All Cape-Atlantic League Team of February

It has been a strange build up to the season, but basketball is truly back in full swing. Now that games are being played in the state of New Jersey fans have been able to experience some of the best players in the state doing what they do best, putting on a show every night. The Cape-Atlantic League is home to some of the most underrated players in New Jersey, they have proved that in just one month. <strong>Guard: Kate Herlihy, Middle Township (Senior):</strong> Middle Township is off to a flying start in the first month of the season. The team is 8-0 and a lot of those wins can be traced back to the play of senior Kate Herlihy. So far this year Herlihy has put up stellar averages of 22.4 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, showing that she can find success scoring at all three levels but doesn’t need to be scoring a crazy amount to still make a difference. The senior looks a step faster this year and has a commanding presence on the court that her teammates can easily get behind. <strong>Guard: Grace Speer, Atlantic Tech (Junior):</strong> It has been an up and down start to the season for Atlantic Tech, but the one player keeping them afloat has been Grace Speer. Sitting at 4-4 Atlantic Tech has relied heavily on Speer to be the go to scorer they desperately need and she has stepped up to the challenge in a big way. Through eight games she is averaging 19.1 points and 2 rebounds per game, making two three pointers in those games as well. Still only a junior Speer has shown she can take her team to new heights with her sweet touch from outside and willingness to take things slow and let them game come to her. <strong>Guard: Samantha Jones, Vineland (Sophomore):</strong> One of the most surprising teams in the entire state up to this point has been Vineland. After going 7-17 last year the team has already reached their total win mark from all of last year in just eight games. Not only is the entire team surprising many, their best player is proving to be a major building block for the programs future. Samantha Jones is only a sophomore and is already averaging 14.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 5.7 steals per game, showing her willingness to be active in all facets of the game. Vineland has a much deeper team than years past so Jones doesn’t have to do all the heavy lifting herself, but she has shown in the first month she is more than capable of doing so. <strong>Forward: Emma Peretti, Hammonton (Sophomore):</strong> Another underclassman who has been turning heads this year has been Hammonton’s dominant forward Emma Peretti. While Hammonton isn’t a state powerhouse they have been able to keep up with the elite teams of the Cape-Atlantic League so far this year due to all of the production the team has gotten from some younger players. Peretti is averaging 20.4 points, 14.3 rebounds<span class="Apple-converted-space"> through seven games and has shown no signs of slowing down. She has been able to use her great footwork and speed to put herself in good position to grab rebounds and lobs. Her game is based off of consistency, and in less than two years Peretti has shown that she is one of the most consistent players in the conference.</span> <strong>Forward: [player_tooltip player_id="134625" first="Marianna" last="Papazoglou"], Wildwood Catholic (Senior):</strong> One of the most dominant players in the state is once again showing why teams have to scheme around her when they play. [player_tooltip player_id="134625" first="Marianna" last="Papazoglou"] has done incredible things in her high school career and wants to go out on top, her Wildwood Catholic team looks to be in a good position to do some late season winning. So far this year Papazoglou is averaging 24.7 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.7 steals per game, proving there isn’t one area of the game that the senior doesn’t excel in. She is tough to move off of the block but when she wants to she can dominate with quick feet and a soft touch, there are dozens of ways she can beat a team and she shows that off every night.