By Sean Moylan, Sports Writer
The Life Center Academy girls’ varsity basketball team clobbered New Jersey United Christian Academy, 52-31, in this past Tuesday’s road game.
Dominique King drilled 11 field goals to score a game-high 22 points for the Warriors in an easy win. Michelle Odita also had a big game with 18 points. Jazmyne Wilkinson (seven points), Alexis Jones (four points) and Brittany Sweat (point) also tallied for LCA.
Life Center Academy scored 20 points while holding NJUCA to just three points in the first quarter. From there, LCA just coasted to a victory.
Riverside defeated LCA, 45-30, in this past Monday’s game at Florence.
The contest was very close until the final quarter. King (14 points) and Odita (10 points) both played well in defeat. Cayla Bercaw (four points) and Wilkinson (three points) also scored.
Despite Monday’s loss, LCA (12-2) is still undefeated in the Penn-Jersey League (7-0). LCA is scheduled to host Pine Foge Academy today (Thursday). It is scheduled at Saint Mary’s Hall tomorrow (Friday). LCA is scheduled to host American Christian next Tuesday.
NBC
Scoring a season-high 30 points, Katie Carty sparked the Northern Burlington High girls’ basketball team to a 65-37 win over Pemberton at Northern Burlington last Thursday.
”They had a hard time with all of our post-up players,” said NBC Coach Brad Campbell, who watched his senior center (Carty) score at will in the paint. “I think that was just a younger team versus an older team. But that team is getting better every time we play them.”
Ericka Baldwin came in and tallied a career-high nine points for NBC. Brittany Young also played one of her finest games of her high school career with eight points. Campbell used nearly his entire roster in the Pemberton game as Jillian Asay, Jess Koltenicki and Ashanti Vaughn each tossed in four points. Timaura Barfield, Jess Aitken and Lauren Pigott each knocked down a field goal for the winning club.
Then on Friday, Eastern defeated NBC, 54-36.
”We filled the gym. We had a ‘whiteout’ where everyone wore white tee shirts,” said Campbell, who, going in, thought his club had an excellent shot at upsetting Eastern. Unfortunately, turnovers got in the way of his master plan.
Carty poured in 11 field goals for 22 points. Asay scored seven points and played great defense. Kristine Funk, Zara Mauss and Young each had a bucket while Danielle Funk scored a point from the foul line.
This past Tuesday, the Chimeras beat the Greyhounds 55-31 at Willingboro.
Willingboro led 28-12 at the halftime intermission, however, NBC did play much better in the second stanza. K. Funk led Northern in scoring with nine points. Carty (eight points), Young (six points), Vaughn (three points), Barfield (two points), Pigott (two points) and D. Funk (point) also scored for Northern Burlington.
”We’ve got our first two-game losing streak of the season and that leaves a bad taste in my mouth,” said Campbell, who’d love to see his 11-6 Greyhounds return to their winning ways this week.
NBC is scheduled at Burlington Township on Friday. NBC is scheduled to host Allentown on Saturday. Next Tuesday Northern Burlington is scheduled at Moorestown.
FLORENCE
”We had a good one tonight (Tuesday). It was 22-20 at the half and we were behind. They scored just nine points in the second half and we scored a lot (30 points),” said Florence Coach Vince Cipriano, whose Flashes survived a first-quarter hiccup and came back to blast the Riverside Rams 50-31 at Florence on Tuesday night.
In the opening minutes of the contest, Florence fell behind 8-2 but it rallied to cut its deficit to four (10-6) by the end of the opening quarter. And in the second half, the entire Flashes’ team came alive, doing the little things and the big things right.
”We had 15 paint misses in the first half,” said Cipriano. “The second half team is the one I like. Sarah Muchowski (a game-high 16 points) got hot and made a few bombs.”
Florence also got tremendous efforts by Erin Sweeney (nine points) and Jessica Foulks (10 points).
”Erin Sweeney played a real good floor game. She slashed to the basket,” said Cipriano, who liked Sweeney’s work on boards too. “And Jess (Foulks) had a couple of nice dribble drives.”
Stephanie Allison tallied seven points but Cipriano was just as happy with her stellar rebounding. Despite getting into early foul trouble, Kiara Boone tossed in six points for Florence.
”Tori Povia (two points) got in and did a nice job of rebounding,” said Cipriano, who was also impressed with the play of Molly Fitzpatrick and Elizabeth Shaffer. “They’re winning the games they are suppose to win.”
Last Friday a very strong Holy Cross team defeated Florence, 39-29, at Delran.
”That was another excellent game. The score doesn’t indicate how close it was,” said Cipriano, whose Flashes trailed by just a point (22-21) entering the final quarter.
Florence’s Chakera Hightower was having a terrific game, scoring a team-high 11 points, when she sprained her shoulder. There is no timetable as to when she can return to the lineup. Muchowski (eight points), Boone (six points) and Allison (four points) also scored for the Flashes in the loss.
Florence (10-4) is still fighting for at least one home playoff game. Florence is scheduled at Palmyra today (Thursday). Florence is scheduled to host Timber Creek High on Saturday and Medford Tech next Tuesday. Right now, the Flashes are just a beautiful blend of young and veteran players.
BRHS
First, Samantha Cobbs caught fire at the defensive end of the court. Then, over the last two weeks, the Bordentown High girls’ basketball team’s highly-skilled senior guard began scoring points in bunches when her team most needed them.
In fact, Cobbs scored a game-high eight points in Bordentown’s 35-28 home win over Burlington Township last Thursday.
”Sam Cobbs is really starting to step up and play the way we always knew she could play,” said Bordentown Coach Rob Shappell, who in particular, appreciated Cobbs’ four fourth-quarter points versus the Falcons. “She’s also had some great defensive games.”
Cobbs made three steals against Burlington Township, but the entire Bordentown squad deserves the credit for holding down the Falcons’ offense.
”We were really sharing the ball well. Defensively we really stepped up and we held Township to just two points in the fourth quarter,” said Shappell. “They stole one from us (48-46) at their place so it was nice to get a little payback.”
Scotties guard Kara Lynch netted five points but she really showed her mettle on the boards, where she the cleaned the glass 11 times.
”She’s second on our team in rebounding and she’s our point guard,” added Shappell of Lynch.
The Scotties’ best rebounder, Stephanie Hazlett, collected 12 boards and scored three points versus Burlington Township.
Jenna Tanzini (seven points), Molly Napolitano (six points), Jess Villalba (three points), Alicia Pickett (two points) and Ashley Jaekel (point) also scored.
Then on Friday Bordentown hosted and crushed Medford Tech, 67-34, as Pickett scored a game-high 16 points.
”Against Medford Tech, she dropped in 16 points and she only played three quarters. She didn’t even start. I put her in the second quarter,” said Shappell, who got eight points from Pickett in the second quarter.
Villalba had a tremendous two-way game for Bordentown with six points and six steals. Lynch and Hudik each tallied seven points while Hazlett and Napolitano scored six points apiece. Cobbs played solid defense and buried a trey on her way to netting five points. Tanzini (five points), Jaekel (four points), Harley Gallo (two points), Melanie Bakeman (two points) and Emily Lawson (point) also scored.
However, Westampton Tech spoiled the fun with a 43-35 victory over the Scotties at Bordentown this past Monday.
”Unfortunately, we couldn’t make it the trifecta. In the first half we were really getting our butts kicked. But early in the third quarter I called a timeout (the Scotties were losing 33-12 at the time) and regrouped the troops and we made a nice run,” said Shappell.
Cobbs tossed in nine points, Tanzini eight points, Pickett six points, Hazlett six points and Lawson four points.
Bordentown may be 5-11 because of its lack of height, but it’s still one of the hardest working teams in Burlington County. The Scotties bring it every night. That’s something to be very proud of. Bordentown is scheduled at Riverside on Friday and Holy Cross on Tuesday.
