Tag: Mackenzie Mgbako

by Mike Pavlichko

Mgbako, Gill St. Bernard’s just too much for Rutgers Prep, as Knights win 8th SCT title under Sina

When you’ve got multiple players being recruited to play high level college basketball, and another team with some really good, maybe even great players, sometimes it’s just not enough.

That was the case Saturday afternoon at Montgomery High School, where top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s (17-6) was in control for most of the Somerset County Tournament Championship game, as they beat 2-seed Rutgers Prep (22-3) by an 84-63 score, as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Junior Mackenzie Mgbako – being recruited by NCAA blue bloods like Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina – had a monster game. He led all scorers with 29 – including four treys – while Georgetown commit Denver Anglin had 20.

The win was the eighth for Gill St. Bernard’s and Mergin Sina, who won their first together in 2011, another the next year, and five straight from 2015 to 2019 before missing the 2020 final after getting knocked out in the semifinals by Watchung Hills. That was their first year not appearing in the SCT finals under Sina.

Click below for postgame reaction from Gill St. Bernard’s:

Senior guard Denver Anglin

Head coach Mergin Sina

by Mike Pavlichko

Top-seeded Gill St. Bernard’s boys take care of business, head back to Somerset County Tourney finals

For the first eleven years of his tenure as boys’ basketball coach at Gill St. Bernard’s, head coach Mergin Sina never missed a Somerset County Tournament final.

His team finally did in year ten, getting eliminated in the semifinals by Watchung Hills.

And after the Skyland Conference held postseason pods last year, the Knights are back in the title tilt.

A 65-49 win over fourth-seed Montgomery accomplished that feat, thanks in large park to Mackenzie Mgbako’s 22 points, and despite the fact opposing point guard Ryan Curry of the Cougars finished one point shy of a career high, with 29.

Of course, if no one else scores, those 29 don’t mean a lot, and that’s exactly what happened, as the next highest scorer was 6′ 8″ senior center Aryan Gorty, who couldn’t get anything inside against Gill’s bigs, including Mgbako.

Now it’s on to the championship Saturday afternoon at 3 pm – ironically at Montgomery – against Rutgers Prep, which beat Watchung Hills big at home minutes apart Thursday night in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals.

Click below for postgame reaction from Mackenzie Mgbako with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

No. 1 Gill St. Bernard’s escapes tough test from Hunterdon Central

Fueled by solid second-half defense, and three-quarters of its points from its top two Division 1 prospects, Gill St. Bernard’s won its season opener Thursday night, beating Hunterdon Centtral 77-64 as heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, powered by Bellamy & Son Paving.

Junior point guard Denver Anglin scored 17 of his 27 points in the second half, while 6-8 sophomore combo guard Mackenzie Mgbako – ranked Top Ten in his recruiting class nationally – poured in 31.

Each hit a trio of three pointers in the game.

Head coach Mergin Sina missed the game, continuing in COVID protocol that shut Gill St. Bernard’s last week, and led to the postponement of its opening week of the season. His son, assistant coach Jaren Sina, the former standout Gill and Seton Hall point guard, took the reins and won his coaching debut.

Hunterdon Central fell to 1-0.

Listen to the entire game below, with Mike Pavlichko on the call: