Fall to divisional rival for sixth straight time
By: Rudy Brandl
SOMERSET The last time the Hillsborough High boys’ basketball team won a game at Franklin was at the end of the 1999-2000 season. The Raiders clinched the Delaware Division championship with that emotional triumph.
The Raiders were hoping to get back into this year’s division title chase with another big win last Thursday night, but Franklin continued its recent dominance in the series between the two schools with a 59-46 victory. Franklin won its sixth straight game over Hillsborough, a stretch that includes five regular season games and last year’s Somerset County championship game.
HHS had a chance to tie Franklin and stay within a game of Hunterdon Central, but instead fell two games out of the Delaware lead. There are still plenty of divisional games remaining, but the Raiders no longer control their own destiny. They need help from others and must also maintain a spotless record themselves to have any chance of winning the division. Central and Franklin entered this week’s action tied for first place, leaving HHS to fight Watchung Hills for third place and the hope to stay within striking distance.
"We’ve got a lot of games to play," Raider head coach Kevin McGuire said afterward. "We’d better start playing better because we still need two wins to make the states. We’re playing for the states and we’re playing for a county seed."
Last week’s defeat at Franklin left the Raiders hoping to earn a second or third seed at last night’s county meeting. It’s likely that Hillsborough, Watchung Hills and Immaculata will occupy the 2-4 slots in some order behind Franklin. The loser of the committee vote will be placed in Franklin’s bracket as the fourth seed. The remaining two schools will hope to face each other in the SCT semifinals in the opposite bracket.
Hillsborough had a chance to lock up that second seed and perhaps gain a few votes for the top ranking but couldn’t overcome a sluggish start in Franklin. The Warriors got their home fans into the game early by storming to a 30-16 lead at the half. The Raiders fought back gamely in the third period but fell short in the end.
"I was real happy with how we came out in the second half," McGuire said. "We were standing around in the first half but we made some defensive adjustments. We battled and scratched and clawed our way back. We tried as hard as we could but Franklin just had a little bit more."
HHS started chipping away at the 14-point deficit with a solid opening possession that ended with a 3-point shot by Mike Malko from the left wing. Malko, who didn’t score in the first half, connected for seven points in the third period when the Raiders rallied.
The teams traded baskets over the next three minutes before the Raiders went on an 8-0 run that cut the lead to 35-31. Malko converted inside and Chris Haas scored on two power moves sandwiched around a T.J. Sferra steal and layup. Suddenly, the Raiders were threatening to win this game.
"We started fronting our guys a little bit more and they were getting frustrated because they couldn’t get the ball down low," said Haas, who netted 15 points and pulled down six rebounds. "We just weren’t able to pull it out."
Franklin senior point guard Kevin Bent, who has become a Raider killer this year, regained the momentum for his team. Bent stopped the HHS flurry with a jumper from the left baseline. Malko answered and cut it back to 37-33 by hitting a bank shot off a beautiful assist from Sferra but Bent threw a major dagger into the comeback by nailing a three from the top of the key to beat the third quarter buzzer.
"That hurt," McGuire said. "We gave it to him. We scrambled out on (Travis) Hogans and left him standing there. He had all day to hit that shot."
The Raiders still didn’t quit, slicing the deficit to five points on three separate occasions in the final period. Franklin dominated the offensive boards and took full advantage of second, third and fourth chances at the hoop. Most of Franklin’s points came after at least one offensive rebound.
"They killed us," McGuire said. "I think we would’ve come all the way back if we did a better job rebounding. We weren’t blocking out all night."
The Warriors iced the game with an unimpressive showing at the free throw line, making 9-of-17 in the final four minutes. Franklin’s defense and rebounding dominance made the missed free throws insignificant.
Bent scored eight of his team’s 10 points in the third quarter and led all scorers with 17 for the game. Teammates Ricky Wallace (12) and [jpa: Is this name spelled correctly?: ]Mitchel Brown (10) also reached double figures for the winners.
Hillsborough played its second straight game without senior point guard Lamar Spencer, who is out for two weeks with a sprained ankle. Spencer’s presence certainly would have helped, especially against Franklin’s pressure defense.
Sferra drained four threes and led the Raiders with 16 points. Haas scored 15 and Malko added nine points and seven rebounds.
While the Delaware Division title may no longer be in reach, the Raiders still have plenty of big games in February.
"We still want to win the counties really bad," Haas said. "I really hope we get to face Franklin in the county finals again."

