UPDATE: Sparta girls basketball team loses in OT of finals

The Sparta High School girls basketball team lost a hard-fought contest, 55-52, to fourth-seeded Teaneck (19-7) in overtime of the finals of the 2023 New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Girls Tournament, North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3.

The game Tuesday, Feb. 28 was at Teaneck.

The Spartans had defeated Teaneck, 61-48, in a game Feb. 13.

The sixth-seeded Sparta team (22-7) defeated Old Tappan, 62-45, on Friday, Feb. 24 in the semifinal round.

The Sparta girls were the only Sussex County public high school team - boys or girls - to reach the semifinals.

In that game against Old Tappan, senior Ally Sweeney, who has signed to play for the University of Richmond, had 27 points, five rebounds and three steals.

Last week, Sparta defeated Pope John to win the annual Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament.

Second-seeded Pope John defeated sixth-seeded St. Dominic, 71-32, in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public A semifinal round Monday, Feb. 27.

The Lions were set to play Immaculate Heart in the finals Wednesday, March 1.

On Friday, second-seeded Pope John beat Hudson Catholic, 61-44, in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA Tournament North Jersey, Non-Public A Group. The team had a bye in the first round.

In the NJSIAA Tournament, the Spartans defeated Wayne Valley, 64-34, in the first round, then beat Northern Highlands, 69-61, in the quarterfinals.

The Sparta boys team, which also won the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament title last week, lost in the first round of the NJSIAA Tournament to Old Tappan, 69-49, on Monday, Feb. 20.

The Kittatinny, Wallkill Valley and High Point girls teams lost in the quarterfinal round of the state group tournament.

The Lenape Valley, Newton and Vernon girls teams lost in the first round.

Of the boys teams, Kittatinny and Wallkill Valley lost in the quarterfinals and Lenape Valley, Vernon and Pope John lost in the first round.