Tag: Mary Klinger

by Dylan Allen

Rutgers Prep falls to Gloucester Catholic in South Jersey Non-Public B championship for second straight season

Make it back-to-back wins for Gloucester Catholic in South Jersey Non-Public B, as the Rams beat Rutgers Prep Monday night – also for the second straight year – in the sectional final at Lenape High School in Medford Lakes, 44-31. win over Rutgers Prep.

The first half was tight all the way.  Each team continuously traded buckets underneath the basket.

Early on, it was Ava La Monica of Rutgers Prep and Jahzara Green of Gloucester Catholic doing the damage to each other’s squads. It was a classic back-and-forth game, consisting of transition buckets and highly contested defensive stops.

At the end of the first quarter, Rutgers Prep had the lead at 12-11, thanks to a six-point effort from La Monica. Gloucester Catholic came alive in the second quarter and had the lead going into halftime at 21-20.

Through the first half of play, it was apparent both teams wanted to establish an inside game — only three three-pointers were made in the game, all coming from Gloucester Catholic.

The second half is where the game started to slip away from Rutgers Prep, and Gloucester Catholic took full advantage. The Argonauts were outscored 23-11, mainly because of too many missed shots in the paint from several Argonauts and because of the Lady Rams’ stout defense.

Monet High – a name that may not stand out in the box score due to only scoring one point – certainly showed off her defensive prowess. Leading to numerous steals in the half-court that led to transition buckets for Green and Talia Shumate, who finished with six points.

Combine Green’s 14-point effort with relentless dribble drives from Jalyn Moore and outside shots from Amanda Eggers, who both finished with eleven points, and it was enough for the Lady Rams to put the game out of reach late in the fourth.

The offensive stars from Rutgers Prep simply went cold, scoring just five points in the fourth. La Monica finished with ten points, Georgiades with seven points, and no one else eclipsed more than four.

It’s the end of an era for seniors Ava La Monica, Sophia Georgiades, Ava Frith, and Cali McCoy. La Monica and McCoy are the only two of the four to win a South Jersey Non-Public B final in their time at Rutgers Prep, with Georgiades and Frith both transferring in after the 2024 season.

Gloucester Catholic will advance to the Non-Public B title game, where it will face North Jersey Non-Public B champion Gill St. Bernard’s, which beat Saddle River Day 57-40 Monday night. This will be the second time the two teams face off this year, with the Rams winning 60-45 at the Shore Games in December.

Click below to hear postgame reactions with Rutgers Prep’s head coach Mary Klinger presented by the Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls clinch 6th straight trip to sectional finals, win 79-46 over Stuart Day, to set up championship rematch with Gloucester Catholic

No matter how many finals they make, or championships they win, it never gets old for Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger.

The top-seeded Argonauts easily won their Non-Public South B semifinal game Thursday night in Somerset, defeating fifth-seed Stuart Day, 79-46.

Another laugher from the start, Prep led 24-9 after one quarter and 42-16 at the half, with many outstanding performances throughout.

Natalia Valdez was on fire from downtown, hitting six times from beyond the arc, and finishing with a 20-point night. Ava LaMonica added 13 points and eight rebounds, Cali McCoy finished with 14 – and was 4-of-4 from the foul line, while Ava Frith added eight, and 11 rebounds.

Next up for the Argonauts (25-3), a trip down to Jackson Twp. High School (formerly Jackson Liberty) for the Non-Public South B championship against a familiar foe: Gloucester Catholic.

The second-seeded Rams pummeled third-seed Wildwood Catholic, 72-29, at home Thursday night to improve to 24-4.

Last year, Gloucester Catholic beat Prep 46-33 in the sectional final, before losing to Montclair-Immaculate – in the school’s final game before it closed last summer – in the Non-Public B Final at Rutgers.

