Boys’ Basketball Maintains Local Dominance

It was another extremely successful season for the boys’ basketball team as the Knights won their fifth-straight Somerset County Championship while also claiming their ninth-straight Skyland Conference divisional title.

 

Gill also finished the season as the fourth-ranked program in New Jersey.

 

“We had a lot of accomplishments this year,” said head coach Mergin Sina. “You need to play at a high-level of basketball in order to win the county championship and to earn 26 wins. We also only lost five games by 12 points, so a few more bounces our way and it could have potentially been an undefeated season. I am very proud of how the kids played this season.”

 

Unfortunately for the Knights, they fell a bit short in their quest of also claiming their first sectional title since 2012 and first-ever state title as they lost to powerhouse Roselle Catholic 48-44 in the Non-Public, North B sectional finals.

 

“It was a weird game,” Sina reflected. “The score was in the 40s; I do not think anyone expected that. It went down to the wire and I would have liked us to have had some better shooting and played a bit more of “Gill Basketball” but it really could have gone either way.”

 

For Gill to achieve these goals next season, they will have to do it without 1st-Team All-State member Paul Mulcahy ’19 as he will be heading to Rutgers University next year. Mulcahy was instrumental in the Knights posting another strong campaign as he averaged a triple-double during his senior season (18.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 10.1 assists).

 

“Words can’t describe how good Paul was for this program,” said Sina. “His stats are staggering; he always had great focus on winning, but he was also an incredible teammate. He really left a legacy here, and I would say he is a top-five player in Gill’s history.”

 

The Knights will also be missing production from fellow senior Connor Murphy who was a double-double machine during his lone season with Gill.

 

The Knights, however, will be bringing back a ton of talent to help them continue their success. Zach Martini ’20 led the team in rebounds and recorded the second most points. Will Soucie ’20 recorded the second most assists and third most points while Denver Anglin ’22 provided huge production during his first varsity season.

 

“We have a very promising outlook for next year,” said Sina. “Denver was one of the best freshmen in the state while Zach could be one of the best overall players next year. Those guys along with a bunch of other talented young and veteran players will serve as a great mix for us next season.”