Tag: South Amboy

by Mike Pavlichko

Mid-Week Girls’ Basketball Update: Several small schools off to good starts, while traditional powers keep things moving along

There’s not much you can say for the old standbys, and this is when they get particularly challenged.

Just barely a week into high school basketball season, Rutgers Prep is 2-0, Gill St. Bernard’s is 1-0, and heavy GMC favorite St. Thomas Aquinas is 2-1. They’ll all load up plenty more wins as the season goes on, and maybe even a few losses as they fan out to showcases on weekends, bookending their conference slates.

But what about some of the smaller schools, or those not always in the mix? A few have gotten off on the right foot.

Fewer schools in Somerset County have played multiple games yet; in fact, of the Skyland teams in our coverage area (Somerset County), everyone has played just one game besides Gill, Prep, and Hillsborough (1-1). So, we’ll be looking more at the Greater Middlesex Conference.

Smaller schools tearing it up…

The way the GMC has muddled their divisions – going away from Red, White, Blue, Gold (and sometimes Silver) to The Red, Blue and White American and National Divisions – there are no more “small school” or “big school” divisions. But two smaller schools in the White National are off to good starts, with Metuchen and Carteret both 2-0.

The Bulldogs are coming off a 21-5 season, but have won their first two games of the year for the first time in thee seasons. They topped Highland Park Monday in their opener, 49-30, before coming back Wednesday to beat JFK, 37-21.

Victoria Zaniecki was the top scorer in both games, respectively. She scored 30 and grabbed 11 rebounds against the Owls, then put in another 13 – and recorded four blocks – in the win over the Mustangs. She’s now just 81 points from cracking the thousand-point milestone.

Carteret, meanwhile, outscored its first two opponents 94-21, beating Kennedy 44-13, and Timothy Christian 50-8 with balanced scoring throughout. Five different players have already scored ten ore more points, led by seniors Anilah Diggs (9.5 ppg) and Samatha Woode (8.5 ppg), while the team has 27 steals already, and eight of the ten players on the varsity roster have more than one.

South River on the rebound…

After a 2-23 record last season in Year One under head coach Nicky Curran – a year in which they lost 21 straight until picking up mid-February wins against Keyport and Woodbridge Magnet – don’t look now, but the Rams are 2-0.

And, going back to last year, have won four of their last five games. They beat Mother Seton 22-20 Monday in their opener, then took a 41-24 decision from Wardlaw-Hartridge Wednesday. Sophomore Arianna Perez leads the team in scoring, pacing South River with 16 points in their most recent win.

The Rams host Calvary Christian (1-1) Saturday morning at 11.

First three-win team is over the bridge…

Maybe, they know how to schedule in South Amboy, but with three games under their belt, the girls are doing just as well as the boys: 3-0.

They opened with a 24-9 win over New Brunswick in the Friends of South Amboy Charity Games Saturday, then beat Woodbridge Magnet 45-24 Monday, and Perth Amboy Magnet 36-19 the next day. Junior

Gabby Evanski has been having a field day, hitting six times already from beyond the arc, and scoring 46 points in three games, while grabbing 30 rebounds. She had 8 points and 11 boards against the Zebras, flipped it against Woodbridge Magnet with 21 and 8 – including four treys – then had a double-double against Perth Magnet, going for 17 points and 11 rebounds, including 7-of-11 from the foul line.

Freshman Valerie Figueroa has scored 26 of her first 31 varsity points in the last two games.

The Tech School Parade continues Friday, when East Brunswick Magnet (1-1) comes to town.

Piscataway Magnet also is off to a 2-0 start, picking up wins against their fellow tech schools: 54-12 over Perth Amboy Magnet Monday, and 44-21 over EB Magnet Wednesday. Freshman Alaina and Alivia Tucker and senior Eva Hernandez all have 24 points scored on the season.

by Mike Pavlichko

GMC Jim Muldowney Tournament Play-In Round Preview: Four games on tap Saturday

With the Greater Middlesex Conference seeding the Jim Muldowney Championship and Ray Cipperly Invitational on Friday – with Woodbridge getting the overall top seed – the Championship tourney will get underway Saturday with the play-in round, while the Invitational will kick off on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the four Saturday games in the Championship bracket, including a look ahead to who’s next. Scroll to the end for the first round Invitational matchups.

