Muhlenberg can’t keep up with Bonner-Prendergast, drops first game

(This story will be updated later tonight with additional details and postgame reaction.)

Muhlenberg has found ways overcome longer teams in the past but it struggled to find shots or compete on the boards Friday in a 71-51 loss to Bonner-Prendergast in the opening game of the Hoop Group Reading Showcase at the Geigle.

The Muhls (3-1) got a boost off the bench in the first quarter from hot-shooting Eric Branch and led throughout the first quarter. When those shots stopped falling they fell behind.

The Friars (3-0) used an 8-0 run late in the first quarter and early in the second to take the lead for good, pushing it to 11 at halftime and by as much as 19 in the third period.

Branch finished with a team-high 15 points but didn’t hit a basket after his 3-pointer midway through the second quarter.

The Muhls were effective from distance, hitting 10 3-pointers, but they couldn’t battle the taller Friars inside. They were out-rebounded 32-20 and had just four offensive rebounds and virtually no second-chance points.

Kevin Rucker Jr., a 6-6 junior who played at Chester last season, scored a game-high 21 points for Bonner.

Reggie Selden Jr., who transfered in from Bishop Eustace in New Jersey, had 12 points and played a key defensive role in shutting out Muhls lead guard J’Daniel Mosquera in the first half.

Brady Eagan, a 6-4 senior, grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for the Friars, who also got help off the bench from 6-8 Nelson Lamizana, a transfer from West Chester Henderson.

The Muhls have no players taller than 6-4 and often employ four-game sets.

Muhlenberg plays Susquehanna Township Saturday afternoon in its home opener.

	1	2	3	4	Final
Bonner-Prendergast	15	19	19	18	71
Muhlenberg	13	9	12	17	51

Friars(3-0)	FG	FT	3’s	A	R	Points
Selden	4-7	4-5	0-0	4	1	12
Cooper	4-6	0-1	3-4	2	4	11
Eagan	2-6	0-0	0-0	1	8	4
Ketner	4-9	6-6	0-1	0	4	14
Rucker Jr.	7-12	5-6	2-4	2	4	21
Lamizana	3-4	0-0	1-2	1	2	7
Venditti	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0
Williams	1-1	0-0	0-0	0	1	2
Totals	25-45	15-18	6-11	10	25-32	71

Muhls (2-1)	FG	FT	3’s	A	R	Points
Robertson	4-9	2-2	1-3	0	1	11
Mosquera	2-7	0-0	2-5	3	4	6
Archie	0-2	2-2	0-1	0	0	2
Alcantara	1-5	0-1	1-4	0	3	3
Adonis	1-2	0-0	0-0	0	0	2
Branch	4-9	4-4	3-5	1	6	15
Valentin	2-4	0-0	0-1	1	1	4
Towles	3-3	0-0	2-2	0	1	8
Collado	0-2	0-0	0-1	0	0	0
Miller	0-1	0-0	0-1	0	0	0
LeClair	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	1	0
Zaballa	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Marte	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
McGovern	0-0	0-0	0-0	0	0	0
Totals	17-44	8-9	9-23	5	18-20	51

Turnovers: Bonner-Predergast 14, Muhlenberg 11.