Tag: Somerville

by Mike Pavlichko

Finally, some movement in Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten, as Franklin joins the mix, Bernards and East Brunswick rise

It couldn’t go on like this forever.

For three weeks, the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten essentially remained the same, but that’s not the case this week. A number of top ten teams played each other, necessitating a shuffle, with a win by Franklin propelling them into the Top Ten and forcing a reset of sorts.

The Warriors had beaten Hillsborough earlier in the season, but at the time, were just 5-4, albeit with two of those losses coming to Rutgers Prep and Gill St. Bernard’s, with the others coming to very good schools out of conference. But now, they have won nine of their last eleven, and we consider them worthy of the rankings.

Still, the top three remained the same, including Rutgers Prep (16-2) at No. 1. The Argonauts only had one game on a school day this past week, beating Gill St. Bernard’s 51-44 at home in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio to clinch the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title. They finished off a 2-0 week with a win Sunday over Trinity Hall, 63-53, in the Coaches Choice Shore Challenge at Holmdel, the Argonauts’ tenth straight win.

That same showcase was the site of St. Thomas Aquinas’ (17-3) only game this week, and they beat Rumson-Fair Haven 49-37 Sunday, for their eleventh straight win. They’ll be back at it Tuesday at 5:30 at No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s (14-4), in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, our final regular season broadcast of the season. The Knights played twice in the past week, beating Bridgewater-Raritan 76-45 Tuesday before the loss to Prep.

From thee to eight is where things shift around. Bernards (16-1) moves up three places to four, after beating then 57-55 back on Thursday. That was sandwiched between a Tuesday home win over Delaware Valley, 58-35, and a Saturday home win over Bridgewater-Raritan, 64-38, in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament. The 7th-seeded Mountaineers visit two-seed Gill St. Bernards in the quarterfinals Saturday.

Franklin (10-6) makes its debut at No. 5. The Warriors didn’t play this week, but beat Hillsborough earlier this year. Just 5-4 at the time, they’ve won nine of eleven and are 8-2 in the New Year, and make the rankings after Somerville dropped out.

Hillsborough (15-3) falls two spots to No. 6 after the loss to Bernards Thursday, 57-55, which followed a Tuesday home win over Ridge, 60-37.

East Brunswick (15-4) actually falls to seven, mainly due to Franklin’s debut and Bernards rising, but the Bears were 2-0 this past week. And their first win was huge, knocking off previously-undefeated Colonia 59-48 on Thursday. They also cruised past Edison 53-35 on Saturday.

Colonia (15-1) drops to No. 8 off a 1-1 week. After the East Brunswick loss, the Patriots rebounded with a 63-35 win over South Brunswick on Saturday afternoon.

Bound Brook (17-1) stays put at No. 9 on the strength of a 2-0- week. They beat South Hunterdon 71-19 on Tuesday, then beat Montgomery 55-20 in the second round of the Somerset County Tournament. The fifth-seeded Crusaders will visit four-seed Hillsborough Saturday in the quarterfinals.

And Woodbridge (13-5) also stays put, holding in tenth, on busy week. The Barrons went 3-1, with wins Tuesday at Highland Park, 66-53, and Wednesday at Metuchen, 58-43, before taking a loss at Piscataway, 51-43, on Friday. But they came back home Saturday and beat Perth Amboy, 64-41.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 8:

by Mike Pavlichko

Another solid week (25-2) for Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten again leaves no changes in Week 7 rankings

Maybe we’re just that good at picking them?

For the second week in a row, there was no change in the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten, with the combined records of last week’s ranked squads 25-2. The only losses were by No. 6 East Brunswick to No. 4 Hillsborough, and No. 10 Woodbridge to unranked Montgomery.

That means eight of the Top Ten teams went unbeaten in the week gone by.

That means it’s now seven straight weeks at No. 1 for Rutgers Prep (14-2). The Argonauts have won eight straight and were 3-0 in the week gone by. They were 70-17 winners over Ridge Tuesday, 66-27 victors over Bridgewater-Raritan Thursday, then beat Executive Education Charter (PA) at the More Than A Highlight Showcase at Franklin on Saturday, 65-35.

Holding at No. 2 is St. Thomas Aquinas (16-3), which hasn’t lost yet in 2026 and is one a ten-game win streak. The Trojans beat Saddle River Day Monday, 61-51, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, then picked up a Saturday win at Columbia, 83-45.

Gill St. Bernard’s (13-3) remains in third, on an eleven-game win streak, and also unbeaten in its nine games in the New Year. Tuesday, they picked up a 56-11 win over Montgomery, then won 75-30 at Ridge on Thursday, before beating Virginia Academy (VA) Saturday at Franklin in the More Than Just A Highlight Showcase.

Hillsborough (14-2) holds in fourth, winners of eight straight. They routed Phillipsburg at home Tuesday, 66-23, then won a Top Ten clash with No. 6 East Brunswick Thursday, 70-52, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Saturday, they crushed Union, 72-33 at home.

Holding at No. 5 is Colonia (14-0), the lone remaining team in the CJSR coverage area to be undefeated (and one of six remaining statewide on the girls’ side). The Patriots beat Passaic Tech Monday, 48-44, at the Jarel Lowery Showcase at Paterson Eastside, then came back Saturday with a 71-59 win over North Plainfield.

East Brunswick (13-4) remains at six, even after the 70-52 loss at No. 4 Hillsborough on Thursday. That defeat was bookended by a 57-16 win at South Plainfield Tuesday, and a bounce-back win at Old Bridge on Saturday, 59-41.

Bernards (13-1) remains in seventh, after a 3-0 week. The Mountaineers beat North Hunterdon at home Tuesday, 44-36, then won at Warren Hills Thursday, 55-29, and closed the week with a 29-26 home win over Mountain Lakes.

Holding at eight is Somerville (12-4). The Pioneers were 2-0 in the week gone by, beating in-town rival Immaculata at home Thursday, 50-40, then edging Princeton Day at home Saturday, 44-36.

Bound Brook holds tight at No. 9, sweeping three games last week. They won at Belvidere, 46-23, on Tuesday, then got a home win Thursday over College Achieve Central, 65-42, before picking up a 55-36 road win at Hunterdon Central on Saturday.

And standing pat at ten is Woodbridge (10-4), which opened the week Wednesday with a three-point loss at Montgomery, 55-52. But they bounced back with a 63-34 win at South Brunswick on Thursday, and a 68-32 home win over in-town rival JFK Saturday.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 5:

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Stability is the name of the game in Bellamy & Son Paving Week 6 Girls’ Basketball Top Ten

The boys have been all over the place.

The girls? Not so much.

It’s another week of few changes in the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten, starting at the top. Just two teams moved this week, as most teams just keep on winning. In fact, the top five teams are on a combined 38-game win streak.

That starts with Rutgers Prep (11-4) at No. 1, on a five-game winning streak. The Argonauts won a Skyland Conference game Monday, beating Phillipsburg at home, 62-13. Then, they won two at the Rose Super Jam at Nazareth High School in Brooklyn, beating a pair of teams from Massachusetts. On Friday, they were 65-50 winners over Dexter, then beat Newman 59-47 on Sunday.

St. Thomas Aquinas (14-3) remains No. 2, winners of eight straight. The Trojans beat North Plainfield 104-49 on Tuesday, then Monroe 80-31 on Thursday – both at home – before picking up a 76-54 road win at No. 5 East Brunswick on Saturday.

Still in third is Gill St. Bernard’s (10-3). The Knights pummeled Mount St. Mary on Tuesday, 52-10, then were 58-33 home winners over Phillipsburg on Thursday, their eighth straight victory.

Hillsborough (11-2) is holding steady at No. 4, having won five straight. Tuesday, they beat Hunterdon Central at home, 58-42. Then they won at Mount St. Mary, 49-30, on Thursday, and Saturday at Scotch Plains-Fanwood, 45-38.

Colonia (12-0) moved up to No. 5 this week, winning all three of its games: Tuesday, 46-37 at Middlesex – as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio – Thursday at home against South Plainfield, 60-28, and Saturday at Spotswood, 67-44.

Switching places with the Patriots is East Brunswick (11-3) – now at No. 6 – after a 2-1 week. The Bears beat South Brunswick, 63-27, on Tuesday, then won 56-54 at Piscataway on Thursday. But they had a four-game winning streak snapped on Saturday at home by No. 2 St. Thomas Aquinas, 76-54.

Holding in seventh is Bernards (10-1), which took its first loss of the season on Saturday at home to Roselle Park, 67-52. Earlier in the week, they won 48-46 at No. 8 Somerville, then beat Immaculata at home on Thursday, 62-41.

Somerville (10-4) is still at No. 8, despite an 0-2 week. They lost Tuesday to Bernards, 48-46, then went on the road Thursday and took a 43-38 loss at Voorhees.

Bound Brook (12-2) is on an eight-game win streak after going 2-0 this past week. Tuesday, they beat South Plainfield, 62-33. Then on Friday, they beat Manville at home, 56-33.

And No. 10 Woodbridge (8-3) also held its place, losing the one game they played this week, Saturday at Elizabeth, 57-56, their second straight loss.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

PHOTO GALLERY: No. 7 Immaculata vs. No. 7 Somerville (January 17, 2025)

The seventh-ranked Immaculata Spartans got 26 points – and six threes – from senior Riley Gorman to win their eleventh straight game over Somerville, defeating the Pioneers 81-53 on Saturday, January 17, 2026.

Click here to read the game story, complete with postgame reaction from Riley Gorman and head coach Ryan McKeever, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Here’s a photo gallery from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s coverage of the game:

  • Immaculata's student section rests up before a big in-town rivalry game at home against Somerville on January 17, 2026. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
by Mike Pavlichko

No. 7 Immaculata reigns as Spartans rain 3s down on No. 10 Somerville for 83-51 victory, 11th straight against Pioneers

Twice this week – on Monday against Vernon and Tuesday against Hunterdon Central – No. 7 Immaculata dropped eleven threes in a game. What would be the odds they’d do it again?

Pretty good, as it turns out.

The seventh-ranked Spartans hit eleven times from downtown Saturday afternoon, en route to an 83-51 home win over No. 10 Somerville in the annual Mayor’s Trophy game.

And forget the kids and their “6-7,” there must be something about the No. 11. Because that’s how many in a row Immaculata has won against their in-town rivals, dating back to 2017. The Pioneers’ last ween against the Spartans came in February 2016.

Then again, there might also be something about the number ten. That’s the jersey number of senior Riley Gorman, who hit six times from beyond the arc Saturday, three times in the first quarter as part of two runs that had Somerville chasing them all afternoon.

After the Pioneers got the first bucket from James Hampton, Immaculata went on an 11-0 run to take an 11-2 lead, then after a three made it 11-5, they strung nine straight points together to make it 20-5 with 3:38 left in the first period. Somerville never got it to single digits the rest of the game.

And they played fairly even after that. Immaculata (10-2) led by 15 after those two runs, and was up 17 at the half. But the third quarter also belonged to Immaculata, which led 73-43 after three, and the rest was history. Tyler Burns finished with 18 for ‘Lata, while Bruce Higgins chipped in 17.

Somerville (10-4) was led by Messiah Bradley with 16 – including a pair of treys – while James Hapton added 13 and Brian Palko 12.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Immaculata senior Riley Gorman and head coach Ryan McKeever, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Top Ten goes 29-3, leaving little change in Week 5 rankings

What happens when the top ten barely loses a game? Not much apparently.

There were only three losses in 32 games played this past week by the Bellamy & Son Paving girls’ basketball top ten, meaning very little change in the rankings.

It’s now five straight weeks at No. 1 for Rutgers Prep (8-2), which had two wins in a light week, 66-22 over Hunterdon Central on Monday, and 57-24 at Mount St. Mary on Thursday.

That’s followed by St. Thomas Aquinas (11-3) holding it down at No. 2, going 4-0 in the past week. They beat No. 5 East Brunswick 75-42 on Tuesday, then South Brunswick 68-23 on Thursday, and won 92-56 at Piscataway on Friday. Saturday, they beat St. Rose, 52-38, in the Coaches Choice St. Thomas Aquinas Challenge in North Edison.

Holding in third is Gill St. Bernard’s (8-3), which went 3-0 in the past week, beating Pingry 55-50 Tuesday, winning 65-33 at Hunterdon Central Thursday, then 70-39 at Thrive Charter on Saturday.

Hillsborough (8-2) held in fourth. The Raiders lost to Franklin, 72-44, on Tuesday, but came back to win two straight road games, 42-33 at Pingry on Thursday, and 55-17 at neighboring Montgomery on Friday.

East Brunswick (9-2) holds at No. 5. They also dropped their first game of the week – falling 75-42 to St. Thomas Aquinas Tuesday – but rebounded with a 44-40 win at Monroe Thursday, and a 59-46 victory against North Plainfield on Saturday.

Up a spot to seventh is Colonia (9-0), which swept three games in the week gone by. They narrowly beat Spotswood – their closest win of the year – 59-57 on the road Tuesday, then came back with a 51-35 win at Edison Thursday, and a 62-38 win over Old Bridge on Saturday.

Bernards (8-0) continues to win as well, but flip-flopped with Colonia to seven. They were 2-0 last week, beating Voorhees 40-39 Thursday, then picking up a 53-32 win over Hanover Park on Saturday.

Somerville (10-2) holds at No. 8 after a monster 5-0 week. Monday, they beat Science Park out of Newark on the road, 53-18, then won two more road games: 57-28 at Warren Hills Tuesday, and 52-44 at Delaware Valley Thursday. Then, they won twice over the weekend, 50-27 Saturday against Hopewell Valley, then 66-14 over South Plainfield in the Coaches Choice St. Thomas Aquinas Challenge in North Edison on Sunday.

Bound Brook (10-1) remains at No. 9 after a 4-0 week. They won 632-26 at College Achieve Central Tuesday, then beat South Hunterdon 60-18 at home Thursday, and Lawrence on Saturday, 61-36.

Woodbridge (8-2) remains in tenth. After a 73-55 win over North Brunswick on Tuesday, and a 64-27 victory at JP Stevens Thursday, the Barrons lost 61-44 to Monroe on Saturday to complete a 2-1 week.

Here’s the complete Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten for Week 5:

by Mike Pavlichko

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Montgomery holds at No. 1 despite first loss, but there’s much shuffling elsewhere in Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten for Week 4

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:

Image of the Bellamy & Son Paving basketball Top Ten rankings for boys' basketball, Week 4, featuring team names, records, and previous rankings.