MEDFORD (N.J.) - Winners of five straight contests heading into its county tournament semifinal matchup with Rancocas Valley, Lenape looked to continue its winning ways.
Lenape's Tye Dorset scored 19 points in a 49-35 win over Rancocas Valley in the Burlington County Tournament semifinals at Lenape Regional High School in Medford, New Jersey on Wednesday, February 15, 2023. Chris Baker/D2 Sports Network
It did so with a 49-35 come-from-behind victory over Rancocas Valley in the Burlington County Tournament semifinals on Wednesday night. The Indians defeated R.V. for the third time this season.
The Red Devils got off to a hot start and took a 29-17 lead into halftime.
Lenape's Tye Dorset responded with 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half as the Red Devils were held scoreless for the first 12 minutes of the second half and outscored 32-6 following intermission. Matt Liebling chipped in 11 for the Indians.
Montre Wilson led Rancocas Valley with 11 points.
Lenape also snagged 33 rebounds while the Red Devils were limited to 23.
At the half, Lenape coach Matt Wolf delivered a simple message to his team after a sluggish start.
"I just told them we have to play harder," Wolf said. "I went over some small fixes and kept my message short and to the point. We knew what we had to do; it just came down to execution."
Lenape's South Jersey Group 4 title run a season ago helped set the standard. The returning experience from Dorset and defensive stalwart Tekie Clark, among others, has helped the Indians find success in postseason-like games this year.
"I think our senior leadership and other returning players from last year's team helped us grind out this win tonight," Dorset said. "We could've put our heads down and quit, but the adversity and challenges we had this season prepared us for tonight's test."