Sparta girls basketball team wins H/W/S title

Perseverance paid off in a very big way for the Sparta High School girls basketball team Friday night, Feb. 17.

The Spartans, seeded second, scored the final nine points of the game, including seven in the final minute, to up-end top-seeded Pope John in the championship game of the 14th annual Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament at Centenary University in Hackettstown.

The title is the third straight for Sparta (19-7), which also won the tri-county crown in 2020 and last year. No tournament was played in 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Pope John (19-8) was seeking its first H/W/S crown.

Senior guard Rylee Munier had a game-high 16 points along with three rebounds and four steals for Sparta. Her two free throws with 40 seconds remaining gave her team a 46-45 lead. Munier rebounded a shot by Ally Sweeney and was fouled attempting a reverse layup.

Sweeney (12 points, nine assists, two rebounds) had connected on a three-pointer with 57 seconds left to draw the Spartans within one point, 45-44.

After the Lions missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with 24 seconds left, Sparta took over possession. Sweeney calmly made two free throws after being fouled with 18 seconds remaining to provide her team with a 48-45 edge.

Pope John, which held a 25-14 lead at the half, had a final chance to tie the score but a last-second three-point attempt just missed the mark.

Sparta senior guard Bailey Chapman (12 points, three assists, two steals) was named the Most Valuable Player while her sister Molly added four points with two rebounds. Mason Munier totaled two points and eight rebounds with Malaya Dobbs adding two points.

Pope John was led by freshman Addison Platt, who had a team-high 15 points, with junior Maddie Miller adding 14 points, freshman Kennedy Brown scoring nine points and senior Kylie Squier adding seven points.

Miller’s three-pointer with 5:08 remaining in the fourth quarter pushed Pope John’s lead to 42-37 before Munier scored on a reverse layup off the glass to bring Sparta within three points, 42-39, with 4:38 left.

Platt then converted a three-point play (basket and free throw) to give the Lions a 45-39 edge with 4:11 left. Those were the final points Pope John scored, however.

Molly Chapman began Sparta’s final comeback when she made two free throws with 3:58 left to close within four points, 45-41. The teams then traded possessions and missed shots during the next three minutes.

Sparta has been playing this season without Brynn McCurry, who tore her ACL in her team’s first game this season - a 54-45 victory over Rumson-Fair Haven on Dec. 16.

McCurry, who was the MVP of the H/W/S in 2020 and 2022, is a Villanova signee and has totaled 1,350 career points.

Last year, she averaged 20.6 points, 9.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists in helping Sparta to its first NJSIAA Group 3 state title since 2001 and earning First Team All-State honors in the process.

The result Friday also gave Sparta a 2-1 edge this season over its neighborhood rival. Pope John won the first game between the schools, 70-45, on Jan. 10 before Sparta won the rematch, 48-47, on Feb. 9.

Sparta also defeated Pope John in last year’s H/W/S final, 60-43, led by McCurry, who had a game-high 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks.

Both teams will turn their attention to their respective state tournaments, which begin next week.

Sparta, under the direction of veteran head coach Catherine Wille, finished fifth in the state last year with a record of 27-4 and reached the semifinal round of the Tournament of Champions.

This year, the team is seeded sixth in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3 tournament and will play host to 11th-seeded Wayne Valley in a first round game at 6 p.m. Monday, Feb. 20.

The sectional quarterfinals are slated for Wednesday, Feb. 22 with the semis Friday, Feb. 24. The sectional final is set for Tuesday, Feb. 28 at the home of the highest remaining seed.

Pope John, with first-year head coach Kevin Houston at the helm, is seeded second in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Non-Public A bracket and received a bye into the quarterfinal round.

It will play host to seventh-seeded Hudson Catholic or 10th-seeded Mount St. Dominic in the quarters Feb. 24. The Lady Lions reached the sectional semis a year ago, bowing to Immaculate Heart, 49-46.