Eliav Gabay
A couple top teams in 3A boys basketball went at it at a neutral site Thursday night so I had to check it out alongside Prep Hoops’ Gregg Rosenberg.
There’s plenty of talent between the Benjamin Franklin and Seton Catholic Prep rosters and it was on display.
BF is led by sophomore point guard Bennett Christensen and for a guy playing with upperclassmen, he knows how to balance commanding the basketball and getting his teammates involved.
Prep Hoops’ Gregg Rosenberg:
“Super cerebral. It’s like 6, 7 seniors and him. The pace he plays with at such a young age, his pinpoint passing, his first step he’s blowing by everybody. He’s got a stop and pop. He can hit the three. His feel and IQ for the game are so high for a sophomore.”
SCP leans heavily on senior KJ Fauske’s shot making ability and he delivers on the hype.
Prep Hoops’ Gregg Rosenberg:
“If you saw him from a year ago to right now, he keeps on improving. He’s a true late bloomer. He’s just scratching the surface. That jab step pull up three is almost impossible to defend. A lot of the kids he’s playing with are freshman and sophomores. When their big 6-5 transfer from St Mary’s comes he can be helped…[KJ’s] a true combo. I wouldn’t call him a point guard, I wouldn’t call him a straight shooting guard. He can make reads. He changes speeds well to keep them off balance. He keeps on changing his cadence. If they close out hard, he’ll blow right by them.”
69-59 Ben Franklin wins it led by the duo of Bennett Christensen (24 pts) & Talan Speir (13 pts). Seton was paced by KJ Fauske w 23 pts. @PrepHoopsAZ
— Gregg Rosenberg (@GreggRosenberg1) December 12, 2025
Even though Seton Catholic is still searching for that second consistent scorer to take a little bit of the load off Fauske, they’ve surrounded him with shooters as well as fellow sophomore in big man Ashton Ries.
Ries spent all evening battling in the paint and earning a few bites at the apple out of a single possession with his offensive rebounding. He also took two charges to set the tone on that side of the ball.
While the first half featured a lot of SCP’s strengths, the second half showed exactly how they can be exposed. The offense is fairly one dimensional at this point of the season.
If they want to see postseason success, it can’t JUST be The Fauske Show; as talented as he is, more help is needed to sustain a higher offensive efficiency.
3A hoops action between two top teams…
Benjamin Franklin vs Seton Catholic:@Sports360AZ pic.twitter.com/BnJ7q1tH61
— Eliav Gabay (@eliavgabay) December 12, 2025
At halftime, head coach Jonathan Magnus got his Chargers to “bolt up” on defense. Whatever was said, they certainly punched first after the break and kept the intensity up for the rest of the half.
It helps when guys like Ethan Sang grow five inches over the summer and Brody Hansen is another big off the pine they can rely on.
The biggest difference on offense for Benjamin Franklin was football star (& NFF Co-Receiver of the Year) Talan Speir shaking off the football rust and finding form on the hardwood. While the defense was busy focusing on limiting Christensen, Speir got it going alongside senior guard Nolan Lot who dropped in a couple buckets.
Prep Hoops’ Gregg Rosenberg:
“He’s dynamic. He doesn’t even have his legs it seems like yet. He’s an above the rim dunker. Talan is gonna get better as the season goes and he still was pretty good.”
While SCP was living and dying by the three, BF’s steadier pace and adjustments on the defensive end were the differences that led to their victory in this highly anticipated match up.