(17) South Brunswick (3-15) at (16) South River (12-5), 12 pm: This is the type of game that’s impossible to pick, a double-digit team from the Blue Division against a Red Division team with just three overall wins, and one in its own division. The Red has been competitive just about from top-to-bottom, with six of the eight teams cracking the ten-win mark, and besides South Brunswick, Monroe has eight victories. So, it’s tough to tell. Couple that with the fact that the Rams have one of the top pitchers in the league in Julius Rosado, who will be playing not far away at Rutgers next Spring. Does Mike Lepore throw him Saturday, since you have to win that game to advance? Does he save him for Monday’s first round against top-seed and GMC Red champion Woodbridge – in which he would give the South River a fighting chance – but risk not getting a win Saturday, leaving him on the table? Or does he start him, cap him at 50 pitches, allowing him to only take one-day rest, leaving him with 90 against the Barrons? Rosado has only thrown 90 or more pitches once this year, in a 4-3 win over JP Stevens on April 23rd, and he hasn’t thrown more than 25 in four appearances since. Maybe this is what they’ve been saving him for? The Vikings have struggled at the plate, hitting just .227 on the season, and only Timothy Christian (21) has scored fewer runs that South Brunswick, which has 49, as does North Brunswick (2-13). The winner travels to face the Barrons Monday.

(19) JFK (9-8) at (14) North Plainfield (10-5), 12 pm: Here’s two teams more on a par with each other in an all-Blue Division matchup. And this one could be a toss-up. Kennedy gotten some good pitching, but little run support. The workloads have gone to junior Myles Ulaky (1.83 ERA) and Grant Lorentzen, who has allowed just one earned run, four overall, all season in 36 1/3 innings pitched for a barely-noticeable 0.19 ERA. North Plainfield is on its first losing streak of the year – just two games – showing how solid a season they’ve had. The Canucks have gotten decent pitching – with a team ERA of just 2.23 – but they’re hitting just .204 on the year, with no single player batting better than .300 on the season. The winner goes to GMC White champ and third-seed St. Thomas Aquinas Monday.

(18) Carteret (8-8) at (15) Perth Amboy (4-10), 12 pm: Is the fact that the Panthers have just four wins in the white and the Ramblers eight wins in the Blue an equalizer? Sometimes, when comparing teams from different divisions, the GMC seeding committee considers what one team might do in the other division. Add in that this is a classic rivalry – their all-time football series having been the longest running in Middlesex County – and this should be a good one. Perth Amboy comes in strong. After a 3-10 start, the Panthers have won three straight: two over North Brunswick and one over South Brunswick. They scored just 12 runs on that eight game skid, but have scored an average of ten over the last three games, hitting .337 in that span. And it doesn’t matter the opponent, baseball people know hitting is contagious. Yet, the Ramblers will be a tougher opponent. Winners of five of their last seven, Carteret is hitting a healthy .283 and led by senior Eric Thompson, batting .370, while Joneil Martinez has knocked in a team-best 12 runs and is hitting .345 on the year. The winner goes to No. 2 South Plainfield Monday.

(20) South Amboy (5-11) at (13) Metuchen (13-6), 2 pm: It’s an all-Blue Division matchup between the sixth-place Governors and the pennant-winning Bulldogs. South Amboy is hitting .278 as a team, led by senior Benjamin Smith, batting .434, tied for a team-high in RBIs with Jeremy Vasquez, who also has five of the Guvs’ seven home runs. Pitching has been an issue, with a team ERA just over six, and no single pitcher lower than a 4.43 ERA. Metuchen is an interesting story. They were 11-2 before May first, but have lost four of their last five and three straight, although two of those losses came to Red Division foes in Edison (a 4-3 loss) and Monroe (a 7-2 defeat). Metuchen is the beat-hitting team of the eight in the play-in round (as well as the highest-seeded, so maybe they should be?) and has just a 2.62 team ERA, with a number of options to choose from on a staff that doesn’t have a single senior and is dominated by juniors. The winner gets four-seed East Brunswick on the road Monday.

