Delsea Erupts in Second Half to Down Lady Tartans

What started out as a spirited effort by the Highland girls’ basketball team to avenge an early-season loss to Tri-County Royal Division champion Delsea ended in disappointment Tuesday for coach J.W. Senft’s squad.

Delsea (16-2), the top seed in the upcoming South Jersey Group III tournament, used a big second half to knock off the Lady Tartans, 52-42, earning its season-high sixth straight win and locking up an undefeated record in division play (10-0).

Highland (7-11) got off to a promising start behind guard Ayanna Williams, who scored 10 of her team-high 15 points in the first half, and guard Alyssa Jones, who hit two three-pointers to help Highland build a 20-14 lead late in the first half.

“We did a really nice job for most of the first half controlling their pressure,” Senft said. “It was a battle of matchups at the guard position and we were winning it for awhile.”

That was until guards Tori Levari and Dominique Hassinger, two of the top players in the Tri-County Conference, took over.

The two guards led an aggressive Delsea defense that forced five turnovers down the stretch to help close the half on 10-2 run and take a 24-22 lead into the half.

For everything that Highland seemed to do well in the first two quarters, there was a stark contrast to how it did them in the second half.

After Highland tied the game at 26-26 early in the third quarter on a mid-range jumper by senior Chelsea Vance, Delsea showed why it is the favorite in the South Jersey Group III tournament.

The Lady Crusaders forced several Highland turnovers to spark a 14-0 run to help take a commanding 44-29 lead into the final quarter. They wouldn’t look back from there.

Highland showed its grit in playing a solid fourth quarter, but couldn’t get close enough to make a serious threat.

“They are really good at scoring in bunches. In the third quarter they really turned up the intensity and we were unable to match it,” Senft said. “We outscored them in two quarters, but we don’t score enough to match those types of runs.”

Despite the loss, Highland’s fourth in its last five games, they’ve assured themselves a spot in the postseason. Still, Senft knows that his team needs to get back on track after struggling late in the season.

“We need to learn how to win again and build some momentum,” Senft said. “We need to get back in the right frame of mind and once the playoffs begin, we’ll see what happens.”

Official playoff seedings and opponents are expected to be announced later this week.

Highland 6  16  7  13    - 42

Delsea      9  15  20  8    - 52

Player Statistics

Delsea

Brittney Carney : 3 points

Aleia Glick : 4 points

Dominique Hassinger : 13 points

Brianna Hunt : 3 points

Tori Levari : 21 points

Jackie Short : 8 points

Highland

Chelsea Vance : 6 points

Kierra Steward : 4 points

Liz Looby : 9 points

Alyssa Jones : 6 points

Mercedes Gonzalez : 2 points

Ayanna Williams : 15 points