Sparta advances to H/W/S semis
SPARTA. Girls basketball team, seeded sixth, beats third-seeded Hunterdon Central in the quarterfinal round.
Sparta /
| 04 Feb 2024 | 04:06
Pope John freshman Ty Plotts attempts a jump shot in the game against Sparta on Thursday, Feb. 1. The Spartans won, 53-31. (Photos by Jay Vogel)
Pope John’s Prince Joshua looks for a place to pass the ball.
Pope John’s Anthony Schnabel defends against Sparta’s Pat Connors.
Sparta’s Lehsem Little carries the ball into the offensive zone.
Sparta’s Brandon Joefield defends against Pope John’s Angelo Dillon.
Pope John’s Tyler Houser shoots a free throw.
Sparta High School students cheering.
Sparta celebrates the victory.
Pope John students watch the game.
Sparta head coach Brian Brennan.
Pope John head coach Lee Van Horn.
Pope John’s Tyler Houser is introduced.
Led by 12 points from Molly Chapman, 11 points from Malaya Dobbs and a stifling defense from start to finish, the sixth-seeded Sparta High School girls basketball team posted a 33-25 upset victory over third-seeded Hunterdon Central in the quarterfinal round of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 3 in Flemington.
Sparta, which won the past three H/W/S tournaments, will meet second-seeded Voorhees in the semifinal round at Wallkill Valley High on Saturday, Feb. 10 at a time to be determined.
Top-seeded Pope John will meet fourth-seeded Warren Hills in the other semifinal.
Against Hunterdon Central, Sparta held a slim 21-19 lead after three quarters but closed with a 12-6 fourth quarter to earn the decision.
“The girls played absolutely outstanding today,” said first-year head coach Kristina Danella. “We ran a new defense and kept it up the entire game. Molly and Malaya played very well, and Katie Sutton (six points) had a big defensive stop when we were up three in the fourth.
Sparta (7-2), which has won four straight games, also defeated 11th-seeded Vernon in the second round of the tri-county tournament Jan. 30 at home.
Abby Connors (14 points, eight rebounds, five steals, two assists), Dobbs (13 points, five steals), Chapman (nine points, nine rebounds, three assists, two blocks) and Moira Sweeney (four points, nine rebounds, five assists) powered the 49-35 victory.
When the Spartans meet Voorhees (16-3) on Feb. 10, they will face a familiar foe.
“We saw Voorhees earlier in the season and didn’t play great but only lost by five (53-48 on Dec. 29),” Danella said. “While our record isn’t great, this has been the best group of girls to be around and I can’t speak higher of them. They’ve been winning of late and that’s been great to see.”
Here’s how other Sparta sports teams fared last week:
Boys basketball
Despite a career-high 23 points from sophomore Shane Hoover, the sixth-seeded Spartans bowed to third-seeded Hunterdon Central, 67-56, in the quarterfinal round of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament on Feb. 3 in Flemington.
Leshem Little added 12 points for Sparta, which outscored its rival, 36-29, in the second half.
Sparta (9-10) had defeated 11th-seeded Voorhees, 46-39, in a second-round game Jan. 30 at home. Little had a game-high 15 points to pace the victory.
Sparta will play host to Chatham at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 8.
Wrestling
Sparta (16-3) is seeded sixth for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 team tournament.
The team was scheduled to wrestle against third-seeded Pascack Valley at River Dell High School on Monday, Feb. 5.
The sectional semifinals also were set for Feb. 5, with the sectional championship slated for Wednesday, Feb. 7 at the highest remaining seed.
Indoor track
The Sparta indoor track squad will compete in the NJSIAA Sectional Championships beginning at 9 a.m. Feb. 10 at the Bennett Indoor Complex in Toms River.