Sophomore Hailey Benbow’s 16 point first half put the Rutgers Prep Argonauts into cruise control early to take down the Franklin Warriors 55-37 in the 2026 Somerset County Girls Basketball Tournament. Winning their 23rd game of the season, this is the program’s fifth title in the last six seasons.
The girls representing Rutgers Prep were practically unfazed when the buzzer rang, walking off the court like it was a scrimmage. Led by legendary head coach Mary Coyle Klinger, this was clearly just another day in the office.
This was far from an unfamiliar matchup. Both competing in the Delaware Division of the Skyland Conference, this was the second time the two teams have met this season. Rutgers Prep won the first game 82-62 back on December 15.
It was all Argonauts in the first quarter. Playing both efficient offense and tough defense, they jumped out to a 10-plus-point lead that was never relinquished the rest of the game with three and a half minutes left. Benbow led the way with 10 points, including two three pointers. The Warriors held their own for as long as they could before dwindling away.
Rutgers Prep extended their lead throughout the second. Despite Franklin head coach Jimmy Kreie changing his defense from zone to man, the Argonauts were able to maneuver through. Benbow stayed hot, scoring two more three pointers, ultimately being responsible for over half of Rutgers Prep’s 31 first half points.
The Warriors showed a sliver of life early in the third quarter, going on a small 5-2 run within the first three and a half minutes. Despite their desperate efforts to build the momentum they had, the Argonauts were by far the better team and refused to let it grow. Instead of competing for a win, they were now competing to keep their 20-point lead.
Benbow’s fiery start didn’t transfer over to the second half, as she only scored a single point. Her cool off wasn’t the end of the world as Ava LaMonica and Natalia Valdez picked up the slack for the rest of the game. LaMonica would finish the day with 11 points after going scoreless in the first 16 minutes and Valdez scored six coming off the bench.
The three point line was Rutgers Prep’s best friend. Their nine made shots from beyond the arc were key to scoring the win and was nearly half of the team’s total points.
Star forward Aleah Sudkins did everything she could for Franklin in the blowout loss. Averaging an eye opening 17.8 points per game, she was back at it again today with a 21-point, nine-rebound performance. She accounted for over half of the 37 points scored by the Warriors.
While the county tournaments are wrapping up this weekend all over New Jersey, the state tournaments remain. Seeded No. 1 in the South Jersey Non-Public B Tournament, Rutgers Prep will have to wait to play another game as they were awarded a BYE. Depending on weather, Franklin is expected to play in the first round of the 2026 NJSIAA Girls Basketball Central Jersey, Group 4 Tournament against Manalapan on Tuesday.
