STEM Civics knocks off Warren Tech for first win
EWING » The STEM Civics girls’ basketball team wants to build toward bigger things in the 2021-22 season.
After winning two of its last three games a year ago, the Purple Lightning were hoping to get off to a better start this winter.
So they scheduled a game over the holiday break with non-league foe, Warren Tech, a team with whom they had always had good games. Head coach Brooke Cicale’s Knights were also the squad STEM Civics had defeated for its only two wins last season.
Corie Crump, a 5-foot-5 junior guard, remembered well all of her team’s matchups with Warren Tech through the years.
A three-year starter, Crump knew what she and the Lightning needed to do after her team trailed the Knights at the end of the first and third quarter, and only led by a point at intermission.
STEM Civics tightened its defense, and Crump found her shot to lead the locals from the Burlington County Scholastic League Independence Division to their first win, 29-26, in the old Incarnation-St. James Parish gymnasium.
“My shots were just falling in the fourth quarter,” Crump said. “Once I hit the first one, I knew they were going to start falling.”
With a clear shooters mentality, Crump buried a 3-point field goal from about three feet behind the arc with 4:22 left in the game to give the home team its third lead change for a 26-24 advantage.
About two-and-a-half minutes later, Crump fired again, this time from about a foot farther out, and connected to give STEM Civics its biggest lead of five points.
“In the second half today, we played better defense,” Purple Lightning head coach Shaun Doyle said. “We’re getting better at boxing out for rebounds. We’ve still got work to do, but we’re hoping this will boost everyone’s confidence.”
Crump, who scored 10 of her game-high 12 points in the second half, to go with eight rebounds, six steals and two blocked shots, can see the improvement. She saw 5-5 junior guard/forward Diamoni Patterson grab 12 rebounds, which tied her for the game-high with Warren Tech’s Dolly LaParch. There were also nine points (all in the first half) from 5-3 sophomore guard/forward Naziya Reed, which helped offset the 10 points and 10 rebounds turned in by the Knights’ Kendall Miller.
“We’re going to get better and better,” Crump said. “A lot of our players didn’t have experience, but we’re working on it.”
After coming close versus
BCSL Independence foe Willingboro (a two-point loss) in its last outing with only six players available, this holiday win is sure to give STEM Civics (1-2) more incentive as it heads into the new year. WARREN TECH (26) Carrasquillo 1-0-2, de Souza 0-0-0, Gillbert 0-0-0, Penafiel 0-0-0, KMiller 5-0-10, KScott 1-0-2, Gilkes 1-0-2, LaParch 4-0-8, Opdyke 1-0-2.
Totals — 13-0-26.
STEM CIVICS (29)
Crump 4-2-12, Patterson 1-0-2, McDaniels 1-1-3, Reed 4-0-9, NBoone 0-0-0, Del Valle Pomales 1-0-3, Rivera 0-0-0.
Totals — 11-3-29.
Warren Tech (0-2) 12 4 8 2 — 26
STEM Civics (1-2) 7 10 6 6 — 29 3-point goals — Crump 2, Reed, Del Valle Pomales (SC).
DELRAN 54, FLORENCE 32 BURLINGTON »
The Flashes fell into a 37-10 halftime hole, which they could not climb out of versus the Bears in the Falcons Holiday Classic.
Florence, which were led by Gabby Loftin’s 13 points, return to play host Burlington Township at noon Tuesday.
DELRAN (54)
N/A
FLORENCE (32)
Nwagbaraji 4-2-10, Lazu Delgado 0-0-0, GLoftin 5-0-13, Jobes 4-0-9, Haas 0-0-0.
Totals — 13-2-32.
Delran (4-0) 21 16 9 8 — 54 Florence (2-2) 5 5 13 9 — 32 3-point goals — n/a (D), GLoftin 3, Jobes (F).
TWO MORE TOURNEYS CANCELED
Two more girls’ basketball holiday tournaments were canceled Monday because of a rise in coronavirus cases. That makes seven total tournaments, involving teams from The Trentonian‘s coverage area, which had to be adjusted because of COVID-19.
Most recently added to the list of scratches were the Warrior Holiday Classic at New Egypt High, which included the New Egypt and Robbinsville girls; as well as the Scotties Holiday Classic at Bordentown High, which included the Nottingham, Northern Burlington and Bordentown girls. Instead, B’town will host Northern in a regular-season clash at 10 a.m. Wednesday.