Ewing-ND, Trenton-Hamilton set for semis
The Mercer County Tournament is down to four boys basketball teams, and that means the venue shifts to Trenton’s CURE Insurance Arena.
No. 2 Ewing will take on No. 3 Notre Dame at approximately 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, followed by No. 1 Trenton against No. 5 Hamilton West at approximately 7:30 p.m. The girls semifinals are scheduled for 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Ewing (20-3) is vying for its first appearance in the final since 2017 and its fifth since 2011, which is when the school last won the county championship.
The Blue Devils are coming off a 69-44 win against No. 7 West Windsor-Plainsboro South (13-11) — an encouraging result considering they edged South by only two points in their regular season meeting Jan. 3.
Senior Kenny Rankin recorded a career-high 31 points along with seven rebounds and four assists. Senior Darnelle Forrest added 14 points and five rebounds, while senior Grady Griffin had seven points, six rebounds and three assists.
Notre Dame (15-8), meanwhile, had to overcome a seven-point halftime deficit to hold off No. 6 Nottingham (16-8), 56-50, in its quarterfinal.
The Irish had a balanced attack with four seniors scoring double figures: Chris Vlahos (17), Stesher Mathelier (10), Jake Croce (10) and Luke Foley (10). Vlahos had the hot hand in Notre Dame’s 29-point third quarter with 5-for-5 shooting from the field and 3-for-3 from the foul line.
When Ewing and Notre Dame met on Jan. 24, the Blue Devils were the ones to rally from seven down at halftime to win, 54-45.
Notre Dame allows the fourth-fewest points per game (46.7) in the CVC, so defense and limiting Ewing’s transition points will be key to pulling off the upset. The Irish last made the final in 2016, when they beat Trenton Catholic for the title.
In the second semifinal, it will be a rematch of a terrific defensive battle where Trenton (23-1) escaped Hamilton (15-8) with a 34-30 win Jan. 17 to stay undefeated (14-0) at the time.
Trenton eventually suffered its only loss to date Jan. 21 against Newark East Side, and it’s been relatively smooth sailing since then as the Tornadoes pursue their first title since 2008. They also made the final under coach Darryl Young last year and in 2019, falling both times to Trenton Catholic.
But Trenton is a heavy favorite this year coming off a 59-27 win against No. 8 Princeton Day School (814) in the quarterfinals. Senior Davontay Hutson led the way with 19 points and eight rebounds, while junior Kabrien Goss had 17 points and five rebounds.
Also keep an eye on senior Antwan Bridgett as the point guard is 14 points away from reaching 1,000 for his career.
On the other side, Hamilton escaped No. 4 Robbinsville in the quarterfinals with a thrilling 49-48 win. Junior Hass Cannon had a game-high 25 points plus three rebounds and three assists. Senior Ben Boufford added eight points and four rebounds.
The Hornets are also one of only three teams to beat Ewing, so expect them to be buzzing with confidence. They will need to bring their usual defensive intensity and be able to withstand Trenton’s pressure to some degree in order to have a chance at reaching the school’s first final.
Standard admission to all four semifinal games costs $10 and can be purchased in advance at https:// www.ticketmaster.com/ event/00005E46CAF62FA1