GIRLS BASKETBALL NJSIAA SCOREBOARD, MARCH 3
NJSIAA Tournament
Sectional semifinals
North Jersey, Section 2
Group 3
3-Warren Hills, 50, 7-Red Bank 46
Red Bank (17-12) rallied from a 43-31 deficit, crafting an 11-0 run to get within one with 1:07 left before ultimately bowing. Three-pointers from Chloe Teter and Mia Strand fueled the resurgence but the Bucs couldn't overcome a 12-for-25 showing from the foul line.
Bridget Tobin knocked down a pair of treys while finishing with 12 points, Caitlyn Decker sank 10 and Meghan Murray and Teter each had nine. Warren Hills (19-8) got 12 points from Devyn Gara and Heather Laffan.
Central Jersey
Group 4
8-Hunterdon Central 59, 4-Marlboro 45
Marlboro (18-9) responded to 36-17 deficit with 5:22 showing in the third by putting together an 18-4 charge over the next 4:17 to pare the gap to 40-35 but it was as close as the Mustangs got.
Peyton McNally backed a pair of free throws by teammate Danielle Cornetta with a critical 3-pointer to give Hunterdon Central (16-11) a 44-35 cushion with under a minute left in the period. The Red Devils never looked back.
Cornetta finished with a career-high 25 points and McNally added 16 for Hunterdon Central. Junior guard Gisella Romeo led Marlboro with 21 points and 12 rebounds, senior swing Jess Broad scored nine and sophomore Kathy Sanchez had seven.
2-Montgomery 59, 3-Colts Neck 51
Sophomore Camryn Foltz dropped in 19, senior Cara Volpe scored 15 and junior Eva Gibson netted 13 for Colts Neck (20-8), which battled valiantly on the road.
The Cougars used a 18-8 surge to get to within 41-40 at the outset of the fourth but Montgomery ran off five straight points to boost its edge to 46-40.
Colts Neck made one final push, drawing to within 53-50, with under two minutes left in the fourth.
Group 2
1-Manasquan 72, 4-Holmdel 40
Junior guard Lola Mullaney pumped in 23 points, including the 1,000th of her career, and took down 11 rebounds for defending Group 2 state champion Manasquan (27-2), which ran its win streak to 15.
Senior guard Dara Mabrey supplied 20 points and six assissts and junior swing Faith Masonius had 16 points, nine boards and five steals. Manasquan established a 23-10 lead and boosted the advantage to 38-15 at the break.
Senior guard Christina Antonakakis had 15 points for Holmdel (17-10).
Manasquan will host second-seeded Lincoln in the sectional final on Tuesday. The Warriors will be seeking their fifth consecutive sectional title and sixth in seven years.
2-Lincoln 57, 3-Rumson-Fair Haven 53
Senior Tori Hyduke dropped in 15 points and classmate Mikaela McGarvey scored 12 for Rumson-Fair Haven (17-11). Sophomore Lucy Adams chipped in with 12 points for RFH.
Adams grabbed 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who used a 20-12 third quarter to tie the game at 44-44.
Group 1
1-Bound Brook 69, 4-Keyport 31
Shannan Devlin had 11 points, five rebounds and four steals while Giana Piccini dropped in 10 for Keyport (13-12), which bowed to the defending Group 1 state champion.
Bound Brook (23-3) raced to a 17-4 lead in the opening quarter, increased the margin to 36-10 by halftime and took a 54-17 advantage into the fourth. Cameron Ward led four players in double figures for the Crusaders with 19 points. Cortlyn Morris backed 12 points with 10 boards and eight blocks.
2-Middlesex 59, 6-Shore 31
Jaclyn Shapiro dropped in 11 points for Shore (11-17), which trailed, 36-24, through three quarters before conceding a 23-7 closing effort to Middlesex.
Madison LaRosa finished with nine points for Shore. Brianna Montajes had 14 for the Blue Jays while Gianna Canvescio and Carly Santucci netted 12 apiece.
South Jersey
Group 4
1-Cherokee 48, 4-Jackson Memorial 25
Ava Therien clicked for 20 points and her sister Alexa scored 16 for defending champion Cherokee (25-2), which pinned Jackson Memorial (21-4) in a 34-22 hole after three quarters.
Bianca Giordano scored a team-high 10 for the Jaguars, who entered the contest averaging 56.9 but were limited to a season-low 25 points.
3-Toms River North 47, 7-Shawnee 45
Bisogno ended with 16 points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals while junior Jenna Paul supplied 15 points, five blocks, two rebounds, one assist and two steals for Toms River North, which will travel to top-seeded and defending champion Cherokee in a rematch of last year's sectional final. The Indians edged the Mariners in their last encounter, 37-35.
North wiped out a 25-23 halftime deficit with a 14-6 effort in the third to seize a 37-31 lead. Lindsay Cabey and Kristina Johnson each offered six points and Amanda Johnson had seven rebounds in the win.
Group 3
1-Mainland 46, 4-Toms River East 23
The unbeaten Mustangs (28-0) used a 19-0 third quarter to erase an 18-17 halftime deficit and open a 36-18 advantage.
Kylie Watson ended with 18 points in the win. Adriana Hart scored 13 to lead Toms River East (18-10).
Group 2
1-Manchester 74, 4-Sterling 49
The defending sectional champion Hawks (25-4) zipped to a 28-6 lead and outscored Sterling, 32-22, in the second half to advance to the semifinal on Tuesday, where they will host third-seeded Haddonfield, which topped seventh-seeded Barnegat, 48-27.
Sophomore point guard Kemari Reynolds matched her season high by firing in 25 points for the second game in a row while sisters Dakota (15 points, 12 rebounds) and Destiny Adams (11 points, 11 rebounds) each posted a double double and combined for six assists, four steals and seven blocked shots.
Nahkaleigh Hayes-Jones got involved with 12 points and four rebounds for Manchester.
3-Haddonfield 48, 7-Barnegat 27
Senior guard Shannon McCoy hit three 3-pointers on her way to 19 points and cleared eight rebounds for Barnegat (18-10).
The Bengals fell behind, 18-10, by halftime and Haddonfield (23-5) extended its lead with a 30-17 showing after the break. Senior Ginalee Erskine led Barnegat with eight boards.
Keegan Douglas (17 points), Mary Kelly (16 points) and Annie Stanton (10 points) paced Haddonfield, which will travel to top-seeded and defending champion Manchester on Tuesday to decide the sectional title.
South Jersey
Non-Public A
3-Red Bank Catholic 65, 6-Camden Catholic 44
Senior Amanda Hart sank a pair of triples en route to a team-high 15 points and senior Hayley Moore drained three jumpers from beyond the arc to total 13 for Red Bank Catholic (22-5), which will head to second-seeded Gloucester Catholic for the semifinals on Monday.
The Caseys converted nine 3-pointers in the contest and used a 43-25 showing that spanned the second and third quarters to construct a 56-34 advantage. Sophomore Fab Eggenschwiler dropped in a season-high 10 points and senior Katie Rice added eight.
2-Gloucester Catholic 71, 7-Donovan Catholic 65
Senior Molly Collins poured in a career-high 28 points, including her 1,000th point, but Donovan Catholic (21-6) fell short in a gutty performance.
The Griffins, minus three players due to injury, challenged Gloucester Catholic (24-3) to the end, keeping pace with the Rams thanks in part to a season-high 12 3-pointers. Senior Melissa Buxton scored 17 for Donovan Catholic. Collins and Buxton each accounted for five 3-pointers.