Tag: Skyland

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerville figured it out early, still looking to improve as Pioneers visit Bound Brook in rare Saturday morning divisional tilt

Coming off a 17-11 season, Somerville head coach Matt Melesurgo knew his team would have some things to work on coming into 2023-34.

And yet, the ninth-ranked Pioneers are 8-1 heading into Saturday morning’s clash at No. 10 Bound Brook, a game originally scheduled for this past Tuesday night, but postponed due to the strong storms that battered the Northeast.

Melesurgo believes the defense will feed the offense, and even though they’re not where they want to be yet, well, just look at the record.

It’s been nice to have success while figuring it all out, for sure. There’s Kaylee Lauber, who’s averaging 12 points a game, but also has 26 steals. And Charlotte Taylor, who’s averaging 13 a game, and has 18 threes, along with a team-best 28 steals.

That the top offensive stars are getting it done on defense speaks volumes.

They’ll need similar efforts Saturday morning against the Crusaders, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Tip off is at 11 am, pregame at 10:40 with Mike Pavlichko on the call; click here to listen.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko talk with Somerville head caoch Matt Melesurgo:

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s a bounce-back season for Bound Brook

The 2022-23 season was a statistical anomaly for the Bound Brook girls’ basketball team.

At 11-14, it was the Lady Crusaders’ first sub-.500 season since head coach Jen Derevjanik’s first in The Brook.

More accurately, it was only the second in nine seasons. Translation? There was a lot of winning in between.

Now, in 2023-24, Bound Brook is back to its winning ways. The team is 6-1, ranked tenth in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the second week in a row. After a road game Thursday night at Belvidere, they’ll host No. 9 Somerville, which is just one paltry game better, at 7-1, in a reschedule of a big Skyland Conference Mountain Division clash that was originally set for Tuesday night, but got postponed due to inclement weather.

That game is now scheduled for 11 am Saturday, and you can hear it on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko calling all the action. Click here to listen.

Gone is star point guard Casey Miller, whom Derevjanik has said was the “heart and soul” of the team the last few years, but the Lady Crusaders are doing just fine at the moment. Senior Jamaiya McLeod leads the team at 11.3 points per game, and fellow senior Sara Theissen is averaging nearly a double-double, at 9 points and 11 boards a game through the first seven.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Bound Brook head coach Jen Derevjanik:

by Mike Pavlichko

It’s still Rutgers Prep at top of Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten, while Colonia’s hot streak has Patriots on the move

While Rutgers Prep extended its record streak to 33 weeks at the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball rankings – the only team ever to hold that spot in its more than three years in existence – there was some movement in the middle, as Colonia moved up with a win over Monroe.

Rutgers Prep (8-2) holds the top spot yet again after a 3-0 week, which started Thursday with a 71-46 home win over No. 3 Gill St. Bernards, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They also won at Ewing on Saturday and on Sunday against St. John’s College HS out of Washington, D.C., at the Blue Star Invitational.

St. Thomas Aquinas (8-3) holds at No. 2 after a 3-1 week, with Red Division wins over East Brunswick, Monroe and Piscataway, while they lost Sunday in the Hoop Group Boardwalk Showcase to Trinity Hall, 49-35.

Holding at third is Gill St. Bernard’s (8-2), despite an 0-2 week, with losses to Prep, as well as to Manasquan – the top-ranked public school in the state – Sunday in the Hoop Group Boardwalk Classic, 41-38.

In fourth, North Plainfield (8-2) continues its stellar year, going 3-0 with wins at Woodbridge, and home against South Brunswick and South Plainfield.

Moving up from No. 8 to No. 5 is Colonia (9-2), which has more wins than anyone in the rankings, and has picked up six straight victories, since starting 3-2. This week, they were 3-0 with Red Division wins at Old Bridge and Monroe, sandwiched around a home defeat of East Brunswick.

Hillsborough (5-3) moves up a spot top sixth – after a 1-1 week with a win over Franklin and a loss to out-of-area Madison – while South Brunswick (5-4) drops from six to seven with a win over North Brunswick and a loss to No. 4 North Plainfield.

Monroe (6-3) falls to No. 8 after a 1-2 week, which began with a win over Piscataway, but then saw losses – albeit to a pair of ranked clubs – in Colonia and St. Thomas Aquinas.

Checking in at No. 9 and 10 are Somerville (7-1) and Bound Brook (6-1), who will square off Tuesday night at 7 on Central Jersey Sports Radio. The Pioneers went 1-2 this past week, beginning with a loss to New Providence, but then followed it up with wins over Manville and Watchung Hills. The Crusaders lost their only game of the past week, a 42-25 decision to Delaware Valley out in Alexandria on Thursday.

Below are the full Week 4 Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Rankings:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep elevates to No. 1 in Week Four Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

A GMC Red Division loss by St. Thomas Aquinas has knocked the Trojans from the top of the Bellamy & Son Paving boys’ basketball rankings, and Rutgers Prep moved up two places this week to take their spot.

South Plainfield also moves back into the rankings, while Monroe makes its debut.

Rutgers Prep (6-3) had a strong showing this week in its own conference to boost themselves to the top of the pile, with a win Thursday night by ten up at No. 6 Gill St. Bernard’s, along with a loss to Hudson Catholic and a win over Saddle River Day playing out-of-area.

Holding at No. 2 is St. Joseph-Metuchen (7-2). The Falcons are 5-0 in the GMC Red, the only team left in the division without a loss against the Red, earning wins over South Brunswick and Old Bridge before falling to Payne Tech of Newark Sunday.

St. Thomas Aquinas (10-2) drops third after the Monroe loss. They also beat East Brunswick and Piscataway this week.

Holding in fourth is Colonia (6-3), which scored wins this week over Old Bridge and East Brunswick. The Patriots host St. Thomas Aquinas Thursday evening at 5:45 pm in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

In fifth is Hillsborough (7-1), which swept two games this week over Immaculata (Thursday) and Robbinsville at Saturday’s Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout at Montgomery. The Raiders have a mammoth week coming up, with Rutgers Prep at home Tuesday, and a Thursday game at Gill St. Bernard’s.

Checking in at six is Gill St. Bernard’s (7-3), which went 1-2 this week, with its lone win coming over Trenton Catholic on Tuesday, then losses to Rutgers Prep and College Achieve Asbury.

Making its debut this season is Monroe (8-1) in seventh. The Falcons were 3-0 this week and are on a seven-game winning streak after victories over Piscataway, Aquinas and South Brunswick.

Holding in eighth is Montgomery, which beat Voorhees on the road Tuesday, but dropped the finale of their own Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout on Saturday night, falling 56-50 to Lenape.

At No. 9 is Ridge (7-1), which holds steady after a 2-0 week, with wins at Bound Brook and over Morristown.

Re-entering the poll this week, after a one-week absence, is South Plainfield (7-3), checking in at No. 10. The Tigers are on a four-game win streak, and were 3-0 last week, with victories over Sayreville, Watchung Hills and North Plainfield.

As a result, Watchung Hills (previously No. 7) and Sayreville (previously No. 10) are both out this week.

Below is the full Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 4:

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: No. 1 Rutgers Prep 71, No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s 46 (Girls)

In a critical Skyland Conference, Delaware Division battle, top-ranked Rutgers Prep beat No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s 71-46, behind 27 points from senior Mikayla Blakes and 19 more from sophomore Ava LaMonica.

Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the action from Somerset, NJ on January 4, 2023.

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Will this be the one? No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s girls look to snap long streak vs. No. 1 Rutgers Prep

Call it a rematch of last year’s Somerset County Tournament Final. Call it an undefeated team looking to pull an upset.

Whatever title you give it, know this: The Gill St. Bernard’s girls’ basketball team battles it out time after time with Rutgers Prep. But in their last 20 meetings? It’s all gone the way of the Argonauts.

Third-ranked Gill is 8-0 on the season, with No. 1 Rutgers Prep coming in at 5-2, with those losses coming by a combined five points at the esteemed John Wall Invitational in North Carolina over the holiday break.

