Tues. S.J. girls' roundup: A title for Cedar Creek

The Cedar Creek girls' basketball program celebrated its first sectional title on Tuesday, when the top-seeded Pirates routed No. 3 seed Gloucester, 66-29, in the South Jersey Group 1 championship game.

Kristine Miller led the way with 18 points and Mercina Stefanski knocked down three three-point shots in scoring 17, as Cedar Creek capped a dominant three-game run through the tournament.

Utilizing a man-to-man defense, Cedar Creek ran out to a 15-4 lead and expanded the advantage to 27-10 by intermission.

"We put the [defensive] pressure on them right away," coach Francine Raph said. "We didn't let up on offense throughout the game, while staying dedicated to our defense. It was a nice win."

Cedar Creek, which won each of its playoff games by an average of just over 35 points, will face Central Jersey champion Metuchen in a state semifinal on Thursday at Williamstown.

Central Jersey Group 1. New Egypt's bid for a second consecutive group title was wiped away by a 24-12 second-half flurry that carried No. 1 seed Metuchen past the third-seeded Warriors, 40-22, in the championship game.

Julie Ciak had nine points to lead New Egypt, which rode a three-game losing streak into the tournament and finished an up-and-down season with a 13-12 record.

South Jersey Non-Public B. Robin Perkins poured in 35 points, but it wasn't enough to keep two-time defending champion Trenton Catholic from falling, 82-70, to No. 4 seed Gill St. Bernard's in the final at Jackson Liberty.

Isis Young added 16 points and Tyler Raysor netted 12 for the second-seeded Iron Mikes, who saw their quest to three-peat squelched by a game-ending 28-19 run.

Jasmine Sina tossed in 30 points while Dominique Vitalis and Taylor Rooks scored 17 apiece for Gill St. Bernard's, which advances to Saturday's state title game in Toms River.