Click below for postgame reaction from Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

by Mike Pavlichko

Bound Brook, Pugh nearly “steal” one from Rutgers Prep late, but Argonaut girls hang on, advance to 15th SCT title tilt

Sometimes when two top teams get together – and these two both were 20-game winners coming into Saturday’s Somerset County Tournament semifinal at Franklin High School – there’s a feeling out period. See what the other team gives you, then figure out what you can take.

There was none of that, however, for top-seed Rutgers Prep when the Argonauts took on fifth-seed Bound Brook. From the opening tip, they passed crisply, scored with ease, and swooped in for offensive rebounds – barely every giving the Crusaders anything beyond one-and-done possessions.

And yet, despite being down 18 at one point in the first half, and as many as 15 in the third quarter, the Crusaders were still in this one right down to the wire.

They had the deficit down to four at 48-44 with 1:52 left, but just couldn’t get any closer.

In the end, Rutgers Prep (21-7) was able to survive and advance, 53-49, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. They’ll play the winner of Saturday’s 2 pm semifinal between second-seed Gill St. Bernard’s and third-seed Franklin in the championship game, next Saturday at 1 pm at Montgomery High School.

Freshman sensation Peytan Pugh was the main reason The Brook (21-2) was able to get back into the game, and stay in it, down the stretch. She had multiple steals, and rather than grabbing the ball, would tip the ball away, chase it down, and score without even the threat of being fouled. She finished with a game-high 23 points.

Bound Brook’s undoing in the first half was Rutgers Prep’s offensive rebounding, forcing the Crusaders into several one-and-dones. The Argonauts also used their length on the offensive side, often getting three or four chances on a number of possessions.

Hailey Benbow – who fouled out with 43 seconds remaining – was the high-scorer for the Argonauts, finishing with 11, while Sophia Georgiades added 10, including a pair of treys.

Meanwhile, senior Ava LaMonica – a four-year starter – who unofficially finished with four rebounds, joined the 1,000-point, 500-rebound club with her effort on the glass.

It’ll be Rutgers Prep’s 15th trip to a county final, all since 2004. They are 10-4 in the title game, but missed last year, snapping a string of nine straight trips, knocked off in the semifinals here at Franklin by Hillsborough, which lost to Gill in the title game, but went on to win the state Group 4 championship.

Prep had won four straight titles before last season, in 2020, and 2022 to 2024. (There was no SCT in 2021 due to the COVID-shortened season.)

Click below for postgame reaction with Rutgers Prep sophomore Hailey Benbow and head coach Mary Klinger , presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County’s two 20-win teams to square off in Saturday’s SCT semifinals, as resurgent Bound Brook girls face powerhouse Rutgers Prep

By no stretch of the imagination did the Rutgers Prep and Bound Brook girls’ basketball teams have “bad” years, or even so-so seasons, at least not by most people’s standards.

The Argonauts finished 20-7, while the Crusaders went 19-7.

But Rutgers Prep didn’t make the county finals for the first time in ten seasons, and they got beat by Gloucester Catholic in the Non-Public South B Final. And The Brook won five titles in a row from 2016-2020.

This season, they are the only two 20-win teams in the Skyland Conference (so far), their county, and Saturday at noon they’ll face off at Franklin High School in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, in a game you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will call all the action, with pregame set for 11:45 am. Click here to listen.

Rutgers Prep (20-2, 5-0 Skyland Delaware Division Champs) is the well-deserved No. 1 seed, their only two losses have come to Red Bank Catholic and Cardinal O’Hara (PA) in showcase games. Bound Brook (21-1, 8-0 Skyland Mountain Division Champs) took its only loss at the hands of Union Catholic, in their own Crusader Classic over the holidays. And yet, Bound Brook, the five-seed is a decided underdog.

Not that that’s ever stopped the Crusaders before. And it helps that hey have a freshman sensation in Peytan Pugh. Averaging 18.1 points per game, 7.7 rebounds, she’s also the team leader in assists (149, 6.8 per game) and steals (191, 8.7 per game), along with a team-best 20 blocks.

