Field hockey. Red Devils triumph; Pats, Braves fall

And then there were two.

That's the number of teams from Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex still standing in the sectional playoffs, as top-seeded Hunterdon Central advanced to the North 2, Group 4 final with Friday's 6-2 dismantling of fourth-seeded West Windsor South in the semifinals at Raritan Township.

Central (17-6) will host No. 6 Montgomery -- a 4-1 winner over No. 7 West Windsor North -- in Tuesday's All-Skyland Conference championship game at 2 p.m. The Red Devils join Warren Hills, which will play for the North 2, Group 3 title on Monday, as the lone teams still playing in the Open Mike area.

Lenape Valley and Newton each dropped semifinal contests in North 1, Group 1 on Friday.

The top-seeded Patriots suffered a 1-0 loss to No. 4 Mountain Lakes, while No. 7 Newton fell, 2-1, to No. 6 Whippany Park.

Hunterdon Central, making its first finals appearance since winning the last of the program's 12 sectional titles in 2011, has yet to be tested in the postseason, opening with a 6-2 win over No. 8 Hillsborough last Monday.

Junior forward Taylor Barrett continued her fine postseason with three goals and one assist in the victory over West Windsor South. Barrett, who leads the team with 15 goals, struck for a pair of goals against Hillsborough. Midfielder Ally Baligian has two goals and three assists in two playoff games.

Following a 3-12-1 campaign in 2010, Central recaptured its former glory with a title run in 2011, beating Montgomery, 2-1, in the North 2, Group 4 final. Last year, coach Jenn Sponzo's team dropped a 4-0 decision in the North 2, Group 4 semifinals. Sponzo's teams also won titles in 2001, '02, '03, '04 and '07.

Sussex shut out

Lenape Valley and Newton were the final Sussex County teams standings on Friday. High Point dropped an 8-0 decision to West Essex in Thursday's North 1, Group 2 semifinals.

The Patriots finish at 15-6-1 after a dismal two-win campaign in 2012. Coach Kate Rothman's team was bidding for the program's third sectional title and first since 1990. Mountain Lakes (12-8-1) won the last of its three championships in 2011.

Newton, which hasn't won a sectional title since 1986, wraps up the year at 8-13-1 after knocking off the Nos. 10 and 2 seeds during its run to the semifinals. Brittany Schumann scored the lone goal, while goalie Jenna Zawislak made five saves in the 2-1 loss to Whippany Park, which won its only titles in 1980 and '81.

Here is next week's schedule:

Monday, Nov. 11
(Championship)

North 2, Group 3

Ocean Township at Warren Hills, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 12
(Championship)

North 2, Group 4

Montgomery at Hunterdon Central, 2 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 14

Group semifinals, TBD

Saturday, Nov. 16

(Group championships at Toms River East)

Group 2, 10 a.m.

Group 3, noon

Group 4, 2 p.m.

Group 1, 4 p.m.

Non-Public, 6 p.m.