Cape-Atlantic League Tournament: First Round Preview
The Cape-Atlantic League Tournament will tip-off on Monday. All eight teams will be in action to see which teams will move onto the semi-finals. It has been an exciting season and all teams have a chance to take home the…
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Continue ReadingThe Cape-Atlantic League Tournament will tip-off on Monday. All eight teams will be in action to see which teams will move onto the semi-finals. It has been an exciting season and all teams have a chance to take home the title. Here is a preview of the first round on Monday night.
1- Wildwood Catholic vs. 8- Absegami
Wildwood Catholic has lost just three times this season. They will enter as the top-seed and favorites to win the tournament. They are 21-3 on the season and it is not surprising when looking at their talent. Marianna Papazoglou has been incredible throughout her junior campaign. She is leading the team in scoring and rebounding by a large margin. Gabby Turco has taken over as a leader during her senior season. She has knocked down 36 three’s. Wildwood Catholic has a perfect blend of inside and out on the offensive end.
They will take on Absegami who comes into the game at 15-8 on the year. Haleigh Schafer will have to matchup with Papazoglou in this one. Schafer is an elite scorer in the conference and she will look to lead her team to an upset victory in round one. This game will come down to if Absegami can hang around until the end. They cannot allow Wildwood Catholic to get an early lead and cruise to victory.
4- Mainland vs. 5- Middle Township
This will be the rubber match between these two teams. They met twice during the season and both sides picked up a win. Mainland comes in as the higher seed at 16-5 and on a three-game winning streak. They are led by the best player in the state in Kylee Watson. The Oregon commit is an incredible talent and one that can take over a game.
Middle Township comes in as one of the hottest teams in the conference. They have won their last eight games including big wins over Manasquan and Delsea. Kira Sides has been one of the best players in New Jersey this season. She is scoring 18.8 points per game to lead Middle Township. She is also the leading rebounder and is second in assists, steals, and blocks.
3- Atlantic City vs. 6- Atlantic Tech
This is a matchup of teams that are one game apart in the standings. Atlantic Tech comes in at 15-8 while Atlantic City is 16-7. This will be a rematch of just four days earlier when Atlantic City got the best of Tech 60-50. In that game, Naysha Suarez-Rivera led the way with 17 points for Atlantic City while Ciani Redd-Howard scored 15 and grabbed seven rebounds. Madison Brestle was dominant on the defensive end with eight steals.
For Tech, Grace Speer led the way with 17 points. She was one of two players in double-figures. Cea’anai Jackson was the other with 10. If Atlantic Tech wants to come out on top this time around, they will need to have some other player step up into bigger roles. Atlantic City is very well-rounded and their depth is a strong suit.
2- Ocean City vs. 7- Our Lady of Mercy
Ocean City comes into this tournament having lost two of their last three but they are still the second-seed. They have been extremely balanced all season long. Abbey Fenton is their clear No. 1 option but they have other scorers as well. Marlee Brestle, Emma Finnegan, and Marin Panico also pose a threat on the offensive side. They have not faced OLOM this season but they will be the favorites in this one.
OLOM has a record of 17-7 just like Ocean City. They have lost their last three games, all have come by double-digits. Ava Casale will have to show up big time for OLOM to break their recent string of bad luck. She is an elite shooter who has knocked down 42 three’s this season. Jaiden Harris is averaging just over 11 points and 11 rebounds per game this season. They have a strong duo who can pull off an upset in this game.