Tag: Rutgers Prep

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls, back on top in Somerset County, are No. 1 team in Final Bellamy & Son Paving rankings

Sure, the Rutgers Prep girls’ basketball team won 20 games last year, but it still wasn’t up to Mary Klinger’s standards. The coach calls the regular season the “preseason.” A division title is nice, but the county and state tournaments are the goals. Win those, and it’s a good year for the Argonauts. In 2025, they won neither.

But this year, with much of the same crew back, the Argonauts returned to their familiar spot as Somerset County Tournament champions, and finish the year No. 1 in the Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten.

Led by four-year varsity standout Ava LaMonica – the team’s top scorer, who will be playing collegiately next year at Buffalo – as well as fellow seniors Ava Frith and Sophia Georgiades, as well as super sophomore Hailey Benbow – the Argos’ second-best scorer and top rebounder – Rutgers Prep (25-4) didn’t lose a single conference game this season, its three regular season losses coming to Red Bank Catholic, Cardinal O’Hara (PA), and Blair right before the state tournament. Their fourth came to Gloucester Catholic in the Non-Public South B Final.

Prep beat Franklin – the eventual Central Jersey Group 4 champ – in the Somerset County Final, and won the Skyland Division title with a 6-0 record.

Gill St. Bernard’s checks in at No. 2. With a 22-6 mark, the Knights won the Non-Public North B title with a victory over Saddle River Day, then lout to Gloucester Catholic in the state Non-Public Group B final at Rutgers, the same Rams’ team that beat Rutgers Prep in the semifinals. Gill lost its only meeting with Rutgers Prep this season, 51-44 in late January, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Finishing third is St. Thomas Aquinas (24-7). The Trojans – with the senior trio of Jordan Barnes, Trista Whitney and Kayla Navarro – blew through the GMC this season, going 11-0 to win the Red American Division, and stormed to their seventh straight GMC Tournament championship, beating resurgent East Brunswick in the final. They would bow out to eventual state champion Red Bank Catholic in the Non-Public South A semifinals.

Checking in at four is Franklin (22-9). A Somerset County Tournament finalist under first-year head coach Jimmy Kreie, the Warriors returned to their former – and fairly recent – glory with a win in the Central Jersey Group 4 title game over neighboring Hillsborough. They were knocked out of the state tournament by Lenape in the state Group 4 finals.

Fifth is Hillsborough (21-7). The Raiders had won two sectional titles in a row – in North 2, Group 4 in 2024 and Central 4 last season – but fell at Franklin in the Central Jersey Group 4 title game.

East Brunswick checks in at No. 6 with a 23-6 record. Ava Catanho and Julianna DelosSantos-Branson led the Bears back to prominence this season, as they got to the GMC Tournament title game, where they lost to now seven-time reigning GMCT champion St. Thomas Aquinas.

Bound Brook (25-4) – re-ignited by freshman sensation Peytan Pugh – finishes at No. 7, thanks to a Mountain Division championship, going 8-0 in divisional play. They nearly knocked off Rutgers Prep in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, and reached the Central Jersey Group 1 title game, falling on the road to top-seed New Providence.

Finishing eighth is Bernards (24-5), which started the year 10-0, and was the Skyland Conference Valley Division champion at 11-1. They lost to defending champion Madison in the North 2, Group 2 semifinals.

At No. 9, it’s Colonia. After a down season, head coach Jill Bachonski has the Patriots looking solid, finishing 20-4, and going 8-0 to win the GMC Red National Division. They reached the GMC Tournament semifinals, falling to eventual champion St. Thomas Aquinas.

And No. 10 is Piscataway, making its season debut in the final rankings of the year. The Lady Chiefs finished 17-9, and went 6-0 to win the White American Division title, reaching the GMC Tournament semifinals, where they lost to East Brunswick.

