The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 1

$iMty(Ax Inquirer MONDAY March 23, 1992 SOUTH JERSEY SPORTS E7 Shawnee shocks Marist in boys' Champions final 2d place for EHT girls i'p jim- f. Arts I -v. Urfy Jxj" Jxi "n-i MmSii St. Peter's wins the of 51-15 By Tom Williams SPECIAL TO THB1N4JUIRER EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Egg Harbor Township's drive for the top prize in New Jersey girls' basketball ended yesterday.

Kristen Somogyi, better known for -v-. "ppesBJBsesepw Special to The Inquirer ELIZABETH VOAHAUER Marist't Pablo Carrasco keeps his eyes on the basketball, but Shawnee's Corey Green has it In his grip despite the pressure. I 4 Renegades' Bensel makes finals his substitute senior-class trip the zone was I felt they were going to go one-on-one," Kessler said. "They have very good one-on-one players, and I figured we could close them off with some help in the zone, and make them hit some threes. I was just hoping they weren't going to hit them, and luckily for us, they weren't at the time." At the game's outset, Shawnee was shaky.

The Renegades, who have made good use of the three-pointer this season, missed their first eight from afar and were behind, 14-8, at the end of the first quarter. Marist took the lead by pressing four minutes into the game and by running with Shawnee misses. Though Marist took a 26-20 lead into the locker room at halftime, Kessler said he wasn't really worried. There were no double-figure scorers on either side at halftime. "I felt the lower the score, the better for us," Kessler said.

"I don't think we're a slow-paced team, we're not a Princeton or something like that we were averaging 76 points a game. But I thought if we controlled the tempo, that was in our favor." Dan Earl, who usually plays shoot- ing guard while his brother handles the point, took the ball last night. And he was the energy behind a 11-0 spurt at the beginning of the third quarter that put Shawnee up, 31-26. Back-to-back baskets by 6-8 center Kirk Luchman gave the Renegades a tie at 26, and Dan Earl made a three-pointer to give Shawnee the lead. "We lost the game in the first couple of minutes of the third quarter," Marist coach Mike Leonardo said.

"We had a chance to go up eight points and we missed a couple of foul shots. They scored the first 10 points of the third quarter, and we didd't do some of the little things we normally do, and that's how you win high school basketball games." Shawnee 8 12 14 12 46 Marist 12 12 7 9 42 Bryan Bensel 4-7 4-5 13, Corey Green Y-3 0-1 2. Kirk Luchman 4-10 2-4 10. Bnsn Esrl 1-7 1-3 3, Dsn Earl 6-13 1-2 18. Rob Nadler 0-1 0-0 0, Gary Foster 1-1 0-0 2.

Jason Anderson 0-10-0 0, Roscoe Harris 4-13 0-1 11, Donnell Williams 4-13 1-3 9, John Girsldo 5-12 5-6 16. Pablo Carrasco 2-3 0-0 6. Three-point shots: Shawnee 4-1S (Dsn Earl 3-71, Marist 6-2 1 (Carrasco 2-31. Rebounds: Shawnee 30 (Luchman 9), Marist 31 (Harris 101. Assists: Shawnee 7 (Dan Earl 4), Marist 10 (Giraldo 71.

Steals: Shawnee 7 (Dan Earl 41, Marist 6 (Williams 31. 4 championships, and subsequently upset two teams in the state tournament before defeating Burlington Township in the semifinals of the Tournament of Champions to avenge its only loss. "In the last four years, when you think of the Tournament of Champions, you don't think of a Shawnee team winning it," said Shawnee coach Joe Kessler, who in five seasons has brought Shawnee from mediocrity to the top. "We've had a lot of things against us all through the tournament, and beating Atlantic City at Atlantic City for the South Jersey championshipl was the step-pingstone." To be sure, neither Shawnee nor Marist, which earned the state Parochial title by knocking off nine-time defending champion St. Anthony, played to its potential.

But on those days, the true champion does what it takes to win. And Shawnee did just that. The Renegades' score was 16 points lower than its lowest in the sectionals and 23 points fewer than its lowest in the state tournament. The fourth quarter opened with Shawnee leading, 34-33, and a change in defenses ultimately pointed Shawnee toward the win. Both squads had been playing mostly man-to-man before Kessler put his team into a zone that thwarted Marist down the stretch.