GMC RAY CIPPERLY INVITATIONAL – 1st ROUND
TUESDAY, MAY 13

  • (9) Highland Park (3-13) at (8) Piscataway Magnet (8-8), 4 pm (Winner at (1) JP Stevens on Thursday)
  • (11) Timothy Christian (0-11) at (6) Dunellen (12-6), 4 pm (Winner at (3) East Brunswick Magnet on Thursday)
  • (10) Perth Amboy Magnet (3-11) at (7) Somerset Tech (7-6), 4 om (Winner at (2) North Brunswick on Thursday)
by Mike Pavlichko

Power Points Analysis: Metuchen continues to lead Central Group 1, but Middlesex inches closer

We’re exactly two weeks from the NJSIAA cutoff for the state playoffs – May 17th – and teams across the area continue to jockey for position in the standings. Here’s a closer look beyond the numbers at where teams stand and what their chances are, based on NJ.com’s official standings as of games played on May 2nd. For a full explanation of the new power point formula, click here.

Central Jersey Group 2: The No. 1 team is still Metuchen (12-3, 22.127), as the Bulldogs went 4-1 since our last update, but they’re just 1.127 ahead of the next team, which is now Middlesex (11-4, 21). The Blue Jays were even better, going a perfect 3-0 in the week gone by, jumping them over Point Pleasant Beach (13-3, 19.2), which went 2-2 since our last check-in. With the fourth-place team, Delaware Valley (8-6) at 16.469 power points, we think it’ll be the Bulldogs, Blue Jays and Garnet Gulls battling it out for the top two spots, so Metuchen and Middlesex – if they keep doing what they’ve been doing – are locks for at least the top four.

Manville (9-5, 14.923) slipped from fifth to seventh this week, despite winning all three games they played, and their power point average going up. They could finish either side of the top eight, with a lot of teams closely bunched in here. South Amboy (5-9, 14.433) is right behind them, as well as Piscataway Magnet (7-7, 14.386) in ninth and Somerset Tech (6-6, 13.297) in tenth. Only 1.626 points separate the four, and we haven’t even talked about Florence, New Egypt or Dunellen (10-6, 12.543), all within less than two power points of the No. 8 spot. Anyone could land anywhere, and this one is just too close to call right now.

The next CJSR-area teams are all on the wrong side of the bubble, but at that spot in the standings, one or two late wins – when you only have a couple to begin with – could do wonders. That’s the hope for Perth Amboy Magnet (3-10, 9.177), Highland Park (2-11, 7.631) and Bound Brook (1-10, 7.209), all of whom are in positions 17 through 19, with the target being to at least outs 16th place Keyport (4-5, 9.677). If any of those teams can string together a couple of wins the last two weeks, they might just edge into the playoffs.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY: No. 9 Spotswood 16, South Amboy 5

Ninth-ranked Spotswood exploded for six runs in the second and eight in the third inning of a 16-5 win over visiting South Amboy. The Chargers got a grand slam from Sebby Saracino in the third – his first career varsity home run – and four scoreless innings from senior starting pitcher Carter Cumiskey.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko call the play-by-play as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio on March 29, 2025 from Spotswood.

by Mike Pavlichko

Spotswood bats erupt for 16-5 win over South Amboy in first game on Chargers’ new turf field

New turf, new season, same old Spotswood baseball.

On Opening Day for both teams, the No. 9 Chargers exploded for six runs in the second inning, and eight in the third – fueled by a Sebby Saracino grand slam – en route to a 16-5 victory over visiting South Amboy Saturday, in a GMC crossover game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

It was also the first game on Spotswood’s new turf field, and they christened it not only with a big win, but with a blast from the past.

Pitcher Willie Beard and catcher Anthony Addone from the 2007 GMC Tournament and state championship team – which was inducted into the Spotswood Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022, along with Beard as an individual – teamed up for a ceremonial first pitch.

Willie Beard throws the ceremonial first pitch to Anthony Addone – battery mates from Spotswood’s 2007 GMC Tournament and state championship team – to christen the Chargers’ new turf field on March 29, 2025. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

Then the game began, and it was almost like going back in a time machine 18 years, as Spotswood got on the board with two in the bottom of the first.

Sarracino’s slam in the third was the first home run of his varsity career, and he finished the day with a career high five runs batted in.

Starter Carter Cumiskey was excellent as well, able to stay fresh with the weather unseasonably warm – 74 at game time and over 80 by the time the final out was recorded – as the senior pitched four shutout innings, allowing one hit and just two base runners – a second reached on an error – to get the Opening Day win.  He struck out four and pitched three one-two-theee innings.

South Amboy got its five runs in the top of the fifth, helped by a hard liner off the third baseman’s glove and a chopper that left shortstop Ryan Orth with no real option to make a play.  But they needed seven runs to keep the game going, and fell just short.