Below are the complete final Bellamy & Son Paving Girls’ Basketball Top Ten rankings for 2025-26:

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

NJSIAA switches South Jersey non-public finals sites due to travel concerns, moves Rutgers Prep girls and St. Joseph-Metuchen title games

Typically, the NJSIAA has its sites chosen for neutral site state tournament games well in advance. And the championship games for the same sections are placed at the same venues, that way one school doesn’t have its boys’ and girls’ teams playing at the same time at different locations.

But one thing has been an issue among schools in the “south” half of the state, at least according to NJSIAA geography: travel.

And now that the non-public sectional finals are set after Thursday night games, the NJSIAA is making a change

Originally, Non-Public South B finals were supposed to be at Jackson Twp. High School (formerly Jackson Liberty), while the South A finals were to be held at Lenape H.S. in Medford Lakes.

But on Friday, the NJSIAA announced a change. All the South A finals have been moved from Lenape to Jackson, while the South B finals are going from Jackson to Lenape.

Locally, that means the South A boys’ final between St. Joseph-Metuchen and St. Peter’s Prep – yes, both are considered “south” due to the prevalence of teams up in North Jersey and the paucity of teams in South Jersey – will be in Jackson, while Rutgers Prep’s game against Gloucester Catholic for the South B girls’ title will be down at Lenape.

All the times remain the same, with St. Joe’s playing at 5 pm and Rutgers Prep at 7 pm.

There had been some chatter on social media about the methodology that left two teams from Middlesex and Hudson Counties playing a title game in Burlington County. It’s unknown, however, whether anyone from the participating schools contacted the NJSIAA about the matter.

None of the Non-Public North games were changed.

NON-PUBLIC SOUTH FINALS SCHEDULE

At Jackson Twp. (formerly Jackson Liberty)

  • South A Boys’ Final: (4) St. Joseph-Metuchen vs. (3) St. Peter’s Prep, 5 pm
  • South A Girls’ Final: (2) St. John Vianney vs. (1) Red Bank Catholic, 7 pm

At Lenape

  • South B Boys’ Final: (5) Bishop Eustace vs. (2) Holy Cross, 5 pm
  • South B Girls’ Final: (1) Rutgers Prep vs. (2) Gloucester Catholic, 7 pm
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

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Boys’ Final: (1) Gill St. Bernard’s 84, (2) Rutgers Prep 73

Junior Jahmal Dixon had a game- and career-high 25 points, while Connor Junker added 20 and Dorsett Mulcahy 18 to lead top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s to an 84-73 victory over second-seed Rutgers Prep to claim its tenth Somerset County Tournament title, tying Bridgewater-Raritan’s record for all-time tourney wins.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play from Montgomery Township High School inn Skillman on February 21, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – Somerset County Tournament Girls’ Final: (1) Rutgers Prep 55, (3) Franklin 37

Hailey Benbow had a game-high 32 points – including four three-pointers – while senior Ava LaMonica added 11 and got her third county championship in three tries as top-seed Rutgers Prep downed third-seed Franklin 55-37 to win its eleventh overall Somerset County Championship.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play from Montgomery Township High School inn Skillman on February 21, 2026.

by Mike Pavlichko

Gill St. Bernard’s wins 10th Somerset County championship, ties Bridgewater-Raritan’s mark, with 84-73 victory over Rutgers Prep

The Bridgewater-Raritan boys’ basketball team has held the record for most Somerset County titles for more than a quarter century, all by themselves. Their fourth title came in 1998, putting them ahead of Franklin, and then won six more through 2007.

But as of Saturday afternoon, they have some company.

Gill St. Bernard’s won its 10th Somerset County Tournament championship Saturday at Montgomery Twp. High School in Skillman, as the top-seeded Knights powered past second-seed Rutgers Prep, 84-73, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

The game was a back-and-forth affair, with high intensity and end-to-end action from the opening tip until just about the final horn. There were three lead changes in the first half, seven overall, but the last two were the most consequential.

Rutgers Prep’s Will Brunson hit an and-one with 1:43 to go in the third, and though he didn’t make the free throw, he gave his team a 49-48 lead. But that seemed to inspire Gill (24-2), which followed it up with a 9-2 tun to close the quarter with a 57-51 advantage.

