PENNINGTON — Dylan Napoleon has had a basketball in his hands since he was five years old and has cherished playing on the varsity level for four seasons at Pennington, so this wasn’t just any ordinary Senior Night game.
The 6-foot-4 guard knew he had to go out with a bang.
Playing with a fervor from the opening tip against local rival Lawrenceville, Napoleon led Pennington to a 57-44 win with a 26-point performance featuring three fastbreak dunks and countless plays that got the fans inside Sparks Gymnasium on their feet.
“I tried to come out and be aggressive, get my team energized, get them ready to play,” Napoleon said. “We needed this win. That was our first MAPL win of the year. I don’t know if it helps us with our seeding, but it does help us with our momentum going into the tournament.”
Joshua Benka-Coker and Noah Johnson added eight points apiece to help Pennington (5-12) snap a six-game losing streak.
It’s been a challenging first season with some new players and a new coach in Mercer County legend Fred Falchi, but a solid performance against Lawrenceville (14-8) and Division I recruit Jayden Lau showed that this Pennington team hasn’t quit.
“We had some tough losses, some tough injuries,” Napoleon said. “I think just staying connected was our biggest goal for the rest of the season.”
In spite of the team’s struggles, it’s been a dominant senior for Napoleon as he is averaging 21.6 points per game — almost double his output as a junior.
The Trenton native recently went over 1,000 career points and committed to Drew University, where he will play Division III basketball and likely study something in sports — perhaps kinesiology or sports psychology.
“It felt just like here — it felt like family,” Napoleon said of his commitment to Drew. “I felt like I can fit in really well. I think I can contribute really well, so I thought it was just a good fit overall. I talked it over with my family and my friends and they thought it was gonna be a good fit as well, so I just trusted my gut.”
Napoleon’s father, a former high school player, encouraged his son to try basketball when he was little. Napoleon also played soccer to fit in with his brothers, but once he hit a growth spurt in sixth grade, he realized his future was in basketball.
“When I started to get used to my body and get my footwork down, I think I really started to take basketball more serious,” said Napoleon, who played locally in middle school with Gymwork Training and has played AAU throughout high school with Shoreshots Rio in Neptune.
Napoleon feels that his jump shot in particularly has dramatically improved this season. He made that a focus over the summer — just like with everything else that he has earned to become a college basketball prospect.
“A lot of hard work,” Napoleon said. “I trusted all my coaches, I trusted myself. I pushed myself to a limit that not many kids do nowadays. I think I just pushed myself. I put myself in the right environment just to get better every day.”
It has led to four thrilling years at Pennington, and it was only fitting that he willed the Red Hawks to a Senior Night victory.
After Pennington clung to a 26-24 lead at halftime, Lawrenceville responded with a quick 5-0 spurt and Falchi called timeout. Napoleon scored a layup and a dunk to give Pennington the lead right back, and Jonathan Benka-Coker buried a 3 to supply more momentum.
Pennington took total control in the fourth quarter as Jamir Conover and Jordan Murray each knocked down a 3 and the Red Hawks forced a shot clock violation on Lawrenceville’s next possession.
Napoleon fed Joshua Benka-Coker for a post-up in the paint with just under four minutes left, and then another layup by Napoleon pushed Pennington’s lead to double digits.
The performance was emblematic of a breakout season for the kid from Trenton.
“I think Coach Falchi taught me to be a lot more aggressive,” Napoleon said. “He wanted the ball in my hands most of the time, which I’d never really had for the last three seasons. So I think that has taken my game to the next level — 100 percent.”
LAWRENCEVILLE (44)
Johnson 7-2-20, Lau 3-0-6, Lumpris 3-2-8, Tassey 2-0-4, Hodge 2-0-5, Ekhelar 0-1-1.
Totals — 17-9-44.
PENNINGTON (57)
Napoleon 8-10-26, Johnson 4-0-8, Murray 1-2-5, Smikle 1-1-3, Joshua Benka-Coker 4-0-8, Jonathan Benka-Coker 1-0-3, Conover 1-1-4.
Totals — 19-14-57.
Lawrenceville (14-8) 10 14 11 9 — 44
Pennington (5-12) 13 13 8 23 — 57
3-point goals: Hodge (L), Murray, Jonathan Benka-Coker, Conover (P).
