Tag: Timothy Christian

May 22, 2025May 22, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Dennis McNulty steps down as Timothy Christian boys’ basketball coach

After six seasons as the boys’ basketball coach at Timothy Christian School in Edison, Dennis McNulty has stepped down, and will no longer teach at the school as well.

McNulty made the announcement Wednesday on his social media accounts.

Yesterday I tendered my resignation and will not be returning to the classroom or the court at TCS. The decision was not made lightly and it was a grueling process. My hope is that I left it better than I found it, and that I was a good steward of what God entrusted to me. pic.twitter.com/bPGiYxpnf0
— Dennis McNulty (@Lighthousefwc) May 22, 2025

In six seasons, he brought Timothy Christian to new heights and unprecedented success, reaching double digit wins each season, even in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 campaign, with standouts like Jalen Fleming – the school’s all-time leading scorer – and big man Chukwudi Raphael Mamah.

“Today I tendered my resignation and will not be returning to TCS next year on the court or in the classroom,” McNulty wrote in an Instagram post. “It was a grueling decision that was made after lots of prayer and contemplation. As you might imagine I have a mix of emotions.”

In his first season as head coach, he took a 5-19 squad in 2019 and went 15-10 with a third place finish in the GMC Gold Division at 13-5.

His teams were 73-66 overall, and 66-16 in divisional play in the GMC. They shared or won outright three division titles, sharing the 2021-22 Gold Division title with Wardlaw-Hartridge, the 2023-24 Blue Division title with Spotswod, and winning this past season’s Blue title outright, with a 9-1 record.

The Tigers – who were the ten-seed in this year’s GMC Tournament – also knocked off seventh-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen in the opening round, with a 56-53 road win.

“My prayer is that I left it better than I found it,” McNulty added in his post. “I solicit your prayers during this season of transition.”

May 4, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Power Points Analysis: Immaculata, Rutgers Prep eying top 4 finishes in South A, North B

We’re just two weeks from the NJSIAA cutoff for the state playoffs – coming up on May 17th – and teams across the area continue to jockey for position in the standings.

In the non-public sections, Immaculata and Rutgers Prep are looking at top four finishes in their respective sections. Of the four non-public sections in New Jersey, our local teams only occupy two of them: North B and South A.

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 4th. For a full explanation of the new power point formula, click here.

Non-Public South A: This one is a tough section, with the top three teams all state-ranked. Christian Brothers (14-1, 30.573, #9 in NJ) has a good lead over second-place St. Augustine (13-3, 27.131, #10 in NJ), which in turn has a decent lead over Red Bank Catholic (12-4, 25.503, #20 in NJ). Then, in fourth, is Immaculata (9-4, 23.939). They have a decent beat on a top four seed, 3.654 points ahead of fourth-place Union Catholic. St. Joseph-Metuchen checks in at No. 6 with an 8-6 mark and 20.141 points, right at the midway point of what now is a 12-team field. That could change if anyone opts out, and there are some struggling teams here including Camden Catholic (3-11), Donovan Catholic (1-11) and Pingry, which is just 2-13 with 10.589 points. Everyone who wants to make it here will do so, it’s just a question of how many.

Non-Public North B: There’s a good amount of spacing behind the top couple of teams for now, starting with Montclair-Kimberley (11-2, 24.058) at No. 1 and St. Mary-Rutherford (12-5, 22.182) in second. Not too far back in third is Rutgers Prep (10-4, 20.752), but the Argonauts are bunched in with two other teams that We thing will be battling for the last two spots in the top four, which would guarantee home field advantage through at least the first two rounds. Those two others are Morristown-Beard (9-5, 20.498) in fourth, and St. Thomas Aquinas (12-5, 19.704) in fifth. And while Gill St. Bernard’s (8-7, 15.896) is in sixth, they’re realistically about five power points away from the top four and that might be too much a hill to climb in the next two weeks. Even a deep run in the Somerset County Tournament might not help, as the upset wins that would help them would come after the cutoff. Timothy Christian (0-10, 6.18) sits last, in 12th, if they don’t opt out.

February 13, 2025February 13, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Timothy Christian ousts St. Joseph from GMC Tournament in 1st round, plus full boys’ roundup as Saturday’s quarterfinals are set

Seven of the eight higher seeds in the boys’ GMC Tournament won their first round games Thursday evening – two going to overtime, with Woodbridge and Sayreville needing extra time to advance – with the lone upset coming in Metuchen, where tenth-seed Timothy Christian beat seven-seed St. Joseph, 56-53.

