South Jersey Girls' Basketball State Tournament Preview
The NJSIAA girls’ basketball tournament begins this week. Here is a look at the six South Jersey Groups.
South Jersey Group 1
Defending champion: Haddon Township defeated Wildwood, 42-32.
Top seed: Haddon Township.
Outlook: Haddon Township remains the team to beat. The Hawks benefited by playing a difficult schedule, both in the Colonial Conference Liberty Division and non-league games. This might also be the best defensive team in Group 1. It could very well be a championship rematch between Haddon Township and No. 2 seed Wildwood.
South Jersey Group 2
Defending champion: Middle Township beat Haddon Heights, 56-31.
Top seed: Middle Township
Outlook: Middle Township is clearly the favorite to repeat. The Panthers improved to 23-4 after beating Wildwood Catholic, 42-35 in Saturday’s Cape Atlantic League championship. Cinnaminson is the No. 2 seed and will be dangerous. So should No. 3 Haddon Heights, which has one of the best scorers in South Jersey, junior guard Emma Harris (21.5 ppg.).
South Jersey Group 3
Defending champion: Cherry Hill West beat Moorestown, 50-43.
Top seed: Cherry Hill West.
Outlook: Cherry Hill West is the defending state champion, but the Lions brought back just one returning starter. Fortunately for West, that starter is junior Kirsten Gibson, among the top players in South Jersey who is averaging more than 23 points per game. Moorestown is the No. 2 seed and the Quakers split two games this season with Cherry Hill West. A third meeting is very likely.
South Jersey Group 4
Defending champion: Cherokee beat Lenape, 51-40.
Top seed: Lenape.
Outlook: Lenape, which won the state title in 2024 and was a sectional finalist last year, is the team to beat. Junior guard El-Anita Joe-Samuel, a standout on Lenape’s state title team as a freshman, is one of the best players in the state. She is averaging 23.2 points per game and has the ability to elevate her game in March. Egg Harbor Township is the No. 2 seed and will be dangerous, but a team to watch is defending sectional champion Cherokee, the No. 4 seed. This season Cherokee is 0-3 against Lenape, but the first two games were each decided by two points. The most recent meeting was a 52-28 loss to the Indians in the South Jersey Basketball Invitational Tournament. If Cherokee and Lenape do meet for a fourth time, it would be in the sectional semifinals.
South Jersey Non-Public A
Defending champion: Paul VI beat Red Bank Catholic, 47-46.
Top seed: Red Bank Catholic.
Outlook: This is by far the most talented Group. Red Bank Catholic is nationally ranked and earlier this season handed Paul VI its lone loss in a 64-56 victory. As the No. 3 seed Paul VI (24-1) is a contender, but so is No. 2 seeded St. John Vianney. On Saturday. St. John Vianney lost, 53-49 to Red Bank Catholic in the Shore Conference tournament championship. Red Bank Catholic went 2-1 against St. John Vianney this season and it’s possible the teams could meet a fourth time.
South Jersey Non-Public B
Defending champion: Gloucester Catholic beat Rutgers Prep 46-33.
Top seed: Rutgers Prep.
Outlook: Rutgers Prep improved to 23-3 after Saturday’s 55-37 win over Franklin in the Somerset County tournament championship game. The one team that can give Rutgers Prep a run is defending champion Gloucester Catholic.
The Rams showed they can be competitive with the best teams in the state when they lost a 57-55 double overtime decision to Paul VI in the championship of the South Jersey Basketball Invitational Tournament. Senior forward Jahzara Green enters the tournament with 1,829 career points and is a dominant force inside.
Haddon Township girls basketball / Photo courtesy of Haddon Township girls basketball
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Author: Marc Narducci
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