But she’s not the only one who can score. Senior Ti’asjah Ferguson is averaging 12.6 per game, and has 75 steals on the year for a defense that has logged more than Rutgers Prep, by a wide margin: 372-217.

That’s the kind of defense Bound Brook will need.

But while they have played a challenging schedule when they can, Rutgers Prep is another story. While Bound Brook coach Jen Derevjanik has been through the wars (go back to those five straight sectional titles) and has WNBA playing experience, her players have not – at least not yet – and with the Argonauts, they will see a veteran group.

Prep was fully expecting a bounce-back year coming into 2025-26, bringing back every starter and every single key bench player as well. Sophomore Hailey Benbow is the team’s top scorer (13.5 per game) and rebounder (7 per game), while also logging a team-best 52 steals, but the senior leader is Ava LaMonica.

Talk about someone who’s been through the wars, the four-year starter is averaging 12.7 points per game. Fellow senior Sophia Georgiades – in her second year at Prep after a transfer in from Ridge last season – is the team’s top three-point shooter, with 23 on the year.

Click below for preview interviews with both head coaches:

Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger
Bound Brook head coach Jen Derevjanik
by Mike Pavlichko

No. 1 Rutgers Prep takes Skyland Conference Delaware Division title, tops No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s, 51-44

Rutgers Prep may have been 20-7 a year ago, but the 2024-25 high school basketball season was disappointing for Mary Klinger’s squad. They were co-champs in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division, but failed to make the Somerset County Tournament final for the first time in a decade, and lost in the Non-Public South B title game.

This year’s team used it as fuel, though, and is already back on track.

The top-ranked Argonauts are now 15-2 after a 51-44 win Thursday night over third-ranked Gill St. Bernards heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, one which gave the the Delaware Division title outright, finishing 4-0 in division play.

That’s Goal One entering the year. Then the county, then states. Even if head coach Mary Klinger had to be reminded of her team’s claim to the title after the game.

The first half was played as tight as it could be. No one led by more than five, there were seven lead changes, and six ties, the last being 24-24 at halftime.

But after that, the Prep defense tightened. Gill senior Addy Platt – who was tied with Prep senior Ava LaMonica for game-high honors at halftime with nine points – was held scoreless in the third quarter, and had just one second-half field goal. She finished with a game-high 17, including 6-of-6 at the line in the fourth quarter, but was hampered by foul trouble.

That’s because Prep was taking it to the tin more, looking for contact. And it worked. The Argos shot 8-of-10 from the foul line in the fourth.

LaMonica finished with 14 – and is eleven away from joining the thousand-point club, while sophomore Hailey Benbow led with 15, including three from beyond the arc.

Gill is now 14-4, finishing 3-1 in their division, and had its 12-game win streak – which ran back to late December – snapped in the process.

Click below for postgame reaction from Rutgers Prep senior Ava LaMonica and head coach Mary Klinger, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Always a battle, No. 1 Rutgers Prep, No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s square off Thursday night on CJSR

With the way the Skyland Conference changed its scheduling matrix this year – going away from home-and-home division series an instead playing once through, with more crossovers – Thursday night’s big clash between Rutgers Prep and Gill St. Bernard’s will be their first this season.

And while it won’t matter for the Somerset County Tournament – in which the Argonauts were voted the top seed by the coaches Monday night – it still matters. It’s a huge game between two county powers, the Skyland Conference Delaware Division title is on the line, and there are tons of power points at stake, too.

No. 1 Rutgers Prep will host No. 3 Gill St. Bernard’s Thursday at 5:30 pm, with Mike Pavlichko bringing you all the action live on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Pregame starts at 5:15; click here to listen.

The overall results have been very similar this year, even though both have had very different goals. The Argonauts are 14-2, the Knights 14-3, and both are 3-0 in the Skyland Delaware. This winner gets the division crown.

Rutgers Prep’s goal heading into the years was to atone for what, for head coach Mary Klinger’s program, was a disappointing season. She often calls the regular season “the pre-season,” a time to be challenged and work out the kinks en route to a County and State championship. But Prep was ousted in the semifinals of the SCT by Hillsborough last year, and fell to Gloucester Catholic in the Non-Public Group B title game. Though they finished 20-7, they wanted more.

The good news? Every key player returned, including four-year starter Ava LaMonica – who’s nearing 1,000 career points – as well as Hannah Fraser, Sophia Georgiades, Ava Frith, and sophomore Hailey Benbow, the tea’s top scorer.

And while Gill’s won last year’s Somerset County Tournament – their first in a decade – their goal was a bit different: to replace the more than 70 percent of its scoring that graduated, a group headlined by Gandy Malou-Mamel, who’s now at UConn, along with Sindey Quinn, Cassidy Moore, Tessa Lozner and Maya Abramson.

Senior Addy Platt is the team’s top scorer now, with her sister Kaity not far behind. Others, like junior Sadie Finn and freshman Naima Morales Solivan have been among those making significant contributions.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko preview the matchup with both head coaches:

Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger
Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mark Gnapp

by Alec Crouthamel

Georgiades’ milestone night helps lead No. 1 Rutgers Prep past No. 7 Franklin after slow start

For the second time in two games (and two days), No. 1 Rutgers Prep girls basketball fell behind early against a fast-paced opponent.

And for the second time, the Argonauts (2-0) rebounded almost immmediately and took control.

Rutgers Prep took control at the end of the first quarter and never looked back, defeating No. 7 Franklin 82-62 in the Warriors’ (0-1) season opener, and first game under new head coach Jimmy Kreie.

It wasn’t all easy, though.

Franklin stormed ahead to an 8-0 lead in the early minutes, helped by multiple Argonauts turnovers, and looked to be firing on all cylinders in the early goings.

That’s when senior guard Sophia Georgiades got going.

Coming into the night with 994 career points and a 3-for-12 shooting night against Morris Catholic on Sunday, Georgiades was itching to get going 24 hours later. She did, and then some. She scored 12 points in the opening quarter — including a pull-up three-pointer to give her 1,001 for her career, leading to a timeout and recognition from her teammates and crowd — and helped keep Rutgers Prep afloat, finishing the frame with a 28-23 lead. The Boston University signee finished with a game-high 24 points on the night.

The Argonauts’ vaunted 1-3-1 zone helped contain Franklin’s offense, though the Warriors were still able to get going and finished the first half with 37 points. Junior Aleah Sunkins led the team with 22 points, while sophomore Nola Bright scored 12. Kreie’s team came out firing, and appear to have a style and system in place, as well as standout veterans to keep the team going.

And then, after halftime, some of Rutgers Prep’s other top pieces got going.

Sophomore wing Hailey Benbow dealt with foul trouble in a frustrating first half for her, but caught fire in the third quarter. She scored 12 points of her own in the frame, and finished a point shy of Georgiades with 23 on the night, getting countless transition opportunities in a much-improved defensive effort in the second half.

Each time Franklin would cut into the lead — including instances in the third and fourth quarters where it got within 12 — the Argonauts would force a turnover or hit a three-pointer to keep the lead at a comfortable level for the rest of the game. Junior Natalia Valdez also finished with 10 points to aid the scoring, and sophomore Bri Duque set a career-high for the second straight game with eight points.

Through two games, Rutgers Prep has defeated two quality opponents, with the team’s chemistry and continuity playing a big-time role in both, as the Argonauts did not lose a player to graduation or transferring at all.

As the team gets fully healthy — seniors Ava Frith and Ava LaMonica are both playing through injuries — Rutgers Prep appears primed to contend for a Somerset County title once again, after missing out on the championship game for the first time since 2014 last year. The track record speaks for itself.

Click below for postgame reaction with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Rutgers Prep guards Hailey Benbow and Sophia Georgiades, and head coach Mary Klinger
by Alec Crouthamel

New No. 1 Rutgers Prep looks to build off opening win in Monday tilt against new-look No. 7 Franklin

The only thing unfamiliar for the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball new No. 1 Rutgers Prep girls basketball team this year is how last year’s tournament season unfolded, missing the Somerset County Tournament final for the first time since 2014. Pretty much everything else — down to the players on the roster, with no outgoing seniors or transfers — has remained the status quo. And that’s a very high bar to maintain.

Meanwhile, for No. 7 Franklin, there is plenty of unknown to anticipate, with a new championship-winning head coach and players stepping into elevated roles, while developing the existing talent from the recent two years.

The teams will clash in an inter-township battle on Easton Avenue for the Warriors’ season-opener under new head coach Jimmy Kreie, who takes over for former coach and assistant Darryl Robinson, while the home Argonauts already have a game under their belt. That game will tip off at 5:30 pm from Rutgers Prep, and you can hear it live on Central Jersey Sports Radio with Alec Crouthamel calling all the action, and coverage starting at 5:15. Click here to listen.

The Argonauts come into this matchup at 1-0 on the year after a 52-40 win over Morris Catholic on Sunday in the NJBCA Tip-Off Showcase. That victory gave the Crusaders their first in-state loss in nearly three years, since a 76-44 loss to Paul VI and Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo in January of 2023.

The winning effort did not come without its fair share of adversity, either. Morris Catholic stormed ahead on a 12-2 run to open the game, and eventually ended the opening quarter up 12-4. Rutgers Prep hit back with its own response immediately after, however, going on a 16-2 run to head into halftime with a lead. The Argonauts ultimately pulled away to win by double digits, led by senior point guard Ava LaMonica’s 15 points and a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double from sophomore forward Hailey Benbow.

42nd-year head coach Mary Coyle-Klinger has plenty of talent at her disposal as per usual, all of which return from last year. That includes seniors Ava Frith and Sophia Georgiades — who sits just six points away from 1,000 in her career — and plenty of underclassmen contributors such as juniors Natalia Valdez and Hannah Fraser, as well as sophomores Maeve Hoebich and Brooke Bredeson, who Coyle-Klinger is “thrilled” to have on board after a breakout season for the Argonauts’ top-ranked soccer team.

The Warriors, on the other hand, open the season after an exciting summer, with scoring talent and athleticism all over the roster.

Leading the way is junior Aleah Sunkins, who finished as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder as a sophomore, and continued to improve over the offseason. She won’t do it alone, though.

Franklin’s senior guard trio of Kayla Duncan, Gianna Mattia, and Alissa Myers will all be trusted to handle the opposing defensive pressure late in games. Junior Alivia Stewart and sophomore Nola Bright will handle the grunt work, playing hounding defense and rebounding the ball, and junior Anaiyah Martin serves as the team’s “lightning rod of energy.”

Much like their opponent, the Warriors also have their fair share of strong soccer players who “never run out of gas,” according to Kreie.

Speaking of, Franklin’s new coach joins the fray after a Non-Public B title at now-closed Montclair Immaculate, including a defeat of upcoming Somerset County foe Gill St. Bernard’s in the semifinals. Kreie racked up an impressive 116-42 record in six years at the Essex County school, and has an even longer track record spanning nearly two decades in the AAU ranks.

Most important to Kreie? The community has fully bought into his new program, as he and Athletic Director Anthony Brito have been in lockstep since taking the job over the summer.

But all of that goes out the window once the ball is lofted into the air Monday night, as two talented teams in Somerset County will battle it out for early-season bragging rights.

Click below for previews of the Rutgers Prep-Franklin game in the opening game of CJSR’s girls basketball season with both head coaches, with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel:

Franklin head coach Jimmy Kreie
Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Coyle-Klinger

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls hoops in unfamiliar, yet familiar territory heading into 2025-26 season

On the one hand, this is new, or at least different for Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball coach Mary Klinger. The Lady Argonauts are coming off a season in which they did not play in the Somerset County Tournament final, their first miss since 2014.

On the other hand, everyone who played a significant contributing role in 2024-25 – a season in which Klinger didn’t have a single senior to rely on – is back for this season. That’s also a rarity in this day and age of transfers and player movement.

In fact, she has a few newcomers from the nationally top-ranked Argonauts’ girls’ soccer program joining the team now.

Senior Ava LaMonica is the most experienced player back. She’s started since she was a freshman, and while she’s not the biggest scorer, she did average 13.4 points per game last season, but also gets to the line a lot as she hustles and boxes out for every rebound and loose ball. She also led the team with 81 assists and 65 steals a year ago.

Sophia Georgiadis was the second leading scorer a year ago as a junior, at 11.6 points per game, while adding 37 treys, one fewer than classmate Natalia Valdez, who had 38 and scored at an 8.3 point per game clip.

Sophomore Hailey Benbow and junior Hannah Fraser will be key contributors as well.

For this year’s club, the past is the past and it’s time to write a new chapter. And Klinger will have her team ready using the regular season as their pre-season, to gear up for another SCT run, and some more NJSIAA hardware as well.

Click below to hear Rutgers Prep girls’; basketball coach Mary Klinger preview the upcoming season with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko:

Rutgers Prep will make its season debut on Central Jersey Sports Radio on Monday, December 15m when the Lady Argonauts welcome in Franklin for a 5:30 tip off. Alec Crouthamel will have the call. Bookmark this link to listen live on the day of the game.

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls go for 4th straight Non-Public North B title when Argonauts play Gloucester Catholic down in Jackson

Jackson Liberty High School was good to Rutgers Prep last year.

So was Seneca the year before that, and Long Branch back in 2022.

The Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball team hasn’t lost a sectional final since COVID at any of those three venues, and Mary Klinger’s 2024-25 team doesn’t plan to start now.

Monday evening, they’ll play in their fifth straight Non-Public South B title game – the first in that stretch was in 2020, when they fell to Trenton Catholic – as the second-seeded Argonauts take on top-seed Gloucester Catholic at 5 pm, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Mike Pavlichko has the call, followed by the Prep boys at 7 pm against St. Rose in their final, with pregame for Game One starting at 4:45. Click here to listen.

Rutgers Prep is 20-6 on the season, still a solid year despite graduating three starters, and losing a fourth plus two others to transfer.

That left Ava LaMonica as the lone starter back, but with transfers like Ava Frith and Sophia Georgiades, freshman Hailey Benbow, and others, the Argonauts maybe haven’t picked up where they left off, but are right back where they belong: playing for hardware in March.

LaMonica is the leading scorer this season at 13.7 points per game, but Georgiades and Benbow have been stellar in two state tournament games so far, averaging 20.5 and 15 points per game, respectively. And Georgiades has hit ten threes in two games – five each against Holy Cross Prep in the quarterfinals and Wildwood Catholic in the semis.

For the Argonauts, the issue has been consistency. But head coach Mary Klinger scheduled their last game before the states against Morris Catholic, the team that beat them in the last two Non-Public Group B state finals.

They lost that one 90-52, but it gave her program one more look at how they stacked up against they best – at 25-0, they’re the top team in the state – but they won’t get to play them this year. The Crusaders moved up to Group A this season.

Gloucester Catholic (24-5) is also having a very good season, and since a loss in the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament to Paul VI on February 9th, they’ve won eight straight, including taking the Tri-County Tournament Flight A title over Washington Township, 72-29.

The Rams are paced by Jahzara Green, who’s averaging over 18 points per game this season, and 17 in two state tournament games against Koinonia and Ranney. Amanda Eggers is averaging 12 a game, and also leads the team in three-point shooting with 63 triples on the season.

Click below to hear Rutgers Prep coach Mary Klinger talk about the Argonauts and the Non-Public South B final against Gloucester Catholic: