind three players in double figures – led by Donald Nwaigwe tying a career high with 25 points – No. 4 Piscataway got its first win over Colonia in 13 years with a 75-73 double-overtime win against the 8th-ranked Patriots.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel call all the play-by-play from Colonia High School on December 22, 2025.

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Piscataway takes down No. 8 Colonia in double OT for first win over Patriots in 13 years

It was almost 13 years to the day – 13 years and two days, to be exact – so it seemed to make some cosmic sense that this would would take an extra eight minutes.

No. 4 Piscataway would need two overtimes, but the Chiefs topped No. 8 Colonia on the road Monday night, 75-73, for their first win over the Patriots since December 20, 2012 – in a contest heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – ending an eleven-game losing streak in the series.

Of course, the two head coaches – Bob Turco of Piscataway and Jose Rodriguez of Colonia – have coached against each other many times, including some big games over the years when Turco was at St. Thomas Aquinas, before he became head coach of the Chiefs last season, where they lost two regular season games to Colonia, and the GMC Tournament final.

Piscataway looked on its way to a win early on, playing its trademark defense – even if it wasn’t quite in midseason form yet – with Colonia missing on some shots, and looking tentative on offense. Still, they only trailed by five at the half, 33-28. It could have been more, except the Patriots’ Jayce Rodriguez got three gift free throws – and made two – as he got fouled on a prayer three at the buzzer that had no chance.

After the break, Colonia became more aggressive on offense, realizing they might not get many good looks at the basket. They worked harder, took some chancy shots, but started sinking them. They would take just their second lead of the game in the third quarter, and go up by as many as eight late in the period, up 45-37 heading into what many figured would be the last eight minutes of the game.

In the fourth, the lead changed hands a couple of times. In the 90 seconds, Piscataway took a 53-52 lead on a baseline layup by Josh Lima. After two fouls the other way, the Patriots were in the bonus, and sophomore Chris Charles split a pair to tie the game at 53.

Dylan Chiera found Jayden Johnson with 52 seconds to go on a backdoor pass, then Lima found Donald Nwaigwe with 38 seconds left on a layup for the answer, tying it at 55. Then after a rebound and time out, Colonia got called for a five-second violation, Piscataway inbounded with 12 seconds to go but a Lima shot from the top of the key over a double team missed everything to send the game to overtime.

The teams would trade the lead a few more times in the first OT. With 30 seconds left, Lima picked up a steal for the Chiefs, drove to the foul line with 14.5 to go and dropped in a scoop layup, drawing contact, to go up one, 64-63. But he missed the and-one free throw, Colonia got the ball after it went off Piscataway on the rebound.

The Patriots drew a foul on Lima, his fifth, ending his night. Rodriguez hit the first to tie it 64-64, but missed the second with 8.6 seconds remaining. Piscataway got the rebound, and called time out, but with 1.8 seconds left, Nfa Clyne got called for his fifth, to foul out, and Tyler West went to the foul line for two, right in the face of the student section, the “Colonia Crazies.”

West missed both free throws, Colonia got the rebound with 0.1 on the clock, and the officials put two-tenths back on, not enough time for any more than a tip-in. They inbounded to Rodriguez, and his three-quarter court three wasn’t close, sending the game to overtime No. 2.

The lead again went back and fourth in the sixth period. With 1:03 to go, Isaiah Fowler got fouled on a three that he missed, but he made all three from the line to tie the game at 69. Colonia countered with a putback by Chiera to make it 71-69. Rodriguez committed a foul on the other end, putting Fowler back at the line, where he split a pair to make it 71-70.

On the rebound off the second shot, Donald Nwaigwe got a putback to put the Chiefs up by one, but then he committed a foul in the backcourt, sending Rodriguez to the line where he hit both to make it 73-72 Colonia. Nwaigwe got fouled the other way, and tied it up by making both to put the Chiefs up 74-73 with 54.5 left.

Colonia came down the floor, ran some clock, and after a miss, got a rebound from Jayden Johnson with 30.6 on the clock, prompting the Patriots to call their last time out.

Rodriguez drove to the basket and had a shot rim-out, with the Chiefs getting the rebound, and drawing a foul. That’s where Isaiah Fowler hit the first to go up two, then missed the second. A rebound by Jayden Johnson gave Colonia the ball, and a pull-up three for the lead missed, while the rebound went to the Chiefs who hurled the ball down the floor to seal the deal, winning it 75-73.

Watch the game’s final sequence, with play-by-play by Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel!

For Colonia (2-3, 2-2 GMC Red American), Jayce Rodriguez scored a career-high 37 points, eight in overtime, and he hit four treys. The only other player in double figures for the Pats was Chiera, with ten.

Piscataway (5-0, 3-0 GMC Red American) got 25 from Nwaigwe, including seven in OT, and 18 from Isaiah Fowler. Lima added 15 for the Chiefs.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Piscataway junior Izayah Brown and head coach Bob Turco, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Logo of Sportsplex at Metuchen promoting their open gym sessions, featuring various sports icons.
by Mike Pavlichko

No. 4 Piscataway hitting from the arc, playing takeaway defense as they visit No. 8 Colonia in GMC Finals rematch

On paper, it’s a rematch, featuring the two teams that reached last year’s GMC final, with the victorious team having won its second straight.

But looked at another way on paper, it’s not quite.

Colonia is missing several key contributors to that game against Piscataway, with Aidan Derkack now at Spire Academy in Ohio, R.J. Wortman leaving high school early to enroll at Rutgers, where he’ll play football on scholarship, defensive specialist Zach Smith graduated, and Julien Jones and Colin Kroner not suiting up this year.

But Piscataway head coach Bob Turco knows Colonia well. Besides battling last year, they’d do the same prior to that when Turco was at St. Thomas Aquinas; they even met in the 2024 final.

And what does Turco know about Colonia? They still have dudes.

So even if a challenging first four games of the year have left the No. 8 Patriots 2-2, while fourth-ranked Piscataway is 4-0, he knows – and so do we, frankly – that this one is going to be a battle, as it always is.

You can hear Monday night’s game – our final regular season broadcast before the New Year – on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Pregame starts around 5:45 with tip-off set for 6 pm; click here to listen.

For its part, Piscataway is getting incredible point production. They are averaging almost 86 points per game in their first four – wins over McKee/Staten Island Tech (NY), West Orange, St. Thomas Aquinas and Old Bridge – and are averaging more than seven threes per game.

Of course, Turco is a defensive minded coach, believing that the defense fuels the offense. So maybe that’s been it. Because Piscataway has 88 steals and 85 assists through its first four games, more than four times as many steals and more than double the number of assists Colonia has.

While numbers don’t always tell the whole story, they tell a good part of it on the floor. Watch them, and they scrap on defense, deflecting many passes, too. The steals and tips lead to passes up the floor where the Chiefs can get a ton of points in transition.

Click below to hear Piscataway head coach Bob Turco talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Alec Crouthamel

Battle-tested No. 8 Colonia returns home to host No. 4 Piscataway in GMCT title rematch

Jose Rodriguez has his team where he wants them.

Amid an even start — two wins, two losses — against some stiff competition, No. 8 Colonia boys basketball has seen new players enter the fold, and experienced ones expanding on their experiences and roles from the past.

It’s been a narrow line to balance so far for Rodriguez, now in his eighth season at the helm, working between playing some of the tougher competition in and out of the GMC, but his team is hungry to improve daily, and are taking the responsibilities in stride.

The latest challenge comes in another conference matchup, as No. 4 Piscataway comes to town in a rematch of last season’s GMC Tournament Championship.

You can hear Monday evening’s game between the Patriots (2-2) and the Chiefs (4-0) live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with tip-off set for 6 pm and pregame at 5:45. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel will call all the action; click here to listen.

The history between Rodriguez and Piscataway head coach Bob Turco — two games removed from a milestone 400th victory on Wednesday — has been long-chronicled, but Colonia figures to bring shotmaking and athleticism to the table in the latest iteration between the two.

Of the returning players stepping into elevated roles, sophomore guard Jayce Rodriguez has flourished, putting up points in bunches. He had a terrific summer, according to his head coach — and father — and comes into the week averaging 22 points per game.

