The SJIBT Final Four Preview

One of the best tournaments in the state is entering its final weekend as The South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament holds its Final Four and championship games in the coming days. What a fantastic tournament of basketball it’s been so far, and with the semifinal games coming up, here’s a preview of both games. <strong>Cherokee (18-2) v Eastern (11-11)</strong> It’s been quite a cinderella run for Eastern, who has finally climbed back to a .500 record on the season. However, in this tournament, the Vikings face its toughest task in Cherokee. The Chiefs have mowed down competition over the course of the tournament and the season for that matter and are one of the most fearsome teams in South Jersey. We’ve gotten the opportunity to talk about and see Cherokee often this season, and it starts with junior forward [player_tooltip player_id="134757" first="Gabby" last="Recinto"] in the middle. She’s been one of the best forwards in South Jersey and has helped solidify the interior for the Chiefs. Leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id="319335" first="Katie" last="Fricker"] has carried the guard position for Cherokee. This senior has been outstanding thus far, especially from beyond the arc, nearly averaging two made three-pointers a game. Having a support cast like senior guard CJ Apistar and junior forward Delaney Jackson has created quite the four-women tandem for Cherokee. On the other side, we have an Eastern team who is finding its rhythm on a much more consistent basis as of late. That starts with senior forward [player_tooltip player_id="319334" first="Mia" last="Robbins"], who carried the Vikings in their quarterfinal game with a game-high 16 points. Robbins and senior guard Maya Edwards both are averaging double-figures in scoring on the season, and Edwards leads the team in three-point shooting. Eastern is a very senior-heavy squad this season, with Sanaa Thorne, Jane Trauger and Zamiyah Johnson also in the starting lineup, all three of whom are seniors. However, those three have provided the stability and balance to keep this team going, which makes them quite the tough opponent for Cherokee in this semifinal. <strong>Lenape (15-7) v Shawnee (20-2)</strong> The South Jersey basketball crowd got very lucky in this draw as two local foes will be dueling it out in the semis. Lenape has reached its first Final Four in the 14-year history of the tournament while Shawnee has absolutely taken control of its side of the bracket and put the entire region on watch. Starting with Lenape, this team shoots the lights out from the perimeter, knocking down six three-pointers a game as a team. Two players, Kristen Cortese and Alexa Henry, both average at least one made three a game, with Cortese knocking down a team-high 2.5 threes a game on average. Kaitlyn King leads Lenape in scoring and has been a consistent presence on this team throughout. However, it’s the freshman guard Henry who has been the biggest surprise of the year, including a career-high 30 points in the quarterfinals against Clearview. If Henry can continue that high level of production on the floor, Lenape has set itself up to have a fantastic shot at the championship. On the other side, Shawnee, a breakout team last season, has turned into a monster this season. A pair of juniors, [player_tooltip player_id="321572" first="Avery" last="Kessler"] and [player_tooltip player_id="321564" first="Nia" last="Scott"], are leading the way for the Renegades. Kessler has been nothing short of spectacular since transferring from Cherokee and is averaging close to 15 points a game while also knocking down two threes on average. Scott has near double-double averages and is holding down the middle with fellow junior forward Kaylan Deveney. Nicole Miller is the other impact player to watch, one of four major perimeter shooters on this team along with Kessler, Deveney and senior Anna Lacovara. Expect to see a shoot-out between both teams as Shawnee is knocking down over four threes a game as a team this season.