Tag: semifinals

by Mike Pavlichko

Colonia, South Plainfield boys to battle for trip to GMC Tournament final

One is seeking its second trip in three years to the ultimate game in Middlesex County. The other is trying to get there for the first time in almost two decades.

Either would be worthy of a spot in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament championship game.

But only one will get there, as second-seed Colonia takes on 6th-seed South Plainfield in the opening game of Wednesday night’s GMC Tournament semifinals at Monroe Township High School.

You can hear both of Wednesday’s semifinals live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Colonia and South Plainfield in the 5 pm game, then top-seed and St. Joseph-Metuchen against fourth-seed and three-time defending champ St. Thomas Aquinas in the 7 pm nightcap. Mike Pavlichko will call all the action, with an extended pregame at 4:15 pm, including live pregame and coverage throughout the night of the girls’ semifinals with Alec Crouthamel live in Spotswood. Click here to listen.

While Jaeden Jones has always been an outstanding ballplayer, and continues to be so, sophomore Aiden Derkack built off an impressive freshman campaign to become one of the top players in Middlesex County this year.

But South Plainfield has also looked very good this year, getting up and down the floor and shooting the three ball well. They beat a bigger school in Red Division for Piscataway in the preliminary round of the GMCT, then upset third-seed Monroe out of the red in the quarterfinals, winning by seven.

Click below to hear both coaches talk about the semifinal matchup, and scroll down for more info on the game:

Colonia head coach Jose Rodriguez
South Plainfield head coach John Greco

MORE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S OPENING SEMIFINAL:

(2) Colonia (16-8) vs (6) South Plainfield (18-6)
When: Wednesday, 5 pm
Where: Monroe Township High School
Broadcast Team: Mike Pavlichko

COACHES: 

Colonia: Jose Rodriguez, 6th season (110-38)
South Plainfield: John Greco, 7th season (111-88)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Colonia: The Patriots cruised through their first two games, beating 15th-seed Perth Amboy in the first round, then got past in-town rival and seventh-seeded Woodbridge in the quarterfinals Saturday, 65-38. Adien Derkack scored 41 points in the first two games, including 23 against the Barrons, all without the benefit of the three-point arc.

South Plainfield: The Tigers played two very competitive games, edging PIscataway by a single point in a 59-58 win over the 11th-seeded Chiefs in the first round, before upsetting third-seed Monroe in the quarterfinals, 53-46. Ikenna Ibeku logged a double-double against the Chiefs of 16 points and 18 rebounds, while Naim Mouzon – a Piscataway transfer – scored 18 in the win over Monroe in his old gym.

TOP SCORERS:

Colonia: Aiden Derkack (20 ppg, 20 treys), Jaeden Jones (13.7 ppg, 10 treys)
South Plainfield: Abdul Adebule (15.6 ppg, team-best 60 treys), Dante Dupiche (15.2 ppg, 35 treys)

TOP REBOUNDERS:

Colonia: Aiden Derkack (7.5), James Curet (4.3)
South Plainfield: Ikenna Ibeku (7.4), Abdul Adebule (6.3)

RECENT MEETINGS: In the last eight years, these teams have only met five times prior, but Colonia has won all five of those matchups. Last year’ the Patriots beat the Tigers 64-45 in the state playoffs, in the North 2, Group 3 semifinals. The year before they played an epic title game in that section that went to overtime, with Colonia winning again, 56-52.

GMC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

Colonia: The Patriots are seeking their second trip to the finals in three years. They lost in the 2022 GMCT title game to St. Thomas Aquinas, a year after beating the Trojans to win the Karl-Anthony Towns/.Jay Williams “top” post-season pod during the COVID-shortened season.

South Plainfield: The Tigers have not been to a GMC Tournament final since 2005, but they won it that year, and the year before. Those are their only appearances in the title tilt, which makes them one of just two current GMC schools to make multiple finals, and never lose. The other is St. Thomas Aquinas, which has been to four – and one Middlesex County Tournament, in 1982 – and won them all.

by Mike Pavlichko

Monroe girls seek first GMCT title berth in four years, while Aquinas seeks fifth straight trip, fifth straight title

NOTE: Due to Tuesday’s snowstorm, the GMCT semifinals have been moved to Wednesday at Spotswood High School, with both games being played at the same times.

The Monroe girls’ basketball team has played St. Thomas Aquinas tight the past two years.

In those five matchups, the Falcons have kept the Trojans in the 60s, but they haven’t been able to beat them. But they have been able to beat the STA juggernaut. 

Monroe got a regular season win in their second meeting in 2021-22, and the year before knocked off Aquinas on the road top cap a 13-1 COVID-shortened season and win the Somogyi Family Pod, the top postseason playoff pod that year.

