UPDATED: Pope John loses in state group final
SPARTA. The girls basketball team falls to Red Bank Catholic, 80-23, in final round of the NJSIAA Group Tournament, Non-Public A.
Sparta /
| 10 Mar 2024 | 10:21
Pope John's Addison Platt releases the ball during the game against Newark Academy at home Thursday, Feb. 29. The Lions won, 56-31, in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public A Tournament. (Photo by George Leroy Hunter)
Pope John's Mia Washington scored 17 points. (Photo by George Leroy Hunter)
Newark Academy's Dagny Slomack dribbles the ball while covered by Pope John's Kaitlyn Platt. (Photo by George Leroy Hunter)
Pope John's Addison Platt dribbles the ball past Newark Academy's Dagny Slomack. Platt scored 18 points. (Photo by George Leroy Hunter)
Pope John's Katie O'Keefe scored two points, grabbed two rebounds and made two assists. (Photo by George Leroy Hunter)
Pope John's Marisa Captoni made two assists and grabbed one rebound. (Photo by George Leroy Hunter)
Sophomore Mia Washington was named the Most Valuable Player in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament final, where she scored 17 points. (Photo provided)
The Pope John girls basketball team won its first H/W/S championship in school history last month. (Photo provided)
From left are sophomore Addison Platt, sophomore Mia Washington and freshman Kaitlyn Platt. Washington was named Most Valuable Player in the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex championship game. (Photo provided)
The Pope John XXIII Regional High School girls basketball team won its first state sectional championship in 26 years, edging Immaculate Heart, 39-38, on Monday, March 4.
The final round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) North Jersey, Non-Public A Tournament was played at John F. Kennedy High School in Paterson.
The Lions (25-5) then were defeated by Red Bank Catholic (26-5) in final round of the NJSIAA Group Tournament, Non-Public A on Friday, March 8 at Rutgers University.
Top-seeded Pope John had defeated Newark Academy of Livingston, 56-31, in the semifinal round of the state sectional tournament Thursday, Feb. 29. The team also beat Hudson Catholic, 45-34, in the quarterfinals Monday, Feb. 26.
The Lions won their first Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex championship in school history against Voorhees, 43-32, on Feb. 16. Last year, Pope John lost in the H/W/S finals to Sparta High School.
The Lions finished in second place behind Chatham (27-3) in the American Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. Two of their losses were to the Chatham team.
Young team
The young team, led by junior Katie O’Keefe, had a starting lineup of mostly freshmen and sophomores.
Needless to say, head coach Pete Torres was very pleased with his players. “The girls all play basketball year round; they want to be good and they want to learn. The lessons the coaching staff and I are teaching them are sinking in and they are seeing the benefits of those lessons.”
After winning the H/W/S title, O’Keefe said, “Everyone felt amazing. We were all celebrating in the locker room. It was just the greatest feeling because after the first two years of us losing, we wanted to win.”
Sophomore Mia Washington was named the Most Valuable Player in the H/W/S final, where she scored 17 points.
“When the final buzzer hit, it was very exciting,” she said after the game. “I was very happy for our team getting this win. To be the MVP was an honor but specifically to share this moment with my teammates was amazing.”
Addy Platt had eight assists, five blocks, and three steals in the game, and Torres credited the defense with the win.
“We had to be a good defense team to win championships I said to the girls early in the season. About three weeks ago, the girls turned a corner and have played excellent defense down the stretch. Voorhees had 13 points at the free throw line and two or three transition baskets, meaning they only had 14 points off our defense.”
CORRECTION: The location of the finals was incorrectly reported in an earlier version of this article.