John Kelly – Central Jersey Sports Radio

How’d they do it?

It wasn’t mirrors, and it wasn’t magic.

In the end, it was defense.

The Rutgers Prep boys’ basketball team won its second straight Somerset County Tournament title Saturday, the top-seeded Argonauts (19-6) beating second-seed Montgomery (21-3) on the Cougars’ home floor, 64-61, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Rutgers Prep led most of the way, and an eight point halftime lead balooned to 14 in the third with Logan Franz hitting a pair of back-to-back threes and Rocco Loomis adding another.

But Montgomery – behind a raucous “home” crowd – chipped away, chipped away, and chipped away some more, eventually taking a lead in the fourth quarter by four, its first lead since the opening quarter.

Boghdan Bieketov was hitting shots, and even had a three in the fourth quarter. But he was in foul trouble most of the game, and fouled out with 25 seconds left.

The game was decided in other ways, but in the end game, with 19 seconds to go, Myles Parker drove to the hole, made the shot, but it was waved off on a charge. A technical foul was called on Josh Moore, and confusion ensued, but Jacob Canton hit two free throws to give his team a 62-61 lead it would not relinquish.

A pair of John Kelly free throws gave Rutgers Prep a three point lead, with Montgomery still having a shot down three with nine seconds to go. But the Cougars couldn’t get a good look at the basket, and a forced shot was deflected at the buzzer, if it even got off on time.

Click below for postgame reaction presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Rutgers Prep freshman Andrew Kretkowski and head coach Matt Bloom

Rutgers Prep senior John Kelly

The Rutgers Prep lead was 12, then ten. Then 12, then ten. Then 12, then ten. Then all of a sudden down to six, before going back to 12 twice more, and before the Argonauts finally pulled away for good.

Fifth-seed Franklin gave top-seeded Prep everything they could handle, and even then some. Junior Cam Brown of Franklin suffered what looked like it could be a devastating ankle injury and came back. Jake Novielli, scoreless since a 13-point first half, banged in back-to-back threes.

But Johnny Nsenkyire’s answer-three held Franklin at bay again, and with a six-point game back up to nine, that was the last rush the Warriors could make.

Rutger Prep (19-7) got 20 points each from Jadin Collins and John Kelly – a pair of juniors – wile seniors Cameron Piggee added 12 and Jordan Atkins scored ten.

Novielli, a junior, finished with 19 to lead Franklin (16-10), while Cam Brown added 18 and Cam Snowden finished with 16.

Now, it’s on to Saturday’s Somerset County Tournament Final at 3 pm at Montgomery High School, where it will be a rematch of last year’s SCT final. Prep will face second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s, which beat 6-seed Ridge 57-50 in overtime Thursday night. You can hear that game on Central Jersey Sports Radio beginning at 12:45 with pregame for the girls’ final at 1:00, which also will feature Prep and Gill.