The Royal Knights got two free throws from guard John Giraldo, who finished with 16 points, with 7 minutes, 20 seconds left to tie the score at 36. And a three-pointer by Villanova-bound Roscoe Harris, who scored 11 points, then gave Marist a 39-36 advantage. But after the Renegades went to the zone with about six minutes left, the Royal Knights didn't score again until there was about 30 seconds left. By then, with tournament most valuable player Dan Earl doing a superb job of directing things for Shawnee, the Renegades had a 46-39 lead. Bryan Bensel, the Renegades' only senior, scored four points in the run; Earl had three, and his brother Brian scored three.

But those points would have meant nothing if Marist had not been forced outside and had not had trouble hitting its shots. "The reason why IShawnee went to By Kevin Tatum and Tom Williams SPECIALTO THE INQUIRER EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. Shaw-nee's Bryan Bensel had given up a lot to play in the finals of the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, and he was not about to let his efforts and those of his teammates go to waste. Bensel, the only senior starter for the Renegades, grabbed five of his seven rebounds and scored six of his 13 points in the fourth period, including two free throws with 46.2 seconds left that gave Shawnee a 46-39 lead over Marist yesterday. Shawnee went on to win, 4642.

"Our senior class left for Florida on Friday," said the 6-foot-6 forward, "and I decided to remain with the team. When we got into the fourth period, I realized my time as a high school basketball player was coming Tournament of Champions notebook to an end. I wanted it to end the right way." Bensel, who said he is considering Fairleigh Dickinson, Glassboro State or Stockton State as his next destination, was excited about his team's dramatic climb over the last two weeks "We really put Shawnee on the basketball map," he said. "You can't imagine what a great feeling this is." Was it difficult to pass up his senior trip? "A little bit," he said, "because I'd like to be with my friends in the senior class. But Mickey Mouse will By Kevin Tatum INQUIRER STAFF WHITER EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.

Hav-ing already enjoyed more success than any other boys' team in the school's history, Shawnee yesterday added the crown jewel of New Jersey high school basketball to its list of achievements this season. And the Renegades' 46-42 victory at the Meadowlands, in the Tournament of Champions final, came against none other than top-seeded Marist (31-2), rated No. 3 in the nation by USA Today. In winning its 32d game of the season against only one loss, Shawnee set a South Jersey record for victories in a season. On its way to finishing as the No.

1 boys' basketball team in the state, Shawnee won its first South Jersey and state Group always be there. Something like this may never happen again." Not only was Bensel the only senior to play for Shawnee yesterday in the Tournament of Champions dou-bleheader, he also was the only senior to play for either South Jersey team in the finals. Egg Harbor Township, the girls' runner-up, has a six-player rotation and all six are juniors. In addition, 6-foot-l Jen MacNeill, who sat out this season after knee surgery, is also a junior and should be back in the middle for the Eagles next year. The paid attendance was listed as 8,252, the second highest in the four-year history of the finals.

The 1989 doubleheader. also at the Meadowlands Arena, drew 8,514 for a Hoffman-Union Catholic girls' final and a St. Anthony-Elizabeth boys' game. All four of those schools are within 25 minutes of the Meadowlands. The last two years the finals were played at Rutgers with estimated crowds of 4,000 each year.

John Giraldo of Marist, who is headed for Monmouth College, set a championship game record with seven assists. The old mark of six was set by Rodrick Rhodes of St. Anthony in 1990. Kristen Somogyi of St. Peter's set a scoring record for a girls' championship game with 29 points, bettering the 28 scored by Audrey Gomez of St.

John Vianney last year. Somogyi also set marks for shots attempted in a final (29) and three-pointers attempted (7), Egg Harbor Township guard Jen Hannum tied the championship game record for assists with six. Cheryl Cop set the original record for Union Catholic in 1989. Marisa Ship, the 54 sophomore guard for St. Peter's, established a record for blocked shots with four.

The old mark of three was set by Christine Noble of Hoffman in 1989. Danny Earl is the first junior to be named most valuable player in the boys' final. The Shawnee guard joins seniors Danny Hurley of St. Anthony (1991), Luther Wright of Elizabeth (1990) and Jerry Walker of St. Anthony (1989).

There was no word yet on whether Earl would join his three predecessors at Seton Hall University. South Jersey boys' teams are now 4-3 in the Tournament of Champions. In addition to Shawnee's 2-0 record this year, Delsea was 1-1 last year, Eastern 1-1 in 1990, and Haddonfield 0-1 in 1989. The South Jersey girls' teams are 3-6. Joining Egg Harbor Township (2-1) are Sterling (1-2), Bishop Eustace (0-1), Haddon Township (0-1) and Wildwood (0-1).

Somogyi finished with 3,899 points for her career and 1,136 this season, both all-time state records. Her career mark is the most by either a boy or girl, and betters the boys' record of 3,310 points, set by her father, John, at St. Peter's. Some of the EHT girls have good athletic genes. Shea Matlock's father, John, was a center with the New York Jets.

She is named after Shea Stadium. Danielle Castaldi's father, Skip, was a two-time South Jersey basketball scoring champion at Mainland. Amy Nickles' father, now a state assemblyman and EHT school superintendent, played football for Mary land. The Inquirer telephone number for late scores is Players are selected for all-star football Shawnee is No. 1 for the first time For the first time in its 22-year history, Shawnee High has finished No.

1 in The Inquirer's South Jersey boys' basketball ratings. Shawnee had been No. 2 in the previous ratings on March 9 but climbed to No. 1 after a sensational performance in the NJSIAA tournament, including an 82-80 overtime win over then-No. 1 Atlantic City in the South Jersey Group 4 final and a 4642 victory over Marist in yesterday's Tournament of Champions final.

Atlantic City finished No. 3. It marks the second straight year that Atlantic City had been No. 1 entering the South Jersey Group 4 final. Last year.

Atlantic City lost to Camden in the sectional final and finished No. 2 in South Jersey. Shawnee wrapped up the No. 1 spot by avenging a regular-season defeat and registering a 6345 win over Burlington Township in the Tournament of Champions semifinals. Burlington Township, the Group 1 state champion, finished No.

2 in the ratings. Seven teams that were ranked in the preseason ratings also finished in the Top 10. The seven: No.l Shawnee (No. 3 preseason); No. 2 Burlington Township (No.

6 preseason); No. 3 Atlantic City (No. 2 preseason); No. 4 Camden (No.l preseason); No. 7 Camden Catholic (No.

10 preseason); No. 8 Eastern (No. 8 preseason) and No. 9 Bishop Eustace (No. 7 preseason).

The three other teams that finished in the Top 10 No. 5 Paul VI. No. 6 Middle Township and No. 10 Burlington were listed "under consideration" in the preseason.

her scoring than her dribbling, bounced away most of the final two minutes to help unbeaten St. Peter's defeat Egg Harbor Township, 5145, in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions final at the Meadowlands Arcns The Cardinals (32-0) took a 4844 lead with 2 minutes, S3 seconds left in the fourth period after Somogyi hit a 10-footer in the lane. They got the ball back on a steal by Marlsa Ship and went into a holding pattern. "That was our plan," said Somogyi, the state's all-time single-season and career scoring leader who is headed to the University of Virginia. "We're pretty good foul shooters, so if we had a lead in the final two minutes, we wanted to run off some time and force them to foul." St.

Peter's hit Just three of six free throws in the final 30 seconds, but that was enough. "When a player like Somogyi has the ball that much, it is very tough," said coach Sam Botta, who has a 58-6 record in two seasons with Egg Harbor Township. "She puts pressure on your defense and is always coming at you." Somogyi, voted the game's MVP, had her troubles in the first half. She was hounded by Shea Matlock in EHT's sagging man-to-man defense and made only 4 of 16 shots. But she did hit a three-pointer with 12 seconds left to give St.

Peter's a 26-24 halftime lead. "That hurt us," Botta said. "I think we did a good job controlling her and keeping her off the foul line, but she did hit some important baskets." The Cardinals used a layup by 5-foot-9 junior Tyika Harper and a three-pointer by Somogyi from 24 feet to open a seven-point lead in the first two minutes of the third period. But Egg Harbor Township (29-5) came storming back, scoring nine consecutive points. Danielle Castaldi, the Eagles' 6-0 Junior forward who was carried off the court late In the fourth period after suffering a foot injury, hit two free throws to start the run.