The Tigers (14-7) did it on an off night in the scoring column – though he contributed in other ways – from Jalen Fleming, who finished with ten. But it was Chukwudi Raphael-Mamah who poured in 24 to lead all scorers – 15 of those coming after halftime – and freshman point guard Elijah Pierre with 14 coming up big.

The game featured 16 lead changes, ten in the second half. The last one went to Timothy, with about five minutes to go. They eventually built to a 54-44 lead late in the period, with Joe’s getting no closer than three with under a half-minute to go.

The Falcons (6-13) were led by Brayden Danchack, who finished with 18, eleven of which came in the fourth in the St. Joe’s rally that fell short. It’s the first time Joe’s has failed to reach the quarterfinals of the GMC Tournament since 2007.

Timothy – who made the GMC quarterfinals for the first time ever last year, and lost 83-68 to St. Joseph – are now in it for a second straight season, and will play Piscataway on the Chiefs’ home court – on a “neutral floor” – Saturday at 2 pm.

Click below to hear Timothy Christian head coach Dennis McNulty talk about the win:

GMC TOURNAMENT BOYS’ FIRST ROUND – THURSDAY

(1) Colonia def. (16) Monroe, 65-44: Junior Aiden Derkack score 28 points for the Patriots (20-4), adding six rebounds and five assists. It was close early, with Colonia up six after one, but down five at the half, 27-22. But they finished strong after the break, up six heading into the fourth, where they outscored Monroe (7-17) by a count of 27-12. The Patriots will play eight-seed Woodbridge in Saturday’s semifinals at Piscataway.
(8) Woodbridge def. (9) East Brunswick, 74-68 (OT): Emmanuel Cruz scored 24 points for the Barrons (12-9), who doubled up the Bears (13-11) in overtime to come out on top. Derek Anderson added 19m, while Bryan Anderson chipped in 10. The Bears got 51 of their 68 points from the duo of Matt Mikulka (30) and Cam Vick (21) in what was a tight game wire to wire. It was tied 15-15 after one, Woodbridge led 35-34 at half, East Brunswick 52-51 after three, and – of course – tied after regulation. The Barrons will take on top-seed and defending champion Colonia Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals at Piscataway.
(5) Old Bridge def. (21) North Plainfield, 73-45: The Knights used a monster 24-7 second quarter to take a 36-17 halftime lead, and they didn’t look back. Four players scored in double figures for Old Bridge (14-9), led by Brandon Medel with 15, while Krish Patel chipped in 13. Cayden Prince led all scorers with 18 for the Canucks (12-12). The Knights will face four-seed St. Thomas Aquinas Saturday in the quarterfinals at Piscataway.
(4) St. Thomas Aquinas def. (13) Perth Amboy, 73-61: Aiden Carter scored 18 for the Trojans (14-9), tying for game high honors with Lavion Balthazar of the Panthers (12-11). Balthazar finished with a double-double, adding 11 rebounds. Aquinas led 21-11 after one and 36-23 at the half. Aquinas will take on five-seed Old Bridge in Saturday’s quarterfinals at Piscataway
(3) Sayreville def. (14) Metuchen, 64-55 (OT): The Bulldogs (17-7) had a 24-16 lead at the half, but saw it erased on a big final eight minutes of regulation by Sayreville (19-3), which outscored Metuchen 22-12, then 15-6 in overtime. The White Division champs were led by Chidi Chukwurah’s double-double of 22 points and ten rebounds. The Bombers will face the GMC White runner up, South Plainfield, Saturday in the quarterfinals at Piscataway.
(6) South Plainfield def. (11) Middlesex, 70-53: The Tigers (16-7) turned a three-point lead after one into a 27-21 lead at the half, then grew it by ten more in the third en route to the win over the Blue Jays (16-7).
(2) Piscataway def. (15) North Brunswick, 86-42: Nate Davis led the Chiefs (20-4) with 17 points, while Vaugh Turner added 16 and Josh Lima chipped in 14. Piscataway led by four after one but 39-28 at the break and continued to pull away from the Raiders (9-15) in the second half. The victory also gave Piscataway its first 20-win season since going 23-4 in 2017-18 under current head coach Bob Turco’s predecessor, Darius Griffin. Next up, Piscataway gets Timothy Christian at “home” in the quarterfinals Saturday.

Here’s the schedule of games for Saturday’s quarterfinals at Piscataway High School, followed by the girls quarters at Spotswood. Note the typical bracket times have been altered for the boys so that the same schools aren’t playing at the same time Saturday.

