Tag: Stew Lester

by Mike Pavlichko

Shore’s defense frustrates Devine and Deshields, as Middlesex falls in CJ1 final; Colonia girls also fall at Chatham in N2-G3 title game

It’ll be yet another “wait til next year” for the Middlesex Girls’ basketball team.

The top-seeded Blue Jays lost at home to third-seed Shore Regional Saturday, 44-36, in a game heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

It was Middlesex’s second straight loss in the CJ1 final to Shore.

In last year’s game, star Neysa Aguilar – now at FDU – was injured early, and the game took a downward turn for Middlesex.

This year, they were in the thick of it, even though Shore (17-11) got out to an early lead. The Jays even got to within four with just over a couple of minutes left, but that was as close as they would get.

The dynamic duo of junior Jess Devine and senior Jaclyn Deshields was frustrated all night by the Shore defense, which focused specifically on guarding them and letting the rest of the chips fall where they may. The strategy worked, even though Devine finished with 17.

Middlesex (17-14) was seeking its second sectional title in program history.  They won their first in 2004.

With this year’s trip, the Blue Jays have been in seven of the last eight sectional finals dating back to 2016, losing all seven. (There was no state tournament in 2021.)

The first came to South River in 2016, followed by four straight defeats in the CJ1 title game to Bound Brook from 2017 through 2020. Middlesex didn’t reach the finals in 2022, but got back lost year, losing 62-31 to Shore in a game that changed dramatically when senior Neysa Aguilar was injured early on.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Middlesex head coach Stew Lester

GIRLS’ NORTH JERSEY, SECTION 2 – GROUP 3 FINAL
(1) Chatham 67, (2) Colonia 32

The Colonia girls’ basketball team couldn’t make it a sweep for the Patriots in North 2, Group 3, as the second-seeded Patriots lost in the finals at top-seed Chatham, 67-32.

Chatham (27-3) jumped out to a big lead early and was ahead 18-7 after one quarter, and 31-14 at the halftime break.

Senior Taylor Derkack scored 14 points in her final game for Colonia (22-9), whose boys won earlier in the day for their third consecutive sectional title. Mya Patino had nine points as well, in defeat.

by Mike Pavlichko

Middlesex girls playing best basketball as Blue Jays battle Point Beach for trip to CJ1 finals

While their Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament run may have come up short, the Middlesex girls’ basketball team is playing some of its best basketball of the 2023-24 season, and just at the right time.

Dubbed the Cinderella of this year’s GMCT, they were the 14th-seed, and after a romp of a preliminary round win over 19-seed Highland Park, knocked off third-seed JP Stevens by nine, and 6-seed South Brunswick by seven, before falling to eventual runner-up Colonia, 56-40 in the semifinals.

But head coach Stew Lester – in his first season since coming over from the boys’ program, where he was an assistant – has his team right back where it was under the tutelage of Kevin Harper, one of the all-time greats.

Thursday night, Middlesex (15-11) plays in the Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals at home against 4th-seed Point Pleasant Beach (14-13) in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with tip-off set for 5:30 pm, pregame around 5:15. Mike Pavlichko will have the call; click here to listen.

It helps that he has the dynamic duo of junior Jess Devine and senior Jaclyn Deshields.

Devine already is a thousand-point scorer, and should easily crack 2,000 next season. She has 1,531 points in her career, and is averaging 23.4 points a game on the season, while also leading the team in rebounds (6.7 per game), assists (5.9) and steals (57).

Devine has hit 60 treys, good enough to lead most teams. But that’s second only to Deshield’s 70. She’s averaging 10.1 points a game, and has hit six triples in each of the last two games, a playoff tune-up loss to Warren Hills, and a win over South Hunterdon in the opening round.

The Blue Jays play in the very tough White Division, and the Garnet Gulls were 5-0 in theirs, champs of the Shore Conference Central A division. Junior Erin Frauenheim leads her team in scoring at 11.7 points per game, while senior Lauren Case averages 8 points per game and has a team-leading 38 treys.

The teams last met in the 2020 Central Jersey Group 1 semifinals, with Middlesex picking up a 75-50 win. They would go on to lose to Bound Brook in the finals, with the Crusaders beating Woodbury in the Group 1 semis before the COVID-19 breakout ended the state tournament prematurely.

Middlesex is looking for back-to-back trips to the finals; they lost to Shore in last year’s title game, 62-31, and a rematch could be in the offing if the stars align. The difference is, this year, the final would be at Middlesex.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Middlesex head coach Stew Lester:

by Mike Pavlichko

Colonia, Middlesex girls look solid again, advance to sectional semis with wins on Day 4 of NJSIAA state tournament

In the last of the quarterfinal rounds of the NJSIAA state tournament, Colonia and Middlesex advanced to sectional semifinals with wins Tuesday night, while five others – Carteret, Somerville, Manville, Highland Park and Dunellen were eliminated.

That leaves just six Central Jersey Sports Radio-area teams alive in the state playoffs.

In North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 action, second-seed Colonia played solid defense from the jump, and it fueled the offense, and a 16-3 lead after one quarter against seven-seed Payne Tech (17-8). The Patriots looked like a well-oiled machine, just as they did in their opener over Belleville. Nashaelah Hooker led Colonia (21-8) with a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Taylor Derkack added 15 and Hailey Conklin chipped in a dozen. Colonia will host 3rd-seed Mendham (19-8) on Thursday night in the sectional semifinals. They beat 6th-seed Warren Hills Tuesday night, 62-48.

In Central Jersey Group 1, top-seed Middlesex picked up a 58-40 win over 8th-seed South Hunterdon, to improve to 16-13 on the season, and move on to the semifinals Thursday at home against Point Pleasant Beach (14-13) out of the Shore Conference. You can hear that game on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Mike Pavlichko calling all the action; tip off is set for 5:30 pm, with a 5:15 pregame. Click here to listen. Junior Jess Devine – already a 1,000-point scorer – went off for 30 points, while also adding eight rebounds, seven assists and ten steals. Jaclyn Deshields tallied 18 points in the win. Point Beach – the Jays’ semifinal opponent – was a 42-28 winner over 5th-seed Manville Monday night.

Click here to listen to Middlesex head coach Stew Lester talk about the Blue Jays’ win over South Hunterdon.

Scroll down to see all of Monday’s results in sections with teams from the CJSR-area, as well as the upcoming schedule of games.

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Central Jersey Group 3
(4) Red Bank Regional def. (12) Carteret, 73-28
(6) Neptune def. (3) Somerville, 37-35
No more CJSR-area teams remain in this section.

Central Jersey Group 1
(1) Middlesex def. (8) South Hunterdon, 58-40
(4) Point Pleasant Beach def. (5) Manville, 42-28
(3) Shore def. (6) Highland Park, 80-54
(7) New Egypt def. (2) Dunellen, 41-28

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 3
(1) Chatham, def. (8) Summit, 45-24
(4) Cranford def. (12) West Morris, 53-44
(3) Mendham def. (6) Warren Hills, 62-48
(2) Colonia def. (7) Payne Tech, 63-39

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28

Central Jersey Group 4 Semifinals
(4) Jackson Memorial at (1) Hightstown
(6) South Brunswick at (2) Howell, 5:30 pm

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 4 Semifinals
(1) Plainfield winner vs. (5) Elizabeth
(3) Bayonne at (2) Hillsborough, 5 pm

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 29

Central Jersey Group 1 Semifinals
(4) Point Pleasant Beach at (1) Middlesex, 5:30 pm (LISTEN LIVE)
(7) New Egypt at (3) Shore

North Jersey, Section 2 – Group 3 Semifinals
(1) Chatham winner vs. (4) Cranford
(3) Mendham at (2) Colonia, 5 pm

Non-Public North B Semifinals
(1) Morris Catholic winner vs. (4) Saddle River Day
(3) Gill St. Bernard’s at (2) Montclair-Immaculate, 5:30 pm

Non-Public South B Semifinals
(4) Gloucester Catholic at (1) Rutgers Prep, 5 pm
(7) Ranney at (3) St. Rose-Belmar

by Mike Pavlichko

Winningest GMCT program in St. Joe’s takes on Aquinas – winner of last three – for finals berth

Both St. Joseph-Metuchen and St. Thomas Aquinas have had great success in the Middlesex County Tournament, but in no way will their meeting Wednesday night be any kind of de facto championship game. 

There are two teams on the other side who will play before them and would be just as deserving of a shot at the title.

But the two teams that will play the second game Wednesday night in the semifinals at Monroe Township High School are some of the most successful in the history of the event.

The Falcons have won 12 Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament championships, more than anyone else, but St. Thomas Aquinas is third on the list with four, and has never lost a title game. And though the Trojans have won the last three, the Falcons beat them twice in the regular season, and took the GMC Red Division title.

You can hear both of Wednesday’s semifinals live on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with top-seed and St. Joseph-Metuchen against fourth-seed and three-time defending champ St. Thomas Aquinas in the 7 pm nightcap, preceded by Colonia and South Plainfield in the 5 pm game. 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.

