Girls basketball Skyland Conference, western UCC notebook for Jan. 15
With action well underway in the new year, one area player reached a big career milestone, while a couple of Skyland Conference coaches approach big marks of their own.
Hillsborough High School girls basketball player Cesci Schiro became the season’s first Skyland Conference player to reach 1,000 career points, doing so Saturday during the Raiders' 57-37 home win over Scotch Plains-Fanwood. The three-year starting junior guard notched a 21-point effort Thursday at New Providence to get to within 10 points of the mark. She finished with 25 points against SPF.
A couple of Skyland Conference coaches should wrap up big milestone wins this week, including Rutgers Prep’s legendary mentor, Mary Klinger, who begins the week just two victories shy of 700 for her storied career. The Argonauts visit Hillsborough on Tuesday — assuming the weather cooperates — before playing host to Ridge on Thursday. They’ll then face Montclair-Immaculate on Saturday at Elizabeth’s Dunn Center.
Voorhees coach Mitch Collins, in his seventh year at the helm, needs one more win to reach 100, thanks to the Vikings’ 9-1 start. The club takes on North Hunterdon at home on Tuesday — weather permitting — before playing host to Somerville on Thursday.
3 STARS
Gandy Malou-Mamel, Gill St. Bernard’s: The junior center has been a big reason for the Knights’ 11-2 start, teaming with senior guard Brooke Baisley to form one of the league’s top duos. Malou-Mamel tallied 72 points in three games last week, including a 25-point, 12-rebound outing against Franklin and a 32-point effort Saturday against St. Joseph by the Sea (NY). Malou-Mamel is averaging 17.5 points per contest – up 10 points from last year’s average – and had grabbed 10.5 rebounds per game heading into Saturday’s tilt.
Bethany Ramos, Hunterdon Central: The Red Devils have gotten things headed back in the right direction after winning just nine games last year, already matching that win total, and the sophomore forward joining the varsity ranks has had a lot to do with that. Ramos, who is averaging a team-high 10.8 points per game, turned in another trio of standout efforts last week, going for 35 points in three games, as Central swept through Mount St. Mary, Immaculata and Hamilton West.
Gabrielle Ziegenbalg, Union Catholic: The Vikings have shaken off a 2-5 start by reeling off three in a row and 4-of-5, including wins over Hillside and Kent Place last week, with the junior guard turning in some huge performances during the streak. She’s now scored 22 or more four straight games, including a career-high 29 in last Thursday’s win over the Comets. The second-year standout is averaging 18.7 points per contest.
More: Girls basketball rankings: Skyland Conference and UCC area Top 10 for Jan. 15
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Mount St. Mary at Pingry, 4:15 p.m. Thursday: Mount St. Mary hasn’t found life in the Raritan very hospitable, as it’s off to a 3-3 start in the division in its first year since moving up, and 5-6 overall. The Mount Lions will take on a former in-division rival in sixth-ranked Pingry (7-3), a team enjoying success in the Valley Division and beyond.
Somerville at Voorhees, 5:30 p.m. Thursday: These teams shared a division until Somerville’s demotion this season, but this should still be a telling contest – especially for the Ville – as the top teams in the Skyland Valley and Mountain square off.
Rutgers Prep vs. Montclair-Immaculate, 5 p.m. Saturday at Elizabeth: The Argonauts haven’t been pushed much in the Skyland Conference, as usual, but they’ve also continued to stock their schedule with all manners of powerhouse – in-state and beyond. They’ll face a fellow state-ranked Non-Public power in this one.
Staff writer Simeon Pincus has been covering NJ sports since 1997. He can be reached at CNGirlsHoops@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter/X @SimeonPincus.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ Girls basketball Skyland Conference, western UCC notebook Jan. 15
