Rutgers Prep girls roll past Holy Cross Prep in lone Sunday H.S. game in entire state

It wasn’t just the only game in town, as they say, it was the only game in the entire state Sunday afternoon in the NJSIAA high school basketball playoffs.

Second-seed Rutgers Prep won its state tournament opener, rolling past 7-seed Holy Cross Prep out of Delran Saturday afternoon in Somerset, 89-31, in Non-Public South B quarterfinal action.

The Lady Argonauts put the pedal to the metal from the jump, starting the game on a 12-0 run before the Lancers got on the board with a Mae Foley field goal almost four minutes into the game. Prep led 19-6 after one – with Foley having all six points – and 46-12 at the half.

Rutgers Prep (18-6) played stellar defense, cutting off passes, forcing turnovers and blocking shots. They ran their press efficiently as they made shots, including seven first-half treys, five of which came from Sophia Georgiadis, that alone matching a career high for her in a single game, set in December of last season in a loss at Morris Knolls, when she played for Ridge.

And it was much of the same in the second half, as Prep got a couple more threes each from Ava Frith and Natalia Valdez, plus a second from Hailey Benbow, to finish with 13 made shots from downtown.

Georgiades led Rutgers Prep with 19 points, while Benbow added 18 and Valdez chipped in ten.

Holy Cross fell to 15-13 with the loss, ending their season.

Rutgers Prep moves on to the Non-Public South B semifinals Thursday at home, at a time to be determined, against either third-seed Wildwood Catholic (22-5) or 11-seed Stuart Day (6-14). That game will be played at 6 pm Monday at Wildwood Catholic.

Here’s the quarterfinal schedule for the rest of the section:

Non-Public South B Quarterfinals
(9) Koinonia at (1) Gloucester Catholic, Monday
(5) Holy Spirit at (4) Ranney, 4 pm Monday
(11) Stuart Day at (3) Wildwood Catholic, 6 pm Monday
(2) Rutgers Prep def. (7) Holy Cross, 89-31