GMC TOURNAMENT BOYS’ QUARTERFINALS – SATURDAY at Piscataway

(3) Sayreville vs. (6) South Plainfield, 10 am
(4) St. Thomas Aquinas vs. (5) Old Bridge, noon
(2) Piscataway vs. (10) Timothy Christian, 2 pm
(1) Colonia vs (8) Woodbridge, 4 pm

GMC TOURNAMENT GIRLS’ QUARTERFINALS – SATURDAY at Spotswood

(3) Middlesex (18-6) vs. (11) Piscataway (11-9), 10 am
(2) Monroe (15-7) vs. (10) Edison (15-9), noon
(12) Old Bridge (11-12) vs. (13) North Plainfield (7-16), 2 pm
(1) St. Thomas Aquinas (19-6) vs. (9) Carteret (16-6), 4 pm

February 11, 2025February 12, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

North Plainfield pulls lone upset in boys’ GMC Tournament preliminary round; Timothy Christian’s Fleming tops 2,000-point milestone

All but one of the higher seeds won their GMC Tournament preliminary round games on the boys’ side Tuesday, making it a perfect 16 of 16 in that round, coupled with Monday’s girls’ results.

There were some tight ones, including North Brunswick’s win over Edison and Monroe’s victory over South Brunswick. Timothy Christian’s Jalen Fleming scored his 2,000th point in a win over Perth Amboy Magnet. And 21-seed North Plainfield knocked off Silver Division champion and 12-seed Dunellen.

Here’s a recap of Tuesday evening’s action, followed by Thursday’s “first round” matchups in the round of 16. Scroll down after the recaps for postgame reaction from Middlesex head coach Jared Goldstein after the Blue Jays’ come-from-behind win over South River.

TUESDAY’S GMC TOURNAMENT RESULTS – BOYS’ PRELIMINARY ROUND

(16) Monroe def. (17) South Brunswick, 48-43: A late rally by the Vikings (6-17) fell just short as the Falcons built a 23-18 halftime lead and were ahead 36-25 heading into the final eight minutes. Joe Porpora led Monroe with 13 points, while Braden Hoiberg and Anthony Barsa added 10, including a 6-of-10 night from the foul line. (Porpora also went 6-for-8 from the charity stripe.) The Falcons (7-16) will face GMC Red Division champion and top-seed Colonia for a third time this year on Thursday in the first round. Colonia won this season’s first matchup on January second, 57-27, but the second one was much closer: 50-40 on January 28th. Monroe only trailed by three at the half.
(9) East Brunswick def. (25) JFK, 78-56: The Bears (13-10) got a huge game out of Matt Mikulka, who scored 30 points – while Cam Vick added 14 and Andrew Carusa 12 – in the win. Kennedy (7-12) was led by Grant Lorentzen with 23 points. It was only an eight point game at the half, but the Bears pulled away with a strong 16-6 fourth quarter. East Brunswick will travel to ninth-seed Woodbridge in a “true” 8/9 game that could be a toss-up. The teams split this year, with East Brunswick winning 65-61 before Christmas, while Woodbridge returned the favor with a 47-44 win on January 16th.
(21) North Plainfield def. (12) Dunellen, 66-53: Aaron Potts and Quadir Williams each scored 19 points for the Canucks (12-11) in the upset win over the Destroyers (15-6) at the Faber School. Ryan Hutchins scored 15 in defeat for Dunellen, which got behind big early, 22-8 after one, and trailed 40-21 at the half. Next up, the Canucks travel to five-seed Old Bridge, a team they have very little history with, since they only came over from the Skyland Conference to the GMC two seasons ago. They haven’t met since at least 2010. North Plainfield, which started 0-4 and lost eight of its first nine games, has flipped the script late in the season: they’ve now won four straight and eight of their last nine.
(13) Perth Amboy def. (20) Spotswood, 74-63: The Panthers had two players go off for 20-plus points, as Lavion Balthazar and Jadiel Manzueta each scored 23 to lead Perth Amboy (12-10) in the win. Balthazar logged a double-double, also grabbing 15 rebounds. Se’mir Tolbert-Brimage led Spotswood with 20 in defeat. Next up, the Panthers (12-10) travel to North Edison to take on four-seed St. Thomas Aquinas (13-8). Their last meeting was in 2022, a 94-47 Trojans win, the only time they’ve played in the last 15 years.
(14) Metuchen def. (19) Piscataway Magnet, 55-42: The Bulldogs (17-6) had a big second quarter, outscoring the Raiders 20-5 to take a 35-18 lead at the break, but almost gave it back when they got outscored themselves 20-8 in the third quarter. In a game dominated by defense, Metuchen then held Piscataway Magnet (17-6) to just four fourth quarter points to come out with the win. Jason Woods had 17 to lead the Bulldogs, who will next travel to play third-seed and GMC White Division champion Sayreville Thursday. It’s been almost three years since their last meeting, a 68-51 Bomber win in the 2022 GMCT preliminary round.
(11) Middlesex def. (22) South River, 63-58: Despite getting a 31 point game – including nine free throws – from Alex Grospe, South River (11-10) couldn’t keep the Blue Jays from coming back from an eight point halftime deficit, and a rough second quarter in which Middlesex (16-6) was outscored 20-7, coughing up a 15-10 lead at the end of one. Down 45-39 after three, the Jays stormed ahead in the fourth. Four players scored in double figures, including Owen Reynolds with 17, Chris Kozak with 13, Domenic Parenti with a dozen and Mark Melchiore with ten. Next up, Middlesex will visit sixth-seed South Plainfield, the second-place team in the GMC White Division. It’ll be their first meeting since 2022, and the Tigers have won all four matchups since COVID.
(10) Timothy Christian def. (26) Perth Amboy Magnet, 65-31: Just a few second in, senior Jalen Fleming nailed a triple from the right of the key to crack the 2,000 point mark in his stellar career. Fleming finished with 26 points to give him 2,023 total. Elijah Pierre added 20 for the Tigers (13-7), while Chukwudi Raphael Mamah had a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Patriots fell to 11-9 with the loss. Timothy Christian now moves on to play seventh-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen out of the GMC Red. There’s little history between the teams; the Tigers hung in last February in a GMC Tournament quarterfinal matchup before the Falcons – who were the top seed, but got knocked out in the semifinals – won it 83-68.
(15) North Brunswick def. (18) Edison, 68-61: A monster night of 30 points and 10-of-11 from the stripe for Tommy Koroma powered the Raiders (9-14) to the win over the Eagles (12-10). Deshawn Burgess added 11 for North Brunswick, which now moves on to play second-seed Piscataway in their first meeting since 2016.

Click below to hear Middlesex head coach Jared Goldstein talk about the Blue Jays’ rally to beat South River with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

WEDNESDAY’S GMC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE – GIRLS’ FIRST ROUND

(16) North Brunswick (8-13) at (1) St. Thomas Aquinas (18-6), 5:30 pm: The Trojans have won their GMC Red Division games by an average of 40-plus points per game, and their last loss to a GMC team came on January 20th, 2022, a 55-41 road loss at Monroe. Their last home loss came March 5, 2021, in the COVID-shortened season, when the Falcons topped them to win the GMC’s top postseason pod, the Somogyi Family Pod. Don’t expect much to change.
(9) Carteret (15-6) at (8) Calvary Christian (18-1), 4:15 pm: Calvary beat the Ramblers on January 31st in one of the lowest-scoring games of the year, 24-20, but their only loss this year came to Timothy Christian, which is 8-14 in the same division as Carteret. Call it a toss-up.
(12) Old Bridge (10-12) at (5) East Brunswick (12-10), 5:30 pm: The Bears have swept Old Bridge each of the last two years and won five straight in the series. East Brunswick won this year’s matchups by 21 and 23 points, but many games in the GMC Red have been competitive, and this one should be, too.
(13) North Plainfield (6-16) at (4) Spotswood (17-6), 6:30 pm: Not a lot of history between these teams, with the Canucks winning their only meeting in the last 15 years back in February of last year, 62-27. But North Plainfield was also 18-7 last season, a 12-win swing so far. This should be a good one as well.
(14) Colonia (6-17) at (3) Middlesex (17-6), 5:30 pm: Since 2012, these teams have only met three times. Middlesex won a tight one in 2021, while Colonia won the next two. But this is a different Patriots team without stars Mattie Chiera and Taylor Derkcack. Despite the record, it could be a competitive game.
(11) Piscataway (10-9) at (6) South Brunswick (11-10), 5:30 pm: South Brunswick swept both games this season, winning 51-43 on January 4th, and 71-61 just three weeks later. Expect another tight one between these two, with the Vikings having a bit more of a veteran edge.
(10) Edison (14-9) at (7) Metuchen (18-3), 6 pm: This will be their second meeting this year, as Edison pulled out a 54-42 win before the holidays. Both are solid clubs and this one also should by highly competitive.
(15) South Plainfield (14-8) at (2) Monroe (14-7), 4 pm: Throw out the seeds here. Monroe hasn’t lost in five meetings dating back to 2016, but the last couple have been close. They two played in the Monroe Holiday Tournament, and it was a 49-39 win for the Falcons, but only a five-point game at the half.

THURSDAY’S GMC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE – BOYS’ FIRST ROUND

(16) Monroe (7-16) at (1) Colonia (19-4), 7 pm
(9) East Brunswick (13-10) at (8) Woodbridge (11-9), 5:30 pm
(21) North Plainfield (12-11) at (5) Old Bridge (13-9), 5 pm
(13) Perth Amboy (12-10) at (4) St. Thomas Aquinas (13-9), 6:15 pm
(14) Metuchen (17-6) at (3) Sayreville (18-3), 7 pm
(11) Middlesex (16-6) at (6) South Plainfield (15-7), 4:15
(10) Timothy Christian (13-7) at (7) St. Joseph-Metuchen (6-12), 7 pm
(15) North Brunswick (9-14) at (2) Piscataway (19-4), 5:30 pm

February 8, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Boys’ Basketball: Timothy Cristian 74, Edison 37

Senior Jalen Fleming scored 34 points – one of four players in double figures – as the Tigers beat Edison 74-37 to win their first-ever GMC Blue Division title. Senior Chukwudi Raphael-Mamah recorded a triple double, with 13 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

Click below to listen to all the action as called by Mike Pavlichko on Central Jersey Sports Radio on February 6, 2025, from Timothy Christian School in Piscatway, NJ.

February 6, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Timothy Christian connects from downtown, tops Edison to win first outright GMC Blue title

Last year, Timothy Christian shared the GMC Blue Division title with Spotswood. This year, they have it all to themselves.

The Tigers (12-6, 9-1 GMC Blue) hit 12 times from beyond the arc – with five different players connecting on treys – en route to a 74-37 win over visiting Edison as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday night.

That gives TCS not only the division title, but also a guaranteed top 12 seed in the GMC Tournament, which will be seeded Friday morning at Spotswood High School, with the girls at 9:00 am and the boys to follow. Central Jersey Sports Radio will have live coverage on Twitter. Click here to follow.

The first time these two teams met, Edison trailed by just three at halftime, but Timothy pulled away in the second half. Thursday night, the Tigers picked up right where they left off, getting out to an 18-6 lead after one quarter, and 29-19 at the half. The lead was as big as 15 in the second quarter, and Edison had cut it to as little as six at one point.

But the three-point barrage from the Tigers was simply too much for the Eagles (11-9, 8-2 GMC Blue). They had 12 in the game, which is not out of the ordinary for them. They had 11 Wednesday night against New Brunswick, and had 12 back on January 18th in a 73-65 win over Middlesex.

Nathanael Sleman led with four of them, accounting for all 12 of his points. Elijah Pierre finished with 13, including three triples. Aidan Badger had one, as did 6-foot-7 big Chukwudi Raphael-Mamah, and Jalen Fleming hit three times from beyond the arc, finishing with a game-high 26.

That also leaves him 44 points from the 2,000-point mark at 1,056 points. He’s already the school’s leading scorer, taking the reins from Warren “Monty” Fitch, who finished his career with 1,819 when he graduated in 1992.

Click below for postgame reaction from Timothy Christian senior Jalen Fleming and head coach Dennis McNulty, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

January 27, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Most of Week 7 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten remains the same, but Somerville joins the fray

With the top two teams unbeaten in the week gone by, and nearly all others taking at least one loss – to either ranked area squads of out-of-area schools, there was relatively little change in this week’s Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, with Somerville replacing Timothy Christian in the final spot.

Colonia (15-1) remains No. 1 after a 3-0 week, with a 72-55 win Tuesday over St. Joseph-Metuchen, and a victory over No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas, 69-53, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday night. The Patriots finished their week with a 73-48 road win at Columbia (Maplewood-South Orange) Friday evening.

Gill St. Bernard’s (12-4) holds at No. 2, picking up a 73-54 win Thursday out at Phillipsburg, then a 48-36 win Sunday at Hudson Catholic.

Nearly everyone else dropped at least one game this week, including third-place Rutgers Prep (11-7). After a Thursday win at Hillsborough, 74-57, and a Saturday victory over Saddle River Day, 63-43, the Argonauts lost a home game Sunday to Roselle Catholic, 64-55.

Montgomery (12-3) holds in fourth after a Wednesday win over North Brunswick, 81-60, and a solid 60-45 victory over Immaculata at home on Thursday. The Cougars fell Saturday to Camden Catholic, 68-57, in the Jeff Coney Classic at Rancocas Valley.

