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SPORTS: News and Notes

By Rich Fisher, Sports Editor
   The South Brunswick PAL eighth-grade girls basketball team opened its week with a 49-44 loss to Wanaque in the semifinals of the Clark Winter tournament.
   Zojajha Ayub and Janae Mayfield combined for eight second-quarter points to keep the Vikings close at the half.
   In the third quarter, Briana Davis connected on three consecutive three-pointer shots to tie the game.
   The Vikings fell behind in the fourth, but made a comeback behind Erin Carroll’s eight points to pull within four, but Wanaque hit all their foul shots down the stretch to seal the win.
   Davis had 14 points, followed by Carroll (13), Ayub (seven), Mayfield (six), and Erica Dwyer and Zoee D’Costa (two each).
   In North Brunswick league play, the Vikings won their semifinal game against St. Bart’s, 51-28.
   Sunna Baig hit back-to-back baskets to spark the second half as the Vikings went on for the win.
   Mayfield had 13 points, followed by Ayub (12), Carroll (10), Dwyer (six), Baig (four), Davis (three), D’Costa (two) and Rachel Calabro (one).
   South opened with two wins in the Middlesex County tournament starting with a victory over Edison.
   After taking a sizable halftime lead, the second half opened with Davis and Baig hitting three-pointers followed by a D’Costa basket off a Calabro assist as the Vikings went on for the win.
   Leading the way were Carroll and Dwyer (12 each), Mayfield (eight), Davis and Baig (three each) and D’Costa (two).
   In the second game, the Vikings exploded in the third quarter against Immaculate Conception-Spotswood as Calabro hit a deep three-pointer along with D’Costa’s back-to-back baskets to spark a 17-point run behind baskets by Davis, Baig, Dwyer, Ayub and Carroll.
   Dwyer had 12 points followed by Ayub (nine), D’Costa (six), Calabro (five), Carroll (four), Davis (three) and Baig, (two).
   COLUMBUS, Ohio — Rowan University’s Jamie Thompson earned All-America honors at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track Championships on Saturday.
   The national championships, March 11-12, were held at The Capital Center on the campus of Capital University.
   Thompson, of Monmouth Junction, was eighth overall in the 55-meter hurdles. She ran a time of 8.33 in the second heat of the final.
   Friday, Thompson won heat one in the first round with a school record time of 8.13. The old mark was 8.31 by Thompson at last week’s Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships on March 4. The 55-meter hurdle was won by Illinois College’s Melissa Norville in 8.10.
   Jena Peacock, of Williamstown, finished 12th in the 5000 meters with a time of 18:01.89. St. Lawrence University’s Wendy Pavlus won the 5000 meters in 16:51.78 for the second straight year. Her time was a Capital Center track record.
   Prior to the championships, Thompson had the fourth best time (8.23) among the 16 qualifiers. Her time of 8.85 in the 60-meter hurdles at the Armory Collegiate Challenge on Feb. 25 was converted.
   Thompson broke the 55-meter hurdles school record (8.40) she held in the trials (8.31) at the ECAC Championships on March 4.