While Mikayla Blakes’ status due to injury is unclear for Thursday’s 5:30 pm meeting in Somerset, but what’s certain is that Gill St. Beranrd’s has a lot of continuity in head coach Mark Gnapp’s rotation.

They’re led by the frontcourt duo of Gandy Malou-Mamel, who’s averaging 16.5 points and 10.9 rebounds per game, while Sidney Quinn chips in 9.9 points and 8.5 boards per contest. Then, on the wing, it’s senior Brooke Baisley with 14.3 points per game and a team-leading 13 three-pointers.

You can listen to Thursday night’s contest, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Taskonas calling all the action. Pregame is at 5:15 pm, with tip-off at 5:30. Click here to listen.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas talk with Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mark Gnapp:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 1 Rutgers prep girls return home for a big battle with No. 3 Gill St. Bernards

Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball coach Mary Klinger may call the regular season the preseason, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t like her team facing challenges.

After all, they played some of the toughest teams in the country down at the John Wall Invitational in North Carolina over the holiday break.

Coming back home, they’ll face another stiff challenge when they open the 2024 portion of the campaign against Gill St. Bernard’s.

The Lady Argonauts (5-2) are ranked No. 1 in the latest Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, with the Knights (8-0) ranked third behind St. Thomas Aquinas. And it’ll be their only meeting this season, meaning the top seed in the Somerset County Tournament could very well be on the line Thursday evening in Somerset.

It’s a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 5:30 pm, with pregame at 5:15. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas have the call; click here to listen.

The biggest challenger for Klinger’s squad in the first seven games was playing four of them without Mikayla Blakes, a highly sought after major Division 1 recruit, with Rutgers, Indiana, Wisconsin, Tennesee, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Stanford among her final seven. Many consider her a future pro, but she’s been banged up, and her status for Thursday’s game is uncertain.

Still, there is a ton of talent on the court regardless. Blakes still has a higher points per game average (18.3) through three games, than anyone else through seven, but the Argos are still averaging 68.4 points a game, and their top scorer otherwise is senior Chloe Escanillas, who has hit a team-best 24 threes already on the young season. She also is tops in assists (22) and steals (18).

Junior Leah Crosby – who transferred in from St. Thomas Aquinas – is leading the team with eight rebounds.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger:

by Mike Pavlichko

Few changes in Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ basketball Top Ten in Week 3, as teams go 17-8 over Christmas/New Year’s break

With only one team in the Week Two Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten losing more than once over the holiday break, there’s very little change to the Week Three boys’ basketball rankings, with St. Thomas Aquinas remaining atop the list.

In fact, the top eight teams stayed in exactly the same place this week, while the bottom two dropped out. Previous No. 9 Piscataway (4-3) lost a pair of games this past week to Immaculata and Morristown, while previous No. 10 South Plainfield split at their own Anthony J. Cotoia Tournament, losing to Edison 61-49, abut beating JFK, 68-31.

They were replaced by Ridge (5-1) and Sayreville (6-2), respectively. The Red Devils scored a big win in the final of their own Whitey Dukiet All-Star Holiday Classic, a 70-60 upset of No. 2 St. Joseph-Metuchen, the only one of the top eight teams to lose to an unranked Central Jersey Sports Radio-area team. The Bombers played at the Huskies Holiday Classic, beating host Matawan by 15 in the opener and blowing past Old Bridge by 22. They then lost to Holmdel in the finale, 77-61.

St. Thomas Aquinas (7-1) – which held at No. 1 – actually took its first loss of the season at the Boardwalk Classic on New Year’s Eve, falling 81-54 to Middle Township. Earlier in the week, the Trojans ran their record to 7-0 with a pair of victories over East New York Family Academy (NY) and Thurgood Marshall Academy (NY) at the Vikings Invitational.

St. Joseph-Metuchen (5-1) fell from the ranks of the unbeaten in their holiday tournament final against Ridge, after beating Morris Knolls, 84-54, in their opener, but stayed at No. 2 with the team behind them – Rutgers Prep – staying put, splitting a pair with a loss to Archbishop Ryan , 75-56, on Friday, then a win in the Jameer Nelson Classic at Widener University over Camden Eastside, 83-69.

Holding in fourth is Colonia (4-3) which picked up a pair of wins in their own LeGrand Tournament over Scotch Plains-Fanwood and Union City, before falling by three to Westfield, 48-45. The Patriots’ three losses this season have come by a grand total of six points, with the loss to the Blue Devils their largest margin of defeat in the early season.

At No. 5 again is Hillsborough. The Raiders swept the Oratory Holiday Tournament, beating Morristown-Beard 57-27, then edging their hosts, 49-48 in the finale.

Also with a holiday week sweep was Gill St. Bernard’s (6-1), which won all three in its Knights Holiday Tournament, over Pope John, Bernards, and Norman Thomas (NY).

Holding in seventh is Watchung Hills, which dropped the opener of the Cougar Classic at Chatham, 54-50 to the hosts, but came back to pick up wins over New Providence and Cranford.

Eighth place is still Montgomery (6-0), the only unbeaten team left in the entire Skyland Conference, and one of just two in the CJSR coverage area (Calvary Christian is the other at 4-0). The Cougars crushed both opponents in their preset matchup Cougar Holiday Classic, topping North Hunterdon, 72-39, then Bridgewater-Raritan 88-46 in the finale. It was the most points for Monty against a Somerset County opponent under head coach Kris Grundy, who took over in 2005-06.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls continue long streak atop Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten; division-mates Somerville, Bound Brook join rankings

There wasn’t much change in the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 3, other than two bottom-half teams dropping out, and two new ones taking their place.

Rutgers Prep (5-2) – coming off a 1-2 trip down to North Carolina and the John Wall Invitational against stellar national competition – remains at No. 1 for a 32nd straight week, and will come home to play its first game of the New Year Thursday on its home court, against No. 3 and unbeaten Gill St. Bernard’s (8-0, which held in third place this week on the strength of a 3-0 trip to the KSA Tournament in Kissimmee, Florida. That Prep-Gill game can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with tip-off set for 6 pm. Click here to listen.

St. Thomas Aquinas (5-2) – which won the Holmdel Holiday showcase with victories over Ranney and the host team – holds in second.

Despite two losses in the West Orange Holiday Showcase to Teaneck and Paterson Eastside, North Plainfield (5-2) remains in fourth, ahead of Monroe (5-1) in fifth, with the Lady Canucks having beaten the Falcons the week before Christmas. Monroe swept its own holiday tournament, with wins over Marlboro and Westfield.

South Brunswick (4-3) won the Ridge Holiday Classic, going 2-1 in the event, beating the hosts Friday, 61-50, following loss to Bayonne and a win over Hunterdon Central, while Hillsborough (4-2) remains at No. 7. The Lady Raiders swept the John Molinelli Tournament at Hopewell Valley, with wins over their host, then Pennington in the finale.

The No. 8 and No. 9 teams from last week – Woodbridge and Spotswood, respectively – both fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with three losses apiece this past week at Piscataway’s Lady Chiefs Holiday Showcase. The Lady Barrons (3-3) were swept by host Piscataway, Old Bridge and Colonia, while the Lady Chargers (3-3) were swept by Colonia, Piscataway and Old Bridge, all much larger schools than Spotswood.

Colonia (6-2) is finding its groove, as they swept the Chiefs’ tournament, with victories over Spotswood, Edison and Woodbridge. The victories snapped a two-game skid for the Patriots, and moved them up to No. 8 this week.

Debuting in the nine-hole is Somerville (5-0). The Pioneers swept and won the West Windsor-Plainsboro North Tournament, taking out Matawan, Princeton and a solid Neptune squad in the process. Bound Brook (6-0) takes its place at No. 10, with a bit of a weaker schedule, one one less Mountain Division win (2-0 vs. 3-0) than The ‘Ville. The Lady Crusaders beat Koinonia and Oak Knoll in their own Crusader Classic, and will host Somerville in a big division clash on Tuesday, January 9th at 7 pm in a game that can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Below is the full Bellamy & Son Paving Week Three Girls’ Basketball Top Ten: