Takeaways From Feb. 16 Games

Tuesday featured an action-packed day of games, with some exciting matchups throughout the state. Let’s take a look at the takeaways from the day’s slate. <strong>Sparta Takes Down Montville in Three Overtimes: </strong>In a triple-overtime thriller on Tuesday, Sparta moved to 6-0 after edging Montville, 74-72. [player_tooltip player_id="155444" first="Brynn" last="McCurry"] lifted Sparta with 27 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocks, and [player_tooltip player_id="155447" first="Ally" last="Sweeney"] put in 13 points to go with 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals. Bailey Chapman scored 14 points for Sparta. Montville dropped its third straight game and fell to 5-4. Five Mustang players finished in double figures, led by [player_tooltip player_id="155551" first="Bella" last="Vito"]’s 18 points in addition to nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals. Carey Werheim hit three 3-pointers and went for 17 points and seven rebounds, and Katie Gorski added 16 points and four blocks. <strong>Paul VI Bounces Back With Win Over Stuart Day: </strong>One day after falling short of an upset bid against No. 1 St. John Vianney, Paul VI bounced back with a 61-50 victory over a quality Stuart Day squad. [player_tooltip player_id="134645" first="Hannah" last="Hidalgo"] saw 10 of her game-high 24 points come from the foul line. Nile Miller added 15 points and Sara McShea scored 11 in the win for Paul VI. Aleah James, [player_tooltip player_id="134616" first="Ariel" last="Jenkins"] and [player_tooltip player_id="159447" first="Laila" last="Fair"] all hit double figures for Stuart Day, which has upcoming games against the likes of St. Thomas Aquinas and Saddle River Day. <strong>The GMC Goes Through St. Thomas Aquinas: </strong>St. Thomas Aquinas made its case for the top team in the Greater Middlesex Conference on Tuesday, taking down Monroe, 49-41. Monroe came into the game unbeaten, but St. Thomas Aquinas made sure to send a message that it’s the top team in Middlesex County. The Trojans outscored Monroe 27-19 in the second half. Akyia Baker led St. Thomas Aquinas with 17 points, Amarilis Shubick added 12 points and Ciana McQuiller grabbed 17 rebounds. Nina Branchizio led Monroe with 16 points. <strong>Hillsborough Picks Up Major Victory Over Franklin: </strong>In one of the bigger upsets of the day, Hillsborough defeated No. 14 Franklin, 62-53. Hillsborough outscored Franklin 22-11 in the second quarter and 16-10 in the fourth. Three Raiders finished in double figures. Olivia Gaspar hit four 3-pointers on the way to 16 points, and Tanya Shah and Ashley Nitschke put in 13 points apiece. Christina Midgette scored 10 of her 20 points at the free throw line for Franklin. <strong>Theuerkauf’s Offensive Explosion Continues: </strong>Theuerkauf’s magical season offensively continued Tuesday, when she scored 43 points in Tenafly’s 63-38 win over Cliffside Park. It was remarkably the sophomore’s fourth 40-point game of the season. She is averaging 38 points per game through nine games for Tenafly. Against Cliffside Park, Theuerkauf finished with 43 points and 12 rebounds. <strong>Davis’ 34-point, 20-rebound Performance Leads Glassboro: </strong>Another sophomore who is putting up unreal numbers is Glassboro’s [player_tooltip player_id="155443" first="Alexis" last="Davis"]. She has been a double-double machine, and that continued Tuesday. The sophomore recorded 34 points, 20 rebounds, five steals and four blocks in the team’s 54-28 win over Schalick. <strong>Many Undefeated Teams Stay Perfect: </strong>Morristown-Beard, Gill St. Bernard’s, University, Rutgers Prep, Ramapo, River Dell, Absegami, Vineland, Gloucester, Haddonfield, Dwight-Englewood, Lodi Immaculate, Marlboro, Cedar Grove and Timber Creek stayed undefeated on Tuesday.