In the past eight games -- all victories -- the Roadrunner Women's Basketball team has emerged as the premier team in both the Garden State Athletic Conference and Region 19.

Want some proof? With recent wins over RCSJ Cumberland, 83-28 (Dec. 19) and at Brookdale, 72-27 (Dec. 21), RCSJ Gloucester improved to 8-2 overall. including a 4-0 mark in the conference and 8-0 in Region 19. This recent surge followed back to back losses to two nationally ranked teams in New York to start the season.

Against the Dukes on Dec. 19th, sophomore guard Faith Rosa pumped in 23 points, her top performance this winter, while teammates Jermyra Bethea (14 points), Destiny Hines (11), Chloe Shields (11) and Maxine Ampofo (10) also scored in double figures to spark the win.

"We are a far better team than we were in our first two games," said Rosa, a sophomore guard. "The trip to New York (to start the season) helped us to bond as a team, and now we're really seeing some improvement."

The Runners raced out to a commanding 47-14 halftime lead and never looked back vs. the Dukes.

The squad continued their lengthy win streak in the following game with the win over Brookdale on the road. The Jersey Blues held a brief 14-12 first quarter lead before the Roadrunners roared back with a 15-4 second quarter surge to move out to a 27-18 halftime advantage. It was all Runners in the second half as they outscored Brookdale by a 45-9 count to seal the outcome.

Freshman Tireya Wyatt deposited 16 points and Ampofo added another 14-point effort to lead the triumph.

"I feel we can play well against any team, and we're putting it all together," said Jermyra Bethea, who played at LEAP Academy. "We're excited to see how far we can go."

Next up for Cooper's team will be a road game at Ocean County College on Jan. 9 in a 5 pm tipoff. The Runners topped the Vikings earlier this month during the annual Roadrunner Showcase.