Holding in fifth is Ridge (13-3), which opened the week with a 50-47 loss at Caldwell in the Dennis Gregory Memorial Classic Showcase, but came back with a pair of wins over Somerset County squads: Thursday at Bridgewater-Raritan, 51-36, and Saturday at Bernards, 49-25.

Still in sixth is Piscataway (14-4) after a 2-1 week. They also opened with a loss, 63-60 to Union City in the MLK Showcase at County Prep High School in Jersey City. But the Chiefs rebounded with a Tuesday win over No. 7 St. Thomas Aquinas, 76-72, and a Saturday home win over Montclair, 65-55, in the Clash of the Counties showcase.

St. Thomas Aquinas (10-5) holds in seventh. They beat Jackson Memorial Monday in the MLK Classic at Hudson County Prep, but came back with a pair of ranked GMC losses, to No. 6 Piscataway Thursday, 76-72, and at No. 1 Colonia, 69-53 Thursday, before topping Phillipsburg on Saturday, 81-71.

Sayreville (14-2) had a 2-0 week, and has won six straight. The red-hot Bombers were 63-50 winners at Woodbridge on Tuesday, then 61-50 over Perth Amboy on Thursday.Watchung Hills Monday, and beat North Hunterdon at home, 72-58, on Tuesday, but fell at No. 4 Montgomery Thursday, 60-45. They closed the week with a 60-51 win over South Plainfield.

Making its debut at No. 10 is Somerville, which is 11-5 after a 2-1 week. They won 56-54 at Voorhees Tuesday and 51-48 over North HUnterdon at home Thursday before falling at Warren Hills, 56-43, Saturday afternoon.

Timothy Christian (8-3) dropped out after losing its only game of the week, 54-45 to North Brunswick, following a couple of weather and illness-related cancellations by opponents.

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

January 20, 2025January 21, 2025 by Mike Pavlichko

Few changes in Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Top Ten; Timothy Christian rejoins list

With only five losses among 28 games played by top ten teams in the past week, there was little change in the Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten rankings for Week Six. The top seven teams held steady, while eight and nine moved up, and Timothy Christian rejoined the rankings at No. 10.

Colonia (12-1) remains at the top of the list after a 2-0 week. The Patriots were 73-56 winners over No. 6 Piscataway on Tuesday, then beat Hightstown Saturday, 65-40.

Then, it’s Gill St. Beranrd’s (10-4) at No. 2, on a 3-0 week. The Knights were 62-40 winners over Watchung Hills Tuesday, won 70-37 at Franklin Thursday, then topped Ramapo, 52-46, at the Dennis Gregory Memorial Showcase up at Caldwell College on Saturday.

Rutgers Prep (9-6) remains in fourth, also with a 3-0 week. They ran past Franklin, 86-33, in a game heard Tuesday on Central Jersey Sports Radio, then won 83-53 at Phillipsburg Thursday, and beat Freehold Boro, 73-47, in the Jimmy V Showcase at Central Regional down in Bayville Saturday.

Montgomery (10-2) remains fourth, after a 2-1 week. They won at Ridge, 55-52, on Tuesday, and at Pingry on Thursday, 64-61, before falling 50-48 to St. Rose in the Jimmy V. Showcase at Central.

Ridge (11-2) split a pair this week, but holds at five. They lost Tuesday to Montgomery, 55-52, but came back with a 63-58 home win Thursday over Hunterdon Central.

Piscataway (12-3) sticks at six. After a 73-56 loss at No. 1 Colonia Tuesday, the Chiefs rebounded with an 86-49 win over Carteret at home on Friday, then a 73-42 home win over Old Bridge Saturday.

Holding in seventh is St. Thomas Aquinas (8-3). The Trojans were 3-0 in the week gone by, beating Old Bridge on Tuesday, 74-56; winning at Saddle River Day Thursday, 60-56; and they closed the week beating St. Joseph of Metuchen for the second time this season, this time at home, 77-67.

Sayreville (11-2) and Immaculata (10-3) each moved up a spot this week, to eight and nine, respectively. Both were 3-0 in the week gone by. The Bombers were 63-45 winners over South Brunswick Tuesday, 73-56 winners at South Plainfield on Thursday, then beat North Brunswick at home Saturday, 67-30. The Spartans topped Pingry on the road Tuesday, 62-49, before coming back home to beat Bridgewater-Raritan, 66-59 Thursday night. Saturday, they won at Somerville, 57-50.

Back in the Top Ten after a brief hiatus is Timothy Christian. The Tigers won Tuesday at Carteret, 56-45; Wednesday at home over New Brunswick, 77-33, and Saturday at home against Middlesex, 73-65.

Dropping out was South Plainfield, which beat Bernards Saturday but lost to Perth Amboy and Sayreville during the week.

Below is the complete Week 6 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten:

December 23, 2024December 22, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

Top four hold court, but the rest shuffle in Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten

With the top four combining to go 9-1 this past week, there’s no change in those spots in the Week 2 Bellamy & Son Paving Boys’ Basketball Top Ten, but there were a number of other movements, with three new teams joining the rankings.

At the top, it’s still Colonia, which won its only game of the week, an 80-61 triumph Thursday night at Piscataway, in which junior Aiden Derkack joined the 1,000-point club. They have one more game before the holiday, Monday afternoon at 1 against in-town rival Woodbridge.

Rutgers Prep (3-1) holds at No. 2, on the strength of a three-win week. They beat Phillipsburg on Monday, 94-71, then edged out Hillsborough by five Thursday, before going on the road Saturday and picking up an 88-65 win over Delbarton.

Montgomery (3-1) has won three straight since a season-opening four-point loss to Hudson Catholic, and holds stead at No. 3. They fought off Pingry at home Tuesday, 51-47, then won at Immaculata on Thursday, 59-53, before beating then-No. 5 St. Joseph-Metuchen 61-47 Saturday in the finale of the Friends of South Amboy Tournament.

Holding in fourth is St. Thomas Aquinas (1-1). The Trojans won their season opener Thursday at Old Bridge, 63-50, but lost Saturday evening to Moore Catholic out of Staten Island in the Friends of South Amboy Tournament.

Moving up a spot to fifth is Ridge, which swept its opening week to go 3-0. The Red Devils won at Hunterdon Central on Thursday, 53-37, then topped Bridgewater-Raritan 55-48 at home on Wednesday, before wrapping up the week with a 67-52 win over Hoboken Saturday.

The next three teams are making their debuts this season, starting at No. 6 with Gill St. Bernard’s. The Knights (3-0) had a rare off year with a good deal of roster turnover, but are off to a great start with a win Tuesday against Franklin, 77-48, another over Phillipsburg Thursday, 73-47, and a two-point victory Saturday in the Brick City Showcase over St. Benedict’s, 53-51.

At No. 7 is Hillsborough (3-1). They sandwiched two wins around a five-point loss at No. 2 Rutgers Prep Thursday, 70-65. The Raiders opened Tuesdat with a 48-40 win at Watchung Hills, then got past Hunterdon Central at home on Saturday, 58-46.

In eighth is Sayreville (3-0). The Bombers went 2-0 in the week gone by, winning at South Brunswick, 60-51, on Thursday, then headed to the Friends of South Amboy Tournament Saturday and beat CSI/McCown (NY), 70-48.

St. Joseph-Metuchen dropped down to No. 9, starting the year 1-2. They lost at Seton Hall Prep Tuesday, 72-36, but then rebounded with a 57-35 win at Monroe Thursday. On Saturday, in the Friends of South Amboy Tournament, they lost to No. 3 Montgomery, 61-47.

Holding at No. 10 is Timothy Christian (2-0), which beat JP Stevens on the road, 64-51, on Thursday night, then topped Pilgrim Academy at home Saturday, 75-31.

Dropping out were No. 7 Franklin (1-1), No. 8 Woodbridge (1-1) and No. 9 Spotswood (0-3).

Below is the full Bellamy & Son Paving Week 2 Boys’ Basketball Top Ten:

May 22, 2024May 23, 2024 by Mike Pavlichko

Carteret, Immaculata win on walk-offs, six area teams among winners as states get underway; Pingry loss under protest to NJSIAA

Six teams from the CJSR coverage area won opening round state playoff games Wednesday, four of them public schools that moved their Thursday games up to avoid potentially bad weather.

Immaculata, Timothy Christian, Ridge, Monroe, Carteret and Middlesex all won first-round games, while a loss by Pingry is under protest by head coach Anthony Feltre to the NJSIAA.

The ninth-seeded Big Blue lost 13-4 at 8th-seed Paul VI Wednesday afternoon in Non-Public South A play, but Feltre says there was an issue with what he believes was an illegal substitution in the fifth inning, with his team leading 4-2 at the time.

Feltre says a relief pitcher came in for Paul VI’s starter in the top of the fourth. With no DH, the starting pitcher re-entered the game to bat in the bottom of the fourth, then the reliever illegally came back in to pitch for the top of the fifth.

Feltre says the “umpire agreed it was illegal, but since it was under protest, allowed the pitcher to stay in, which should not have happened.”

