SJ Sports: Girls` Tournament

The Group 2 girls’ basketball tournament appears to be the most wide-open in South Jersey. The single-elimination tournament begins on March 4 and there isn’t one team that stands out as a favorite.

It wouldn’t be surprising if one or even two teams from the Colonial Conference advance to the championship of this 12-team field. There are four Colonial teams, No. 1 seeded Collingswood, No. 2 Sterling, No. 4 Haddonfield and No. 7 Haddon Township. All four have a legitimate chance to win the title, as do a few other teams in the Group.

Last season Haddon Township beat Haddonfield, 41-34 in the South Jersey Group 2 final. This year both teams have plenty of company as they try to return to the championship game.

First of all, the teams in the Colonial appear so balanced, although Haddonfield may have the slight edge due to its recent play.

Haddonfield has lost to Haddon Township, beaten Sterling in two close games and split with Collingswood.

Sterling has split two close games with both Haddon Township and Collingswood. The Silver Knights lost to Township, 35-32 on opening night and then beat the Hawks, 35-34. Sterling lost to Collingswood, 37-35 before beating the Panthers, 43-40.

Anybody from our conference in the Group 2 tournament has the ability to beat anybody else and to get beaten," Sterling coach Jackie Donovan said. "It’s very balanced."

Sterling is the No. 2 seed and receives a first-round bye. The Silver Knights are likely to face Haddon Township for a third time if Township beats No. 10 Hammonton in an opening round game.

Another potential Colonial rematch could come in the semifinals. Haddonfield and Collingswood both have first-round byes. If Haddonfield beats the winner of Pleasantville-Woodstown and Collingswood defeats the Delran-Pinelands winner, then Collingswood and Haddonfield will have their third meeting.

Collingswood had been in a mini slump, having lost three of five games, but the Panthers made a huge statement with last week’s 56-55 win over a Woodrow Wilson team that was ranked No. 2 in South Jersey and is seeded No. 2 in the Group 3 field.

Collingswood sophomore guard Ashlee Feldman is averaging 17 points per game and she gives the Panthers the needed perimeter threat to be dangerous in this tournament.

Few teams will match up well with Haddonfield’s size, which includes 6-4 Sara Zoubek, 6-1 Juliane Rusie, 6-0 Julie Sobolewski and 5-10 Carrie Biemer.

Speaking of size, the one player who could be the most dominant in the Group 2 field is Erica Davis, Northern Burlington’s 6-3 senior center who is headed to Yale.

Davis is averaging nearly 19 points per game. Don’t be misled by Northern Burlington’s No. 6 seed. The Greyhounds are extremely dangerous. They open with No. 11 Burlington Township, a team that Northern Burlington has already beaten twice.

The winner of that game then travels to No. 3 Cinnaminson. Northern Burlington beat Cinnaminson, 46-30 on Feb. 6. If Northern Burlington wins, it would face likely either Haddon Township or Sterling in the semifinals.

One thing is assured when talking about Group 2: there shouldn’t be many upsets because so many of the teams are evenly matched. That’s what makes this the most intriguing of the four public school groups in South Jersey.

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Author: Marc Narducci