Then Matlock took over. The 5-9 forward scored with a jumper in the lane, buried a 12-footer from the right side and drained a three-pointer, giving EHT a 35-33 lead with 1:06 left in the third quarter. Matlock also hit a short Jumper with about one-tenth of a second left in the third period to give the Eagles a 38-37 lead. "We felt we were a little quicker and a had a little better perimeter game," said St. Peter's coach Ernie Vajda.

who has a 277-31 record in 11 seasons. "We certainly didn't want to get into a primarily half-court game with them." Ship and Somogyi scored consecutive buckets to start the final period and give St Peter's a lead it would never lose. 'This feels even worse than last year," Matlock said. In 1991 Egg Har-bor Township's team, composed mostly of sophomores, won its first 29 games before losing to Clifford Scott in the Group 3 state final. "Last year, we were younger and inexperienced," she said, "and we dldn know whether we were good enough.

This year, we've been tested and we know how we can play. We knew we could win at this level." Matlock finished with 21 points, getting the Eagles going in the first half by hitting 6 of 7 shots. Somogyi scored 29, hitting 10 of 29 overall shots, 2 of 7 from three-point range and 7 of 8 from the line. She entered the game making 56 percent from inside the arc, 52 percent of her three-point attempts and 86 percent from the foul line. "They were a very physical team," Somogyi said of EHT, "and played tough man-to-man defense.

Matlock is a very good guard. She plays hard at both ends of the court. It looks like Egg Harbor Township will be the team next year." But Botta didn't want to talk about next year. "We came so close," he said, show-ing the strain of eight tournament games in 18 days. "We certainly had our opportunities.

Right now, it's very hard to get past the disappointment, but in time, we'll all reflect on just what we accomplished this sea-son." Egg Harbor Township 15 9 14 7 46 St Peter 13 13 11 14 61 EHT: Jen Hannum 0-1 0-0 0, Danielle Castaldi 2-10 3-4 7, Amy Nickles 4-12 3-6 11, Stephanie DeFeo 2-7 1-2 6, Shea Matlock 10-25 0-0 21, Michsla McGowan 0-1 1-2 1. Totals 18-66 8-13 46. SP: Coieen Cardaneo 0-0 0-0 0, Amber Sincak 1-2 0-2 2, Tyika Harper 6-9 2-5 14, Marisa Ship 2-7 0-0 4, Kristen Somoqvl 10-29 7-8 29. Christine Shalayda 1-3 0-0 2. total 20-60 9-15 51.

Three-point shots: Egg Harbor Township 1-7 (Matlock 1-6). St. Peter 2-9 (Somogyi 2-7). Rebounds: Egg Harbor Township 46 (Nickles 10). St.

Peter 27 (Harper 7). Assists: Egg Harbor Township 1 1 (Hsnnum 6), St. Peter 9 (Sincak 4). Steals: Egg Harbor Township 3 (three players 1), St. Peter's 9 (Harper, Ship 4).

Turnovers: Egg Harbor Township 17. St. Peter's 9. A KJ South Jersey Boys' Basketball Top 10 RECORD SCHOOL Florence will be enshrined, as will current coaches Clint Ware of Woodstown and Larry Mauriello of Overbrook. The all-star rosters BLUE Quarterbacks: Thomas Kelly, 6-1, 175.

Atlantic City; Shawn McHaie. 6-2, 205, Abseganii, Running becks: Alexia Leon, 5-10, 190, Oak-crest; Rashone Person, 6-1. 195. Lenape; Dsn Schaeffer, 6-1, 205, Shawnee; Tom DiMattia, 5- 10, 170, Cherokee; Raphael Stillings, 6-1, 196, Florence. Fullbacks: Lorenzo Smith, 6-1, 220, Atlantic City; Seen Jordan 5-11, 180, Wildwood.

Wide receivers: Chris Kidd, 5-1 1, 165, Palmers; Mark Nelms, 6-2, 170, Cinnaminson; Nate Farmer, 6-1, 180, Absegami; Dsn Connolly, 5-8, 150, Holy Cross. Tight ends: Wallace Marshall, 6-2, 217, Bur-' lington: Sean Ricketts, 6-3. 225, Burlington Township; Tim Hamer, 6-1, 220, Middle, -Township. -Centers: Rusty Corson, 6-0, 200. Milhrille; John Flynn, 6-2, 215, Northern Burlington.

Offensive linemen: Marty Wick, 6-3. Shawnee: Karl Dwyck, 6-2, 225, Ocean Gerald Walter, 6-1, 215, Egg Harbor Townshig; Don Burton. 6-2, 259, Vineland; Chris Calaa- cione, 6-3, 220. Hammonton; Ben Thompson, 6- 11, 250. Cumberland; Dtondre Ford, 6-2, 245.

Willmgboro; Rich Doppler, 6-3, 240. Ran-' cocas Valley. Punterplacekicker: Jon Cohen, 6-2, 190, Cherokee. Defensive linemen: Anthony Pino, 6-0, 215, Hammonton; Anthony Thompson, 6-3, 215. Deiran; Jose Medina, 6-3.

225, Oakcrest; Nyjua Kemp, 6-2, 360, Bndgeton; Ron Roberts, 6-1, 190, Buena; Mike Stalba, 5-8. 160. St. Joseph. Linebackers: Brett Lukasik, 6-1.

210, Northern Burlington; Rashim Upahsw, 6-2, 215, Pemberton. Defensive becks: Glenn Kavsnagh, 5-11, 195. Riverside: Steve Perry, 6-8, 160, Moorestown; Jeff Rebeles, 5-9, 165, Florence; Kevin Walker, 5- 10, 165, Cinnaminson; Devm Inskeep, 6-0, 210, Bordentown. GOLD Quarterbacks: Walt Clymer, 6-0. 17S, Cherry Hill West; Marty Cross, 6-3, 185, Woodrow Wilson.

Running backs: Frank Carter, 5-10, 175, Dept-ford Kimatni Rawlins, 6-11. 195, Eastern; Terrell Flowers, 6-1. 200, Pennssuken. Wide receivers: Preston Thoroughgood. S-10, 160, West Deptford; John Russ, 6-2, 185, Paulsboro; Wede Inge, 6-2, 175, Overbrook; Erik Henry, 6-4, 220, Cherry Hill East.

Tight ends: Chuck Krrby, 6-3, 225. Woodbury; Chris Dwyer, 6-1, 200, Cherry Hill East. Centers: Rob Christian, 5-11, 160, Delsea; Damien Tomeo, 6-11, 190, Triton. Offensive linemen: Ralph Collaro, 5-11, 185, Clayton: Steve Cooney, 6-1, 220, Gloucester; Kevin McConaghy, 6-4, 235. Collingswood; Jason Swiderski, 6-1, 230, Pennsville; Brian Bsrtelle, 6-4, 275.

Edgewood; Mike Pechulis, 6-3. 180. Bishop Eustace; Dennis Wixted, 5-11, 190, Highland. Defensive linemen: John Krouss, 6-0, 2 IS, Sterling; Jim Erickson, 5-8, 160, Heddon Township; Bill Gillespie, 6-1, 220, Paul VI; Vaughn Eller, 6-2, 220, Woodstown: Matt Gallagher, 6-0. 195.

Washington Township; Mike Harrison, 6- 5. 265. Camden. Linebackers: Kurt Marella, 5-11, ,185, Edgewood; Brian Brown, 6-0, 195, Audubon; Eric Filipnk, 6-0, 190, Gloucester Catholic; Manny Williams, 6-1, 215, Glassboro. Defensive backs: Kemp Carr, 6-11.

160. Salem; Jeff Whiuell, 5-9, 160, St. James; 'Brian McDevitt, 6-1, 170, Williamstown: Jason Burd 6-10, 175. Clearview; Brian Hardy. 6-10, 185' Schalick; Mark Berg, 5-10, 182, Triton: Basil 187, Kingsway: Matt Falciani, 6-7, 160, Haddonfield; Marcus Minor, 6-9, 160 Penns Grove; Bob Green, 6-0, 170, Haddon Heights.

Also will serve is punttrpltcekickar. By Mare Narducci SPECIALTO THE INQUIKER Five players who were Inquirer all-South Jersey first-teamers will be among the 80 seniors participating in the second annual South Jersey Football Coaches Hall of Fame Rotary Bowl on June 26 at Glassboro State College. Rosters were announced yesterday for the Blue and Gold squads at a news conference at Eastern High. The Blue team consists of players from Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May and Cumberland Counties; the Gold team is composed of players from Camden, Gloucester and Salem Counties. Four of the Inquirer all-South Jersey players will compete for the Blue Cherokee punterplacekicker Jon Cohen; Holy Cross wide receiver Dan Connolly; Florence running back Raphael Stillings, and Atlantic City defensive back Thomas Kelly, who will play quarterback.

