Tag: Somerset County Tournament

by Mike Pavlichko

Three of four go to chalk in Somerset County Tournament, as Bridgewater, Montgomery, Hillsborough advance to quarterfinals, while Franklin gets there with upset of Somerville

Three of the four higher seeds won Monday in the Somerset County Tournament’s second round, as fifth-seed Bridgewater-Raritan, sixth-seed Hillsborough and eighth-seed Montgomery all advanced, while 10th-seed Franklin picked up a 10-8 upset over seventh-seeded Somerville.

That sets up Thursday’s quarterfinal round, all to be played at the higher seeds of the top four teams that earned byes to the quarters.

Read through for a recap of all four games, plus the schedule for the remainder of the Tournament.

(5) Bridgewater-Raritan 8, (12) Pingry 4: The Panthers (7-14) gave up an early 2-0 lead after one and fell behind 4-1 after the Big Blue (8-10) put up a four-spot in the fourth, but it was all Bridgewater from there on out, as they pulled ahead with five in the bottomof the fourth and added an insurance run in the fifth.

All those runs in the decisive fourth came with two outs, as the first two hitters were retired. After a walk to Anthony Lorino, courtesy runner Matt DeLucia took his place and scored on a single by Josh Moore. Moore went to second on a wild pitch to Cody Rible, who then singled to drive him in, tying the game at four. Rible then stole second, and Kellan Komline singled to make it 5-4. Komline then stole second and advanced to third n a bad throw then scored on a single by Nick Spirra. And Michael Lobosco then doubled to drive in Spirra, giving the Panthers a 7-4 lead they’d never relinquish.

Gavin Butch got the win for Bridgewater-Raritan, going five innings, allowing one earned run, striking out three – and he did that all in an efficient 67 pitches.

Next up, the Panthers will travel to fourth-seed Rutgers Prep (12-4) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Argonauts took a 12-8 decision from Bridgewater last Monday in a Skyland Conference crossover game.

(6) Hillsborough 3, (11) Bernards 0: Raider head coach Matt Mosko picked up his 50th win as the Raiders got back to the .500 mark with the victory. Hillsborough (9-9) got one run each in the first, third and fifth, while Gavin Glazewski, Jonathan Feltra and Aidan Murphy combined to blank the Mountaineers, with Glazewski getting the win, tossing the first four innings, allowing just two hits, striking out five. Those wre the only two hits Bernards could muster.

Tommy Kester scored the first run on a wild pitch with Elijah Dawes at the plate. The second run came on an Anthony Guerrero ground ball to first that was misplayed and went into the outfield, scoring a run. Shane Khurana also scored on a wild pitch with Guerrero at the plate in the fifth.

Click hear to listen to Hillsborough head coach Matt Mosko talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko about the Raiders’ win over Bernards.

The Raiders will now play at third-seed Ridge (13-7) in Thursday’s quarterfinals. Sklyand Conference Delaware Division foes, the teams met just once this year, with the Raiders taking a 9-5 decision in Basking Ridge last Tuesday. Their second meeting, scheduled for last Thursday, was postponed due to a scheduling conflict, and a makeup has not yet been set.

(8) Montgomery 11, (9) Gill St. Bernard’s 4: The Cougars (9-11) trailed 2-0 after three and 4-1 through four-and-a-half innings before rallying for ten runs in the fifth and sixth innings to come up with the win.

Gill went ahead 2-0 in the third on a two-RBI single by Niko West. Montgomery got one back in the fourth on an Evan Puleio sac fly, then the Knights got an RBI single from West and and RBI double by Ian Quinn to make it 4-1.

But things turned Montgomery’s way in the bottom of the fourth. Alex Bender walked with one out, then Quinn did the same, and Mason Nefueld got plunked to load the bases. That set up Henry Maddox for a bases-clearing double to tie the score at 4-4, while Liam McDonnell singled to drive in pinch-runner Like Awadalla, giving Monty its first lead of the game.

And the fifth went mostly the same way. Spencer Harris got plunked to lead off, and Kenta Komatsu walked. Alex Bender followed with a single for one run, and Quinn did the same to make it 7-4. After a Neufeld single, Maddox singled to drive in Quinn, and after a fly out for the first of the inning, Puleio reached on an error, with pinch-runner Evan Petronella scoring the tenth and final run.

Jake Hayes went the distance, allowing ten hits and four runs, but throwing just 88 pitches through seven, striking out four to get the win.

