Courier News Girls Basketball Top 10 and notebook
1. Rutgers Prep (14-1) – Last week’s rank #1: The Argonauts avenged their lone loss, an early-season setback to Franklin, topping the Warriors 69-59 on Tuesday before cruising past Gill St. Bernard’s on Thursday.
2. Franklin (8-4) – Last week’s rank #2: The Warriors had a rough week, falling to Rutgers Prep and then losing to Hunterdon Central after having beaten both clubs earlier this year.
3. Hunterdon Central (10-4) -- Last week’s rank #3: It was an uneven week for the Red Devils, which fell at Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday and at South Brunswick on Saturday, sandwiching a big win over Franklin on Thursday.
4. Bound Brook (13-0) – Last week’s rank #5: The Crusaders continued to roll, remaining undefeated with victories over Middlesex, Manville and Bernards last week. Bound Brook is one win away from clinching the Skyland Conference’s Mountain Division title.
STANDINGS: Latest Skyland Conference and CN-area girls basketball standings
5. Bridgewater-Raritan (9-4) – Last week’s rank #6: The Panthers scored three more victories last week, running their winning streak to five games by topping Hunterdon Central, Phillipsburg and Piscataway.
6. Somerville (9-3) – Last week’s rank #4: The Pioneers opened the week with a one-point loss to Delaware Valley, before topping Mount St. Mary and in-town rival Immaculata. Big week coming up for Somerville, with games at Voorhees and at Warren Hills.
7. Gill St. Bernard’s (4-8) – Last week’s rank #8: While the Knights did finally get highly touted transfer Sydnei Caldwell into the lineup last week, star forward Alexia Allesch joined star point guard Nisani Santiago on the sidelines with an injury, continuing the unlucky trend that has stricken GSB. The Knights opened the week by topping Phillipsburg, but then fell to Rutgers Prep and Staten Island Academy.
8.Watchung Hills (10-3): Last week’s rank #7: The Warriors ran their winning streak to six game and 10 of 11 since an opening-night loss by topping Montgomery on Tuesday, but then saw the run end with a surprising loss to North Hunterdon at home Thursday.
9. Voorhees (9-4) – Last week’s rank #9: The Vikings got back on track last week, picking up conference victories at Mount St. Mary and at Pingry. Voorhees has a tough week ahead, facing Somerville and Delaware Valley.
10. New Providence (11-3):Last week’s rank #10: The Pioneers opened the week by topping St. Joseph Hill Academy and finished it with a victory over neighborhood rival Governor Livingston on Saturday. In between, New Providence dropped a divisional game at The Patrick School, the Pioneers’ second loss to the Celtics this season.
Dropped out: None
Also receiving consideration: Westfield (9-2), Immaculata (7-7), North Hunterdon (8-5), Delaware Valley (6-7).
Jags runnin’ with varsity
After two seasons playing a junior varsity schedule, including a 4-8 record playing just over half of its slate last year, Somerset Tech moved to full-varsity status this year and the program is off to a solid start.
Led by junior point guard Rebeka Quagliato, along with freshmen forwards Anna Ramos and Lilliana Gomez , the Runnin’ Jags have found a groove after an 0-3 start, winning four of their next six, before dropping a pair to finish off last week.
“Early on we played some of the tougher teams,” said head coach Maura Gillooly, who has guided Somerset Tech since its inception two years ago. “So once we got to competition we were more even with they knew they could play, so that’s kind of sparked the competition a little more. They were down after the first couple of losses, but then we lost a close game by only four (to Perth Amboy Tech in the opening round of the Tech Holiday Tournament), and they saw that, wow, we can beat teams, so that kind of clicked for them.”
Milestone roundup
Manville senior Julie Pankowski increased the total number of local players to reach the 1,000-point career scoring mark to six Friday night, reaching the milestone during a 24-point performance to lead the Mustangs over Wardlaw-Hartridge. Pankowski needed 17 points to reach the mark, getting it on a first-quarter free throw during a 64-12 victory.
The senior became just the fifth player in school history to reach the milestone and the first since 1990. She joins Delaware Valley’s Veronica Christ, Voorhees’ Allie Best, Rutgers Prep's Madison Stanley, Immaculata’s Anna Oliveri and Bernards’ Caroline Baratta as local players to reach the mark so far this season.
Bound Brook’s Janee’a Summers is just 21 points from reaching 2,000 for her career, while Watchung Hills’ Julia Cunningham needs just 23 points to reach 1,000. Rutgers Prep seniors Olivia Dabney and Gabi Redden are also within striking distance of the millennial mark.
Gill St. Bernard’s coach Aaron Gratch is also approaching a milestone, needing just three victories to reach 100 for his career.
Staff writer Simeon Pincus can be reachedCNGirlsHoops@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @SimeonPincus and on Facebook atwww.Facebook.com/SimeonPincusCN