How that will play out Wednesday evening in the GMC Tournament semifinals at Spotswood High School is anyone’s guess.

In the two meetings this year, Aquinas won by 10 and 22. But “they” – whoever they are – say it’s tough to beat a team three times in a season.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will have coverage of Wednesday’s semifinals, with Alex Crouthamel providing pregame interviews, live updates, and postgame reaction during our coverage of the boys’ semifinals with Mike Pavlichko. A special, extended pregame show begins at 4:15 Click here to listen.

Aquinas hasn’t needed much adjustment to its new head coach, Tim Corrigan, who came on last year as an assistant to now-retired Joe Whalen, who has MS. Corrigan was brought on knowing he might have to fill in for Whalen a game or two, and poised to take over if and when Whalen stepped away for good.

Though he lost Leah Crosby to transfer to Rutgers Prep, players like junior Gianna Chuffo took over leadership roles, and younger talent like sophomores Jordan Barnes and Trista Whitney got valuable experience against top-flight competition that Corrigan now considers them veterans.

Also a veteran is Monroe head coach Leigh Vogtman, whose team is always in the mix every year, it seems. Seniors Halley Cottrell – the team’s top scorer – and Nicole Turco bring experience, and another senior, Avery Labaska, is leading the team in rebounding.

Click below to hear both coaches talk about the semifinal matchup, and scroll down for more info on the game:

St. Thomas Aquinas head coach Tim Corrigan
Monroe head coach Leigh Vogtman

MORE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S SECOND SEMIFINAL:

(1) St. Thomas Aquinas (19-7) vs (5) Monroe (16-8)
When: Wednesday, 7 pm
Where: Spotswood High School
Live Updates: Alec Crouthamel

COACHES: 

St. Thomas Aquinas: Tim Corrigan, 1st season (19-7)
Monroe: Leigh Vogtman, 11th season (182-90)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

St. Thomas Aquinas: The Trojans beat 16-seed Edison in the first round, 85-53. They amped it up in the quarterfinals, blowing past 8-seed Spotswood 90-36 behind a game-high 26 points from Fianna Chuffo, who also hit six treys and dished out seven assists.

Monroe: The Falcons routed 12-seed Metuchen, 77-41, in the first round, then won a slog Saturday in the quarterfinals in Spotswood, beating fourth-seed North Plainfield, 38-29. Top scorer Halley Cottrell hit six threes en route to a 31 point night against the Bulldogs, while Evangelina Francisco led with 11 against the Lady Canucks.

TOP SCORERS:

St. Thomas Aquinas: Gianna Chuffo (16.5 ppg, team-leading 82 treys), Jordan Barnes (14.2 ppg)
Monroe: Halley Cottrell (18.5 ppg, team-leading 80 treys), Evangelina Francisco (14.7 ppg)

TOP REBOUNDERS:

St. Thomas Aquinas: Leah Kearney (10.1), Jordan Barnes (8.9)
Monroe: Avery Labaska (7.2), Nicole Turco (4.8)

RECENT MEETINGS: Aquinas has won five straight, including two this year and three last year, but Monroe won two of the previous three. The teams split two regular season meetings in 2021-22, with STA winning the first and the Falcons winning the second. Monroe also beat Aquinas in the 2021 COVID-shortened season’s GMC Somogyi Family Pod, the league’s top four-game pod that year, in North Edison.

GMC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

St. Thomas Aquinas: The Trojans have been to the finals the last four years, and won every time, looking for a fifth straight berth and fifth straight title this season. Aquinas (a.k.a. Bishop Ahr for several decades, though Aquinas was its original name) has been to ten GMC finals, and 12 county finals overall, winning seven GMC titles and one Middlesex County Tournament title.

Monroe: The Falcons are looking for their fourth overall trip to the GMC finals. Vogtman took them in 2020, where they lost to Aquinas, as well as in 2016 (they were the top-seed and lost to East Brunswick) and 2015 (where they lost to top-seed Piscataway in overtime).

by Mike Pavlichko

Two stars, but big supporting casts as Colonia, Middlesex girls battle for berth to GMCT final

NOTE: Due to Tuesday’s snowstorm, the GMCT semifinals have been moved to Wednesday at Spotswood High School, with both games being played at the same times.

Colonia has senior Taylor Derkack. Middlesex has Jess Devine.

Those are the players that get the most attention for the second-seeded Patriots and the 14th-seeded Blue Jays, and certainly they will be the key players to watch in Wednesday’s GMC Tournament semifinal game between the two.

