Vikings reach H/W/S semifinals in boys basketball

The Vernon Township High School boys basketball team is headed to the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament semifinals for the first time in six years.

Led by a balanced attack, including 14-point efforts by Alex Fessel and Jayden McCann, sixth-seeded Vernon held on for a 50-49 victory over third-seeded Hunterdon Central in the quarterfinal round Saturday afternoon, Feb. 4 in Flemington.

The win was the seventh straight for the Vikings, who improved to 16-2. Hunterdon Central fell to 9-13.

Vernon will meet second-seeded Hackettstown in the tri-county tournament semifinal round at 4:15 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11 at Warren Hills High in Washington Township.

Fifth-seeded Sparta will face ninth-seeded North Hunterdon in the other semifinal, with the championship game slated for Friday, Feb. 17 at Centenary University in Hackettstown.

The Vikings last reached the semis in 2017 when the team bowed to Delaware Valley.

Against Hunterdon Central, Vernon went on a 13-0 run midway through the third quarter to establish a 44-35 advantage. Hunterdon Central then went on a 7-0 run to close within two points, 44-42.

Vernon stayed ahead of the Red Devils in the final period, holding a 50-44 lead with slightly more than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter. Hunterdon Central did score the final five points of the game but couldn’t get a shot off in its final possession.

The Vikings also received 12 points from Ernest Mack, seven points from Ben Jurewicz and three points from Elijah Gaskin.

After a 2-1 start to its 2022-23 campaign, Vernon, under the direction of head coach Connor Healy, has gone 14-1. The Vikings are a perfect 8-0 in the Colonial Division of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference and have clinched the divisional championship with two games remaining.

Fessel, a sophomore guard, leads Vernon in scoring, averaging 15.7 points. He’s followed by senior guard Mack (13.6 points per game), junior forward Jurewicz (8.4 points per game) and senior guard McCann (5.9 points per game).

Vernon is scheduled to play host to Jefferson on Thursday, Feb. 9 before the tri-county semifinal.

The Vikings are looking to get to their first county final since losing to North Hunterdon, 75-72, in two overtimes in 2011. Vernon has never won the H/W/S Tournament, which began in the 2009-10 season.

Girls basketball

The girls basketball team, seeded 12th, suffered a 46-34 loss to fifth-seeded Hackettstown in the first round of the tournament Jan. 31 in Hackettstown.

Vernon (11-6) got back in the win column Thursday, Feb. 2 when it defeated Whippany Park, 47-16, in Whippany.

The Vikings are slated to play at Belvidere at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 before playing host to Wallkill Valley at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11.