By Warren Rappleyea
Sayreville War Memorial High School’s girls basketball team ended the season just one win shy of the 20-victory mark for the second straight year — and the Bombers scored several impressive successes along the way.
Third-seeded Sayreville ended up at 19-8 following its season-ending, 57-53 loss to South Brunswick High School (19-7) in the quarterfinals of the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group IV tournament March 3. The Bombers went into halftime with a 24-18 lead, but the sixth-seeded Vikings came on strong after the intermission and took the lead in the fourth quarter.
Down by as many as 11 points, coach Janet Cook’s team rallied to come back but came up short. Junior guard Patrice Harding led Sayreville with 21 points, while Morenike Akinrefon and Esi Enahoro added 10 points apiece.
The Bombers got to the quarterfinals following a solid 73-43 victory against 14th-seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South (9-17), as three players scored in double figures. Enahoro topped the team with 14 points, and Katie Esposito and Jasmine Van Note posted 10 points each.
After defeating 14th-seeded South Plainfield High School, 57-40, in the opening round of the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament, Sayreville, which earned the third seed, fell to Bishop George Ahr High School, 58-52, in the quarterfinals. The sixth-seeded Trojans got off to a 21-7 lead in the first quarter and managed to hold on the rest of the way. Harding and Enahoro scored 16 points apiece to lead a Sayreville rally, but it was not enough.
The good news for Sayreville is that most of its lineup will be back and should be able to maintain the up-tempo style that kept many opponents off balance.
Enahoro, a junior, averaged 12.8 points to lead the team, including 22 points in a January win against South Plainfield. She scored in double figures 18 times. Harding, who averaged 12 points, was right behind Enahoro. She scored in double figures on 20 occasions and posted 47 3-pointers and 56 steals — all tops on the team.
The Bombers should have plenty of additional offense. Akinrefon averaged 10 points and Esposito and Ryane Brush both averaged about 7.5 points. Brush also had 27 3-pointers to her credit. All three are juniors. Van Note, a sophomore, averaged about six points.
Sayreville will lose forwards Nuru Sbeah and Rebecca Wehrle, along with guard Amada Eberle, to graduation. Sbeah averaged five points and was a presence in the paint, while Wehrle averaged about four points.
“We had a strong junior class, and they want to go further in the tournaments,” Cook said. “Many of them have been varsity players for a few years now. Our experience should be a big plus, and the girls definitely feel they’re capable of winning tournaments.”