Drew University commit leads Pennington boys basketball to Senior Night win

Dylan Napoleon scores 26 points in victory over rival Lawrenceville

Feb. 5, 2026 at 9:55pm

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Dylan Napoleon, a senior guard who recently committed to play basketball at Drew University, led Pennington High School to a 57-44 victory over rival Lawrenceville on Senior Night. Napoleon scored 26 points, including three fast-break dunks, to help Pennington snap a six-game losing streak and earn their first Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) win of the season.

Why it matters

This was an important win for Pennington, which has struggled in the first half of the season with a new coach and some key injuries. The victory against a strong Lawrenceville team showed that the Red Hawks haven't given up and are still fighting to finish the season strong. Napoleon's standout performance also highlighted his breakout senior campaign as he approaches 1,000 career points and prepares to continue his basketball career at the Division III level.

The details

Napoleon was dominant from the opening tip, scoring 26 points and providing the energy to get his teammates involved. After Pennington held a 26-24 halftime lead, Lawrenceville briefly took the lead, but Napoleon responded with a layup and a dunk to regain the advantage. The Red Hawks then pulled away in the fourth quarter, with Jamir Conover and Jordan Murray each hitting 3-pointers to extend the lead to double digits. Napoleon also found Joshua Benka-Coker for a key post-up basket down the stretch.

  • The game was played on Pennington's Senior Night.

The players

Dylan Napoleon

A 6-foot-4 senior guard who recently committed to play basketball at Drew University. He is averaging 21.6 points per game this season, nearly double his output from a year ago, and surpassed 1,000 career points.

Pennington High School

The high school basketball team that defeated rival Lawrenceville on Senior Night.

Lawrenceville

The rival high school team that lost to Pennington 57-44.

Fred Falchi

The new head coach of the Pennington boys basketball team, who is a Mercer County legend.

Jayden Lau

A Division I recruit who plays for the Lawrenceville basketball team.

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What they’re saying

“I tried to come out and be aggressive, get my team energized, get them ready to play. 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.”

— Dylan Napoleon, Senior Guard, Pennington High School

“A lot of hard work. 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.”

— Dylan Napoleon, Senior Guard, Pennington High School

What’s next

The Pennington boys basketball team will look to build on this momentum as they prepare for the upcoming tournament.

The takeaway

Despite a challenging first half of the season, Pennington's win over rival Lawrenceville on Senior Night showed the team's resilience and the standout play of senior guard Dylan Napoleon, who is having a breakout campaign and will continue his basketball career at the college level.