St. Thomas Aquinas sets on defense as Mackenzie Mgbako holds the ball for Gill St. Bernard’s in a GMC-Skyland crossover game on February 12, 2022. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
In the ten prior seasons Mergin Sina has been the Gill St. Bernard’s boys’ basketball coach – not including last year’s COVID-shortened year with the one-off Skyland Conference-wide pods – the Knights have missed just one Somerset County Tournament final, in 2020, and it was none too pleasing.
Prior to that Gill St. Bernard’s had been to nine straight, winning seven of them, including five in a row from 2015 to 2019, beating everyone from Rutgers Prep and Watchung Hills to Ridge, Bridgewater-Raritan and Somerville along the way.
So, pardon Mergin Sina if he’s been there, done that before, and is nothing but business when his top-seeded Knights (16-6) host fourth-seed Montgmery (13-10) tonight in the SCT semifinals in Gladstone, in a game that can be heard LIVE on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
The game is part of a doubleheader, ans is set for 7:00, immediately following the Gill girls’ semifinal game against Hillsborough at 5. Click here to listen to Mike Pavlichko call all the action; pregame for the girls’ tilt begins at 4:45.
Back to the Gill boys, they’re the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and ranked fourth in New Jersey. They were No. 3 until they got beaten by St. Thomas Aquinas in the Hearts 2 Hands Invitational two weeks ago at Roselle Catholic.
The Knights had several key players out for that game, including their head coach. Sina had been having back issues, and was at Roselle Catholic for pregame, but left before tip-off.
GSB also was without senior point guard Denver Anglin, a top national recruit on a team with a few of them, including junior Mackenzie Mgbako, only the No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2023 nationally.
While Anglin was out five games, Naasir Cunningham also missed the Aquinas game. (For their part, the Trojans were also down two key players: Seton Hall commit Jaquan Harris, who’s been out since late last year and should be back soon from a knee injury, and top defender Terrell Pitts, who’s also hopeful to make it back for states.
Click below to hear Mike Pavlichko catch up with Gill St. Bernard’s coach Mergin Sina: