RCSJ Coach Rich Cooper knows if his Roadrunner Women's Basketball team will successfully defend their Region 19 championship, they will need to show plenty of resiliency against a tough field of playoff contenders.

On Tuesday night, the No. 3 seed Runners' squad did exactly that. They methodically built a 16-point lead over No. 6 Passaic early in the second half, but needed to hold off a furious rally to defeat the Panthers, 62-55.

Freshman guard Jenna Georgette converted three critical free throws while forward Shannon Pierman added a key basket in the closing minute to seal the win.

Next up for the Runners will be a North Atlantic District semifinal at Camden County College Thursday in a 6 pm start.

Despite the large deficit, the Panthers crept to within 53-50 before the Runners closed out by outscoring Passaic 10-5 down the stretch.

"I will say that my team shows a lot of resiliency, which is exactly what they did tonight," said Cooper. "This will be a game that hopefully helps us as we go further into the tournament."

Pierman led all scorers with 16 points followed by teammates Jermyra Bethea (15), Georgette (10) and Anna Dipiero (10).