ROSELLE PARK, NJ — To show how unselfish and team-first a player Sidney Smith is, there’s most likely no doubt she would trade any individual milestone for three more Roselle Park High School sectional tournament victories.
There’s no question what Smith does on the basketball court is extremely valuable to her team’s success. For Smith, however, it’s team success first and how she contributes to her team’s success second.
“Embracing a leadership role and lifting the team up is what’s most important to me,” Smith said. “Our goal is to beat every team in front of us.”
On Friday, Feb. 27, at Roselle Park’s T. “Ralph” Williams Gymnasium, team success in the state playoffs for the host Roselle Park Panthers for a second consecutive season partnered up with Smith achieving something on a basketball court that had not been done in nearly two decades. After Roselle Park had a big lead against its first-round sectional opponent, the 5-foot-5 speedy, sharp-shooting guard, sank one of her three 3-point field goals to reach 2,000 career points.
Smith, who played her first two years at Roselle Catholic High School, became the first girl from Roselle Park to reach such lofty individual status and only the fifth-ever from a Union County school. Jac Kuczynski, of Jonathan Dayton High School, was the last Union County girls basketball player to reach 2,000 career points, back in 2009.
“Sidney Smith is a rare player who I’ve been blessed to have the opportunity to coach,” Roselle Park head coach Staci Hartzler said. “Her work ethic, drive and motivation are like nothing I’ve ever seen. She has earned this very special milestone and I couldn’t be happier for her!”
What’s most important to Smith, who now has 2,003 career points to be exact after pouring in a game-high 37 on Friday, Feb. 27, is that her Roselle Park Panthers advanced in state tournament play. Roselle Park, the sixth seed, convincingly defeated 11th-seeded Florence Township Memorial High School, 72-30, in first-round Central Jersey, Group 1 action.
Roselle Park improved to 17-7 and won one more game than last year’s 16-6 squad, which was the program’s first winning season in more than 15 years.
The Panthers were to next travel to play at third-seeded Keansburg High School (20-3) in a Monday, March 2, quarterfinal round matchup. Roselle Park reached the quarterfinals last year, after beating David Brearley High School at home in the first round.
The semifinal round was scheduled for Wednesday, March 4, at the higher seed. The final is scheduled for Friday, March 6, at the higher seed.
“No doubt, 2,000 points is a good milestone to hit,” Smith said, as she was on the brink of producing that very special and rare number. “It has never really entered my mind. Scoring just comes with the game.”
Against Florence Township Memorial on Friday, Feb. 27 – the Burlington County school finished 12-13 – Smith made 10 two-point field goals, three 3s and was successful on eight-of-nine free throw attempts.
“My main focus is to come after everyone in front of me and to also get my teammates involved,” said Smith, who dons No. 15.
Roselle Park jumped out to a 21-5 lead after the first eight minutes against Florence Township Memorial and then stood with a 37-10 advantage at the break.
No doubt Keansburg, located in Monmouth County, will be much more of a challenge for Roselle Park, which will seek to go one step further in sectional play than it did a year ago.
A bit of an ankle sprain sustained in Roselle Park’s Union County Tournament setback on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Union Catholic prevented Smith from playing in a home game two weeks ago against Newark’s Central High School. It was also an ankle sprain that limited Smith’s production somewhat her sophomore season at Roselle Park.
Smith was inserted back in the lineup last week and scored a game-high 31 points to lead the Panthers to a 57-40 win at Union High School, which allowed Roselle Park to gain a share of the Union County Conference’s Valley Division championship with David Brearley.
Sidney Smith year-by-year scoring
2022-2023: (402) 26 games for Roselle Catholic (12-14) Head coach: Joe Skrec
2023-2024: (198) 19 games for Roselle Catholic (15-8) Head coach: Danaejah Grant
2024-2025: (729) 22 games for Roselle Park (16-6) Head coach: Staci Hartzler
2025-2026: (674) 21 games for Roselle Park (17-7) Head coach: Staci Hartzler
Totals: 2,003 points in 89 games for an average of 23 points.
Union County girls basketball players with 2,000 career points
Kris Durham, Union Catholic High School Class of 1987, (2,570)
Played collegiately at the University of Tennessee.
Tamecka Dixon, Linden High School Class of 1993, (2,090)
Played collegiately at the University of Kansas.
Sherryta Freeman, Hillside High School class of 1997, (2,056)
Played collegiately at Dartmouth College.
Jacqueline Kuczynski, Jonathan Dayton High School class of 2009, (2,020)
Played collegiately at Boston University.
Sidney Smith, Roselle Park High School Class of 2026, (2,003 so far)
Smith played her first two years at Roselle Catholic and her last two at Roselle Park.
She plans to play collegiately at Elon University.
Photo Courtesy of Staci Hartzler