But both teams have so much more in terms of key players, and their success very well could be the determining factor in who moves on to the title game Friday night.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will have coverage of Wednesday’s semifinals, with Alex Crouthamel providing pregame interviews, live updates, and postgame reaction during our coverage of the boys’ semifinals with Mike Pavlichko. A special, extended pregame show begins at 4:15 Click here to listen.

Derkack is the all-time leading scorer in Colonia girls’ history, surpassing Matti Chiera, the coach’s daughter, who’s now at William Patterson. She has 1,934 career points, and is averaging an even 24 points per game this season. She leads the team in all three types of shots – twos, threes and foul shots – as well as points, rebounds, assists (71), blocks (73) and steals (107).

Not too shabby.

Among those, Jess Devine – just a junior and already a 1,000 point scorer for the Blue Jays with 1,270 – is first in all categories but two. But even those are close. Senior Jaclyn Deshields has 55 treys to Devin’s 54, and Devine has five blocks, while Senior McKenna Healy has nine to lead the team. She’s averaging 23.3 points per game.

Yup, not too shabby either.

But it’s the supporting cast both coaches will need to be the difference. Shields brings Middlesex the 1-2 punch. Everyone else has to be considered to contribute to keep Colonia from just paying attention to Devine.

Same for Colonia, which gets big contributions from three-point shooters Mya Patino and Isabel Gidado as well.

Click below to hear both coaches talk about the semifinal matchup, and scroll down for more info on the game:

Colonia head coach Sandi Chiera
Middlesex head coach Stew Lester

MORE ON TUESDAY NIGHT’S OPENING SEMIFINAL:

(2) Colonia (18-7) vs (14) Middlesex (15-11)
When: Wednesday, 5 pm
Where: Spotswood High School
Live Updates: Alec Crouthamel

COACHES: 

Colonia: Sandi Chiera, 5th season (74-35)
Middlesex: Stew Lester, 1st season (15-11)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Colonia: The Patriots topped 18-seed Carteret 52-36 in the first round, then beat 7-seed East Brunswick 43-22 in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Taylor Derkack poured in 38 of her team’s 52 points against the Ramblers – including five from beyond the arc – then scored a human 16 in a lower-scoring victory over the Lady Bears. 

Middlesex: The Blue Jays stunned third-seed JP Stevens in the first round, 48-39. The game marked the first time since 2013 a GMCT girls’ top four seed had been knocked out before the quarterfinals. They followed it up with a 66-59 win against six-seed South Brunswick Saturday. Top-scorer Jess Devine had 26 points against the Hawks, then had a double-double of 33 points and 11 assists against the Vikings. She also added five treys.

TOP SCORERS:

Colonia: Taylor Derkack (24 ppg, 40 treys), Mya Patino (9.5 ppg, 37 treys), Isabel Gidado (6.6 ppg, 20 treys)
Middlesex: Jess Devine (23.3 ppg, 54 treys), Jaclyn Deshields (9.4 ppg, 55 treys)

TOP REBOUNDERS:

Colonia: Taylor Derkack (12.4), Nashaelah Hooker (5.3)
Middlesex: Jess Devine (6.6), McKenna Healey (6.4)

RECENT MEETINGS: These two teams rarely meet, with Colonia being a Group 3 school and Middlesex being a Group 2 or 1 over the last decade-and-a-half. They have only played three times since 2012, with the Patriots winning in 2022, but the Blue Jays beating Colonia in 2021 and 2012.

GMC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

Colonia: The Patriots are playing in the semifinals for the third straight season. They made their first-ever GMC Tournament final last year, falling to St. Thomas Aquinas in the title game. 

Middlesex: This is the Blue Jays first time in the GMCT final four since 2020, when they lost to Monroe. The Blue Jays have never made a county final, whether in the GMC era (since 1986) or its predecessor, the Middlesex County Tournament, which ran for eleven seasons from 1975 through 1985.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: GMC Tournament Boys’ Semifinals

Top-seed and two-time defending champion St. Thomas Aquinas and seventh-seed South Brunswick moved on to Friday’s Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament Championship Game with semifinal wins on Wednesday, February 15th at Monroe Township High School, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Scroll down to hear Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe call all the play-by-play.

In Game One, South Brunswick knocked off 3rd-seed South River behind 20 points from Harmehar Chhabra, and 11 from Kalani Antoine, while Jeremy Grospe had nine on three treys to lead the Rams in defeat.

