DENVILLE - The "Demon Defense" has done it again.
The Denville PAL Demons 5th-grade girls travel basketball team held Holy Trinity (Westfield) scoreless in the first period on its way to a 30-17 victory in a first-round Garden State Basketball League playoff game played Wednesday, March 10, at Valleyview Middle School here.
The Demons, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, led 14-0 after one period and the two teams played close to even basketball the rest of the way with Holy Trinity, the No. 7 seed, outscoring Denville 17-16 over the last three quarters of play.
The victory puts the Demons into the GSBL semifinals against No. 3 seed Long Hill, a game that has been scheduled for Monday, March 15, at Valleyview at 6:30 p.m.
Romina Dichio and Ajoke Adetula each had five steals to lead the Demons’ defensive efforts. Adetula also finished the game with six blocked shots. Tori Colledge finished with a game-high nine rebounds; Dichio had five assists and Lia Mennella, Kaylie Slomkowski and Caroline O’Boyle each had one assist.
Mennella and Adetula led the Demons in scoring as each finished with eight points. Cynthia Vuong added six points; Jenna Racaniello had four; Colledge scored three points; and Slomkowski had a free throw to complete the Denville scoring.
Denville, which finished the regular GSBL season with a 12-2 record, in now 15-4 overall.
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Demons get No. 2 playoff seed after 12-2 season
DENVILLE - The Demons, the Denville PAL 5th grade girls basketball travel team, sharpened its defensive skills over the weekend in preparation for the Garden State Basketball League (GSBL) playoffs that will begin this week.
Denville won two games, a 28-4 GSBL victory over Berkeley Heights at Columbia Middle School in Berkeley on Saturday, March 6, to conclude the league’s regular season; and a 20-7 victory over Watchung in a non-league game played on Friday, March 5, at Valleyview Middle School here.
The Demons finish their GSBL season with a 12-2 record good for second place and the No. 2 seed in the upcoming playoffs. Madison, whose only loss in 14 league games was to the Demons, won the regular-season league title and drew the No. 1 seed for the playoffs.
The Demons will meet No. 7 seed Holy Trinity in a first-round game at Valleyview on a day and at a time that has yet to be determined.
The Demons finished with 34 steals against Berkeley Heights as Romina Dichio led the team with eight and Kaylie Slomkowski finished with five. Ajoke Adetula had six blocked shots to contribute the Demon defense.
Denville broke out to an 8-0 lead after the first period of play and, after taking a 19-4 lead into the final quarter, finished the game with a 9-0 fourth-period run.
Dichio led the team in scoring with eight points and Amanda Mahn finished with six. Ajoke Adetula scored four points; Lia Mennella, Shefali Kumar, Tori Colledge and Slomkowski each scored two points; and Cynthia Vuong and Jenna Racaniello each had free throws to complete the scoring for the Demons.
Colledge finished with a team-high eight rebounds while Mahn, Adetula and Mennella each had five. Mennella also had two assists.
In the game against Watchung, the Demons held their visitors to one second-half free throw in recording the win.
Slomkowski and Mennella shared scoring honors as each scored six points; Vuong added four points; and Emily Blum and College each finished with two points to round out the scoring for the Demons.
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Defense rules as Demons beat Green Brook
DENVILLE - Defense was the name of the game when the Denville PAL Demons 5th grade girls travel basketball team beat Green Brook, 15-8, in a Garden State Basketball League (GSBL) game at IEF Elementary School in Green Brook on Monday, Feb. 22.
The win improved the Demon’s GSBL record to 10-2 and kept them one game behind the pace set by league leader Madison.
The Demons actually shut out Green Brook in the second and fourth quarters of play. Denville broke a 2-2 tie at the end of one quarter and, after a 4-0 second period, held a 6-2 lead at the break. Green Brook cut the lead to two points at 10-8 going into the final period, but the Demon defense rose up and Green Brook was outscored, 5-0, to establish the final seven-point margin of victory.