They never looked back.

Jahmal Dixon led the way for the Knights, tied for game-high honors with 25. Connor Junker added 20, including three treys, while senior point guard Dorsett Mulcahy added 18.

Rutgers Prep (16-9) was led by Nicolas Nsenkyire; the senior shared game-high honors with Gill’s Dixon, scoring 25, including one three.

The Argonauts – who led the state with 252 threes coming into the game, tops in the state, and a 10.5 per game average – only hit four in the game, three in the second half, with a couple in the fourth quarter from Dixon, as Prep tried to rally, but fell short.

It’s the eighth title in eleven years for Gill St. Bernard’s, which has now won two straight, swept three games from Rutgers Prep this year, and has now won six straight against their biggest rival in Somerset County.

Click below for postgame reaction from Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko with Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mergin Sina, as well as sophomore Connor Junker and senior Dorsett Mulcahy, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Rutgers Prep girls keep it simple, cruising past Franklin, 55-37, to win 11th Somerset County Tournament championship

The Rutgers Prep girls basketball team could just about do no wrong Saturday afternoon.

The top-seeded Argonauts were tied 4-4 early on with a very good second-seeded Franklin team, and the Lady Warriors led 2-0, but 4-4 was as close as they would get, and Rutgers Prep pulled away for a 55-37 win in the Somerset County Tournament championship down at Montgomery Twp. High School in Skillman, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

It was the 11th SCT title for Rutgers Prep (23-2), all since 2004, and moves them to within one of the county record of 12, held by Immaculata, whose last title came in 2007.

Sophomore Hailey Benbow helped the Argonauts get some distance in the first half, giving them a big lead they would hold the rest of the game. She finished with 17, getting 16 of those in the first half thanks in part to her perimeter sharpshooting, which yielded four treys. Prep had seven in the first half.

Senior Ava LaMonica, who is three-for-three now in SCT finals, finished with 11 points.

Franklin was led by Aleah Sunkins, the talented junior, who finished with a game-high 21 points, 12 of which came after halftime as she tried to rally her team back.

But just like the rest of the game, Rutgers Prep was just too good. They’d work to find open shots, and knock down tough ones if they didn’t have one. And of course, they played Mary Klinger’s trademark suffocating defense, also doing a solid job rebounding, keeping Franklin to frequent one-and-done possessions.

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

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County Tournament Boys’ Final Preview: No, it’s not “Groundhog Day,” as Gill St. Bernard’s, Rutgers Prep clash for SCT title for fourth time in five years

You can hear the words coming out of Mergin Sina’s mouth: “It’s gonna be anotha wahhhr.”

No doubt about that.

For the fourth time in five seasons since the COVID year of 2021, it’ll be Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep squaring off for the Somerset County championship.

Each team has won a pair since then, with the Knights beating the Argos in 2022 and 20205, while Prep beat Gill in 2023, and Montgomery in 2024.

You can hear Saturday afternoon’s championship game between top-seed and defending champion Gill St. Bernard’s and second-seed Rutgers Prep live on Central Jersey Sports Radio at 3 pm, following the 1:00 girls’ title tilt between top-seed Rutgers Prep and third-seed Franklin, with pregame at approximately 2:45. Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas will call all the action. Click here to listen.

Nearly every meeting between these two teams tends to be epic. In the last eleven meetings between the teams since the COVID-shortened 2021 season, Gill has won seven, Prep has won four. Each team has knocked the other off in the finals, Gill twice, Prep once.

This year’s meetings were both close, if different games entirely. The Knights won the first meeting by six, 90-84, on January 10th, then won the second by five, 73-68 on February 5th. Six of their last eleven meetings have been decided by ten points or fewer.

