Tag: Franklin

by Alec Crouthamel

Top seed Gill St. Bernard’s advances to Somerset County Finals with dominant win over Franklin

Gill St. Bernard’s, as the Somerset County Tournament’s top seed, was technically the “home team” but went into enemy territory facing off against fourth-seeded Franklin in Saturday’s semifinal matchup at the Warriors’ home gym.

No home-court advantage? No problem for the Knights.

Gill St. Bernard’s used a dominant frontcourt presence to down the Warriors 61-34, led by UConn-bound center Gandy Malou-Mamel’s 18 points and countless rebounds, getting second chances and starting fast-break opportunities from the rebounding game.

Armed with a 21-6 lead after the first quarter, the Knights kept their foot on the gas and went into halftime up 40-15.

With Franklin putting extra defensive pressure on Malou-Mamel in the second half, Sydney Quinn became the go-to scorer, finishing with 16 points. Against a strong Warriors frontcourt, Gill St. Bernard’s overwhelmed the interior and took over the game in transition.

The Warriors were led by junior guard Alissa Myers, who finished with 12 points hitting some big shots in the second half to try and mount a comeback. Forwards Aleah Sunkins and Precious Wheeler also played well for Franklin.

The Knights will face off against third-seeded Hillsborough, who defeated second-seeded Rutgers Prep, in the championship game, set for Saturday, February 22nd at Montgomery High School. The game will tip off at 1pm.

Click below for postgame reaction with Gill St. Bernard’s Gandy Malou-Mamel and head coach Mark Knapp, presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Franklin girls may be best sub-.500 team in Somerset County; but can they prove it against Gill St. Bernard’s for a trip to SCT finals?

Over the last couple of weeks, we keep hearing from area girls’ basketball coaches pumping up Franklin. They’re not in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, but you’d think they were by the way people are talking.

Granted they’re 8-14, but keep in mind the division they play in. The Skyland Delaware is loaded, with Rutgers Prep and Gill St. Bernard’s the co-champions, and defending North 2, Group 4 champion Hillsborough behind them.

Actually, they’re behind Franklin, too, even though they’re the three seed and the Warriors are the four.

Franklin has taken some losses on the chin, including 83-58 and 81-49 to Rutgers Prep. They lost 70-45 to Gill St. Bernard’s the second time around, but played then to a 13-point loss in the first week of January.

And they knocked off Hillsborough, 63-60, back on January 23rd, just four days before the county seeding meeting.

Thing is, they’ve lost to just about every team considered “better” than them, and beaten everyone they should handle

So, which team will show up when they tip off at 2:30 Saturday afternoon?

There’s one thing no one can question: Coach Darryl Robinson has one of the top, young, up-and-coming players in the area in Aleah Sunkins, a sophomore averaging 16.4 points per game and 9.6 rebounds. Junior Alissa Myers (8.7 points per game) is also a significant contributor, along with senior Precious Wheeler (5.6 per game).

On the other side, Gill – the top seed at 18-3 overall, 7-1 in the Skyland Delaware, co-champs with second-seed Rutgers Prep – is a cohesive unit that has gotten stronger throughout the season. Nowhere is that more evident than in how they played Prep, which has won the last four SCT titles and seven of the last nine.

Rutgers Prep had won 23 straight against Gill coming into this year. And they won again on December 17th, 61-38 in Somerset. But the Knights turned the tables in the New Year, with a 64-27 win up in Peapack-Gladstone, their first win over the Argonauts since the 2014 Somerset County Tournament final.

The cast is full of stars, too. Gandy Malou-Mamel is the top scorer at 17.6 points and an even ten rebounds per game. Junior Addy Platt is at 10.4 a game, and the rest of the experienced lineup includes standouts Tessa Lozner, Syndey Quinn and Maya Abramson.

Follow Alec Crouthamel on Twitter for live updates during the game, and he’ll have a recap postgame reaction afterwards on cjsportsradio.com.