Romina Dicho and Ajoke Adetula each had six steals to spark the Demon defense. Adetula also chipped in with six blocked shots. The Demons also controlled the boards with Adetula and Dichio each finished with four rebounds and Tori Colledge added three.
Cynthia Vuong led the team in scoring with eight points while Adetula chipped in with five points and Dichio added two. Kaylie Slomkowski finished with three assists.
The next game for the Demons is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, March 5, against Watchung at Valleyview Middle School in Denville.
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Demons beat Montville, 28-19, in non-league game
DENVILLE - Kaylie Slomkowksi finished with nine points, eight rebounds, six blocked shots and four steals to lead the Denville PAL Demons 5th grade girls travel basketball team to a 28-19 victory over Montville at Morris County Vo-Tech on Saturday, Feb. 20.
The Demons took their first lead in the second period at lead 13-10 at the half after the teams had battled to a 4-4 first-quarter deadlock. Denville pulled steadily away in the second half to secure its nine-point victory.
Lia Mennella and Tori Colledge each had six points for the Demons; Amanda Mahn, Ajoke Adetula and Romina Dichio each scored two points; and Caroline O’Boyle finished with a free throw.
Adetula finished with six blocked shots ... Dicchio had three steals ... Cynthia Vuong had seven rebounds ... Lia Mennella finished with three assists.
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Two weekend wins put Demons in 2nd place
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL Demons travel girls basketball team moved into sole possession of second place in the 5th-grade division of the Garden Sate Basketball League (GSBL) with a 40-15 victory over Morristown Saturday, Jan. 30, in a game played at the Valleyview Middle School.
The Demons broke out to a 10-4 lead after one quarter of play and then held Morristown to one second-quarter point in building an 18-5 halftime lead. The lead grew to 16 points after three periods of play and then Denville outscored the visitors 12-3 in the final quarter to seal the victory.
The win gave the Demons a record of 11-4 overall and 9-2 in the GSBL. Denville trails first-place Madison (9-1) by a half-game in the standings.
Ajoke Adetula’s 14 points led the scoring for Denville. Lia Mennella finished with nine points; Cynthia Vuong had five points; Romina Dichio had four points; and Amanda Mahn, Kaylie Slomkowski, Tori Colledge and Shefali Kumar each had two points for the Demons.
Stats: Vuong had a team-high eight steals while Slomkowski finished with six ... Adetula had five rebounds and Colledge and Kumar each had four ... Adetula and Dichio each blocked two shots ... Slomkoski, Mennella and Mahn each had three assists.
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Demons hold off Long Hill, 18-12, for 10th win of season
DENVILLE - The defenses had their day on Friday, Jan. 29, as the Denville PAL Demons defeated Long Hill, 18-12, in a Garden State Basketball League (GSBL) fifth-grade division girls game played at Long Hill on Friday, Jan. 29.
Cynthia Vuong and Kaylie Slomkowski led the Demon defense as Vuong finished with five steals and Slomkowski had three. Also, Ajoke Adetula finished with seven rebounds and Tori Colledge added six while Adetula had a game-high four blocked shots.
Adetula and Slomkowski each had six points to lead the team in scoring while Lia Mennella added four points and Collede finished with two.
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Defense the key as Demons defeat Green Brook
DENVILLE - Trailing by a point going into the final quarter, the Denville PAL Demons 5th-Grade girls travel basketball team threw a blanket over its opponent and allowed no points in the final seven minutes of play to emerge with a 21-17 victory over Green Brook in a game played at Valleyview Middle School on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The victory gave the Demons a 9-4 overall record and a 7-2 mark in the Garden State Basketball League (GSBL), where the Demons now occupy second-place in their age-group division.
On Saturday, the teams started out slowly and finished the first quarter tied at 4-4. Green Brook took a 10-8 lead at the half and the Demons cut the Green Brook lead to a single point at 17-16 by outscoring the visitors, 8-7, in the third period.
A more aggressive defense and some solid rebounding helped hold Green Brook scoreless the rest of the way and, with the Demons scoring five fourth-quarter points, Denville emerged with its four-point win.
Ajoke Adetula led the team in rebounds with nine and Shefali Kumar added five to give the Demons the edge on the boards. The defense was led by Romina Dichio and Cynthia Vuong as each finished the game with five steals. Kumar blocked six Green Brook shots and was able to alter several others.
As for scoring, Adetula led the team with eight points and Kaylie Slomkowski finished with four. Dichio and Vuong each added three points; Zia Mennell finished with two points; and Kumar had a free throw to complete the scoring for the Demons.
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Defense rules again as Demons beat Holy Trinity, 24-9
DENVILLE - Defense was also the name of the game on Friday, Jan. 22 when the Denville PAL Demons 5th-grade girls travel basketball team beat Holy Trinity of Westfield, 24-9, in a Garden State Basketball League (GSBL) game played at Westfield.
The Demons (8-4 overall, 6-2 in the GSBL) limited Holy Trinity to four third-period points and then held the home team scoreless in the final quarter to seal the victory.
Emily Blum had five steals and Cynthia Vuong had four to lead the Demons' strong defensive effort.
Ajoke Adetula led the team in scoring with eight points with Vuong adding six, Kaylie Slomkowski and Lia Mennella each had four points and Caroline O�Boyle completed the scoring for the Demons with a field goal.
Romina Dichio finished with five rebounds and Slomkowski added four to help the Demons control the boards. Amanda Mahn, Mennella, Dichio and Slomkowski each had an assist.
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Defense is key as Demons turn back Berkeley Heights
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL Demons 5th-Grade girls travel basketball team's defense pitched a first-quarter shutout against Berkeley Heights and then went on to record a 38-15 victory in a Garden State Basketball League game played at the Valleyview Middle School here on Wednesday, Jan. 20.
The victory puts the Demons league record at 5-2 and their overall record at 7-4.
The Demons led 13-0 after the first quarter and extended the lead to 21 with a 12-4 run in the second period. Berkely came back with an 11-3 third-period burst before the Demons sealed the victory by shutting down the visitors again in the final period.
Ajoke Adetula led the Demons in scoring with 12 points. Kaylie Slomkowski added eight points; Lia Mennella finished with five points, Amanda Mahn scored four points; Caroline O'Boyle added three; and Emily Blum, Jenna Racaniello and Romina Dichio each added two points to complete the scoring for the Demons.
Slomkowski finished with a team-high five rebounds and nine steals; Dichio had five steals and two assists; Cynthia Yuong had four rebounds and two assists; Mahn finished with four rebounds and three assists; and Adetula had four rebounds.
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Demons gain split in GSBL weekend play
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL Demons 5th-grade girls travel basketball team split a pair of Garden State Basketball League (GSBL) games this past weekend to run their overall record to 6-4 and their league record to 4-2.
On Friday, Jan. 15, the Demons broke open a close game by scoring the last 10 points in a 26-14 victory over Watchung played at the Valley View School in Watchung.
Leading by only two at 16-14 going into the final period, the Demons outscored Watchung, 10-0, over the course of the fourth quarter to secure their victory.
Ajoke Adetula led the Demons in scoring with 14 points; Kaylie Slomkowski added six; Lia Mennella finished with four; and Shefall Kumar scored two points to complete the Demons scoring.
Slomkowski had four steals while Mennella added three; Adetula finished with six rebounds and two blocked shots; Mennella was also the team leader in assists with three.
In another GSBL game played on Saturday, Jan. 16, the Demons suffered through a cold-shooting second period that led to a 22-17 loss to Madison in a game played in Lakeview School�s new gymnasium here.
After the two teams struggled through a 3-3 first period, Madison held Denville to only two points while outscoring the Demons 13-2 to take a 15-5 halftime lead.
Denville sliced the 10-point lead in half with a 9-4 run in the third period, but then both teams went cold again in the final quarter as Madison outscored Denville, 3-2, to escape with the victory.
Adetula was high scorer for the Demons with four points; Amanda Mahn, Slomkowski, Mennella, and Vyong each had three; and Caroline O'Boyle connected on a free throw to complete Denville's scoring.
Romina Dichio had a team-high five steals with Kaylie Slomkowski and Romina each getting four; Mahn, Adetula and Mennell each had three rebounds; Slomkowski contributed three assists for the Demons.
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Demons 5th-grade girls turn back Holy Trinity, 42-10
DENVILLE - All nine players contributed as the Denville PAL Demons 5th-grade girls travel basketball team defeated Holy Trinity, 42-10, in a Garden State Basketball League (GSBL) game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Saturday, Jan. 9.
Denville jumped out to a 10-2 lead after one quarter and stretched the advantage to 18-4 at the halftime break and was never headed as Holy Trinity was held scoreless throughout the entire third period.
The win gives the Demons a 5-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the GSBL.
Kaylie Slomkoswksi led a balanced Denville attack with 11 points while Ajoke Adetula added eight. Cynthina Vuong added five points; Amanda Mahn, Lia Mennella and Caroline O�Boyle each added four; and Romina Dichio, Jenna Racaniello and Shefali Kumar each scored two points to complete the Demons' scoring totals.
Mahn finished the game with four assits, four steals and four forced jump balls; Kumar and Adetula each had eight rebounds and Adetula finished with four blocked shots.
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Demons 5th-grade girls turn back Holy Trinity, 42-10
DENVILLE - All nine players contributed as the Denville PAL Demons 5th-grade girls travel basketball team defeated Holy Trinity, 42-10, in a Garden State Basketball League (GSBL) game played at Valleyview Middle School here on Saturday, Jan. 9.
Denville jumped out to a 10-2 lead after one quarter and stretched the advantage to 18-4 at the halftime break and was never headed as Holy Trinity was held scoreless throughout the entire third period.
The win gives the Demons a 5-2 overall record and a 3-1 mark in the GSBL.
Kaylie Slomkowksi led a balanced Denville attack with 11 points while Ajoke Adetula added eight. Cynthina Vuong added five points; Amanda Mahn, Lia Mennella and Caroline O�Boyle each added four; and Romina Dichio, Jenna Racaniello and Shefali Kumar each scored two points to complete the scoring totals for the Demons.
Mahn finished the game with four assists, four steals and four forced jump balls; Kumar and Adetula each had eight rebounds and Adetula finished with four blocked shots.
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Demons to take 4-3 overall, 2-1 league record into 2010
DENVILLE - The Denville PAL Demons fifth grade girls travel basketball team will take a 4-3 overall record into the new year when it resumes play on Saturday, Jan. 9, 2010, with a 4:45 p.m. Garden State Basketball League (GSBL) game against Holy Trinity at Valleyview School.
The team closed out 2009 with a 20-6 GSBL victory over Madison to improve their league record to 2-1.
Kaylie Slomkowski led the way with 12 points and three steals and Tori Colledge had four points, six rebounds and four steals for the Demons. Caroline O'Boyle chipped in with six rebounds and two steals.
The team then entered the Wayne PAL Holiday Slamfest Basketball Tournament over the holiday break and beat Lincoln Park and West Essex and lost to Mahway in the early rounds before bowing to the host Wayne PAL team in the semifinals.
Category leaders for the three tournment games included Lia Mennella with 26 points; Ajoke Adetula with 25 rebounds; Emily Blum and Slomkowski, each with 12 steals; Adetula with 24 blocked shots; and Amanda Mahn and Kaylie Slomkowski each forced 11 jump balls.