#3 South River vs. #7 South Brunswick

In Game Two, St. Thomas Aquinas beat fourth-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen 91-49. The Trojans were led by Michael “Deuce” Jones with 16, including three treys, while the team hit 15 overall, a team record in the five seasons under head coach Bob Turco. Jaden Kelly added 15, while Terrell Pitts chipped in 14. Josh Ingram scored 28 to lead all scorers in a losing effort for the Falcons

#1 St. Thomas Aquinas vs. #4 St. Joseph-Metuchen
by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: Somerset County Tournament Semifinals

The Rutgers Prep girls’ and boys’ basketball teams advanced to their respective Somerset County Tournament Championship games with wins over Franklin on Thursday, February 16th, 2023, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino had the call.

In Game One, the Rutgers Prep girls ousted No. 5 seed Franklin 67-38, getting a game-high 26 points from junior Mikayla Blakes, and 11 each from senior Katie Ledden and freshman GiGi Battle. Precious Wheeler led Franklin with 14 in defeat.

Girls: #1 Rutgers Prep vs. Franklin

In Game Two, the Rutgers Prep boys beat 5th-seed Franklin 81-66, getting game-highs of 20 points apiece from juniors Jadin Collins and John Kelly. Junior Cam Brown had 18 to lead Franklin in the loss.

Boys: #1 Rutgers Prep vs #5 Franklin
by Mike Pavlichko

After defensive start, Gill St. Bernard’s boys need OT to dispatch of Ridge, gain trip to SCT finals

Each team had a touchdown, missed the extra point, and Gill St. Bernard’s had a field goal just before the half.

No, not really, but that’s what the scoreboard inside the Knights’ gym looked like when it read 15-12 in favor of Gill at halftime of their Somerset County Tournament semifinal game against Ridge in Gladstone Thursday night.

Repeat: That wasn’t the score after one quarter. That was the halftime score. Only two players each had scored for their respective teams, and the leading scorers at the time – Mario Castro-Sanchez for second-seed GSB and Nikola Borovicanin for the 6th-seeded Red Devils – each had only eight points.

It looked for a moment as if the game would be decided in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, when Castro-Sanchez scored the go-ahead bucket to make it 46-44 Knights with 12.1 seconds remaining. But Ridge had the answer, as Liam Clark finished a layup with 2.1 to go. to end it to the extra period tied at 46.

Gill (18-6) then closed the deal in overtime, outscoring the Red Devils 11-6 for a 57-50 win. Ridge fell to 19-5 with the loss.

Castro Sanchez finished with a game-high 26 points, with eight of them coming at the free throw line in OT. Ebrahim Kaba added 16, while Nick Losada finished with 13.

For Ridge, Nikola Borovicanin led with 16 points, and Liam Clark had 14.

Now, it’ll be a rematch of last year’s title game when Gill meets top-seed Rutgers Prep (19-7) in the Somerset County Tournament Final at Montgomery High School, Saturday at 3 pm. Gill won last year’s matchup 84-63.

That game can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, and will immediately follow the 1 pm girl’s title tilt with the same teams, top-seed Rutgers Prep and second-seed Gill St. Bernards. Pregame coverage starts at 12:45.

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!

Click below for postgame reaction sponsored by SportsPlex at Metuchen:

Gill St. Bernard’s senior guard Mario Castro-Sanchez
Gill St. Bernard’s Head Coach Mergin Sina
by Mike Pavlichko

Make it an eighth straight trip to the SCT Finals for Rutgers Prep, 67-38 winners over Franklin

It wasn’t quite the fast start the Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball has been used to in its last four meetings with Franklin, which the Argonauts have won by an average of almost 33 points.

But slowly, and surely, that trademark full-court pressure and stifling half-court defense wasa too much for the 5th-seeded Warriors, as top-seeded Rutgers Prep pulled away a little at a time for a 67-38 win in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals Thursday night in Somerset, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Junior point guard Mikayla Blakes led all scorers, putting on a scoring clinic, with 26 points, including four treys. Freshman GiGi Battle added 15, while Rhode Island-bound senior Katie Ledden added 11.

Sophomore Precious Wheeler led Franklin with 14, the only Warrior in double figures.

The victory puts the Argonauts (19-4) in their eighth straight SCT title game, having not missed since 2015, and they will go for their third straight title, having won last year and in 2020. They’ll be seeking their seventh overall.

Prep will take on second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s in the finals Saturday at 1 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio

Franklin fell to 12-12 with the loss.

Click below for postgame reaction sponsored by SportsPlex at Metuchen:

Rutgers Prep junior Mikayla Blakes
Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger
by Dom Savino

Franklin boys hope third time’s the charm in rematch with Rutgers Prep, with SCT finals berth on the line

You’ll have to forgive the youngest members of Franklin’s boys basketball team for not attending the program’s most recent appearance in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals.

It happened in 2007. They hadn’t been born yet.

Fast forward 16 years, and the Warriors have returned to Somerset County’s Final Four. With their eyes on a championship, they’ll have to get by a familiar foe to continue their postseason run.

Five-seed Franklin travels to top-seeded Rutgers Prep on Thursday night to play for a berth in the County Finals. Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast the game live at 7 pm, with the pregame at 6:45 following the girls’ matchup between the same teams at 5:00. Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino will call all the action. Click here to listen.

The Warriors are hoping the third time is the charm against Rutgers Prep, which won both of the regular-season meetings between the crosstown rivals. Both games were decided by single digits.

The more recent of the two games happened more than a month ago, though. And since then, Franklin has played its best basketball of the season, winning 10 of its last 11.

That includes Tuesday’s mini-upset of 4-seed Hillsborough in the Somerset County quarterfinals. The Warriors led wire-to-wire and got 20-point performances from Cam Brown and Cam Snowden. Before that, Franklin opened the tournament with a 25-point win over Bernards, led by Jake Novielli’s career-high 32 points.

Click below to hear Franklin head coach Tony Mento talk about his team’s hot streak and rematch with Rutgers Prep:

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s the real season now for Rutgers Prep, as Lady Argonauts seek fourth straight SCT Final

Mary Klinger says the regular season is the pre-season. It’s the tune-up for the games that count. It’s where you find your strengths and weaknesses, and work on them before the county and state tournaments.

Well, now the games count. The top-seeded Rutgers Prep girls basketball team has already won its first Somerset County Tournament game, a quarterfinal victory over 8th-seed Ridge, 82-33. Now, it’s the semifinals Thursday night against a familiar foe in big games: Franklin.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast both games of a girls’/boys’ doubleheader involving the Rutgers Prep teams, both seeded No. 1 in their respective SCT brackets. The Rutgers Prep girls (18-4) take on fifth-seed Franklin (12-11) at 5 pm. Then it’s the boys’ turn at 7:00, with the same matchup: the Argonauts (18-7) versus the fifth-seeded Warriors (16-9).

Mike Pavlichko and Dom Savino will call all the action, with pregame for the first contest beginning at 4:45. Click here to listen.

Klinger’s squad is led by junior sensation Mikayla Blakes, with her 22.5 points a game, with significant contributions from veterans like Katie Ledden, Chloe Escanillas, Zahra Alexander and more. That includes freshman GiGi Battle, averaging 9.3 points a game in her rookie campaign.

Franklin isn’t the same team they were pre-COVID, when head coach Audrey Taylor’s team was a pretty regular fixture in the Tournament of Champions, winning it in 2017 and 2019. But they’re still a talented bunch, and can give teams fits.

Click below to hear Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger talk about her team’s season, and the matchup with Franklin:

by Mike Pavlichko

St. Thomas Aquinas “stuns” St. Joseph, bombing the Falcons in GMCT semis to move on to the finals yet again

It wasn’t “stunning” in terms of the result, or maybe even the margin, since it’s what St. Thomas Aquinas has been doing to opponents all year long.

But the fact that the Trojans and St. Joseph-Metuchen have played two games this year with a grand total differential of seven points – both Aquinas wins – made what happened in Wednesday night’s GMC Tournament semifinals stunning in every sense of the word.

Aquinas hit five of its first six three-point attempts before Joe’s could even blink, and found themselves with a 15-0 lead just over two minutes into the game.

Overall, the Trojans (23-3) hit 15 threes in the game, the most by Aquinas in the past five years under head coach Bob Turco. All five starters scored in double figures, seven different players hit from downtown, and two – Terrell Pitts and Deuce Jones – had a pair of thunderous jams each.

Jones led all scorers with 16, including three treys. Kamal Lee had 12, all on threes. Jaden Kelly had 15, including three trays. Jalen Pichardo has 12 including two threes, while Samir Thomas, Jebron Harris and Sherief Guinyard each had threes off the bench.

In a losing cause for St. Joe’s (15-10), senior Josh Ingram finished with 28 points, enough on a normal night, but this one was anything but, with Aquinas bringing it’s A++ game.

Now, the GMC Tournament Finals Friday night are set. Top-seed and two-time defending champ St. Thomas Aquinas will take on seventh-seed South Brunswick at 8 pm on Central Jersey Sports Radio. No team higher than a six-seed has ever won the GMC or Middlesex County Tournament

Follow Sportsplex at Metuchen on Instagram for the latest on open gym sessions on their courts and turf!
St. Thomas Aquinas Senior Jalen Pichardo and junior Michael “Deuce” Jones
St. Thomas Aquinas Head Coach Bob Turco