MORE ON THE SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT BOYS’ FINAL:

(1) Gill St. Bernard’s (23-2) vs. (3) Rutgers Prep (16-8)
When: Saturday, 3 pm
Where: Montgomery Township High School
Broadcast Team: Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas (LISTEN HERE)

COACHES:

Gill St. Bernard’s: Mergin Sina, 15th season (303-101)
Rutgers Prep: Matt Bloom, 8th season (170-57)

STATE RANKINGS:
Gill St. Bernard’s: #3 NJ.com
Rutgers Prep: #12 NJ.com

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

Gill St. Bernard’s head coach Mergin Sina with Mike Pavlichko
Rutgers Prep head coach Matt Bloom with Chris Tsakonas

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Gill St. Bernard’s: The Knights blew past 8th-seed Ridge in their opening game, in the quarterfinals following a double-bye, 71-55 behind 21 points from Prosper Sonkoua. (Yes, previously-known as Prosper Highlander, he’s now going by another part of his given last name.) He had a double-double 21 points and 11 rebounds, along with three treys in that game. Dorsett Mulcahy had 15 and seven assists, while Connor Junker added 11, with a pair from downtown. In the semis, they beat a very strong fifth-seed in Immaculata, 67-53, getting 26 points and seven rebounds from Dorsett Mulcahy, plus 16 points and six boards from Sonkoua.

Rutgers Prep: The Argonauts – behind a 31-point afternoon from Will Brunson, who nailed six triples in the game – topped seven-seed Bridgewater-Raritan in the quarterfinals, 85-58. Nicolas Nsenkyire added 12 and five boards in the victory. In the semis, Prep beat third-seed Montgomery, 65-57, with four players scoring in double figures, led by a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double from Brunson, who also dished out six assists. Nsenkyire added 15, Logan Franz 12 and Rocco Loomis another 10 points.

TOP SCORERS:

Gill St. Bernard’s: Dorsett Mulcahy (20.1 ppg, 57 treys), Prosper Sonkoua (15.8 ppg, 32 treys), Connor Junker (13 ppg, team-best 58 treys)
Rutgers Prep: William Brunson (23.1 ppg, 50 treys), Rocco Loomis (16 ppg, team-best 67 treys), Nicolas Nsenkyire

TOP REBOUNDERS:

Gill St. Bernard’s: Prosper Sonkoua (7.5), Niko West (6), Jahmal Dixon (5.7)
Rutgers Prep: William Brunson (8.3), Nicolas Nsenkyire (5.4)

MISCELLANEOUS:

Gill St. Bernard’s: Jahmal Dixon (111 assists, 81 steals), Prosper Sonkoua (22 blocks)
Rutgers Prep: Nicolas Nsenkyire (137 assists, 62 steals), William Brunson (29 blocks)

RECENT MEETINGS: These games have always been a battle, generally close and highly competitive. Gill won moth meetings this year – 90-84 on January 10th in Peapack, and 73-68 on February 5th down in Somerset. They also met in the 2023 and 2022 SCT finals. The Argonautus won 69-67 in ’23, while the Knights won the year before, 84-63. Gill also beat Prep in three prior SCT finals meetings in 2011, 2017 and 2018. All three years, Gill was the No. 1 seed; Prep was the two in 2011 and 2018, and the third-seed in 2017.

SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

Gill St. Bernard’s (9-4):

  • 2010     (2) Ridge beat (4) Gill St. Bernard’s 63-52
  • 2011:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 68-59
  • 2012:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Bridgewater 88-72
  • 2013:    (1) Ridge beat (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 69-56
  • 2014:    (3) Hillsborough beat (1) Gill St. Bernard’s 53-52
  • 2015:    (3) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (1) Ridge 48-39
  • 2016:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Somerville 66-51
  • 2017:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Rutgers Prep 71-61
  • 2018:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 56-54
  • 2019:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Watchung Hills 73-53
  • 2022:    (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 84-63
  • 2023:    (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 69-67
  • 2025: (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Rutgers Prep, 52-46

Rutgers Prep (3-6):

  • 1988:     (1) Bridgewater West beat (2) Rutgers Prep 94-66
  • 2011:     (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 68-59
  • 2017:     (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Rutgers Prep 71-61
  • 2018:     (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 56-54
  • 2020:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (3) Watchung Hills 71-57
  • 2022:     (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (2) Rutgers Prep 84-63
  • 2023:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 69-67
  • 2024:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Montgomery 64-61
  • 2025: (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (3) Rutgers Prep, 52-46