Starter Micah Nemeth took the loss in relief for the Governors. 

Spotswood did what it wanted to do at the plate, scratching and clawing when they needed to early, and getting some big hits when they needed them. Besides the Grand slam, the Chargers also got two ground rule doubles, one from Will Buchan and another from freshman catcher Tyrus Lazar.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Spotswood’s Sebby Saracino, Carter Cumiskey, and head coach Glenny Fredricks, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

South Amboy, No. 9 Spotswood got off to hot starts last season, will open 2025 Saturday morning on Central Jersey Sports Radio

A handful of area teams have begun their high school baseball seasons already, but many will open this weekend and next week.

That includes Spotswood and South Amboy, for whom a beautiful Saturday will be the setting for their Opening Day, 11 am at the place Chargers’ fans affectionately call “The Swamp.”

It will always be known as such, but it may not live up to that name as much anymore, now that their natural grass surface has been replaced with turf, thanks to a Fall 2023 referendum approved by voters.

The view from in front of home plate of Spotswood’s new turf field. (Photo submitted by Glenny Fredricks)

You can hear Saturday’s game on Central Jersey Sports Radio beginning at 10:40 with pregame, and first pitch set for 11 am, with Mike Pavlichko on the call. Click here to listen.

Both teams started last season red hot. Spotswood won its first seven games and was unbeaten through 12 with an 11-0-1 record – there was an 8-8 tie with Marlboro – en route to a 19-4-2 record, while South Amboy won its first eight and ten of its first eleven, finishing 14-5 and going to the GMC Invitational final, where they lost to Carteret.

Of course, since it’s Opening Day, each team will get to throw their ace. For the Governors, it’ll be sophomore Micah Nemeth, the only returning pitcher to throw more than ten innings last season; he went 7-2 with a 1.96 ERA. The Chargers will send out Seton Hall-bound senior Carter Cumiskey, who committed to the Pirates all the way back when he was a freshman. He went 6-2 with a 1.80 ERA.

Both pitchers have great control and rack up the strikeouts when they’re on the mound. Nemeth had 47 strikeouts and 25 walks last season, with Cumsikey even more impressive, fanning 78, while walking just 14.

Cumiskey is also a hammer at the plate, hitting .446 a year ago with six home runs and a team best 30 RBIs, while South Amboy has senior outfielder Jeremy Vasquez back off a season where he hit an unthinkable .596, drove in 19 runs and hit three homers.

Click below to hear both coaches talk about their teams heading into Opening Day, and their Saturday morning matchup to begin the 2025 season:

Spotswood head coach Glenny Fredricks
South Amboy head coach Dan Paulsen

by Mike Pavlichko

12th Annual Friends of South Amboy event continues to raise funds for charity, more than a decade after Superstorm Sandy

What started as a way to raise money for those along the Jersey Bayshore devastated by Superstorm Sandy is now a charitable event that’s run for over a decade.

Hard to believe, it’s been 12 years since Sandy hit New Jersey, wreaking havoc in so many places. It destroyed homes, washed out bridges, and turned life upside down for so many.

In the immediate aftermath, a group spearheaded by Tom Reilly put together the Friends of South Amboy. And one of their first orders of business was a showcase of high school basketball games to benefit those in need locally after the storm.

That event raised more than $30,000, all of which went to area families, with the help of local police who helped

“The tears, and the happiness, and the pure thankfulness of what we did really affected me,” Reilly told Central Jersey Sports Radio this week.

And with that, they continued with the event. While the majority of the money may not go to Sandy victims more than a decade later – one went to a volunteer fireman in need, another went to a local girl with leukemia – Reilly is there to make sure that as many people as possible can benefit from the event.

Scroll down for the full schedule of games, which will include Central Jersey Sports Radio covering the 8:00 nightcap live between No. 3 Montgomery (2-1) and No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen (1-1). Pregame is set for 7:45; click here to listen.

Click below to hear Friends of South Amboy founder and President Tom Reilly talk about the event with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

And then there were six: A look at the undefeated teams left in the CJSR coverage area

We’re officially two weeks into the high school baseball season – though some haven’t quite managed two weeks’ worth with all the rain we’ve gotten – and there are a half-dozen teams who remain unbeaten.

Some have received a lot of attention, like Bridgewater-Raritan, No. 1 this week, taking the top spot in the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten. Others, like South Amboy (4-0) or Piscataway Magnet (2-0) have not.

