Spartans win holiday tournament
SPARTA. High school boys basketball team defeats Warren Hills, 48-43, in the championship game.
Sparta /
| 02 Jan 2024 | 09:24
SB1 Sparta's Leshem Little (11) takes the ball toward the hoop while Warren Hills defender Jake Nisivoccia tries to stop the shot. Little scored eight points in the championship game of the Newton Holiday Tournament. Sparta won, 48-43. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
SB2 Sparta's Brandon Joefield handles the ball under tight coverage.
SB3 Sparta's Tyler Conlee (15) raises the ball toward the hoop during a shot. He scored 16 points in the game against Warren Hills.
SB4 Sparta's Chrystian Grubbs shoots during the second half. He scored 14 points.
Sparta's Patrick Connors releases the ball during a shot in the second half. He scored five points in the tournament finals Friday, Dec. 29.
Sparta's Leshem Little (11) handles the ball.
Tyler Conlee scored a game-high 16 points and Chrystian Grubbs added 14 points to lead the Sparta High School boys basketball team to a 48-43 victory over Warren Hills in the championship game of the Newton Holiday Tournament on Friday, Dec. 29.
Conlee, a junior who averaged 18 points in two tournament games, was named the event’s Most Valuable Player.
Sparta held a slight 21-20 lead at the half before outscoring Warren Hills, 27-23, after the break.
In the opening game of the tournament, Conlee had a team-high 20 points, Grubbs added 13 points and Leshem Little hit for 12 points to steer Sparta to a dominant 65-45 decision over Newton on Wednesday, Dec. 27.
After an 0-2 start, Sparta (3-2) has won three straight heading into the new year.
The Spartans are scheduled to play at Delbarton in Morristown at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 5 and to host Madison at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6.
Here’s how other Sparta teams fared last week:
Girls basketball
Despite 14 points apiece from Molly Chapman and Katie Sutton, the Spartans bowed to Voorhees, 53-48, in the championship game of the Voorhees Holiday Tournament on Friday, Dec. 29 in Glen Gardner.
Sparta (3-3) was ahead, 17-10, after the first quarter, but Voorhees used a 31-12 showing in the middle periods to extend to a 41-29 lead that it never lost.
In the opening game of the tournament Dec. 28, Chapman scored a game-high 26 points to lead Sparta to a 54-44 decision over Warren Hills.
Malaya Dobbs (eight points), Abby Connors (seven points), Moira Sweeney (six points), Sutton (five points) and Kayleigh O’Brien (two points) also keyed the Sparta offense in the win.
Sparta is scheduled to play host to Morris Knolls at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6.
Indoor track
Remson Jarrell won the 3200-meter run with a time of 10:08.34 while teammate Julian Laznik-Moraghan placed second in 10:32.93 to pace the Sparta boys at the Cliff Back Invitational on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 30 at Drew University in Madison.
Jack Wittenmeier was sixth in the 400-meter run in 56.18 with Deagan Hopkins placing eighth in the 3200-meter run in 10:45.95 and Dean Stas placing ninth in the 800-meter run in 2:08.92.
For the girls, Ava Barone was second in the 3200-meter run in 13:03.37 with Kate Sutphen taking seventh in the event with a time of 13:32.62 and Alexandra Radcliffe placing 10th in 13:58.15. Celia Rossettini placed eighth in the 1600 meter run in 5:59.98.
Wrestling
Sparta (2-0) is scheduled to wrestle against Randolph at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4 before wrestling at Ramsey at 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 6.