REACH FOR THE STARS
Boys hoops All-Star teams unveiled: All-CVC, All-Prep, All-Area selections inside
For the bedrock of sheer dominance in Trenton-area boys basketball, look no further than Bordentown Regional High School.
The Scotties (20-9) couldn’t quite rekindle their state tournament magic from last year when they won a Central Jersey Group II sectional title, falling in the semis this season, but perhaps the area’s most improved player was also the most potent on a nightly basis.
Manny Ansong is The Trentonian’s Area Player of the Year after terrorizing opponents all season with averages of 24.1 points and more than 10 rebounds per game. His 698 total points ranked third in the state behind only Veritas Christian’s Jake Doorley and Teaneck’s Ja’Quaye James.
Whether it was finessing a defender in the post, skillfully weaving through traffic, throwing down a dunk or cleaning up a missed shot, the 6-foot-3 Ansong was an unstoppable force around the basket — scoring double figures in all 29 of Bordentown’s games and reaching 30 points six times. And his wingspan provided countless matchup problems defensively.
Ansong, who more than doubled his scoring from last season, finished his high school career with 1,238 points. During his three varsity seasons, Bordentown won an astounding 71 games and three Burlington County Scholastic League Patriot Division titles as Ansong helped put the program on the map under head coach John Myers.
Fellow senior Darnill Brown, another pioneer for the program, drained an area-best 68 3s and complemented Ansong with 18.6 points per game to finish with 1,286 for his career.
Elsewhere among locals in the BCSL’s Patriot Division, Northern Burlington’s Josh Jackson finished third in total points (466) behind Ansong and Brown.
Trenton Catholic Academy (19-7) won another BCSL Liberty Division crown along with a fourth Mercer County Tournament title in six seasons by defeating Ewing in the final at the Sun National Bank Center. Fred Falchi’s Iron Mikes flamed out in the first round of the NonPublic B South Tournament, but they laid a solid foundation for next season with a slew of talented newcomers such as freshman forward EJ Evans.
Junior point guard Quashawn Lane, senior sharpshooter True Alton and senior forward Boko Mupungo all made The Trentonian’s All-Area Second Team, while senior guard Chris LaBelle cracked the Third Team.
Another suburban area standout was Florence junior Jabril Enmond, who eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau with a season of eligibility remaining. However, the Flashes (17-10) were unable to defend their Central Jersey Group I crown this year. Forward Lawrence Joseph Ewing Sr. Forward Manny Ansong Bordntwn Sr. G/F Cliff Joseph Nottingham Jr. G/F Manny Dixon NotreDame Sr. Guard Isaiah Wong NotreDame So. Guard Darnill Brown Bordntwn Sr. Guard Zahrion Blue Princeton Sr. Forward Jon Azoroh Ewing Sr. Forward Lucas Olshevski Robbnsvlle Sr. Forward Boko Mupungo TCA Sr. Guard Jabril Enmond Florence Jr. Guard Edamiyon Doggett Ewing Sr. Guard Myles Mitchell-White Lwrence So. Guard Quashawn Lane TCA Jr. Guard True Alton TCA Sr. Center Peter Sorber NotreDame So. Forward EJ Evans TCA Fr. Forward Darell Johnson Nottingham Jr. Guard Jacquey Mendez Bordntwn Jr. Guard Josh Jackson NBurlington Jr. Guard Kar’ron Johnson Ewing Sr. Guard Shemar Robinson Lawrence So. Guard Chris LaBelle TCA Sr.