So, here’s a look at all six teams without a blemish on their records so far.

Bridgewater-Raritan (6-0, #1 ranking)

The Panthers had high expectations coming into the season, and so far have delivered with aplomb. They had a big season-opening win over Rancocas Valley, and beat state-ranked North Hunterdon 7-1 back on Saturday, a win that – coupled with Old Bridge’s second loss of the season – elevated them to No. 1 this week in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten.

The Panthers are hitting .304 as a team, and have three home runs already. And they’re getting it from a mix of veterans – one each from Devin Goldberg and JR Rosado – as well as others like Matthew Lehberger, a junior who hit his first varsity homer against Hillsborough on April 9th.

The team ERA is 1.97, with Owen Crimmins, Corey Rible and others looking sharp.

The Panthers have a big test Tuesday afternoon when they travel out to Flemington to take on Hunterdon Central, a 4:00 start.

Spotswood (7-0, #5 ranking)

The Chargers won their seventh straight Monday afternoon, beating Somerville 7-3 on the road in the teams’ first meeting since 2007. That’s a nice feat, but it’s getting to be old hat around “The Swamp.” After all, Spotswood won its first nine games last season en route to a 21-8 season, and a trip to the Central Jersey Group 2 final.

Seton Hall commit Carter Cumiskey has been lights out. He’s 3-0, only allowing his first earned run of the season Monday afternoon, giving him a 0.39 ERA (in 17 and 2/3 innings pitched) with a 3-0 record. He struck out ten Pioneers in the win, and – oh yeah – also hit a solo home run that led Somerville to intentionally walk him his next two at bats.

Meanwhile, Glenny Fredricks – now in his 20th season with the Chargers – is sitting at 299 career wins after Monday’s victory.

Everyone in the lineup is hitting, and Spotswood continues to do the little things well, the definition of a Fredricks-coached team. The Blue Division-leading Chargers have scored more runs than anyone in the league (75) and are outscoring their opponents 75-16 through seven games, a +59 run differential that’s also the best in the GMC.

The Chargers are back in action at home Thursday at 4 pm against Marlboro, where Fredricks will go for win No. 300 in his coaching career.

Woodbridge (7-0, #6 ranking)

Like Bridgewater and Spotswood, the Barrons returned a veteran group and also had high expectations for this season. So far, it’s all gone according to plan for Woodbridge. At +53, they’re second in the GMC in run differential, giving up just eight runs all year, the lowest of any team that has played at least three games. (Edison, right behind them in the GMC White, has only given up nine in six games; the Eagles are 5-1.)

Woodbridge has swept home-and-homes from Colonia, Sayreville, and JP Stevens, while beating Middlesex in their first meeting of the year on the road Monday, 4-3.

Senior Eddy Nunez – who burst on the scene as a freshman in the “COVID comeback” season – has thrown 19 innings, more than anyone on the staff, and struck out 27 (1.4 per inning) on the season. His ERA is a slim 1.47, while senior Shawn Kish has also been solid. So has Drew Lukachyk, who didn’t pitch much last year due to arm issues, but has returned to form this season.

Lukachyk is hitting .409 this year as well, and that’s not even the best average on a team that’s hitting an excellent .357 overall. Sophomore Xavier Diaz is hitting .471 and Kish – also a senior – is batting .429.

The Barrons host Middlesex Tuesday afternoon at 4, then entertain North Brunswick Thursday.

Immaculata (7-0, #7 ranking)

What a turn for Kevin Cust’s ballclub, whose best year since the COVID shutdown in 2020 was a 14-13 record two seasons ago, sandwiched between 9-win, sub-.500 seasons. This year, the Spartans are back in top form.

While they didn’t win their first seven that year, in 2018 Immaculata started 1-1, but then won 17 straight to go 18-1 in their first 19. That year, they beat Montgomery for the Somerset County title, then fell in the Non-Public South B final to Gloucester Catholic.

This year’s team opened up with three out-of-state foes – all wins – and now has won four straight since beginning Skyland Conference play, with all coming against Somerset County Teams in Montgomery on the road, then Watchung Hills, Franklin and Pingry at home. In their first seven, they’ve tossed three shutouts, and allowed two or fewer runs in five of those games.

The Spartans are tearing the cover off the ball, hitting .369 as a team, and led by junior Colin Kassai, who’s hitting .600 on the year – 12 for 20 – while senior Troy Rabosky is hitting .571 on 12 for 21.

Pitching-wise, they’ve given up 13 runs all year, and by scoring 66, have the largest run differential in the CJSR coverage area, let alone the Skyland Conference, at +63 on the season. Senior Josh Thompson has thrown 17 innings so far, with a paltry 0.41 ERA.

Immaculata plays Rutgers Prep Tuesday at 4, then travels to Flemington for a big test Saturday morning at 11:00 against Hunterdon Central.

South Amboy (4-0)

With all their wins coming in the GMC Gold Division, the Governors have swept their home-and-homes with Carteret and New Brunswick. While the Zebras are just 1-3, Carteret is 4-2, with their only losses coming to South Amboy, and the Ramblers are right behind them in the division.

While the pitching has been hit or miss, their offense has been more hit than miss. The Guvs are batting .329, with three regulars at .300 or better, including Weslyn Morel-Sanchez (.429), Benjamin Hernandez (.444) and Benjamin Smith (.545), who already has eight runs batten in on the season, plus the team’s only home run.

After a 19-7 win over New Brunswick on Monday – the Governors outscored the Zebras 30-10 in that home-and-home series – South Amboy visits the pristine field at East Brunswick Magnet for a 4 pm first pitch on Wednesday.

Piscataway Magnet (2-0)

Sure, it’s earlier for the Raiders than anyone else, having played two games – both GMC Silver Division opponents – but why not give the Raiders some pub?

It took them over a week to play their first game of the season, a 17-0 whitewash of Wardlaw-Hartridge. Then it was another six days before they got back on the field Monday to win at Perth Amboy Magnet, 8-7 in eight innings. The Raiders got two in the top of the eighth to break a 6-6 tie, then held PA Magnet to a run in the bottom of the inning to pick up the win.

Albeit through two games, Piscataway Magnet is off to a good start, hitting .382 as a team with four extra base hits (3 doubles and a triple). Freshman Kyla Malchiodi leads the way, hitting .750 (4 for 8) through two games with a team-leading nine runs batted in.

Senior Matt Baez got the win in the opener, tossing a complete game of five scoreless, one-hit innings, striking out 15 while walking only two in a ten-run rule win.

Their biggest test yet will come Tuesday when they visit GMC Silver Division leader Highland Park (3-1, 3-0 in the division) at 4 pm.

by Mike Pavlichko

Seventh heaven? Seven area boys’ hoops teams head into Christmas Break with perfect records

As things wind down for a few days for Christmas – with holiday tournaments just beyond – there are seven boys’ basketball teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area with unblemished records, and a few more still unbeaten in divisional play.

Of those, five are in the Greater Middlesex Conference, with two in Somerset County.

Cougars, Warriors still perfect…

Perhaps the most notable unbeaten from Somerset is Montgomery, which is 4-0 so far, 2-0 in the Valley Division, with wins over Pingry and West Morris on the road to start the season, then a pair of home wins over Delaware Valley and Morris Knolls. It’s their best start since the COVID-shortened 2021 season, went they went 6-0 to start, and finished 10-4. Senior Steve Donahue is leading the way with 14 points per game for the Monty, which hosts its own Cougar Holiday Classic this week. They host North Hunterdon at 2 pm Wednesday, following Bridgewater-Raritan and Princeton at noon, while the Cougars and Panthers will play each other at 4 pm Friday.

Watchung Hills is the other Somerset County team not to lose yet. The Warriors are 5-0 overall, 3-0 in the newly-configured Raritan Division. Justin Salton’s club has only played two county opponents, and three from the Skyland. They have wins at Bound Brook and over Bridgewater, while they beat Phillipsburg in their opener. Out-of-conference wins have come over Morris Knolls and at Clifton. Junior Zack Patette (16.4 ppg) and senior John Kelly (15.4 ppg) are the top scorers leading a fairly balanced attack. They also play in a Cougar Classic this coming week, this one up at Chatham. It’s a three-game, four-team event, playing the host school Tuesday night at 7, New Providence Wednesday at 3 pm, and Cranford out of Union County on Friday at 1:30 in the afternoon.

GMC’s five have some usual suspects, some not…

The undefeated teams in the Greater Middlesex Conference are somewhat of a mix. On the one hand, there’s St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Joseph-Metuchen in the Red Division, which doesn’t surprise anyone. The other three? South Amboy and Calvary Christian in the Gold, and Timothy Christian in the Blue.

