Peddie’s Payne, Pennington’s Fraser-Pauls get top prep honors
Among the area’s four prep boys basketball teams who don’t compete in the Colonial Valley Conference, Peddie had the top individual performer, while Pennington undoubtedly shined the brightest this season in terms of team accomplishments.
Peddie’s Noah Payne is our Prep Player of the Year as the 6-foot-2 guard was one of the most unstoppable scorers in the state with 25.9 points per game to lead the Falcons to a 15-13 record. He was also a great facilitator, defender and team leader.
Payne had a career-high 43 points in his final high school game to finish with more than 1,000 points at Peddie and more than 2,000 points in five seasons including three at Eastern High. He remains undecided on where he will play in college.
For helping the Pennington program change the narrative in a big way, Chandler Fraser-Pauls is our Prep Coach of the Year.
The Red Hawks (19-9) won their first Mercer County Tournament crown in 14 years Feb. 17 when they held off crosstown rival Hopewell Valley in the title game at West WindsorPlainsboro North for a 6051 victory.
In addition, Pennington beat Hun on Jan. 4 for the first time in at least 45 years — longtime athletic director Jerry Eure is unsure the last time it happened, if ever — and then did it a second time Feb. 8 in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League Tournament.
Pennington, a school that hasn’t been known much for basketball in recent years, finished 4-0 against Hun, Peddie and Lawrenceville and lost only three times to New Jersey teams including powerhouse St. Benedict’s in the Prep A semifinals.
Pennington will graduate only one senior from a deep team with several top performers. Junior guard Dwayne Snead (11.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 2.4 rpg, 1.2 spg), junior forward Destine Evans (9.6 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.7 bpg), junior guard Kae Kilic (11.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.3 spg) and sophomore guard Dylan Napoleon (9.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.3 bpg, 1.3 spg) all played huge roles.
Peddie senior forward Zack Davis (16.4 ppg), Lawrenceville senior forward Vaughn Foster and Hun senior guard Mac Kelly also starred this season and earned spots on our All-Prep Team.