OTHER NOTES:

Gill is Perfect Again: Last year, Gill hadn’t lost to a Skykland Conference opponent all year. Their four losses came to powerhouses like Don Bosco Prep in the New Year’s Jump Off, St. Peter’s Prep in the Big Jersey Basketball Showcase II, St. Rose in the Hoop Group Boardwalk Showcase, as well as Roselle Catholic and The Patrick School’s national team in standalone contests. This year, same deal, but with only two losses – one to St. Peter’s Prep out of Jersey City, 59-43, in the Big Jersey Showcase on December 20th, while also falling to Linden on December 29th at the Jingle Bells Jubilee, 73-52. That gives them a 27-game win streak against the Skyland Conference and 23 straight against Somerset County competition since their loss to Rutgers Prep in the 2024 SCT final. Back to the beginning of that 2023-24 season – in which they split with Prep in the regular season – Gill is 30-2 against Somerset schools, 36-2 against the Skyland Conference over the last three years.

Non-Publics Always In It: This will be the 17th straight season the Somerset County Tournament championship game will have at least one parochial school participating. The last time two public schools square off, it was 2008, when third-seed Watchung Hills beat fourth-seed Ridge for the title, 58-49. Since then, at least one parochial has been in it every year – all featuring Gill or Rutgers Prep except 2009, when top-seed Immaculata beat second-seed Ridge, 58-49. And in those 17 years, six of those meetings have seen the Knights and the Argonauts face off, including five of the last eight.

From One Finalist to Another: Junior Andrew Kretkowski was a big loss for Rutgers Prep in the off-season, as he transferred to St. Joseph-Metuchen. But he would have been just fine in Somerset, too. Both schools have made their respective conference/county tournaments, as St. Joe’s faces Piscataway Friday night at 8 pm in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final, which you can hear live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

No sweep? Gill St. Bernard’s swept the girls’ and boys’ Somerset County titles last season, but with the girls knocked out in the semifinals this year by Franklin, we won’t get a chance at it again this year. Rutgers Prep swept in 2024 and 2020, while Gill did it previously in 2012, and Bridgewater-Raritan did it in 1995. There also was another quasi-sweep in 1998, with different high schools, but from the same district. The Bridgewater-Raritan West boys won the title that year, while the Bridgewater-Raritan East girls won as well.

Rare loss for Prep: When Rutgers Prep lost at Hillsborough on February 10th, 82-79, their lone game in between the Saturday-schedule SCT quarterfinals and semifinals, it was their first regular season loss to a Somerset County public school since 2019, when they lost to Montgomery twice. That snapped a 34-game win streak. Head coach Matt Bloom said of that game: “Any game in this league is tough. We have to have a short memory and get over it. Give credit to Hillsborough, they take advantage of our weaknesses.” Short memory indeed, as they bounced back with a 65-57 win over Montgomery in the county semifinals to get to Saturday’s championship against Gill St. Bernard’s

by Mike Pavlichko

Somerset County Tournament Girls’ Final Preview: Rutgers Prep and Franklin to tussle Saturday in first title clash since 2019

Was the 2024-25 season a blip for Rutgers Prep girls basketball? Merely a speed bump in what has been a brilliant run for Mary Klinger’s program over the last 20-plus years?

It sure looks like it.

The Argonauts had won four straight titles before bowing out in last year’s semifinals to Hillsborough. And while the Raiders eventually won the state Group 4 championship, that didn’t take away the pain and heartache. And it’s probably good it didn’t, as it appears to have fueled them in 2025-26, because here they are back in the championship game.

For Franklin, it’s been a little while, They also had a great run a few years back, winning the Tournament of Champions in 2019 and 2019, and the Somerset County Tournament in 2018 and ’19, going 34-0 in that double-title season.