We’ll start with Timothy, as we broadcast their season-opener, a win against JFK in which senior Jalen Fleming eclipsed the 1,000-point mark. The Tigers followed that up with wins at Carteret, South River and Metuchen. They are scoring 73.3 points per game, with an average margin of victory a shade over 23 points. Fleming, of course, is a big reason why, averaging 22.3 points a game, but then there’s junior Myles Dickerson After dropping 20 in the opener against Kennedy, he scored 25 against the Ramblers, 32 against the Rams, and 35 against the Bulldogs, for a tidy 28 points per game. And as Nigerian transfer Chukwudi Raphael Mamah gets more comfortable with the American game and contributes more, the Tigers will be a tough out. Their schedule hasn’t been the best, but it’s not the worst either, but it could get tougher this week. They’re in the Butch Kowal Tournament at Rahway this week, playing the host Indians at 7:30 Wednesday night. If they win, they would likely play Rumson-Fair Haven (currently 31-) in the final Friday night at 7:30; the consolation tips at 6.

Myles Dickerson (#5 in black) runs the offense against JFK in a GMC Blue Division home game in Piscataway on December 15, 2023. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)

The Gold has South Amboy and Calvary Christian, but at least one won’t be undefeated for long. That’s because they face each other on January third in Old Bridge. 

But first, the Governors are in the Middlesex/Shore Holiday Tournament at South River this week, taking on Henry Hudson at 11 am Wednesday, before Keansburg and the homestanding Rams play each other at 12:30 pm. The consolation takes place Thursday at 11, followed by the championship at 12:30. South Amboy is led by senior Jake Eberle with 16.6 ppg and 7.8 rpg, while fellow senior Gavin Pelkey is averaging 15.8 points per game.

Calvary Christian will be out at the University of Valley Forge in Pennsylvania at the Patriot Holiday Invitational. They play Thursday against Baptist Regional at 4 pm, then will get either Mount Airy Christian (PA) or Coventry Christian (PA) in the 12:30 consolation or the 3:30 final the next day.

And then, of course, the GMC Red Division, with standbys Aquinas and Joe’s. They will play each other twice this season, but the first of those meetings doesn’t come until January 16th in North Edison. They’ll rematch January 30th in Metuchen.

The Trojans are 5-0 despite turning over their entire roster save for one player, Davon Grant, who had all of 23 career varsity points entering the season. GMC wins have come over JP Stevens, South Brunswick, and Old Bridge, with the victory over the Knights’ being by almost the slimmest of margins, 54-52. They also have wins over New York non-publics, St. Joseph by the Sea on Staten Island and Monsignor Scanlan out of The Bronx. Newcomer Aiden Ur, a junior, leads the scoring with 16.4 points per game, while seniors Paris Papadatos and Rinelson Dilone are adding 14.8 and 14 points a game, respectively. In fact, Dilone is cleaning up on the glass, too, nearly averaging a double-double, with 9.8 boards per contest. Aquinas plays St. Elizabeth (DE) on the Varsity Viking Invitational on Wednesday (time TBA), the are in the Boardwalk Basketball Classic at Wildwoods Convention Center down the Shore, taking on Middle Township of the Cape-Atlantic League at 1:15 in the afternoon on New Year’s Eve.

As for St. Joe’s, they’ve been without senior Jeremy DeCaro, a major piece, but fellow senior Jeremy Clayville has been lighting it up. He’s averaging 26.8 points per game, twice scoring more than 30 points. He had 35 against JP Stevens last Thursday night in a 30-point win, a week after piling up a mammoth 43-point effort – a career high – in a season-opening ten point road win over Piscataway. Fellow seniors Owen Griffin and Dave Caruso also are averaging a shade over 10 points a contest. The Falcons are in the Whitey Dukiet All-American Holiday Classic at Livingston High School this Wednesday, where they’ll take on Morris Knolls Wednesday at 1, before Ridge and Livingston Square off at 3 pm. The consolation game is noon Friday, while the final tips at 2:00.

by Mike Pavlichko

Playoff update: Boys’ Basketball Public Sections

Continuing with a look at state playoff seeding projections, we’re taking a look at boys’ basketball public sections in Central and North 2. Remember that unlike most years when the first 16 games on a team’s schedule are counted, only the top 13 power point values are added this year. So, teams playing past their 16th game can still accumulate power points, but not full games’ worth. If a game makes the top 13, the lowest score is dropped, and all that is gained is the difference between the lowest of the 13, and the new score.

