GIRLS BASKETBALL NJSIAA SCOREBOARD, MARCH 5

NJSIAA TOURNAMENT

Sectional semifinals
South Jersey
Non-Public A

5-St. Rose 47, 1-St. John Vianney 43

Senior forward Lucy Thomas erupted for 10 of team-high 17 points in the third quarter and senior point guard Mikayla Markham finished with 13 points as fifth-seeded St. Rose (26-3) exacted a measure of revenge to advance to the South Jersey, Non-Public A final, where it will face third-seeded and defending champion Red Bank Catholic on Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Jackson Liberty.

The win avenged a 39-37 set to St. John Vianney on Feb. 20 in the semifinal round of the Shore Conference Tournament.

The Purple Roses trailed by as much as 16-9 in the first quarter but methodically erased the deficit to assume the lead by halftime. A layup by Markham off a feed from Ari Dalia gave St. Rose its first lead, 22-20, with 2:18 to play in the second quarter and was part of an 8-2 surge that closed the half and staked it to a 26-22 advantage that it never relinquished.

Thomas completed a conventional three-point play with 2:40 showing in the third to give St. Rose its largest advantage, 38-26. However, top-seeded St. John Vianney (25-3) closed the gap to 42-40 on a 3-pointer from senior guard Madison Doring, who pumped in 17 points, with 2:27 left in the contest. St. Rose countered with a free throw from Sam Mikos and two more by Dalia to widened the gap to 45-40 with just over a minute to play.

A drive by junior guard Rahmena Henderson (10 points) got the Lady Lancers to within 45-43 in the final seconds before junior guard Lauren Lithgow sealed the victory by finishing a Dalia assist.

3-Red Bank Catholic 56, 2-Gloucester Catholic 39

Seniors Amanda Hart, Hayley Moore and Katie Rice each deposited 11 points as the defending Non-Public A state champion Caseys (23-5) balanced the offensive load to complement their staunch defense.

Red Bank Catholic advanced to the South Jersey, Non-Public A final on Wednesday at 5 p.m at Jackson Liberty where it will play fifth-seeded St. Rose.

RBC powered its way to a 29-11 cushion by intermisson and increased the gap to 41-19 through three quarters. Hart hit three triples while Moore and Julia Setaro (nine points) each sank a pair as the Caseys sank nine jumpers from beyond the arc. Senior point guard Rose Caverly collected seven points and a team-high six rebounds in the win.