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Spartans advance to H/W/S semis

SPARTA. Girls basketball team defeats Newton, 63-19, in quarterfinal of Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament.

Sparta /
| 10 Feb 2025 | 09:32
    SPB1 Sparta’s Leshem Little grabs the ball during a rebound in the game against Wallkill Valley on Jan. 30. Sparta won, 66-49. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
    SPB1 Sparta’s Leshem Little grabs the ball during a rebound in the game against Wallkill Valley on Jan. 30. Sparta won, 66-49. (Photos by George Leroy Hunter)
    SPB2 Sparta’s Pat Connors handles the ball during a shot. He scored seven points.
    SPB2 Sparta’s Pat Connors handles the ball during a shot. He scored seven points.
    SPB3 Sparta’s Anthony Settembre shoots for the basket. He scored four points.
    SPB3 Sparta’s Anthony Settembre shoots for the basket. He scored four points.
    A Spartan and a Ranger reach for the ball during the tip-off to start the game.
    A Spartan and a Ranger reach for the ball during the tip-off to start the game.
    Wallkill Valley’s Ryan Geene handles the ball while covered by Sparta’s Hayden Kopco. Geene scored three points, grabbed seven rebounds and was credited with three steals.
    Wallkill Valley’s Ryan Geene handles the ball while covered by Sparta’s Hayden Kopco. Geene scored three points, grabbed seven rebounds and was credited with three steals.
    Wallkill Valley’s Gavin Solano leaps toward the net during a shot in the third quarter. He scored 19 points.
    Wallkill Valley’s Gavin Solano leaps toward the net during a shot in the third quarter. He scored 19 points.
    Sparta’s Leshem Little glides through the air during a shot. He scored 28 points, grabbed five rebounds and was credited with one steal.
    Sparta’s Leshem Little glides through the air during a shot. He scored 28 points, grabbed five rebounds and was credited with one steal.
    Sparta's Eric McCall scored three points and grabbed two rebounds.
    Sparta's Eric McCall scored three points and grabbed two rebounds.
    Sparta’s Pat Connors scored seven points.
    Sparta’s Pat Connors scored seven points.

Molly Chapman netted a game-high 15 points and Katie Sutton added 12 points to lead the third-seeded Sparta High School girls basketball team to a 63-19 victory over sixth-seeded Newton in the quarterfinal round of the 15th Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament at home Saturday, Feb. 8.

The Spartans will meet second-seeded Voorhees in the H/W/S semifinal at 1:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 15 at Phillipsburg High School. Before that game, Pope John, the top seed, will meet fifth-seeded Delaware Valley in the other semifinal at noon.

The tri-county championship game is slated for at 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 21 at Centenary University in Hackettstown.

Sparta (14-6) is seeking its fourth title in the past five tournaments after winning in 2020, 2022 and 2023. No tournament was held in 2021.

Against Newton, Sparta also was paced by Kiernan Moore (nine points), Kayla Barreau (eight points), Kaelyn Sabanosh (eight points), Brooke Shust (seven points) and Abby Connors (four points).

Sparta had defeated 14th-seeded Phillipsburg, 53-30, in a H/W/S second-round game at home Feb. 4.

Chapman (18 points, five rebounds, five blocks, two assists), Sutton (six points, 10 rebounds), Shust (eight points, six rebounds, two blocks, two steals), Connors (five points, five steals, four rebounds, four assists) and Barreau (six points, four rebounds, two assists) led the way.

Here’s how other Sparta teams fared recently:

Boys basketball

Leshem Little scored a game-high 20 points and Pat Connors added 11, but 10th-seeded Sparta bowed to seventh-seeded Hackettstown, 59-49, in the second round of the H/W/S Tournament there Feb. 4.

Little then had 17 points and Tyler Conlee added 13 as Sparta dropped an 81-58 decision to Millburn at home Feb. 8.

Sparta (7-13) will play host to Jefferson at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13.

Ice hockey

The Kinnelon/Jefferson/Sparta tri-op squad, seeded third, dropped a 3-0 decision to second-seeded Morristown-Beard in the semifinal round of the Mennen Cup on Feb. 5 at Mennen Arena in Morris Township.

The Colts had defeated sixth-seeded Morristown, 6-1, in a Mennen Cup first-round game Feb. 4 at Mennen Arena.

Jake Prunty (three goals, one assist), Braydon Sisco (two goals, two assists), Cooper O’Neil (two assists) and Cormac Gibbons (one goal) led the offense with Brian Sisti anchoring the defense with 29 saves.

Sisco, a sophomore forward, leads the team in scoring with 32 goals and 16 assists for Kinnelon/Jefferson/Sparta (10-7-1).

Girls wrestling

Junior Paige Weiss won the 122-pound championship to lead Sparta at the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Championships on Feb. 1 at Vernon Township High School.

Weiss, who won the state title at 100 pounds as a freshman and finished fourth at 114 last year, won her second NJAC title with an 18-3 technical fall in 4:28 over Kaylee Hughen of Boonton.

Sparta finished 11th of 20 teams.

Indoor track

Julian Laznik-Moraghan won the 1,600-meter run in 4:33.50 and was third in the 3,200-meter run in 10:08.80 to pace the Sparta boys at the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Section 1, Groups 1 and 2 championships Feb. 8 at the Bennett Indoor Complex in Toms River.

Jace Senkyire was third in the 400-meter dash in 53.21 followed by Jack Wittenmeier, who was fourth with a time of 53.27. Wittenmeier also was sixth in the 800-meter run in 2:05.33 followed by Tyler Harms, who was eighth in 2:10.25.

Jacob Weinstock was seventh in the high jump with an effort of 5-8 and Kassim Joseph was seventh in the 55-meter dash in 6.86.

On the girls side, Olivia Schwartz was fourth in the 800-meter run in 2:28.04 and fifth in the 400-meter dash in 1:01.64. Celia Rossettini was sixth in the 1,600-meter run in 5:34.03 followed by Ava Barone, who was seventh in 5:41.69.

Rossettini was seventh in the 3,200-meter run in 12:21.69, and Barone placed ninth in 12:28.

Isabella Frattura was fifth in the high jump with an effort of 5-0 followed by Miliana Dobbs, who was eighth with a jump of 4-10.