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County Tournament announces semifinals times for four games at Franklin High School this Saturday

With the Somerset County Tournament going back to its Saturday format, and putting the semifinals all at one neutral site, the SCIAA has announced the game assignments for this Saturday’s semifinals, which will be played at Franklin High School.

Officials waited until the completion of the quarterfinals to choose game times, in order to keep schools that might have both teams playing back-to-back as much as possible, rather than splitting up the day for fans.

The opening game will be at 11 am and feature the girls’ semifinal between second-seed Rutgers Prep and third-seed Hillsborough. The Argonauts won their first meeting this year on the road, 66-52, on January 9th, then won the rematch in Somerset, 76-65 back on the fourth of this month.

The second game is scheduled for 12:45 pm and will be the boys’ semifinal between third-seed Rutgers Prep and two-seed Montgomery. It’s a rematch of last year’s thrilling SCT final, which Prep won 64-61, though the Cougars went on to win the Central Jersey Group 4 title. Prep also won their lone regular season meeting this year, 63-59, back on January 30th.

Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast both games live, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas on the call. Click here to listen on game day.

Alec Crouthamel will have live coverage on Twitter (follow him here) as well as postgame stories and reaction, which can be found on the site after all four games that day.

The third game will be at 2:30, the girls’ semifinal between top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s and fourth-seed Franklin. While the Warriors are 7-13, two losses each came to Hillsborough and Gill, and one came against Rutgers Prep, which they’ll play in regular season action Tuesday. Franklin’s two losses to the Knights came 56-43 on January 7th and 70-45 on January 28th.

The final game will feature the boys’ semifinal between No. 1 seed Gill St. Bernard’s and four-seed Ridge at 4 pm. This could be a sleeper good game: the Knights are back after an off-year last season with major roster turnover, and Ridge is 17-4m their lone county loss coming to Montgomery, 55-52 in the middle of January. They beat Gill St. Bernard’s by nine last year, but haven’t played this season.

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 3 Rutgers Prep puts pedal to the metal from the tip, tops Franklin at home, 86-33

Franklin head coach Kashiff Foster said this week his team would need to play “out of their minds” to beat Rutgers Prep in their Skyland Conference Delaware Division game Thursday night.

The only problem? The third-ranked Argonauts played even more out of their minds.

Their defense fueled their transition play the entire first half, allowing for easy buckets – like five dunks – and good looks a thees, which they hit plenty of – six in the first half alone.

Prep ran out to a 24-8 first half lead, then took a 52-16 advantage into halftime, leading to a running clock in the second half.

Sophomore Andrew Kretkowski finished with a game-high 19 for Rutgers Prep, four shy of a season-high, while fellow soph Jacob Canton scored 15, hitting twice from downtown. Senior Myles Parker had 13 points, including three triples.

Click below for postgame reaction from Rutgers Prep sophomore Andrew Kretkowski and Jacon Canton, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 3 Rutgers Prep faces Franklin Tuesday as Argonauts look to go on a run

The time is now for the Rutgers Prep boys’ basketball team.

With a record of 6-6, and still the No. 3 ranking in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten, the Argonauts are looking to make some noise over the next couple of weeks, jockeying for position in both the county and state tournaments, with the SCT seeding looming first, on January 27th.

Tuesday night will be one of those key games, as Prep (3-1, second place in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division) takes on Franklin (5-6, 2-2) in a game that could be a turning point for both seasons.

Prep will hope to use it as a springboard to a solid run toward the postseason. Franklin would land a signature win if the Warriors can take the victory. Game time is 7 pm, and it can be heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with pregame at 6:45. Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel will call all the action; click here to listen.

Last year’s Rutgers Prep squad was on the young side and inexperienced. Many of those key parts are back, including senior Myles Parker, who leads the way with 15.6 points per game and a squad-best 34 treys. Sophomore Jacob Canton adds 14.6 per game and has dished out a team-best 58 assists through 12 games, while another second-year player, Andrew Kretkowski, also is averaging 14.6 per game, along with a team-leading 6.4 rebounds.

They do a lot well – play defense, rebound, shoot from the perimeter, get up and down the floor – and just watching for a few minutes, it’s evident this group has a bond and meshes well. Bloom will have the core of Canton, Kretkowski, and also sophomore Rocco Loomis (9.3 ppg) for a few years.

To say Prep has struggled to its 6-6 mark would be inaccurate. Would they love to have more wins? Sure. But losses have come to the likes of Gill St. Bernard’s, Don Bosco Prep and Manasquan, among others. But those three have come by a combined 12 points

The run, though – they hope – starts now.

Click below to hear Rutgers Prep boys’ basketball coach Matt Bloom talk about the Argonauts with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

We unveil the 2024 “Borden’s Baller of the Year”: Listen to the show with all three finalists to find out who took home top honors!

The newly-expanded Borden’s Baller of the Year voting has reached its conclusion, and we have a winner after a more than a week of voting, and over 122,000 votes cast!

But, we’re not going to tell you that easily!

This year’s voting added another round. With 59 Big Central Conference teams now represented, we divided the total vote to come up with three finalists: one from Middlesex County, one from Union County, and a third from the “Big Central West” – Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties.

The finalists were:

  • Middlesex County: Brody Nugent, Old Bridge
  • Union County: Jordan Walsh, Westfield
  • Big Central West: Christian Lewis, Franklin

And we’re still not going to tell you who won. Click below to listen to the “2024 Borden’s Ballers Awards Show” to find out!

by Mike Pavlichko

Borden’s Ballers down to three finalists: See who finished first in each region, and VOTE for the ultimate 2024 Borden’s Baller of the Year!

One more round to go!

With nearly 45,000 votes cast for the 2024 Borden’s Baller of the year, we now have three finalists – one in each of three regions – and now it’s time for them to face off to determine the ultimate Borden’s Baller.

Adding in all the Big Central Conference schools this season, we have one finalist from each of three regions: Middlesex (24 teams), Union (17 teams) and Big Central West, including Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties (20 teams).

Here are the finalists, and the next couple of vote-getters in each region:

Middlesex County

  • Brody Nugent, Old Bridge (finalist)
  • Kyle Johnston, Metuchen
  • Shaun Garland, Edison

Union County

  • Jordan Walsh, Westfield (finalist)
  • Andrew Avent, Rahway
  • Oscar Marx, Summit

Big Central West (Somerset, Hunterdon Warren Counties)

  • Christian Lewis, Franklin (finalist)
  • Terrence Hanratty, Bernards
  • Jett Genovese, Phillipsburg

So, now it’s down to three! Here are the bios for your finalists for the 2024 Borden’s Baller of the Year!

  • Old Bridge – Brody Nugent: Junior quarterback Brody Nugent might be called the Houdini of the Big Central Football Conference! In just two seasons this Knight has dissected enemy defenses for 2100 yds in the air for 23 touchdowns while traversing the field for 1745 yards and 21 scores on the ground in just 18 games.  Just when the defense thinks they have him pinned in or stopped, he spins out of a tackle extending the play while being laser-focused on finding his target or the end zone!
  • Westfield – Jordan Walsh: The sophomore receiver/quarterback has started the last two games for the Blue Devils with wins over North Brunswick and Bridgewater-Raritan. He has accounted for 182 yards passing for 2 touchdowns, 181 yards rushing for 3 scores and 71 yards as a receiver. On defense he has 20 plus tackles with 2 scores on and interception and fumble returned for six.
  • Franklin – Christian Lewis: Franklin’s football program has improved steadily each year under Blair Wilson, going winless in his first campaign while giving the Warriors the opportunity to finish 2024 with a winning record for the first time since 2012. The senior Lewis has been an integral part of this transformation. The 6’3 180 WR/DB has the size and speed to play at the next level. He has 13 catches for 173 yards and 1 touchdown. As a defensive back he recorded 21 tackles, 1 interception and a forced fumble and one for a recovery.
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2024 Borden's Baller of the Year

Choose from the three finalists for the Borden's Baller of the Year for 2024!

Sorry, polling is closed!
Good luck to your favorite Borden's Baller!
We'll announce the winner soon!

by Mike Pavlichko

Franklin ends three-game skid after 3-0 start with last-minute TD, 22-0 victory at Sayreville

No one led by more than a touchdown, and Franklin snapped a three-game losing streak that found them back at .500 after a 3-0 start with a 22-20 road win at Sayreville Friday night.

Troy Hyman scored two touchdowns for the Warriors, including the game-tying touchdown with under a minute to play, before a two-point conversion pass put them ahead for good.

Franklin’s Michael Rogers opened the scoring, catching a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jah’naad Cady, but Shuan Jackson ran one in from four-yards out for Sayreville, which missed the extra point, making it 7-6.

Hyman scored on a one-yard run in the second to put Franklin up 14-6, and then Sayreville roared back after halftime. Devyn McCall made it 14-12 on a ten-yard touchdown run, and Jackson then scored and ran in a two-point try to make it 20-14 Bombers at the end of three.

The fourth quarter was tense. The Warriors got stopped on fourth down early. Later, Cady threw a deep ball that was picked off by Sayreville’s Sherwin Appiah, but he fumbled it as he was tackled, and Franklin recovered inside the ten.

That set up Hyman’s heroics to tie the game at 20 on an eight-yard touchdown run, and Cady hit Alieu Kallon for the two-point conversion to make it 22-20 Franklin.

Sayreville got the ball back, but Franklin stopped them on a fourth-down play to hang on for the win.

Franklin (4-3) will visit Monroe next Friday night, while the Bombers dropped to 2-5 and will visit Montgomery next Friday evening.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Marcus Borden, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Edison gets back in the win column with 27-13 win at Franklin; Eato helps cause with 2 TDs

With the game tied at seven coming out of halftime, Nykier Eato made sure Edison was going to come out of Friday night’s road game at Franklin with a win.

Eato scored two touchdowns in the third quarter to put the Eagles up two scores, and quarterback Anthony Calantoni added a 12-yard run to make it 27-7.

That gave Edison enough insurance to pick up the win after Franklin answered with one more score. But they would get no closer, as the Eagles picked up the 27-13 victory.

Edison improves to 2-3, and snapped a three-game losing streak with the win. The 27 points was its best offensive output since a 27-0 home win over East Brunswick in its opener.

Franklin has lost two straight and drops to 3-2 ahead of a home game with Plainfield next Friday night.

The Eagles will face Colonia (4-1) at home next Friday night in the “Big Central Game of the Week” presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. The Patriots beat Perth Amboy 27-20 Friday night.

Click below for postgame reaction from Edison head coach Matt Yascko:

Edison football players work on drills in preseason camp. (Source: @ehsgridiron on Twitter)
by Mike Pavlichko

2024 Big Central Preview: National Silver Division

It’s a hellulva swap.

The National Silver Division in the Big Central Conference just got a whole lot tougher, with New Brunswick moving out, and St. Thomas Aquinas moving in. And it makes this division just that much more intriguing.

The Zebras were winless last year, but Aquinas has won 25 straight games against Big Central competition, the longest active streak of its kind. Now, that could spell doom for the division, but there are some pretty good teams here.

Both North Brunswick and Sayreville won eight games each a year ago, and should contend with Aquinas, which was in the United Gold last year, playing against schools like Cranford and Summit. Now, the Trojans are in with the big boys, the Group 5 schools.

Edison should also make a play in this division, with the Eagles looking at a bounceback year. Franklin has a tough road with all those powerhouses in the division, and even their crossover against Plainfield will be a challenge.

One good thing for the rest of the division, though: St. Thomas will be a multiplier, so even a loss to the Trojans would be better for an opponent’s playoff hopes than a defeat at the hands of a “traditional” team.

Click below to hear our preview of the National Silver Division from Big Central Conference Media Day: