The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The Rutgers Preparatory School’s boys’ and girls’ basketball teams made it to the finals of their respective holiday tournaments on Dec. 28, but neither came home with the crown.
In the Hillsborough Holiday Classic final, at Hillsborough High School, the undefeated Raiders bested Rutgers Prep 48-37.
Hillsborough jumped out to a 10-4 lead after the first quarter, and never looked back.
Rutgers Prep was able to cut Hillsborough’s lead to three points – 18-15 – at halftime, but Hillsborough scored 11 points in the third quarter to Rutgers Prep’s five and 19 points in the fourth quarter to Rutgers Prep’s 17.
Leading the scoring for Rutgers Prep was P.J. Strahm with 11 points, Nicholas Brooks with 10 points, and Levi Holmes and Greg Smith, with eight points each.
The girls’ team fell to Trenton Catholic, 49-42, in the finals of the Prime Time Tournament in Trenton.
Trenton ended the first quarter with a 16-12 lead. The two teams scored identical points in the second and third quarters – 10 and nine, respectively – before Trenton outscored Rutgers Prep 14-11 in the final quarter to take the win.
Leading the Rutgers Prep charge was Allison Girardi with 15 points – including three three-pointers – three rebounds, three assists and a steal.
Also contributing were Gabi Redden with nine points, five rebounds one steal and one blocked shot; Niki Metzel with seven points, seven rebounds, three steals and 10 blocked shots; Rebecca Rowlands with four points and five rebounds; Olivia Dabney with three points, four rebounds and one steal and Kendra Barat and Mackenzie Michaels with two points each.
