NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 1 Tournament 1st Round Takeaways
In this article:
The New Jersey high school girls basketball playoffs are well underway across the state. There’s so much to cover in such a short amount of time, so we’re doing our best to get ample amounts of coverage to you. First…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe New Jersey high school girls basketball playoffs are well underway across the state. There’s so much to cover in such a short amount of time, so we’re doing our best to get ample amounts of coverage to you. First round play in the Central Jersey, Group 1 bracket finished up on Tuesday. Here are some takeaways from Tuesday’s action.
1. Roselle Park came out swinging as the No. 15 seed
It was a rough year for Roselle Park, who entered its game against No. 2 seeded Woodbridge Academy with a 5-15 record. The Panthers struggled in Union County Conference play and were the heavy underdogs in the tournament. However, this team found a way to put up quite the fight against Woodbridge, taking it down to the wire. Senior forward Miranda Taveras had herself a game, leading all scorers with 14 points. She scored 21 points in Roselle Park’s last game, a 10-point win over Woodbridge. The matchups were there, but the Panthers came up just short in a great battle.
2. Shore looked like quite the dangerous team
The postseason is a time for cinderella runs to happen and Shore has that kind of DNA within its program to go on a championship-type run. Shore easily took care of Highland Park in its first round game as the No. 5 seed won by 44 points. It was the Rylee Drahos Rylee Drahos 5'7" | CG Shore | 2023 State NJ show on Tuesday for Shore as she scored a career-high 35 points in the win, officially joining the 1000 point club. With Drahos on a roll and Shore feeding off her dominance, this team is one to watch as the tournament rolls on.
3. South Hunterdon took control from the opening tip and never relinquished it
Three Eagles scored in double figures as South Hunterdon easily advanced to the quarterfinals with a 38-point win over Henry Hudson. This game was over within the first quarter as SH led 17-5 after the first eight minutes of play and 33-5 going into the half. Sophie Hinman had a spectacular game from the perimeter, knocking down four three-pointers on her way to a game-high 14 points in the win. South Hunterdon sunk nine threes in the game as nearly half of its scoring came from beyond the arc. The No. 3 seeded Eagles take on Florence in the quarters on Thursday.
4. No. 13 seeded Keansburg provided the lone upset of the first round
It was a tough conference schedule for Keansburg in the Shore Conference, but it prepared this team well for the postseason. The Titans, behind a 19-point day from Neveah Tucker and a double-double from Lindsay Rivera, handed Somerset Tech a 51-31 loss as Keansburg advanced to the quarters. The sophomore Tucker had a career day and had this team playing inspired basketball throughout. Rivera, a freshman forward, recorded her third double-double of the season in the win and has been the post presence down low that this team has been searching for.
5. Florence used defense to advance to the quarters
Florence had its work cut out for it against Manville in the first round as the Mustangs left it all out on the floor. However, a number of important defensive stops helped clinch the game for Florence in the end. Chinenye Nwagbaraji had a five-block game, her third 5+ block game of the season as the Flashes had seven total blocks in the game. Gabby Loftin Gabby Loftin 5'8" | SG Florence | 2023 State NJ not only led all scorers with 17 points, but also had eight steals, over half of Florence’s 15 steals in the game alone. The No. 6 seeded Flashes have a tough task ahead of them in the quarters, taking on No. 3 seeded South Hunterdon.