The NJSIAA Group 4 Final: What happened and who came up big?

This is our last group state final matchup article before we go into talking about the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions, which has already progressed to the semifinals. The Group 4 final was one that pitted Cherokee against Westfield, two impressive teams with identical records in their respective conferences. Here’s how the game shook out and who produced for both teams. <strong>RECAP</strong> Cherokee’s brand of suffocating defense played a major role in the pace of this game as both teams failed to score more than 45 points. The Chiefs led 13-7 after the first quarter, looking strong and stifling a potent Westfield offense. However, the tide quickly shifted in the second quarter, which ended up dictating the rest of the game. The Blue Devils hit their three-pointers in the second quarter and would go on to take a 19-16 lead into halftime. Despite the offensive heroics of [player_tooltip player_id="319335" first="Katie" last="Fricker"], who came up clutch for the Chiefs, Westfield held its ground and won a close 43-37 final for its first-ever state title. <strong>TOP PERFORMERS</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="319335" first="Katie" last="Fricker"] (Sr.) - PG/SG, Cherokee</strong> What a spectacular final game for one of South Jersey’s best shooters over the past few seasons. Fifteen of Fricker’s game-high 19 points came from beyond the arc as she hit five threes in the game. She was getting open on a moment’s notice and making the Blue Devils pay. They could not figure her out from beyond the arc as that smooth shooting motion of hers was nearly impossible to guard. <strong>Brianna Wegner (Sr.) - PF/C, Cherokee</strong> Wegner had herself quite the game against Shawnee in the South Jersey Group IV final and she replicated that performance against Westfield, scoring six points and hauling in three rebounds. She was able to get to the foul line as well, knocking down two foul shots. Her game has exclusively been played in the paint and she’s really blossomed into a quality complimentary forward for the Chiefs. Her final high school game showed off flair and finesse with an easy touch at the basket. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="321573" first="Annie" last="Ryan"] (Jr.) - PG, Westfield</strong> It’s up for debate, but based on the situation alone, this was one of Ryan’s best-ever high school performances, scoring a team-high 16 points for Westfield, knocking down two three-pointers in the game. Ryan also had four rebounds, two assists, one block and four steals for the Blue Devils, playing fantastic all-around basketball. She contributed in all facets of the game and was part of the big three-point breakout in the second quarter that shifted momentum to Westfield. <strong>Paige Gorczyca (Jr.) - 5-10 SF, Westfield</strong> Gorczyca put together quite the performance against Cherokee on Sunday, excelling from beyond the arc and on offense in general. The junior knocked down two three-pointers on her way to a 14-point afternoon, getting to the foul line multiple times and varying her shot selection plenty. It was an impressive performance from Gorczyca but one we’ve become accustomed to seeing this season. She also recorded a block for the second-consecutive game, playing well on the defensive end for the Blue Devils. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="319315" first="Chloe" last="Kreusser"] (Sr.) - SG/PF, Westfield</strong> Kreusser didn’t have as much of an impact game on offense, but on defense, she really shined and really protected the lane from a strong Cherokee team. She scored three points and recorded four rebounds, two assists, two blocks and two steals. It was her sixth multi-block game of the season and her ninth-straight multi-steal game for the Blue Devils. She caused a lot of havoc against the Chiefs and forced bad possessions which ended up producing immediately on the other side of the floor for Westfield. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="401146" first="Grace" last="Klag"] (Sr.) - PF/C, Westfield</strong> Klag, one of the best forwards in the Union County Conference, had a tough test in front of her with junior [player_tooltip player_id="134757" first="Gabby" last="Recinto"] opposing her for Cherokee. It was a tougher game for the senior on the offensive end, but she was able to haul in some important rebounds for the Blue Devils, finishing with four points and eight rebounds on the day. We’re looking forward to the Tournament of Champions to see how she’ll respond to a relatively quiet day on the floor in the Group 4 final.