Next up, Montgomery will visit top-seed and defending champion Immaculata (14-4) at Diamond Nation in Flemington in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The two haven’t met this year, nor did they play last year. The Cougars and Spartans split a pair in 2024.

(10) Franklin 10, (7) Somerville 8: The Warriors (6-7) gave up an early 6-0 lead after two innings and trailed 8-1 after five, but rallied for five in the fifth to take the lead and held off the Pioneers (9-12) for the victory.

Franklin got all six runs in the second with one out. The first two came on an error by the shortstop on a ground ball by Christian Jacas. Then, two more scored on a single by Kevin Heuston. Two more came in on a double by Stanley Madera.

But Somerville cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third on two bases loaded walks and a groundout, and Franklin went up 7-3 on a ground out by Dylan Shaw in the top of the fourth.

The Pioneers finally took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. A Peter Keller double cut with nobody out cut it to 7-5, pinch-hitter Brett Meyers reached on an error to cut it to one, and a bases loaded balk brought in a run to tie the game. Somerville took an 8-7 lead on a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded by Travis Binkley.

But Franklin went ahead for good on a two-out, three-run homer by Elijah Zavatsky to make it 10-8, and Shane Rooney closed out the next two innings to get the win.

Next up, the Warriors are at second-seed Watchung Hills (11-5) Thursday in the quarterfinals, a battle of the Warriors. This will be their first meeting this year; the “Hustlin’ Warriors” – the baseball program’s nickname – took two of three from Franklin last year, but Franklin won their matchup in the SCT quarterfinals 12-10.

THURSDAY, MAY 14 – SCT QUARTERFINALS

(8) Montgomery at (1) Immaculata
(5) Bridgewater-Raritan at (4) Rutgers Prep
(6) Hillsborough at (3) Ridge
(10) Franklin at (2) Watchung Hills

MONDAY, MAY 18 – SCT SEMIFINALS (at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater)

Semifinal #1: 1 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
Semifinal #2: 4 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

WEDNESDAY, MAY 20 – SCT FINAL (at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater)

Finals: 6 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

by Mike Pavlichko

Bernards, Pingry advance in first round of SCT

Both higher seeds advanced Friday afternoon in the opening round of the Somerset County Tournament, with 11-seed Bernards and 12th-seed Pingry both coming up with wins.

They’ll both move on the the second round, scheduled for Monday, with eight games on tap, and winners heading to Thursday’s quarterfinals, with all games at higher seeds.

(11) Bernards 13, (14) Bound Brook 3: In a ten-run rule walk-off, the Mountaineers (12-6) scored in every inning, including two in each of the first two innings, five in the third, one in the fourth, and three in the bottom of the fifth to end it when James Renz singled to left field, bringing in Casey Hocekele. Sean Arcelay had a 3-for-4 afternoon with a double, one RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored in a complete effort; seven different players drove in runs, with James Ferrante and Sonny Liranzo each knocked in in a pair.

On the mound, starter Landon Farmer went four innings, giving up three runs, only one of them earned. He also fanned six, then Tucker Gallagher pitched a scoreless fifth.

Bound Brook falls to 2-11.

Next up, Bernards will visit sixth-seed Hillsborough (7-9) Monday afternoon in the second round at 4 pm. It’ll be their first meeting since 2023, a meeting the Mountaineers won 5-0.

(12) Pingry 8, (13) Manville 1: The Big Blue (8-9) never trailed, scoring one in the second and three in the fourth before the Mustangs (7-9) could get on the board. Freshman Connor Lahey drove in two runs and scored once on a 3-for-3 day, while Langston McDonald also went 3-for-3 on the afternoon, and scored twice.

Zach Zaslow improved to 3-0 with the win, going the distance and scattering four hits over seven innings, giving up one unearned run, while striking out seven.

On Monday, Pingry will head to 5th-seed Bridgewater-Raritan (6-14). The two have not met since at least prior to 2008, the last year for which records are available online.

