Girls basketball Skyland Conference, western Union County Conference notebook
Rutgers Prep School girls basketball coach Mary Klinger has collected plenty of personal accolades over her four decades at the helm. And while she always prefers to celebrate the accomplishments of her program and the players who have elevated it to one of the tops in the state and beyond, every now and then, it’s her achievement that gets celebrated, and that was certainly the case last Thursday night.
The Argonauts’ 85-42 victory over Ridge was just another day at the office for the juggernaut squad, which hasn’t lost a Skyland Conference game since 2017 – or any to an area team since the 2019 county final. But this one marked the 700th victory in Klinger’s storied career, one that began when the former Rutgers University star took over the Rutgers Prep helm for the 1984-85 season.
More: Girls basketball rankings: Skyland Conference and area Union County Conference Top 10
The win prompted a surprise celebration, featuring past players, parents, her family, and members of the basketball community. There were signs, balloons and a couple of cakes as Argonauts past and present celebrated their coach’s latest milestone.
“I was overwhelmed by the celebration the kids and the school had Thursday night,” Klinger said. “So many alums and parents from the community. Kids that I had coached and parents of former players. My whole family was there; my husband, my son and some of my siblings, so that was cool. And my college coach, (Rutgers Hall of Famer) Theresa Grentz, was there. So, it was really neat.
“And it was so overwhelming to get (a large number of) emails and text messages, not only from former players and parents, but college coaches all over the country and high school coaches that I have relationships with. To have the overwhelming response was, like, wow. That really hit me and it’s been remarkable.”
Klinger entered Monday’s game against Roselle Catholic with a career mark of 701-254, following Saturday’s impressive win over fellow state power Montclair Immaculate. Her run has included eight straight division titles – one for each year since the Argonauts joined the league after playing as an independent – along with nine county championships and 14 county finals, five sectional titles and three state Non-Public B crowns.
“I’ve never been one to celebrate personal things like this,” Klinger said. “To me, I’d rather celebrate championships or 1,000-point scorers or player of the year (awards). Because to me it’s all about the kids, and 700 is just a reflection on all the great kids that I’ve had.”
COMMITTED
Klinger’s coaching milestone wasn’t the only big moment at Rutgers Prep during the past week. Senior superstar Mikayla Blakes announced her college commitment during a Monday press conference at the school, opting to continue her basketball career at Vanderbilt University. The five-star recruit chose the Commodores over six other Division 1 programs, including Rutgers.
Blakes, who is a three-time first-team All-Area honoree and the Courier News Girls Basketball Player of the Year as a sophomore, entered Monday’s action averaging 21.8 points per game this season and 18.8 for her career.
3 STARS
Another round of great individual performances in the area last week. Here are some of the most impressive efforts.
Elana Falkenstein, Delaware Valley: The junior guard has led the way for the Terriers (8-4) as they challenge in the Mountain Division. She scored 23 points against South Hunterdon, adding 13 more against Steinert in the 2-0 week. Falkenstein has averaged 13.3 points this season.
Ma’Ziyah Richards, Plainfield: The senior has emerged as a force for the Cardinals and was again last week in wins over Governor Livingston and Monroe. Richards, who leads Plainfield (10-3) in points (19.9 PPG) and rebounds (6.4 RPG), went for 20 points and six boards against the Highlanders and 27 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the win over the Falcons.
Aleah Sunkins, Franklin: The freshman has had an immediate impact for the Warriors, tied for the team lead in scoring at 12.3 points per game and leading the club with 7.3 rebounds per contest. Sunkins had another big week as Franklin scored wins over Pennington and Bridgewater-Raritan, going for 23 points and seven rebounds against the former, and adding 13 points, nine boards and four blocked shots against the Panthers.
COUNTY TOURNAMENT TIME
The first of three local county tournaments will be seeded Tuesday, with the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex bracket expected to be announced. Voorhees (12-1) is expected to be awarded a Top 2 seed, with Hunterdon Central (10-5) also expected to be near the top of the bracket among local squads.
The Somerset County and Union County tournament brackets are expected to be seeded next week.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Voorhees at Pingry, 4:15 p.m. Thursday: The Valley Division race is shaping up and this meeting should go a long way toward deciding who wins the crown. These teams enter the week as the top two in the division, with Voorhees’ 51-47 win over the Big Blue on Dec. 21 their only division loss. The Vikings, meanwhile, are undefeated in league play.
Delaware Valley at Somerville, 7 p.m. Thursday: The Mountain Division’s top two clubs get together in this one, with Somerville looking to keep its perfect divisional mark intact, one that included a 37-29 win over the Terriers on Dec. 21. Del Val, which is 5-1 in the Mountain, is one game ahead of Bound Brook for second place in the division.
Staff writer Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997. He can be reached at CNGirlsHoops@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter/X @SimeonPincus.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Girls basketball Skyland Conference, western UCC notebook
