It is early in the WW-P season, but key matches between North and South have already set the bar high for this winter’s rivalries.
The most compelling win came from the North girls’ basketball team, which emerged victorious, 53-49, in a thrilling overtime match-up against their crosstown rivals, South, on January 4.
Sophomore Jacquie Klotz, who finished the game with 29 points and 21 rebounds, led the Knights by scoring all 11 of the team’s points in overtime to overcome a late South surge during regulation. South’s Laura McCormick hit two important 3-pointers to help South send the game into overtime, but North proved to be too much.
The Knights also found success at the War of the Worlds tournament over the winter break, where they made it to the championship game before falling to Bishop Ahr, 50-29, on December 30. North has a record of 4-2, while South is sitting at 3-3.
Meanwhile, the South boys’ basketball team was able to dominate its rivalry match, also on January 4, and come out victorious over North, 62-44, behind Chris Evans, who finished with 20 points. South also saw contributions from Jake Donohue, who finished with 13 points, Bryan Rivers, who finished with 11, and Eric Bierck, who scored 10 points. South has a 4-2 record, while the Knights have a 3-3 record.
When it came to ice hockey, however, North and South played to a 1-1 tie in a game on December 23 that honored the late David Bachner, who graduated from North in 2009 but died before getting a chance to pitch for Seton Hall University’s baseball team. Both ice hockey teams are off to a good start, with North at 6-0-3, and with South at 5-2-2.
North’s wrestling team has made some progress this season already, with the team’s first victory of the season coming against North Brunswick, 44-33, on December 23. At the East Brunswick Bear Invitational Tournament on December 29, North’s Matt Persico (160 pounds) went 3-1 to finish third at the tournament. The North and South wrestling teams face off on Friday, January 7, at 6:30 p.m. at North.
North’s fencing program is also off to a good start. The boys are currently undefeated at 4-0, while the girls are 3-1.