Overbrook wide receiver Wade Inge is the lone Inquirer first-team selection on the Gold squad. The proceeds from the game will go toward financing the game and toward scholarship money for participants. Four players in last year's game received $500 scholarships. The game, won by the Blue, 23-7, drew an estimated 6,000 spectators. "Last year, we were pleasantly surprised with the turnout," said Florence coach Joe Frappolli, the director of the game.

The Blue team will be coached by Chuck Donohue of Buena, the Gold team by Bo Wood of Cherry Hill East. Also yesterday, the South Jersey Football Coaches Hall of Fame announced its 1992 inductees, who will be honored at a dinner on June 25 at Glassboro State. Enshrined as a player will be Franco Harris, the former Rancocas Valley star who was chosen for the Pro Football Hall of Fame after a career as a fullback for the Pittsburgh Steel-ers. Inducted for distinguished service will be Eagles president Harry Gamble, a former coach at Audubon and Clayton. Six coaches also will be inducted.

Cy Marter of Haddonfield and Marv Slomsky of Glassboro will be honored posthumously. Two other former coaches Tom Curley of Haddon Township and Marty Fishbein of 1. SHAWNEE 32-1 The Renegades. No, 2 in the last ratings, captured the South Jersey Group 4 crown with a stunning 82-80 overtime win at previously undefeated Atlantic City, Shawnee then defeated previously undefeated Bridgewater-Raritan, 75-66, and Irvington, 69-66, en route to the atate title, In the Tournament of Champions semifinals, the Renegades defeated Burlington Township, 65-47. In yesterday's title game, Shawnee rallied past Marist, 46-42.

With yesterday win, Shawnee set a South Jersey record for victories I season. 2. BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP 31-2 The Falcons, No. 3 In the previous rankings, won the South Jersey Group 1 title by defeating Burlington, 82-72. Township then defeated Keyport 79-62, and Newark Tech, 79-61, to capture he third state title.

The Falcons whipped Hillside, 61-44, In the Tournement of Champions quarterfinals, then lost, 65-47, to Shawnee. 3. ATLANTIC CITY 29-1 The Vikings, No. 1 in the previous ratings, dropped a season-ending 82-80 overtime decision to Shawnee in the South Jersey Group 4 final. Gary Foster hit 13-foot, turnaround bank shot at the buzzer to give Shawnee the win.

Atlantic City had overcome a 20-point, third-quarter deficit, 4. CAMDEN The Panthera, who remained No. 4, ended their season Feb. 27 by defeating Highland, 161-73. Camden, which shared the Olympic American crown with Eastern, was ineligible to compete in the NJSIAA tournament.

5. PAUL VI The Eagles, who remained No. 6, ended their season by dropping a 81-34 decision to St. Joseph's of Metuchen in the South Jersey Parochial A final. Paul VI was the champion of the rugged Olympic Conference National Division.

6. MIDDLE TOWNSHIP 2-3 The Panthers, who remained No. 6, captured the South Jersey Group 2 title by defeating Gateway, 77-58. Middle then defeated Princeton, 75-61, and advanced to the state final in which it dropped a 62-60 overtime decision to Hillside. It marked the second time in three years that Middle had lost a two-point decision to Hillside in the state final.

7. CAMDEN CATHOLIC The Irish, who remained No. 7, dropped a season-ending 67-48 decision to St Joseph's of Metuchen in a South Jersey Parochial A semifinal on March 7. Catholic, which has three straight 20-win seasons, was led by Justin Phoenix, who finished with I school-record 1,300 career points. 8.

EASTERN 21-6 The Vikings, No. 9 in the last ratings, finished their season with a 62-55 toss to Shawnee In South Jersey Group 4 semifinal. Eastern shared the Olympic American title with Camden. 9. BISHOP EUSTACE 22-7 The Crusaders, No.

10 In the last ratings, captured their second straight South Jersey Parochial title as they defeated St. Rose of Belmar, 54-49, Eustace had scored a 50-45 win over Gloucester Catholic in the sectional semis. In the state final, Eustace tost to nationally ranked Marist of Baynnne, 67-44. 10. BURLINGTON 18-6 The Blue Devils, No.

8 in the last ratings, lost, 82-72, to Burlington Township in the South Jersey Group 1 final. Burlington and Burlington Township split their two regular-season games, and the teams shared the Burlco Freedom championship. The South Jersey Boys' Basketball Top 10 is drawn from the seven counties of South Jersey. It is compiled by The Inquirer staff. maumtn classified call It's where the action 1st K-WVjejttsayji.