Rutgers Prep senior Mikayla Blakes drives to the basket for a shot in the second half of a 71-46 win over Gill St. Bernard’s in Somerset on January 4, 2024
. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Make it 21 straight for Rutgers Prep over Gill St. Bernard’s.
Thursday night’s big Skyland Conference Delaware Division battle wasn’t without its moments for Gill. The Knights took a 6-0 lead early, forcing Prep coach Mary Klinger to call a time out. They played even for a while.
And after the first 8 minutes, GSB led 15-13, the first time they outscored Rutgers Prep in a quarter in 15 of them, dating back to the first quarter of their Somerset County Tournament final of 2022, an eventual 64-35 Prep win.
But in between quarters, Rutgers Prep adjusted to great defense by Gill, which was breaking up passes and blocking shots on D, and finding good looks on offense, too. They went on a big run in the first 3:13 of the second quarter to take a six-point lead, and never looked back.
Senior Mikayla Blakes led all scorers with 27 for the Lady Argonauts, including five threes, in her first game back after missing the last four, including all three at the prestigious John Wall Classic in North Carolina. Sophomore Ava LaMonica chipped in 19, including a triple.
Rutgers Prep improved to 6-2, 3-0 in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division with the win. Gill took its first loss to drop to 8-1, 3-1 in the Delaware.
Click below for postgame reaction with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Chris Tsakonas, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:
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