The two will face off Saturday afternoon at 1 pm – top-seed Rutgers Prep and third-seed Franklin – in the Somerset County Tournament Girls’ Championship Game at Montgomery High School in Skillman. Pregame is set for at 12:45, with Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas calling all the action; click here to listen. That game will be followed by the boys’ title tilt at 3 pm between top-seed Gill St. Bernard’s and second-seed Rutgers Prep.

Adding to the intrigue here is that the Warriors are on their third coach in four years, now led by Jimmy Kreie, who had a successful six-year run at Montclair-Immaculate, going 116-42 before the school shut down, and that their longtime coach before Darryl Robinson (the two seasons prior to Kreie), Audrey Taylor, is now an assistant for Rutgers Prep.

Taylor and Argos’ coach Mary Klinger – now in her 42nd season at the Somerset school on Easton Ave. – have been friends for years. After a couple of seasons taking a break and stepping away from coaching high school, Taylor has joined the bench, and has been an invaluable part of Klinger’s staff.

Either way, Saturday should be a great matchup between two top Somerset County programs, even if Franklin had been a bit down the past couple of seasons. Those results should be irrelevant when you consider that they had to knock off the two-seed to get here: defending champion Gill St. Bernard’s. Despite losing a slew of talent, the Knights have been solid again this year, got a top-seed in their playoff section, and even beat GMC juggernaut St. Thomas Aquinas on their home floor.

Franklin is no joke. Rutgers Prep learned the hard way last season against Hillsborough. Whether they learned from their painful lesson in 2025 will be on display over at least 32 minutes Saturday afternoon.

MORE ON THE SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT GIRLS’ FINAL:

(1) Rutgers Prep (22-3) vs. (3) Franklin (18-7)
When: Saturday, 1 pm
Where: Montgomery Township High School
Broadcast Team: Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas (LISTEN HERE)

COACHES:

Rutgers Prep: Mary Klinger (42nd season, 754-266)
Franklin: Jimmy Kreie (1st season, went 116-42 in six seasons at Montclair-Immaculate)

PREVIEW INTERVIEWS:

Rutgers Prep head coach Mary Klinger with Mike Pavlichko
Franklin head coach Jimmy Kreie with Chris Tsakonas

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Rutgers Prep: Getting a double bye in the tournament beans the Argonauts officially began play in the round of eight quarterfinals. There, they smoked ninth-seed Watchung Hills, 73-30, getting 22 points and six rebounds from senior Ava LaMonica, with another 13 each from Natalia Valdez and Hailey Benbow. But the Argonauts got much more of a challenge from fifth-seed Bound Brook in last Saturday’s semifinals. They escaped with a 55-49 win in a game this very same team, a year ago, might have lost. Crusader freshman phenom Peytan Pugh was a big reason why the game was competitive, with 23 points and seven rebounds, but more importantly eight steals, many of which came in the second half as Bound Brook made it quite the game. But the Argonauts were balanced that afternoon, with Benbow scoring 11, Valdez and Sophia Goergiades adding ten each, and LaMonica scoring nine points in the game.

Franklin: Jamila McRiney was the top scorer in the Warriors’ quarterfinal win over sixth-seed Pingry, 45-33, also grabbing eight rebounds and going 7-of-10 at the foul line, but the semifinals belonged to Franklin’s best player, Aleah Sunkins. The junior had a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds, with a trey, and going 5-of-7 at the foul line in a 53-49 upset win over No. 2 seed Gill St. Bernard’s the tournament’s defending champion, snapping their four-year streak of finals’ appearances, and clinching their first trip to the SCT title game since they beat Rutgers Prep in 2019.

TOP SCORERS:

Rutgers Prep: Hailey Benbow (sophomore, 13.4 ppg, 21 treys), Ava LaMonica (senior, 12.2 ppg, 10 treys), Sophia Georgiades (senior, 9.1 ppg, team-best 30 treys)
Franklin: Aleah Sunkins (junior, 17.8 ppg, 27 treys), Aliva Stewart (8.6 ppg), Alissa Myers (8.5 ppg, 46 treys)

TOP REBOUNDERS:

Rutgers Prep: Hailey Benbow (6.4), Ava LaMonica (3.6)
Franklin: Aleah Sunkins (10.6), Aliva Stewart (6.5)

MISCELLANEOUS:

Rutgers Prep: Hailey Benbow (60 assists, 59 steals), Ava LaMonica (56 assists, 41 steals), Hannah Fraser (25 blocks)
Franklin: Aleah Sunkins (85 assists, 49 blocks, 53 steals) Jamila McRiney, Kayla Duncan (58 assists), Nola Bright (27 blocks), Alissa Myers (47 steals)

RECENT MEETINGS: Rutgers Prep has won the last 11 in this series, with its last loss against Franklin coming in the 2019 Somerset County Tournament title game. That eleven-game stretch includes Argo wins in the 2023 and 2024 SCT semifinals, and a regular season meeting in the Metro Classic at Franklin in 2024. The Warriors won three in a row before that stretch, and two were in the county finals. Franklin beat Prep in the 2018 title game, before reaching the Tournament of Champions final a year after its first TOC crown. They beat Prep the next year in the regular season, and again in the SCT title tilt, 63-49, en route to one of the greatest public school seasons of all-time, a 34-0 record and a second TOC championship.

SOMERSET COUNTY TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

Rutgers Prep (10-4):

  • 2004:     (2) Rutgers Prep beat (1) Immaculata 34-32
  • 2005:     (1) Hillsborough beat (3) Rutgers Prep 40-29
  • 2006:     (5) Hillsborough beat (2) Rutgers Prep 51-45
  • 2008:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Watchung Hills 38-34
  • 2011:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (6) Bridgewater-Raritan 62-56
  • 2012:     (1) Gill St. Bernard’s beat (6) Rutgers Prep 57-45
  • 2015:     Rutgers Prep beat Franklin 52-46
  • 2016:     Rutgers Prep beat Gill St. Bernard’s 41-28
  • 2017:     Rutgers Prep beat Gill St. Bernard’s 62-35
  • 2018:     Franklin beat Rutgers Prep 68-49
  • 2019:     Franklin beat Rutgers Prep 63-49
  • 2020:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (3) Watchung Hills 60-34
  • 2022:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 64-35
  • 2023:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 64-39
  • 2024:     (1) Rutgers Prep beat (2) Gill St. Bernard’s 58-55

Franklin (2-3):

  • 2013:     Gill St. Bernard’s beat Franklin 63-57
  • 2014:     Gill St. Bernard’s beat Franklin 55-51
  • 2015:     Rutgers Prep beat Franklin 52-46
  • 2018:     Franklin beat Rutgers Prep 68-49
  • 2019:     Franklin beat Rutgers Prep 63-49

OTHER NOTES:

Looking for more: Since the merger of the Somerset County Tournament from an A and B Tournament to one event in 1988, Immaculata has won the most titles with 12, followed by Rutgers Prep with ten. The Spartans won four straight from 1991-1994, then had a five-year run from 1999 to 2003.

Another for the publics: Last year, Hillsborough became the first public school to make the Somerset County girls’ final since Watchung Hills did it in 2020, falling to Rutgers Prep, 60-34. Now, Franklin is the second public school to gain a finals berth in as many years. The last time it happened was when they won those titles in 2018 and 2019 over Rutgers Prep. They also made three-in-a-row from 2013 through 2015, losing all three. The last besides them was Bridgewater-Raritan, which lost in 2010 to Gill St. Bernard’s and Rutgers Prep in 2011.

Two new teams: With Rutgers Prep facing Franklin in the title game, it’s the first time in a while the SCT championship will not feature a defending champion and a returning finalist, as neither 2025 champion Gill St. Bernard’s nor runner-up Franklin are in it. So, when was the last time that happened? It was 17 years ago, in 2009. Rutgers Prep beat Watchung Hills in the 2008 final, and it was Gill over Somerville the next year in the 2009 title tilt.