After a game-tying three with 10 seconds to go by Sayreville’s Sam Jones, East Brunswick’s Matt Mikulka drew a foul on offense and hit one of two free throws with 2.7 seconds left to put the Bears over the Bombers, 48-47, in GMC Red National Division play.
Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the play-by-play from Sayreville High School in Parlin on January 10, 2026.
The all-time leading scorer in East Brunswick boys’ basketball history already had 24 points when he headed to the free throw line for the first time in the game with under a minute to go in a tight game at Sayreville.
But down the stretch, he made two of four – including the winner with 2.9 ticks left on the clock – to help the Bears rally from an 11-point halftime deficit for a 48-47 GMC Red National Division game in Parlin, heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Out of an East Brunswick time out with 38 seconds to play, up 46-44, Mikulka got fouled and headed to the charity stripe for the first time. He missed the first, but made the second to put the Bears up by three.
Sayreville came down the floor and got Sam Jones a look at a three for the tie. He missed short from the wing, but the Bombers got the rebound and head coach John Wojcik called his last time out to allow the offense to more easily reset.
Off the break, they found Jones on the right wing again, and he swished it with ten seconds to go to tie it at 47. But Mikulka brought it up the floor, drove to the basket from the right wing, and drew a blocking foul on Joseph Lewis with 2.7 seconds remaining.
Mikulka hit the first free throw, and EB coach Mark Motusesky called a time-out to set the defense. Miklulka missed the second shot, Sayreville got a rebound, and Jones couldn’t get a three-quarter court prayer to get anywhere near the basket.
WATCH: Here’s the final sequence of No. 7 East Brunswick’s wild win Saturday over Sayreville
East Brunswick (11-1, 6-0 GMC Red National) rallied thanks in large part to Mikulka’s scoring, but maybe in larger part due to their second-half defense. Down by as many as 13 in the second quarter, the Bears held Sayreville to just one field goal in the third, and outscored the Bombers 10-4 in the period, down 35-40 heading into the fourth.
Mikulka finished with a game-high 26, balanced throughout the afternoon, and hit three triples. Cam Vick added 13.
Sayreville (7-4, 3-3) got team-highs of 20 each from Sam Jones and Chidi Chukwura, with Chhukwurah – a 55 percent free throw shooter coming in – hitting eight of nine in the game, including six of six in the second half, four of four in the fourth quarter. That could have been the difference-maker for the Bombers, had they been able to score otherwise after halftime.
Sayreville managed just four second half field goals, an and-one in the third by Andrew Provenza,who missed the free throw, and a pair of twos and the triple to tie with ten seconds left by Jones.
Click below for postgame reaction from East Brunswick senior Matt Mikulka and head coach Mark Motusesky with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
In their first meeting less than a month ago, the East Brunswick and Sayreville boys’ basketball teams played a tight game from wire to tire, won by the Bears, 58-53.
If that one is any indication, Round Two between the GMC Red National Division rivals should be very much the same.
They will meet with a lot on the line Saturday afternoon – in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio – with an East Brunswick win giving them the inside track at the division title, with still a lot of basketball to be played.
A Bombers’ win would split the season series, and leave the two tied for first place.
With the GMC’s new divisional alignments come the tossing out of an age-old rule that division winners were guaranteed to get the top eight seeds (back when there were four divisions), or a top 12 seed when the league had five divisions, as it did the last couple of years. Teams can only get seeded, however, based on order of finish in their division, which puts even more importance on the game; the winner of the Red National Division will be the first team out of that division to be seeded in the GMCT.
You can hear Saturday’s game live with Mike Pavlichko on the play-by-play, starting with pregame at 12:45 and tip-off at 1 pm. Click here to listen.
The teams are actually pretty similar. While seventh-ranked East Brunswick is 10-1 overall, and Sayreville 7-3, each has two big scorers surrounded by more-than-capable supporting casts.
For the Bears, it’s Cam Vick, who just joined the 1,000-point club with 22 points Thursday night in a 72-40 rout of Monroe. The senior is averaging 16.9 points per game on the season, second only to fellow senior Matt Mikulka, and has scored in double figures in all eleven games this season.
Mikulka is the school’s all-time leading boys’ basketball scorer, with 1,585 points, and he leads the team at 21.1 points per game, and 27 treys. He set the program record last year, passing Rob Ukuwuba, who ironically played on the last Bears team to get off to this good a start. Current head coach Mark Motusesky was the top assistant on that team in the mid-2010s, working under legendary boys’ coach Bo Henning.
For the Bombers, senior forward Chidi Chukwurah is the top scorer at 21.7 points per game, and he has a team-best 40 assists, while senior guard Sam Jones is No. 2 at 19.8 points per game, including a team-best 22 triples.
For both squads, it’s been a slow, but steady, climb to where they are now. This East Brunswick program has had ups and downs – part of the cyclical nature of public school high school sports – but this group has played together for years, now seeing their hard work pay off.
Sayreville has been rebuilding in the program’s second stint under John Wojcik, now in his sixth year on his second go-round. He coached the Bombers for nine years before leaving after the 2017-18 season to be an assistant at Ramapo College, his alma mater, returning to the Parlin school two years later.
Click below to hear previews of the game with both head coaches and Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:
Only three teams – Montgomery, Somerville and Immaculata – held their ground this week in the latest Bellamy & Son Paving boys’ basketball Top Ten, the first of the New Year.
Montgomery (8-1) holds at No. 1 after a 2-1 week. In their own Cougar Holiday Classic, they beat Princeton 70-33 on Monday, then North Hunterdon 71-47 on Tuesday. Monty took its first loss of the season Saturday, 53-51, falling to Linden in the Warrior Classic down at Manasquan.
Gill St. Bernard’s (7-2) used a 3-1 week to edge up to No. 2. After a Monday loss to Linden, 73-52, at the Jingle Bells Jubilee at Paterson STEAM Academy on Monday, they went back there Thursday for the New Year’s Jump Off and beat St. Mary-Rutherford, 76-56. Saturday, they beat Don Bosco Prep on the Ironmen’s home floor, 65-58 in the Big Jersey Basketball Showcase, before finishing out the week with an 85-61 win over Trenton in the New Year’s Jump Off II at Newark Collegiate.
Rutgers Prep (5-2) split a pair this week, and falls one spot to third. The Argonauts were 96-79 winners over Cardinal Spellman (NY) in the New Year’s Eve Jump Off at Paterson STEAM Academy, then lost in the Big Jersey Basketball Showcase at Don Bosco to St. Peter’s Prep, 78-72.
The fourth and fifth place teams flip-flopped this week as well, with St. Joseph-Metuchen (6-0) having beaten Piscataway on the road Saturday, 64-53 in overtime, handing the Chiefs their first loss of the year. The Falcons also beat Middle Township on Monday, 69-37, and St. Mary’s Ryken (DC) 69-48 on Tuesday in the Winter Showcase at Paul VI in Wayne.
Piscataway (9-1) – which falls to five – had been unbeaten before the Joe’s game, winning three times in the week gone by before that matchup. They beat Ferris 62-38 Monday, and Dickinson 72-52 Tuesday in the Joe Silver Holiday Tournament at Hillside. They also beat state-ranked No. 12 Teaneck in the BWB Resolution Bumble up at FDU-Madison on New Year’s Day.
Bridgewater-Raritan (7-0) – the only undefeated team remaining in the rankings – moves up two spots this week to No. 6. The Panthers were 2-0 over the break, beating North Hunterdon, 64-63 on Monday, then Princeton, 61-33, on Tuesday in the Cougar Holiday Classic at Montgomery.
Down a spot to seventh is East Brunswick (8-1). The Bears took their first loss of the season Monday in the championship bracket semifinals of the Albert E. Martin Buc Classic at red Bank Regional, but bounced back with a win over host Red Bank regional, 64-42, in the third-place game. Saturday, they came up with a gusty road win, a 72-70 overtime victory at Cranford.
Jumping in at No. 8 this week is South Plainfield (6-1). The Tigers were 2-0 in the week gone by, beating Edison 73-45 on Tuesday, followed by an 87-77 victory at previous No. 7 Sayreville. The Tigers will be on Central Jersey Sports Radio Tuesday night at 7 pm when they face Colonia (2-5) – click here to listen – as part of a doubleheader starting with the South Plainfield girls taking on JP Stevens at 5:30.
And the last two teams held their spots.
Somerville (6-1) stays at nine after a 2-1 week that began with a 62-47 loss to Woodbridge on Monday in the JP Stevens Holiday Tournament, followed by a 58-23 win Tuesday over Perth Amboy Magnet, and a 59-21 win over Dunellen on Saturday.
And Immaculata (4-1) holds in tenth after a 2-0 week, winning the Battle at the Bomb Shelter at Sayreville with a 48-47 victory over Union Monday, and a 71-61 win over the host Bombers Tuesday.
Sayreville dropped out from No. 7 after a 1-2 week, which began in fine fashion with a 66-57 win over New Dorp (NY) in their Battle at the Bomb Shelter tournament Monday. But after the Immaculata loss in the final, they also fell 81-77 to South Plainfield on Saturday.
Below is the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week Four:
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:
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:
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.
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:
Coming up with a preseason Top Ten is never an easy proposition, but one thing seems pretty certain – or maybe it isn’t: the first rankings of 2025-26 very likely will look nothing like the final one.
The group includes a team that won just six games a year ago – St. Joseph-Metuchen, which brings back alum and former coach Mark Taylor – but will have to prove itself early and either soar up the rankings if they win as many expect, or quite possibly fall out if they don’t jell in December.
At the top is Gill St. Bernard’s, which finished 22-7 last season, won the Somerset County Tournament, and made the sectional finals in the state tournament’s Non-Public North B section. They return a solid core, including senior guard Dorsett Mulcahy (9.6 ppg, 30 treys), senior Jakub Malecki (6.3 ppg), and sophomore Connor Junker (9.25 ppg), who played out of his mind in the SCT final against Rutgers Prep – scoring 15 points, including four triples – and hit a team-best 49 treys last season.
Montgomery at No. 2 has the talent, but with some key losses, may be a little less proven. The Cougars didn’t lose to a public school all last season until the Group 4 state final at Rutgers, where they faced Plainfield. And even the year before, they only Lost to Lenape – in the regular season and in the Group 4 semifinals. Gone to graduation are big Bohdan Biekietov and guard Christian Hill – the team’s second and third leading scorers – but back is point guard Ethan Lin for his senior season. At 19.7 points per game last year, he had an amazing bounceback after breaking is leg the season before and missing the entire postseason run.
In third is Rutgers Prep. The Argonauts also made a sectional final last year – in Non-Public South B – and also went to the Somerset County Tournament final, falling to Gill. A mostly young team in 2024-25, third-leading scorer and post player Andrew Kretkowski (15.3 ppg, 34 blocks) transferred over the summer to St. Joseph-Metuchen, and senior Myles Parker (14.8 ppg) graduated. But Jacob Canton, the team’s leading scorer at 15.3 ppg and with a team-best 47 treys returns, along with senior Logan Franz and junior Rocco Loomis.
At four and five, respectively, are the two GMC Tournament finalists from a year ago, runner-up Piscataway and champion Colonia. Both teams lose significant parts from last season.
The Chiefs graduated top-scorer Nate Davis (14.5 ppg, team-best 53 treys) and swing Vaughn Turner (9.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg), but other key pieces like junior Landon Pernell (7.9 ppg) and seniors Donald Nwaigwe (11.7 ppg) and Josh Lima (10.3 ppg, 40 treys) return.
Colonia was dealt a double-blow, first when Aiden Derkack (24.7 ppg, 8.1 rpg) left to play his senior year at Spire Academy in Ohio, then last week when R.J. Wortman (12.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) signed with Greg Schiano, getting a football scholarship at Rutgers, where he will enroll in January. Zach Smith graduates, too, but Dylan Chiera is back for his senior season, along with Julien Jones. Both are top-notch athletes, and will see increases scoring roles, along with the coach’s son, Jayce Rodriguez, who had a fantastic freshman season, scoring 7.7 points per game, and led the team from beyond the arc with 58 triples.
At No. 6 is Ridge, which was 22-7 last season. Seniors Luke Kreitz (16.2 ppg, 74 treys) and Quinn Dashefsky (11.9 ppg) have graduated, but Gabe Kielb and Sidd Narayanabhatia were also key contributors last season as juniors.
St. Joseph-Metuchen makes its debut at No. 7. After a difficult year finishing 6-16 under Karl Towns, Sr. – the father of Falcon great Karl-Anthony Towns, currently of the New York Knicks – the school hired 1983 alum and former coach Mark Taylor back to Metuchen, and he’s made progress before the team even steps on the floor, bringing in a number of transfers to shore up the ranks. Word around the league is they will be the team to beat. The question is: will they mesh right off the bat, or take some time to find their footing?
The final three teams all fell one spot from the final rankings last year to make room for St. Joe’s.
2024-25 GMC White Division champion Sayreville is eighth, coming off a 22-7 season. The Bombers’ top two scorers return, including seniors Chidi Chukwurah (18.3 ppg, 8.9 rpg) and Sam Jones (16.6 ppg, team-best 61 threes).
St. Thomas Aquinas starts the year at nine, after a 15-12 campaign, but they also have a new coach, and a bunch coming back. Dan Jennings is the top-returning scorer at 11.1 ppg, and he’ll be back for his senior season after spending his first two up the road at St. Joe’s; he also was one shy of the team lead in treys with 43; graduated senior Aiden Ur had 44. Albion Ahmetaj (7.8 ppg) also should be a big part of things under new head coach Tom Weiler, a mentee of former Aquinas coach Bob Turco, who’s now at Piscataway.
And in tenth is Immaculata. The Spartans were 20-8 last season, and will return top scorer Riley Gorman (18.1 ppg, team-best 72 treys), along with junior Nick Swartwood (7.2 ppg), the team’s top rebounder at 7.5 per game.
Below is the complete preseason Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten:
It was September 1994 when Old Bridge High School officially opened its doors, a merger between Cedar Ridge and Madison Central. Seven years later, they made their first sectional title game, falling 10-7 to JP Stevens.
They’d go again in 2015, falling to South Brunswick.
For the first time, since they are back.
The third-seeded Knights (10-1) beat second-seed Sayreville (9-2) Friday night in the Central Jersey Group 5 semifinals, 28-27, to advance to the title game next week. They’ll visit top-seed Washington Twp, which is 11-0 after beating Rancocas Valley, 44-26, Friday evening at 6:00.
Sophomore wide receiver Amari Alsbrook had the game-tying touchdown with 1:33 remaining, and the PAT by Michael Firetto made the difference, giving Old Bridge a slim, one-point lead that would turn out to be all they needed.
The Knights led 14-7 at halftime, with senior QB Brody Nugent involved in both scores, the first a 12-yard run, the second, a 33-yard pass to Alsbrook for his first of two TD catches on the night. Those were sandwiched around a 22-yard TD run by Sayreville’s Shaun Jackson, and OB led 14-7 at the break.
Things were looking good when Chase Rizzo caught a 43-yard pass from Nugent to take a two-score lead at 21-7 in the third.
But that’s when Sayreville woke up.
They would score three straight touchdowns. Jackson had a four-yard run to cut it to 21-14. Then, in the fourth, Joseph Curbello picked off a Nugent pass and returned it 76 yards for a score, then Jackson scored from 37-yards out to give his team the lead. But it won only by six, 27-21, as the PAT failed.
Shaking it off, Nugent led the game-winning drive, eventually hitting Alsbrook for the second time, and getting Firetto’s extra point for the one-point lead.
Click below for postgame reaction from Amari Alsbrook, Justin Valinotti and head coach Matt Donaghue with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden:
