Five Takeaways from Day 2 of the Blue Devil Holiday Tournament

Day 2 of the Blue Devil Holiday Tournament has finished up and we were treated to six highly-competitive games. Here are five takeaways from the first day of the tournament, one that will be a fight to the title. 1. Colonia is the class of the Greater Middlesex Conference this season [player_tooltip player_id="325182" first="Taylor" last="Derkack"] now being a sophomore adds another dimension of experience as she and junior teammate [player_tooltip player_id="155450" first="Mattison" last="Chiera"] have formed arguably the best duo in the GMC. Those two were the difference in a 56-54 win decided in the final seconds as both made key free throws down the stretch. Derkack had an electric day, posting a 27-point, 12-rebound double-double with four blocks and eight steals and Chiera had 17 points and nine rebounds in the victory. With those two firing on all cylinders, Colonia has the region on watch. 2. [player_tooltip player_id="155445" first="Rylee" last="Drahos"] is carving out a name for herself at Shore Regional The junior guard/forward combo was very impressive in a close 26-23 win over Middletown North, recording a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double. Drahos had a career-high 32 points in the season opener against Manalapan and looks much more composed this season overall. She’s tweaked her game and has played with a much higher level of intensity and poise that’s elevated herself within the Shore Conference. 3. Jackson Liberty runs through Ariana Broughton If you needed any indication of the future for Jackson Liberty, Ariana Broughton answered any and all questions with a career-high 32-point, 10-rebound double-double, including six blocks and five steals. The junior is having a bounce-back season so far and is the kind of dominant presence that this team needs to break its current winless streak. 4. Ocean Township has started this season scorching hot Coming off a pedestrian 7-8 campaign in the spring, Ocean Township has been fueled by the performances from a trio of sophomores as they’ve gotten out to a 3-1 start this season. Ocean was dominant against Hightstown, winning 61-38 behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from Sofia Chebookjian. Eli Clark and Gamila Betton also scored in double-figures in the win and the three have made significant strides into their second year that are already paying off. 5. Lacey is a perfect 4-0 Lacey faces its toughest test of the season to date against Howell and behind a dominant performance from senior Sarah Zimmerman, who had 21 points, 16 rebounds and eight steals, the Lions won, 38-30. The biggest takeaway was in the steals department as Lacey induced 18 Howell turnovers just from steals. Defense gets overlooked a lot, but the Lions have shown just how much defense wins games. This surprise start is looking like it’s no fluke.