Five Day 2 Takeaways from The SJIBT Elite Eight Weekend

Day Two of the Elite Eight weekend of The South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament had just as much excitement as Saturday’s games, but with a few less taking place due to Super Bowl LVI. We were there to watch the action, so here are five takeaways from what we saw on Sunday. <strong>1. Shawnee is an absolute force in the Olympic Conference</strong> No team impressed me more on Sunday than what Shawnee was able to do in the quarterfinals of The SJIBT against Kingsway, a great team in their own right. What was a close first quarter turned quickly into a demolition for the Renegades, who out-scored Kingsway 62-19 in the final three quarters of play, including 48-16 in the second half alone. When [player_tooltip player_id="321572" first="Avery" last="Kessler"] is on her A-game, which she’s been the entire year, this team improves greatly as a result and now, Shawnee is on its way to the Final Four. <strong>2. In a scrappy quarterfinal game, Eastern emerged victorious as the underdog</strong> The officiating in this quarterfinal game was questionable throughout for both sides, which dictated the game flow massively. However, through that, Eastern found its stride as the host team and really powered through in the second half, with forward [player_tooltip player_id="319334" first="Mia" last="Robbins"] leading all scorers with 16 points. The Vikings were dealt a bad hand of matchups from the start of the season, but have battled back to .500 and this win against a massive contender in Cinnaminson should be a massive boost before the postseason. <strong>3. Ava Vodges had herself a day for Wildwood Catholic</strong> In the lone showcase game on Sunday, Wildwood Catholic and Delran, two stellar programs in South Jersey, faced off, and in the end, the Crusaders came out victorious thanks to the play of one Ava Vodges. The sophomore forward had arguably the best game of her career, a 19-point, 18-rebound double-double in an 11-point victory. She’s been finding her stride as of recently and that’s turned Wildwood Catholic into that much more of a contender. <strong>4. [player_tooltip player_id="326406" first="Aiyonna" last="Alexander"]’s defensive presence made the difference for Winslow</strong> It’s been a tough year so far for Winslow, who came into Sunday’s game against Highland with a 5-12 record, though riding a two-game winning streak at the time. Forward [player_tooltip player_id="326406" first="Aiyonna" last="Alexander"] continued Winslow’s great run of form with a nine-point, 17-rebound performance along with a block and two steals as the Eagles came out with a 50-41 win. Defense proved to be the difference and Alexander and Jadah Magnum were the difference-makers. <strong>5. Kaylan Deveney has been a sharp-shooter as of late for Shawnee</strong> Deveney’s presence for the Renegades has slowly grown over her high school career and now as a junior, we’re seeing the best of her to date. That was exemplified in the Kingsway game as she knocked down a three-pointer on her way to a 14-point, seven-rebound day for Shawnee. Her 14 points tied a career-high and it was her seventh game scoring in double-figures and her third game of at least 12 points and six rebounds.