Feltre says he informed his Athletic Director, and that of Paul VI, and says the home plate umpire told him he would reach out as well to NJSIAA Chief Operating Office Tony Maselli, who is in charge of baseball for the state athletic association.

The next round for non-publics is not until Tuesday, and the winner of that game would be on the road that day to face top-seed Red Bank Catholic.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said Pingry was trailing 4-2 at the time of the substitution in question. Pingry was leading 4-2 at the time.

Carteret rallies twice…

The fourth-seed Ramblers trailed 4-0 after the top of the first, and and came back to win 5-4 over 13th-seed South River, with Rams’ ace Julius Rosado on the mound.

They rallied to get two off him in the bottom of the first, then got two in the bottom of the seventh off reliever James Zsorey. Carteret freshman Luis Hernandez came up to bat with two on, and down to his final strike drove in both runners with a rocket of a triple to tie the game.

Then, in the ninth, Carteret had more magic up its sleeve. Senior Justin Santana got a double, Hernandez walked, then senior James Rodriguez hit a single to win it, 5-4.

Listen to Carteret head coach Dan Morvay talk about the Ramblers’ walk-off win.

Carteret (18-7) will be at home Wednesday against the winner of tomorrow’s first round game between 12-seed Johnson and fifth-seed Bordentown.

Immaculata walks it off…

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

With two on and two out, down a run in the seventh inning, Jayden Capindica hit a shallow fly ball to left field that should have been the third out. With the left fielder, shortstop and third baseman all converging, the ball dropped in, bounded away from the left fielder, allowing two runs to score, giving the fifth-seeded Spartans a wild, 5-4 win over 12-seed St. John Vianney in Non-Public South A first round action.

Immaculata pitching only allowed one hit in the game, with the Spartans again having some issues defensively.

Listen to Immaculata head coach Kevin Cust talk about the win.

Regardless of how it happened, the win moves Immaculata (16-7) into the sectional quarterfinals Tuesday at seed Notre Dame (12-11), which edged out the Spartans by a half a power point for the fourth-seed and a first round bye.

Read on for Wednesday results from other sections.

Central Jersey Group 4: Fifth-seed Monroe blanked 12-seed East Brunswick Wednesday, 4-0 at home behind a complete-game three-hitter from Zack Wallace, who struck out 13 Bears, and walked only one. The Falcons (14-9) will have to wait to see who they face in the quarterfinals next Wednesday. They’ll play the winner of tomorrow’s game between fourth-seed South Brunswick and 13-seed Freehold Township.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4: Third-seed Ridge advanced, cruising past 14-seed JP Stevens at home. The Red Devils are now 20-7, the second 20-game winner in Somerset County, and will host a quarterfinal game next Wednesday against the winner of tomorrow’s opening round game between 6th-seed Woodbridge and 11-seed and defending champion Bayonne. In a five-inning ten-run rule game, Ridge got six in the second, four in the third and three more in the fourth. The Red Devils have now scored ten or more runs in four of their last five games, and will play Bridgewater-Raritan Friday night for the Somerset County Tournament championship at TD Bank Park in Bridgewater. You can hear the 6 pm game right here on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Perth Amboy, the 13-seed, was blanked on the road by fourth-seed Westfield, 10-0.

North Jersey, Section 2, Group 2: Seventh-seed Bernards was knocked out of the state tournament with a 6-4 loss at 10-seed Rutherford on Wednesday afternoon.1

Non-Public South A: While Immaculata won, and Pingry lost – at least for now – 11th-seed St. Joseph-Metuchen also lost a 13-3 game down at sixth-seed Donovan Catholic. With seven-seed Union Catholic a 10-9 home winner over 10-seed Camden Catholic, should all the results hold, here are the matchups for next Tuesday’s sectional quarterfinals:

(8) Paul VI at (1) Red Bank Catholic
(5) Immaculata at (4) Notre Dame
(6) Donovan Catholic at (3) Christian Brothers Academy
(7) Union Catholic at (2) St. Augustine

Non-Public North B: It wasn’t a walk-off, but 10th-seed Timothy Christian pulled one out with two in the top of the seventh, then shut down seventh-seed Hawthorne Christian in the bottom of the inning for a thrilling 6-5 win. Starting pitcher Josh Thiero went the distance, allowing six hist and just two unearned runs, striking out six to get the victory. The Tigers (4-11) will visit second-seed St. Thomas Aquinas (16-8) in an all-GMC quarterfinal matchup next Tuesday.

With eight-seed Morris Catholic a 4-1 winner over nine-seed Roselle Catholic Wednesday, here are the quarterfinal matchups for next Tuesday: