Bordentown boys, Florence girls only local basketball teams to make states

By: Kyle Moylan Sports Editor
    Despite losing all three of its games this past week, the Bordentown High School boys’ basketball team had an 8-8 record at the state cutoff and will be playing in the post-season.
    “You’re always happy when you make states,” noted Bordentown High Coach Craig Parker. “I’m very proud of the boys’ effort this season.”
    Bordentown was defeated by Willingboro, 62-48, on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
    Willingboro outscored Bordentown in every quarter, including a 19-12 advantage in the third quarter when it opened up the game.
    Joe Ricks and Gary Carthan scored 14 points each for Bordentown in the loss.
    Bordentown was defeated by Holy Cross in overtime, 59-57, this past Thursday.
    “We lost two overtime games this season,” Parker noted. “We were close to adding two more wins, but we’re happy being back in the states. There are a lot of teams in New Jersey that would love to trade places with us.”
    Casey Nunez and Carthan scored 19 points each for Bordentown in the loss to Holy Cross. Ricks added 10 points.
    This past Friday, Bordentown was defeated by Cinnaminson, 70-57.
    This game was tied at 34-34 at the half. Cinnaminson then took control of the game with a 21-6 run in the third quarter.
    Carthan scored 30 points and Ricks added 10 points for Bordentown.
    Bordentown was carried into the playoffs thanks to its great 5-0 start to the season.
    “Right now, we’re just trying to find some consistency as a team,” Parker said. “We’ll win five games in a row and then turn around and lose four games in a row. These little things just pop up here and there. We have 10 games left in the regular season. Over those games we’ll work on things (to help get us ready for the state tournament.)”
    Bordentown was scheduled to play at Delran on Tuesday. Bordentown will play at New Egypt on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. Bordentown will host Burlington City on Tuesday and BCIT Westampton on Wednesday, with both games scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m.
    FHS BOYS
    The Florence High School boys’ basketball team was defeated by Cinnaminson, 67-52, on Thursday.
    The loss prevented Florence from reaching the .500 mark and clinching a spot in the state playoffs.
    Manan Desai (12 points), Steve Muni (11 points) and Adam Schmidt (10 points) all scored in double figures for Florence.
    Florence had a 7-9 record at this past Saturday’s cutoff to have a .500 record or better to make the state playoffs.
    Florence was defeated by Senaca, 49-40, this past Monday.
    Schmidt scored 17 points and Muni added 11 points for Florence in the loss.
    Florence was scheduled to play Riverside this past Tuesday. Florence will host Holy Cross tonight (Thursday) at 6:15 p.m. Florence will play at New Egypt on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
    Florence will also be taking part in the CVC Challenge this Saturday. This event matches teams from the Colonial Valley Conference league (mainly Mercer County teams) against those from Burlington. Florence will play West Windsor North at Steinert High School at 10 a.m. on Saturday.
    NBC BOYS
    The Northern Burlington boys basketball team was defeated by Moorestown, 51-41.
    This was a fairly even game for three of the four quarters. Moorestown dominated the second quarter on the scoreboard 17-8.
    Eric Pearson scored 13 points, Jeremy Shulkin 11 points and Boomer Walton added seven points for Northern Burlington.
    Northern Burlington lost to Medford Tech, 70-65, in double overtime this past Friday night.
    Northern Burlington led 15-9 after the first quarter, but the game was tied at 39-39 after three quarters, 52-52 after regular and 59-59 after the first overtime.
    Walton scored 22 points, Pearson 17 points, Ryan Walsh nine points and Shulkin nine points for Northern Burlington
    Northern Burlington was scheduled to play Rancocas Valley on Tuesday. It will play at Pemberton today (Thursday) at 5:15 p.m. Northern Burlington will host Allentown in a CVC Challenge game on Saturday at 11:30 a.m. Northern Burlington will also be at Riverside for a game at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
    BRHS GIRLS
    The Bordentown High School girls’ basketball team was defeated by Willingboro, 71-52, on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
    Alicia Pickett scored 20 points, Melanie Bakeman eight points and Emily Lawson seven points for Bordentown in the loss.
    Holy Cross edged Bordentown, 42-41, on Thursday.
    A three-pointer with 14 seconds to play by Holy Cross’ Sue Gilbride was the difference in the game.
    Pickett scored 15 points and Alicia Carthan added seven points for Bordentown.
    Bordentown was defeated by Cinnaminson, 50-41, on Saturday.
    Pickett scored 14 points, Carthan 13 points and Emily Lawson 10 points for Bordentown in the loss.
    Bordentown was scheduled to play Delran this past Tuesday. Bordentown will host Rancocas Valley tonight (Thursday) and New Egypt on Friday, with both games scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m. It will also have a game in the CVC Challenge on Saturday, hosting Princeton at 11:30 a.m. Bordentown will play at Burlington City at 6:15 p.m. on Tuesday.
    NBC GIRLS
    The Northern Burlington High School girls’ basketball team was defeated by Moorestown, 51-39, on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
    Northern Burlington finished strong with a 22-16 edge in the fourth quarter. That was five more points than Northern Burlington scored in the first three quarters combined.
    Danielle Funk scored 12 points and Brittany Young added nine points for Northern Burlington.
    Northern Burlington lost to Delran on Thursday, 60-46.
    Northern Burlington was defeated by Trenton Catholic, 55-25, on Monday.
    Trenton Catholic took a 16-6 lead after the first quarter and built that to a 33-9 advantage by the half.
    Young led Northern Burlington with seven points in the loss.
    Northern Burlington was scheduled to play Rancocas Valley on Tuesday. Northern Burlington will host Holy Cross today (Thursday) at 7 p.m. and Riverside on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Northern Burlington will also have a game in the CVC Challenge on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Hightstown.
    FHS GIRLS
    The Florence High girls’ basketball team had its nine-game winning streak snapped on Saturday by Palmyra, 58-48.
    Sarah Muchowski scored 14 points and Erin Sweeney added 13 points for Florence in the loss.
    Florence (11-4) was scheduled to play Riverside on Tuesday. It will play at BCIT Medford today (Thursday) at 3:45 p.m. Florence will host New Egypt on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
    Florence will also take part in the CVC Challenge on Saturday. This game matches opponents from the Colonial Valley Conference (most Mercer County teams) against those from the Burlington league. Florence will play Allentown at 10 a.m. at Holy Cross.