Sparta boys, girls basketball teams in H/W/S semifinals

The Sparta High School boys and girls teams each advanced to the semifinal round of their respective Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournaments on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 4.

The fifth-seeded boys team received a game-high 24 points from Matthew Maresca and 11 points from Dan Lyden to earn a 58-49 victory over fourth-seeded Delaware Valley in a quarterfinal game in Frenchtown.

Sparta will play host to ninth-seeded North Hunterdon, which upset top-seeded Phillipsburg, 49-37, in the semifinal round Saturday, Feb. 11.

Second-seeded Hackettstown will meet sixth-seeded Vernon in the other semifinal Saturday.

The championship game will be held Friday, Feb. 17.

Sparta (12-7) trailed Delaware Valley, 29-28, at the half before using a 14-8 third-quarter showing to take a 42-37 lead.

Other catalysts for the Spartans were Finn Mell (nine points), Nick Ryan (seven points), Brandon Joefield (three points), Brayden Diblasio (two points) and Edan Alkovic (two points).

Sparta, which lost in the second round of the tournament last year, is seeking its first H/W/S Tournament title since it won its only crown in the 13-year history of the event in 2019.

Ryan, a senior guard, is averaging 11.3 points to lead the Spartans in scoring, followed by Mell (8.6 points per game), Maresca (7.5 points per game) and Lyden (5.8 points per game).

Sparta will play at Pope John at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9, looking for its third win this winter over its rival. The Spartans defeated Pope John, 59-39, on Jan. 10 and again, 57-41, in the second round of the H/W/S Tournament on Jan. 31.

Girls basketball

The Spartans, seeded second, used a game-high 19 points from Bailey Chapman, including 13-of-14 free throws, and 14 points and five rebounds from Mason Munier to post a 41-32 victory over seventh-seeded Hunterdon Central in a H/W/S quarterfinal in Sparta.

Sparta (14-6) will meet sixth-seeded Voorhees in the semifinal round at 2:45 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 at Warren Hills in Washington Township.

Top-seeded Pope John will face fourth-seeded Phillipsburg in the other semifinal, with the championship game slated for 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 17 at Centenary University.

The Spartans held a 14-3 lead after the first quarter and led, 19-12, at the half. Hunterdon Central used a 12-7 effort in the third quarter to cut its deficit to 26-24. Sparta then closed with a 15-8 fourth-quarter showing.

Molly Chapman added four points and four rebounds and Malaya Dobbs and Haley Maher each added two points for Sparta.

Sparta is seeking its third straight tri-county tournament crown after winning in 2020 and last year. There was no tournament in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Spartans are scheduled to play host to Pope John at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9.