Here’s the Monday Somerset County Tournament second round schedule, with a look ahead to projected quarterfinal matchups on Thursday, all at higher seeds:

  • (9) Gill St. Bernard’s at (8) Montgomery, winner at (1) Immaculata
  • (12) Pingry at (5) Bridgewater-Raritan, winner at (4) Rutgers Prep
  • (11) Bernards at (6) Hillsborough (4 pm), winner at (3) Ridge
  • (10) Franklin at (7) Somerville, winner at (2) Watchung Hills
by Mike Pavlichko

It’s county tournament time! A look at who could get the GMC’s top seed, plus the schedule for the upcoming Somerset County and GMC Championship and Invitational Tournaments

Planning to take in some county tournament high school baseball over the next couple of weeks? We’ve got you covered as you make your plans to traverse Middlesex and Somerset Counties to see one of the three tournaments featuring teams from the Central Jersey Sports Radio coverage area.

Of course, there’s the Somerset County Tournament, which gets started first, this Friday. That morning, the Greater Middlesex Conference will seed its tournaments: the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament and the Ray Cipperly Invitational. Of all the conference teams, the first 20 go into the championship bracket, with the remainder in the invitational.

The SCT has been seeded already, with Immaculata getting the No. 1 seed, and the rest of the top four – with all getting byes to the quarterfinals – going to Watchung Hills, Ridge, and Rutgers Prep.

When the GMC is seeded Friday, there are a few interesting story lines. Chief among them: who will get the top seed?

A Red Division team has been awarded the No. 1 seed in each of the last eight tournaments, with only one “repeat” – St. Joseph-Metuchen in 2022 and 2017.

Division champion Edison has been very good this year playing in the “top” GMC division, considering the league’s new focus on the promotion/relegation model, where division winners from the Blue and White (and sometimes Gold) move up the next year, and last place teams from the Red, White and Blue move down.

The Eagles are the GMC Red Division champs, but GMC White champion Middlesex will at the very least be in the conversation for a top seed, and very well could get it when all is said and done.

Here’s a look at how they compare:

Edison’s Resume:

  • 14-5 overall, 11-3 in the GMC Red, 14-4 in overall conference play
  • Red Division Champions (by 2 games over Old Bridge)
  • Division Sweeps: Old Bridge (2nd place), South Plainfield (3rd), East Brunswick (7th), St. Joseph-Metuchen (8th)
  • Division Splits: Woodbridge (4th), St. Thomas Aquinas (5th), Monroe (6th)
  • Crossover Wins: North Brunswick (6th, Blue), JP Stevens (2nd, Blue), Spotswood (5th, White)
  • Crossover Losses: Metuchen (2nd, White)
  • Non-conference Games: Lost 10-4 to Columbia (Maplewood/South Orange) in Autism Awareness Challenge (10-7, from SEC))

Middlesex’s Resume:

  • 17-2 overall, 13-1 in the GMC White, 15-1 in overall conference play
  • White Division Champions (by 3 games over Metuchen)
  • Division Sweeps: Metuchen (2nd), Colonia (3rd), Spotswood (5th), Sayreville, JFK (tied for 6th), Perth Amboy (8th)
  • Division Splits: South Brunswick (4th)
  • Crossover Wins: East Brunswick (7th, Red), St. Joseph-Metuchen (8th, Red)
  • Crossover Losses: None
  • Non-Conference Games: Beat Voorhees 11-2 in the Autism Awareness Challenge (3-13, from Skyland Conference); Won at Wood-Ridge 15-1 (14-7, from NJIC); Lost at Westfield 2-0 (9-9, from UCC)

Comparison:

  • Middlesex has three more wins, and three fewer losses, with a .895 win percentage, while Edison has a .737 win percentage.
  • Edison has three Division losses to Woodbridge, St. Thomas Aquinas and Monroe, all middle-of-the-pack GMC Red Division teams (four through six in the standings), while Middlesex has just one loss to fourth-place South Brunswick
  • Edison has no out-of-conference wins, while Middlesex has two, with the win over Wood-Ridge coming over a 15-win ball club. Neither OOC loss (Edison to Columbia or Middlesex to Westfield) should be a factor.
  • Edison can’t “play up,” being in the top GMC Division, and went 3-1 in crossovers. That lone loss came to Metuchen, a good apples-to-apples comparison with Middlesex, which swept two games from the Bulldogs in White Division play, with a 6-2 win and a 2-1 victory. The Eagles lost to the Bulldogs 6-5.
  • While the Red Division has taken the No. 1 seed in the last eight tournaments, one “knock” on squads from other divisions has been that they “don’t play up.” But Middlesex did, and won both against GMC Red Division teams. They were 8-7 winners over St. Joseph-Metuchen at home on Monday, and beat East Brunswick on the road, 10-8, Wednesday afternoon.