(Example: a team’s lowest among it’s top 13 scores is a 15. If it wins a game worth 20 points, the 15 is dropped, and the 20 added, for a net gain of 5.)

The analysis below is based on official NJSIAA calculations as available on NJ.com as of 9 am Tuesday:

Central Jersey Group 4: The top team here is Marlboro (17-2) with 454 points, and Monroe (18-3) is behind in second them at 413. They’re unlikely to get the top seed, but also unlikely to get caught from behind by Jackson Memorial (12-5, 361, 3rd) and definitely not by South Brunswick (12-6, 329, 4th). Both teams could gain since their 13th power point value is a loss, but not enough to overtake the Falcons. Next up from the CJSR area is No. 10 Montgomery (10-8, 244), then East Brunswick (8-8, 242) at 12. Both could move in a tight pack either up or down. Speaking of which, teams 15 through 17 are all from the GMC, and could be make or break this week. Old Bridge is 15th at 7-12 with 208 points, followed by Sayreville (8-10, 184) and North Brunswick (7-14, 176). It’s probably the Bombers and Raiders battling it out for that last playoff spot. North Brunswick has Edison Wednesday, and Sayreville is at St. Thomas Aquinas Tuesday and hosts Colts Neck Friday. Either team could add games before Saturday’s cutoff to get in. This could get interesting.

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 4: You’ve got Watchung Hills (14-3, 361) in the catbird’s seat here, led by Elijah Lewis, who just committed to Adelphi this week. Westfield is 16 points behind, and it may be tough for them to catch up with 13 wins already. How about Franklin (11-6, 341) making a push, though? The Warriors have room for two more wins here, and might be able to make up the 20 point disparity, so look out; they currently sit in third. Ridge is right behind them wrapping up the top four at 13-5 with 326 points, but with 13 wins, they’re less likely to make a move than Franklin. Toward the middle of the pack, JP Stevens (9-7, 275) is tied with Elizabeth (8-5, 275) for 7th, but both have room for improvement this week. Edison (12-6, 260) is right behind, but already has 12 wins, so it’s doubtful the Eagles can crack the top eight. Bridgewater-Raritan (8-11, 250) is 12th, followed by resurgent Piscataway (8-7, 246), which has won four in a row and six of its last eight after a rough 2-5 start.

Central Jersey Group 3: The only area team in contention here is Somerville (5-12, 161 points) in the bottom half of the pack in 12th place, solidly in that bottom half, but solidly in the field of 16. Manasquan is the current top team at 13-4, followed by 14-4 Robbinsville.

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 3: Here’s some intrigue: South Plainfield out of the GMC Blue is in first at 17-3, with 351 power points, while Colonia from the GMC White at 14-3 with 332 points is in second. It’ll be tough for the Patriots to make up that ground having 14 wins already; getting one of the pair against St. Thomas Aquinas sure would have helped. They’re the only area teams in contention in this section.

Central Jersey Group 2: With 13 wins already, a loss to Immaculata may not have hurt Bound Brook all that much, but it didn’t help either. The Crusaders (13-1, 357) have a slim shot at No. 1 Rumson-Fair Haven (13-2), which is only ahead by six points, with 363. For example, their lowest value is a 15, a win over North Plainfield. A win over Hunterdon Central (which has 7 wins) Tuesday would be worth 6 quality points, 4 group points, and 15 residual points, for a total of 25. Drop the 15, add 25 and the net gain is 10. They’d jump ahead of the Bulldogs, but now it depends what they do. Bottom line: the Crusaders are still in play in the critical final week for a top seed. South River (13-4, 312) checks in 5th here, with Middlesex (9-10) at ten, and Roselle (11-15, 251) and Spotswood (13-5, 248) not far behind them. Metuchen (7-10, 165) appears to be sitting comfortably in 16; don’t expect anyone behind the Bulldogs to challenge them.

Central Jersey Group 1: It looks like Perth Amboy Tech (11-4, 214) is a lock for the four- or five-seed. They currently sit in fifth, and the only real difference as a potential extra home game if things go to chalk. Further down the standings, Highland Park (4-12, 141) checks in at 12, followed immediately by Manville (7-9, 135, 13th) and South Amboy (5-9, 122, 14th). Somerset Tech (3-15, 105) is 14th. Burlington City is the top team here at 12-4