Freshman Trina Deveney-Bethea (Cedar Creek) deposited 16 points to lead three players in double figures as the RCSJ Gloucester Women's Basketball team rolled past visiting Middlesex County 61-39 in the opening round of the NJCAA Region XIX playoffs Sunday afternoon.

The No. 4 seed Roadrunners advance to the Region semifinals with a meeting next Saturday vs. top-seed Passaic at Northampton County College in a 12 noon start.

Joining Deveney-Bethea in twin figures were sophomores Nikita Acker (Triton, 12) and Mya Lewis (Cherry Hill West, 10).

Coach Rich Cooper's Runners controlled the utcome from start to to finish, and they can thank a solid defensive effort as the catalyst for the win. The home team raced out to leads of 19-11 after the first quarter and 32-16 at halftime to decide the outcome early.

The victory also snapped a three-game losing streak endured at the end of the regular season. The win was also the third of the season for the Runners over the No. 5 seed Blue Colts this winter.

"This was by far our best defensive effort in the past several games," said Cooper. "Everything starts with defense."

Game Day Preview

The Roadrunner Women's Basketball team has been selected as the No. 4 seed in the upcoming NJCAA Region XIX Tournament, and will open play on Sunday, February 23 when they host No. 5 Middlesex in a 1 pm game. Coach Rich Cooper feels his team will be ready for the battle.

The Runners compiled a 17-9 overall record in the regular season and 13-6 region mark. The Colts finished 18-10 overall and 12-7 in the region.

RCSJ Gloucester won both regular season games between the two teams.

Although the Runners ended the regular season with three straight losses, Cooper feels his team will be ready for the challenge.

"We were out of sync in our last three games, but we've addressed a lot of these issues in practice and we should be fine," said Cooper. "We need to stengthen our defense and create some breaks for ourselves. The ladies are confident they will get in the right rythmn."

The Runners will also be at full strength in the health department.

Tip off starts at 1 pm with the winner advancing to the Region XIX Chanmpionship Tournament the following weekend.

The Region XIX Basketball Tournament Committee announced the seedings during their meeting on Wednesday night. The D-III seedings are as follows:

Division III Women

1. Passaic
2. Ocean
3. Philadelphia
4. RCSJ - Gloucester
5. Middlesex
6. Bergen
7. Sussex

Here is the Region XIX Tournament schedule:

Div.III Women's Basketball

Division III Women's Basketball Championship

Dates: Saturday February 29th and Sunday March 1st, 2020

Host Site: Northampton Community College - Arthur L. Scott Center

First Round Playoffs: Sunday, February 23rd