Probably few figured St. Joe’s might be here, considering they lost top scorer Josh Ingram to graduation, and haven’t had Jeremy DeCaro available, due to injury, the entire season. Enter Jeremy Clayville, who established himself as one of the elite ballplayers in Middlesex County this year, starting things off with a bang. He scored 43 points on opening night against Piscataway, putting the rest of the division, even the league, on notice.

Few might also have expected Aquinas to be here, either. They lost almost their entire roster to graduation and transfer, and didn’t have a whole team to practice together over the summer. But no one’s crying for the Trojans, who’ve won three straight GMCT titles, and yet here they are back in the semifinals, poised for another trip to the league’s final game of the year. Senior Rinelson Dilone and Aiden Ur have emerges as the top scorers, along with Paris Papadatos.

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 Bob Turco
St. Jospeh-Metuchen head coach Jan Cocozziello

MORE ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S SECOND SEMIFINAL:

(1) St. Joseph-Metuchen (18-7) vs (4) St. Thomas Aquinas (15-9)
When: Wednesday, 7 pm
Where: Monroe Township High School
Broadcast Team: Mike Pavlichko

COACHES: 

St. Joseph: Jan Cocozziello, 5th season (87-38)
St. Thomas Aquinas: Bob Turco, 6th season (116-32)

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

St. Joseph: The Falcons blew by 16th-seed North Plainfield in the first round, but found themselves locked in a battle with 9-seed Timothy Christian in the quarterfinals last Saturday at Piscataway. The Tigers exploited a height advantage early and led for much of the first half until St. Joe’s took a lead, but only had a five-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter. Eventually, they hit their shots and pulled away for an 86-38 win.

St. Thomas Aquinas: The Trojans topped 13-seed North Brunswick at home in the first round, and topped 12th-seeded Red Division foe East Brunswick 57-45 in Saturday’s quarterfinals at Piscataway behind 23 points from Aiden Ur, and a double-double of 15 points and 17 rebounds from Rinelson Dilone

TOP SCORERS:

St. Joseph: Jeremy Clayville (20.2 ppg, team-leading 34 treys), Dave Caruso (10.7 ppg, 17 treys)
St. Thomas Aquinas: Rinelson Dilone (15.8 ppg), Aiden Ur (15.4 ppg, 40 treys), Paris Papadatos (13.9 ppg, team-best 43 treys)

TOP REBOUNDERS:

St. Joseph: Owen Griffin (5.6)
St. Thomas Aquinas: Rinelson Dilone (13.3)

RECENT MEETINGS: These two teams have played five times the last two seasons. Aquinas won all three meetings last year, including a 91-45 win by the Trojans in the GMC semis, en route to a third straight title. This year? St. Joseph won both regular season meetings, by 19 on January 17th, but by a slimmer 82-79 margin on a Dave Caruso bank shot. Will the regular season winner also win the GMC title this year?

GMC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

St. Joseph: The Falcons have won more titles and have more finals appearances than any other GMC team. They’ve won 12 championships, all in the GMC era (since 1986). They’ve made 21 GMC finals appearances, and had four in the MCT title game – losing all four – in that event’s run from 1965 through 1985. They made every GMC final from 2008 through 2019, which was their last trip, winning five straight from 2010-21014, and another four from 2016-2019.

St. Thomas Aquinas: The Trojans have won the last three full tournaments, dating back to 2020, picking up after the long St. Joe’s run of nine titles in ten years. They also won it in 1992, and are 4-0 all-time in GMCT finals. They also won the MCT in their only appearance, in 1982 as Bishop Ahr.

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

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

Middlesex girls avenge pair of regular season losses to JP Stevens with big upset in GMCT

Outstanding junior Jessica Devine scored 32 points in two regular season losses to JP Stevens this season. And she was determined not to make it three losses Thursday night when her 14th-seeded Blue Jays traveled to North Edison to take on the third-seeded Hawks in the first round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.

Mission accomplished.

Devine led all scorers with 27 points in an inspired performance on the road to lift Middlesex (14-11) to a 48-39 win that sends them into Saturday’s quarterfinals against 6th-seed South Brunswick.

Saturday’s quarterfinals will be held at Spotswood High School, and game times will be determined once all Thursday’s games go final to avoid any conflicts with schools that may have girls’ and boys’ teams involved.

What was different this time around from a ten-point loss in the season opener, and a 17-point defeat on January 17th? First-year head coach Stew Lester says the Blue Jays were able to figure out the JP defense.

And of course, the 27 from Devine – as well as another 10 from Jaclyn Deshields – were a big help.

The win was the biggest upset in the girls’ GMCT since 2013, when fourth-seed St. Thomas Aquinas lost in the opening round to 13th-seeded Edison. No top four seed has lost in the round of 16 since. 

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko talk with Middlesex head coach Stew Lester about the win over JP Stevens: