Recapping South Jersey Girls Basketball Teams During Holiday Tournaments

Now that the holiday tournaments are over, area high school girls’ basketball teams will be getting into the heart of their conference schedules over the next six weeks. Here is a look at some of the most impressive performances during the holidays.

The Rams competed in the round robin South Jersey Basketball Invitational Showcase and came away with two impressive wins against highly regarded South Jersey teams. They defeated Moorestown, 68-39 and then earned a 49-33 victory over defending South Jersey Group 4 champion Cherokee, handing the Chiefs their first loss of the season.

That was the fourth straight win for the Rams, who opened with a 58-52 loss to perennial Philadelphia Catholic League contender Archbishop Carroll.

In the win over Cherokee Jahzara Green, among the top players in South Jersey, had 23 points.

The Irish had two convincing wins in the MCCC Holiday Showcase at Mercer County College. In the first game, Camden Catholic beat Princeton, 69-32 as Caroline Brennan led a balanced attack with 14 points and 10 rebounds. That was followed by a 69-50 win over Pennsylvania’s George School. Edore Pela led the way with 16 points while Janiah Lipscomb scored 14 points.

The Group 1 Green Wave improved to 6-0 after winning the Audubon Holiday Tournament. The Green Wave opened with a 59-31 win over Group 4 Vineland as sophomore Sophia Homa scored 21 points. Audubon then beat Group 3 Deptford 52-32 in the championship. Senior Emma Speyerer scored 16 points and Homa, who was named the tournament MVP, added 14 points. Audubon showed that the Green Wave could be a factor among many contenders in Group 1.

The Vikings won both games in their own round robin tournament over two quality Group 4 teams. Eastern opened with a 52-38 win over Egg Harbor Township as senior Marlee Praesel had 19 points and 10 rebounds. In a 41-35 win over Kingsway, senior London Sutton had 14 points and 10 rebounds, and the 5-foot-10 Praesel added 10 points and eight rebounds. Eastern plays in such a difficult Olympic Conference American Division with the likes of Lenape and Cherokee, that winning non-conference games is a major plus.

The Eagles won both games in their holiday showcase to even their record at 3-3. Dae'Onna Lawrence led West Deptford with 12 points. In a 53-31 win over Holy Cross Prep Addison Fronza scored 12 points for the Eagles. These wins should give the Eagles confidence as they return to action in the rugged Colonial Conference Liberty Division.

The Indians went 2-1 in the Score at the Shore at Southern Regional. In the opener, standout junior guard El-Anita Joe-Samuel scored 19 points as Lenape defeated Our Lady of Mercy, 78-56. Lenape then lost 64-62 to an unbeaten Trinity Hall team as Joe-Samuel had 25 points and eight rebounds. She also scored 24 points in a 64-46 win over Mainland. Facing quality teams such as Trinity Hall and Mainland will helps the Indians as they compete in the Olympic Conference American Division.