The other interesting story line is Piscataway Magnet. Coming into the week, they were one of three teams in the entire state of New Jersey to be undefeated. All three – including Doane Academy and Northern Burlington in the BCSL – have taken a loss since then, but the Raiders of the GMC are still 18-1 (their first loss came in a crossover, playing “up” to the Blue, falling 6-4 to North Plainfield).

The general consensus is they have a good shot to make the Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament. To do that, they’d have to be one of the top 20 teams seeded Friday morning by the committee. With two tournaments, there’s no longer a guarantee that the four division winners get seeded in the main bracket, but the question is, what does Piscataway Magnet want?

Not that it matters. The committee will seed the teams from what it deems to be the best on down.

But it’s an interesting debate. They would likely have a better chance at winning the Invitational, but when a team gets hot – and they’ve been on fire all year – anything can happen.

This year, like many in recent years, could be a wide open tournament. And no Number One seed has won the GMC Championship tournament since before COVID. Old Bridge won it as the top-seed in 2019, and St. Joseph did the same in 2017.

But in 2021, top-seed Monroe took an early bow in the first round at the hands of JFK. Top-seed St. Joe’s lost in the 2022 finals, North Brunswick did the same in 2023, and South Plainfield did in 2024, while Woodbridge was knocked out in the first round by South River last season.

How good has Piscataway Magnet been? The six runs they gave up in the loss to North Plainfield is the most they’ve given up all year, and it only happened twice before, in an 8-6 season-opening win over Dunellen, and a 17-6 victory over East Brunswick Magnet in the Autism Awareness Challenge.

They’ve also pitched five shutouts on the year, and have allowed two or fewer runs in 13 of 19 games, while hitting .249 as a team and scoring 11.2 runs per game.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULES:

Somerset County Tournament

  • First Round: Friday, May 8 at higher seeds
  • Second Round: Monday, May 11 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Monday, May 18 at TD Bank Park, 1 and 4 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
  • Finals: Wednesday, May 20 at TD Bank Park, 6 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament

  • Play-In Round: Saturday, May 9 at higher seeds
  • First Round: Monday, May 11 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Wednesday, May 13 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Saturday, May 16 at East Brunswick Magnet, 12 and 2:30 pm (LIVE on CJSR)
  • Finals: Saturday, May 23 at East Brunswick Magnet, 2 pm (LIVE on CJSR)

GMC Ray Cipperly Invitational Tournament

  • First Round: Tuesday, May 12 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Monday, May 18 at higher seeds
  • Finals: Friday, May 22 at Edison HS (LIVE on CJSR)

by Mike Pavlichko

Defending Somerset County Tournament champ Immaculata hangs on to get top seed in 2026 tourney

As was widely expected, defending Somerset County Tournament champion Immaculata – the No. 1 team in the Bellamy & Son Paving Top Ten for the last five weeks – has been awarded to No. 1 seed in this year’s event by the county’s baseball coaches at the annual seeding meeting held at Immaculata High School in Somerville.

But the decision was a lot less certain heading in than it looked just a few hours earlier.

The Spartans were given the top seed despite a 10-0, five-inning loss at Watchung Hills Tuesday afternoon. That was their first Skyland Conference loss of the season; at 12-4, their other three losses came to Delbarton, Delsea and Winter Park (FL) in a Spring Break trip down South.

Watchung Hills – which got the two-seed – improved to 11-4 with the win, but has two league losses, 12-10 and 13-3 to Ridge, along with defeats at the hands of Notre Dame out of Mercer County and defending state Group 2 champion Governor Livingston. The two defeats at the hands of the Red Devils, who were swept themselves by Immaculata a couple of weeks ago, appeared to factor into the decision.

The Spartans are the first team to win the SCT title and be seeded No. 1 the following year since Montgomery did it nearly a decade ago. The Cougars won the SCT as the top seed in 2016, then were the No. 2 seed again the following year.

The top four seeds – which all get byes to the quarterfinals – were rounded out with Ridge third and Rutgers Prep fourth.

Teams five through ten get byes to the second-round. In order, they are Bridgewater-Raritan fifth, followed by Hillsborough, Somerville, Montgomery, Gill St. Bernard’s, and Franklin..

That leaves the final four seeds – 11 through 14 – to play a pair of first-round games, ideally scheduled for Friday, though teams will have some flexibility to play Thursday, if they’re able.

That includes Bernards at No. 11, followed by Pingry, Manville and Bound Brook.