Senior point guard Dylan Chiera brings battle-tested leadership and playmaking on both ends of the floor, and has stepped into a bigger on-ball role himself.

There’s some new blood, as well.

Freshman Desmond Rudanovic has started his high school career in (long) stride at 6-foot-7, leading the team in rebounding and providing touch and versatility at his size. He will likely have to be the equalizer against an athletic Piscataway frontcourt, but one he has a size advantage over.

The Patriots also boast plenty of athletes ready to get after it on the defensive side, led by senior Nfa Clyne — who causes havoc with his speed and strength on the ball defensively — with underclassmen Tyronn Holloway and Jayden Johnson waiting in the wings.

All told, Colonia’s two losses to St. Peter’s Prep and No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen, as well as wins over St. Thomas Aquinas and Old Bridge, all serve as moments to continue to grow, potentially into a team nobody will want to face as the calendar flips to 2026.

The Chiefs will have to be up to that task on Monday night in Colonia.

Click below to hear Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez preview Monday’s game against Piscataway and discuss the Patriots’ season so far with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

by Mike Pavlichko

A New No. 1, and two new teams join the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

The first full week of play in high school basketball didn’t have anything in the way of seismic upsets, but there is a new No. 1 team in the Bellamy & Son Paving rankings – with a very fine line and little room for error among the top five teams, which are a combined 17-2 following this weekend’s action – as well as two new teams joining the bottom half of the rankings.

None have necessarily come up with any stunning or signature wins, but are playing very good basketball at the moment.

We start, of course, at the top, where 5-0 Montgomery takes the top spot by a nose, with an unblemished record. The Cougars won four games this week, starting off their league slate with an 81-55 win at Watchung Hills on Tuesday. Thursday, they beat Immaculata, 72-62 at home, then won twice over the weekend. Saturday, it was a 60-36 win over Haddonfield at the Jimmy V Classic down at Cherokee High School, then a 72-33 rout of Paramus Catholic in The Battle at the Dunn Center in Elizabeth.

Monty’s move leaves Gill St. Bernard’s (3-1) in the second spot. After a Tuesday win over Hillsborough, 51-49, then a 66-36 rout at Phillipsburg, Gill fell to unbeaten St. Peter’s Prep, 59-43, at the Big Jersey Showcase down at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft.

Holding in third is Rutgers Prep (3-1). The Argonauts bounced back from a season-opening loss with a 64-51 win over Phillipsburg Tuesday, a 62-60 win at Ridge Thursday, and a 70-60 win at Don Bosco Prep on Saturday.

Piscataway (4-0) is in fourth for a third straight week. The Chiefs beat West Orange Wednesday – as head coach Bob Turco picked up his 400th career win – then topped his old school, St. Thomas Aquinas, 90-66 on Thursday, before beating Old Bridge Saturday, 82-58.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (2-0) edges up one notch to five, after winning its opening two games (their December 8th game has not been officially recorded as a regular season win, so we’re not considering it here). The Falcons won 89-70 at Old Bridge Tuesday, and got by then-No. 5 Colonia at home, 58-40, Saturday afternoon.

Joining the Top Ten for the first time this season, at No. 6, is East Brunswick (4-0). The Bears won three games this week to stay perfect, starting with a 63-35 road win over Monroe. On Thursday, they topped No. 7 Sayreville, 58-53, then beat South Plainfield at home Saturday, 77-72.

That leaves Sayreville (3-1) in seventh, with a Tuesday win at St. John Vianney, 54-42, and a Saturday 81-58 win at Woodbridge sandwiched around the previously-mentioned loss to the Bears.

At No. 8, it’s Colonia (2-2), down three spots. The Patriots were 2-1 this week, starting with a pair of wins: 59-49 over St. Thomas Aquinas, and 71-60 over Old Bridge. Saturday, the Patriots took their second loss of the season, falling 58-40 at St. Joseph-Metuchen.

Checking in at No. 9 is Bridgewater-Raritan (4-0), also making its debut. The Panthers were 3-0 in the week gone by, starting with a 70-63 win at Franklin on Tuesday, followed by a 51-40 win over Hunterdon Central on Thursday, and a 64-19 win over College Achieve Central.

And still in the ten-spot is Immaculata (2-1). The Spartans beat Ridge Tuesday, 68-53, at home, then lost 72-62 at Montgomery Thursday, before bouncing back with a 61-53 win over Delaware Valley on Saturday.

Two teams dropped out to make room for East Brunswick and Bridgewater-Raritan. Ridge (0-4) fell out from No. 8 after an 0-3 week, with losses at Immaculata, 68-53 on Tuesday, Rutgers Prep 62-60 on Thursday, and against Delbarton in the Rose City Classic at FDU-Madison on Sunday, 50-47. St. Thomas Aquinas (1-3) fell out from No. 9 after a 1-2 week, including a 59-49 loss to Colonia Tuesday, and a 90-66 loss at Piscataway Thursday. They rebounded with a 49-35 win over 0-4 St. Joseph-Montvale Saturday in the Dr. Gerald Glisson Classic at Paterson Eastside. It’s the first time in the history of the CJSR/Bellamy Top Ten (dating to the COVID-shortened 2020 season) that the Trojans are not in the rankings, snapping a 50-week streak.

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

Image of the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten rankings for high school boys' basketball for the 2025-26 season, displaying the current standings, records, and previous rankings of the teams.

by Mike Pavlichko

It may be early, but there are some big boys’ games in the GMC this weekend

New divisional alignments and no guaranteed seeds in the GMC Tournament may give this year’s event a different look and feel, and while we’ve barely gotten the first week of play in the books in high school basketball for 2025-26, there are some games with big implications this weekend on the boys’ side.

Starting this season, the GMC abandoned the traditional Red, White, Blue, Gold and sometimes Silver Divisions for a National and American Division in the Red White and Blue – still with six divisions – plus mandatory crossovers to help scheduling.

The league also got rid of its longstanding seeding rule that division winners had to get one of the top seeds. When there were four divisions, each winner had to be among the top eight seeds. When the GMC added a Silver Division, it expanded that number, but now, that’s all gone. A Blue American Division winner could end up as the 20th seed if the committee – made of up ADs from each division and two coaches, chosen by the coaches themselves – sees fit.

That aim is to have more games against common league opponents that will make it easier for the committee to weigh each team’s resume. League games and crossovers now take on more importance than ever.

Here are some key games to watch Saturday on the boys’ side in the Greater Middlesex Conference:

No. 7 Sayreville (2-1) at Woodbridge (0-1), 12 pm

The Barrons took a tough 10-point loss to South Plainfield in their opener back on Tuesday, and now face a ticked-off seventh-ranked Bombers squad, which just dropped a five-point game at unranked East Brunswick Thursday night. (More on them later.) Senior Sam Jones has led the way, averaging 23.3 points per game with seven treys, and even his 18 – another 18 from Chidi Chukwurah – were not enough to overcome the Bears in a game that was neck-and-neck throughout.

Sayreville has a lot back coming off a 23-5 season, where they won the GMC White Division (11-1) over South Plainfield and were a GMC Tournament semifinalist as a three-seed, where they lost 73-62 to second-seed Piscataway.

Woodbridge would like to get in the win column, and a win over Sayreville could be a signature win in their pocket later on down the line, what the committee calls a “quality win,” against a team already “on the board,” or already “seeded.”

No. 5 Colonia (2-1) at No. 6 St. Joseph-Metuchen (1-0), 1 pm

The Patriots have won two straight GMC games after a season-opening 62-35 loss to St. Peter’s Prep in the NJBCA Tip-Off Classic at Montgomery last Saturday. They beat St. Thomas Aquinas on the road by ten Tuesday, 59-49, then topped Old Bridge 71-60 on Thursday night.

The Knights gave the Patriots a run for their money, jumping out to a 15-7 lead after one quarter, but Colonia stormed back with a 25-14 second period to take a 32-29 lead at the half. And, they trailed again 50-44 after three before rallying to win in the fourth. Sophomore Jayce Rodriguez – who’ll be called upon to do a lot more with the transfer loss of two-time GMCT MVP Aiden Derkack and early departure of R.J. Wortman to play football at Rutgers (he’s a January early enrolee) – scored a career high 32 points, including four treys.

Rodriguez, the son of head coach Jose Rodriguez, hadn’t scored more than 20 coming into this year, but had 26 in his last game, and is now averaging 25 points per game with 10 triples.

The jury is still out on the Falcons. While new (old) coach Mark Taylor has assembled an impressive group that expects to challenge for the Red American Division and a GMC Tournament title, they’ve gotten in just one GMC game, an 89-70 win at Old Bridge Tuesday in which the Knights led 19-18 after one quarter and trailed by just five heading into the final eight minutes.

Rutgers Prep junior Andrew Kretkowski scored 28 in the game, while Alijah Murphy added 21. For the Falcons, it’s probably not a matter of if, but when they officially turn the corner. One win does not a season make, but they certainly have the talent on paper. This is their first early test, and it comes against a Colonia team that took significant losses, but could also still compete for a title.

Old Bridge (1-2) at No. 4 Piscataway (3-0), 1 pm

Back to the Knights, they have dropped two straight since a 67-41 season-opening win over Eagle Academy. But, as mentioned above, they gave St. Joe’s a ride on Tuesday, and did the same against Colonia Thursday night. They jumped out to a 15-7 lead, then were down 32-29 at half. before taking a six-point lead into the fourth quarter that they couldn’t hold on to.

So, yes, Old Bridge has given two of the top teams in the GMC a ride in the first week of the season, and they’ll be hoping the third time’s the charm as they get 2025 GMC Tournament finalist Piscataway in the second of back-to-back Red American Division road games.

As for the Chiefs, they’re playing very well. They’re playing good defense and scoring an average of 86.7 points per game through their first three. Balanced scoring has been the name of the game, between Isaiah Fowler (53 points), Donald Nwaigwe (45) and Josh Lima (43). But the Knights have given teams runs, and the last thing you want to do is let an upset-minded team have some confidence. This one’s a mind game, and the Chiefs would do well to come out strong in this one, even on their (brand-new) home court.

South Plainfield (2-0) at East Brunswick (3-0), 6 pm

An early battle of unbeatens always proves to be fun, and this should live up to it. While the Bears have played an extra game, both have played a pair against the GMC; East Brunswick has wins over Monroe by 28 and Sayreville by five, while the Tigers have an 11-point win at Woodbridge, and a 38-point win over Monroe.

South Plainfield has been led by Andrew Bena, a sophomore scoring 23.5 points per game, while junior Boresa Jawula is averaging 13.5 and junior Justin Vaca is at 10.5 points per game. For EB, it’s senior Matt Mikulka scoring 20.3 points per game to lead the team, along with eight triples, by far the team leader so far.

East Brunswick is off to its first 3-0 start since they won their first four of the 2015-2016 season, when they went 18-9 and reached the GMC Tournament semifinals. They won four straight to start the prior season as well, but the last time they were 5-0? Well, that was an epic season.

That was 2012-13, when they upset St. Joseph in the debut of a future NBA star – maybe you’ve heard of him – named Karl-Anthony Towns in the season-opener in Metuchen. They won their first 15 games that year – including a sold-out rematch against the Falcons at home – until losing to St. Anthony in a one-off non-conference game in late January.

The Bears would reach the GMC Finals that year, and lose an epic to Joe’s, 66-63, in double overtime at Rutgers before winning the Central Jersey Group 4 title, and losing 51-49 in the state semis to Atlantic City.

by Mike Pavlichko

Piscataway’s Bob Turco wins 400th game as Chiefs tops West Orange at home, 94-73

Bob Turco is the latest member of the “400 win” club in New Jersey.

The veteran skipper picked up his 400th win Wednesday night in Piscataway, where his Chiefs were 94-73 winners over West Orange in an early-season non-conference tilt.

Turco is now 400-127 in his 20th year of coaching, giving him an average of 21 wins a year at a mix of both public and private schools.

After starting out as an assistant at his alma mater, Carteret, working under his younger brother Dave – who’s now at Kean and coached St. Joseph-Metuchen to a Tournament of Champions title in 2014 – the younger Turco moved on to Monroe, where he was 97-42 over five seasons. He then spent seven seasons at Notre Dame in Lawrenceville (155-45) and six at St. Thomas Aquinas in Edison (122-34) before moving to Piscataway last season.

Last year, he took over a team that was 11-14 in 2023-24 and got them to the GMC Tournament final, where they fell to Colonia, 70-63. It was the program’s first county title game appearance since 2019, but Turco’s fifth straight trip, having made the previous four – winning three – as head coach at Aquinas.

He’s also the first and only coach in GMC history to take three different teams to the finals, also taking Monroe in 2010, when they played St. Joseph and his brother, Dave.

The Chiefs host Aquinas – where Turco remains a Vice-Principal – Thursday night, then Old Bridge Saturday afternoon before heading to Colonia Monday for a 6 pm game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel calling all the action.

Click below to hear Piscataway head coach Bob Turco with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernards, Montgomery remain Nos. 1, 2 in Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten after light schedule on Opening Weekend

There weren’t a lot of games on Opening Weekend across high school basketball, even though teams could have begun play as early as Monday, as St. Joseph-Metuchen did.

The upshot was there was little movement in the Week 1 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, as the first five teams stayed in the very same spots, with just three of them in action.

Gill St. Bernard’s won its opening game in Montgomery, topping Madison in the NJBCA Tip-Off Challenge. The defending Somerset County Tournament champions won without point guard Dorsett Mulcahy – who assistant coach Jaren Sina says is banged up, but should be back soon – and with Jaren, himself, leading the team. Head coach Mergin Sina is out for the first two games after getting ejected from the Knights’ last game of last year, a 43-25 loss to Roselle Catholic – with a controversial ending – in the Non-Public North B Final.

Montgomery remains at No. 2 after a huge win over Don Bosco Prep at home, 66-47, in the NJBCA Tip-Off Challenge. The two had been ranked ninth and seventh in the statewide preseason rankings entering the game. Sophomores Connor Benedict and Mike Simborski had 21 and 23 points respectively in the win for the defending Central Jersey Group 4 champs.

Rutgers Prep dropped its opener Saturday, 70-61, to Linden in the NJBCA Tip-Off Challenge at Montgomery. The Argonauts got 19 points and nine rebounds from William Brunson, and another 11 from Nicholas Nsenkyire in defeat.

Staying in fourth is Piscataway, which rolled to a season-opening 76-20 win over McKee/Staten Island Tech in the Outerbridge Crossing Challenge, played at Edison High School, and heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Senior Isaiah Fowler scored a career-high 14 points, eleven of which came in the opening quarter as the Chiefs got out of the gate early to a 28-2 lead in the first eight minutes.

Colonia – which stays at No. 5 – dropped its opener, 62-35 to St. Peter’s Prep in the NJBCA Tip-Off Classic at Montgomery. The Marauders are the No. 4 team in the state. The Patriots were led by sophomore Jayce Rodriguez, who hit three triples in the game and finished with 17 points.

St. Joseph-Metuchen moves up a spot to sixth after a season-opening loss by Ridge and a 101-37 rout at home Monday over Wesley College of Melbourne, Australia.

Sayreville – which won 75-64 Saturday in the Friends of South Amboy Charity Games at South Amboy High School – moved up a spot as well, to seventh, after beating Oratory behind two monster nights. Sam Jones led the way with 33 points and three treys, while Chidi Chukwura had a double-double of 29 points and 20 rebounds.

Ridge falls to No. 8 after a season-opening 50-42 loss to Ewing. Gabe Kielb scored 10 points, while Dan Rafanello grabbed ten rebounds in defeat.

Holding in ninth is St. Thomas Aquinas. The Trojans sow coach Tim Weiler’s debut spoiled by Franklin, 64-54 in the Friends of South Amboy Charity Games at South Amboy High School. Joshua Anane had a double-double – 16 points, 14 rebounds – in defeat, while Sean Duncan had a big game for Franklin: 27 points including five treys.

And in tenth, it’s Immaculata. The Spartans open up Tuesday in Somerville against No. 8 Ridge, in an early season top ten Skyland Conference matchup.

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

Graphic displaying the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for high school boys' basketball for Week 1 of the 2025-26 season, including team names, records, and previous rankings.