Here’s the full 2026 Somerset County Tournament bracket:

Here’s the fill 2026 Somerset County Tournament Schedule:

  • First Round: Friday, May 8 at higher seeds
  • Second Round: Monday, May 11 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Monday, May 18 at TD Bank Park (1 and 4 pm)
  • Finals: Wednesday, May 20 at TD Bank Park (6 pm)

Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast the semifinals and finals live at cjsportsradio.com.

by Mike Pavlichko

With a little more than a week to go before SCT seeding, top two seeds appear set, but what about everyone else? We take a closer look

The Somerset County Tournament seeding meeting will be held on Tuesday, May, 5. And while the top two seeds appear to be set, where will everyone else go?

To begin with, Immaculata should easily be the top seed. They haven’t lost to a Somerset County school yet, and have one more before the seeding meeting, a Tuesday date at Watchung Hills. A loss there could put an interesting wrinkle into things. But even so, it’ll only be one game.

The seeding procedure goes like this: Coaches rank the teams one through 14, the points are tallied, and then coaches can appeal their seed, one spot at a time, if they wish to do so.

The Spartans swept two from Ridge, and Ridge swept Watchung Hills. Immaculata has to be ahead of the Red Devils by virtue of beating them twice, and Hill should be behind Ridge, which beat them twice. Of course, should Immaculata beat the Warriors, the decision is easy.

Ridge also, at present, is the only Somerset County school to beat a non-county state-ranked baseball team in the NJ.com Top 20: West Morris in their season opener. Immaculata has two wins over state-ranked teams – both were against Ridge last week; Immaculata was No. 12, the Red Devils No. 13 in the NJ.com rankings.

So, we project the top three seeds – in order – to be Immaculata, Ridge, and Watchung Hills, simply based on standings and results at this moment.

Here are the overall and division records for Somerset County schools heading into play on Saturday, April 25. But remember, not every team plays every other Somerset County school. Some, like Manville and Bound Brook, are in a division teams from other counties, like Belvidere, South Hunterdon and Delaware Valley, so they’ve played only a couple of county teams.

We’re also including each team’s records against Somerset County schools, and upcoming county matchups before the seeding meeting on May 5th.

And here are the overall winning percentages of all Somerset County teams, ranked:

Rutgers Prep has the best overall winning percentage of all Somerset County schools, but that might not necessarily translate to them getting a top seed.

The real question, is who will get the fourth seed, which would be guaranteed to host a quarterfinal game. After Immaculata, Ridge and Watchung Hills, will it be a Rutgers Prep, 9-2 overall, 7-2 vs. Somerset County? They have one more Somerset opponent left, on Monday, May 4, at Bridgewater-Raritan. A win there could be a difference-maker.

As for the rest, it’s very difficult to predict what the coaches will do. Since not every county school plays all the others, often overall records and opinions on quality non-conference wins will come into play. But each coach votes his own opinion without much discussion among the others.

Typically, larger schools tend to get a little more preference toward the top, especially considering the bilstering schedule in the Delaware Division. So, it’s possible a Hillsborough or Bridgewater-Raritan could be seeded higher than a 7-8 Montgomery squad, or even Somerville at 6-6.

Only the coaches know how they’ll vote, and there’s still a lot of baseball to be played between now and then.

The Somerset County Tournament opens on Friday, May 8. Here’s the schedule:

  • First Round: Friday, May 8 at higher seeds
  • Second Round: Monday, May 11 at higher seeds
  • Quarterfinals: Thursday, May 14 at higher seeds
  • Semifinals: Monday, May 18 at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater – 1 and 4 pm
  • Finals: Wednesday, May 20 at TD Bank Park, Bridgewater – 6 pm

Note: If the semifinals get rained out, they will be moved to Wednesday, May 20, with the finals taking place on Friday, May 22. If the semifinals go on as scheduled, but the finals are rained out, it’ll move to Friday, May 22.

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

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.

by Mike Pavlichko

INSTANT REPLAY – SCT Girls’ Semifinals: (1) Rutgers Prep 55, (5) Bound Brook 49

Top-seed Rutgers Prep got 11 points from Hailey Benbow and 10 from Natalia Valdez in a 55-49 win over fifth-seed Bound Brook in the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, sending them back to the title game.

Click below to listen to Mike Pavlichko and Chris Tsakonas call all the play-by-play from Franklin High School in Somerset, NJ on February 14, 2026.