Who stood out in the NJSIAA Group 2 Final?

Part of Sunday’s four games, all of which the finals for the NJSIAA public school tournaments, included the Group 2 final clash between Jefferson and Manasquan. Manasquan has moved up to No. 2 in the NJ dot com state rankings, a very impressive team overall while Jefferson came in as the underdog, beating Madison in the semis to get to this point. Here’s a recap of Sunday’s action, plus what players stood out on the floor. <strong>RECAP</strong> Despite Manasquan jumping out to a 12-4 lead after the first quarter, Jefferson kept the game close in the second, trailing just 23-19 at halftime. The game was close and Jefferson, at least through one half of play, was keeping up with Manasquan. That was until the second half of the game, more specifically the third quarter. The Big Blue Warriors had itself a quarter, out-scoring Jefferson 27-11 to take a commanding 20-point lead going into the fourth. At that point, the game was well out of hand and it turned into another signature blowout victory for Manasquan, who took home the Group 2 title. <strong>TOP PERFORMERS</strong> <strong>Ivana Tisma (Sr.) - 5-6 PG, Jefferson Township</strong> Tisma impressed in her final high school game, showing out from beyond the arc. The senior guard knocked down 3 three-pointers for a nine-point day as she finished with 51 on the season and 116 in her career. She’s turned into one of the best three-point shooters in North Jersey this season and in her last five games, Tisma had three games with at least 3 made three-pointers. Her three-point shooting prowess and smooth release will be missed on this Jefferson Township team. <strong>Amanda Nwankwo (Jr.) - 6-3 PF/C, Jefferson Township</strong> Nwankwo once again showed her impressive development as a forward in the Group 2 final, scoring a game-high 12 points along with six rebounds. She managed to get to the foul line often in this game, utilizing her size to her advantage to draw contact and try to finish strong in the lane. This season, we’ve really liked watching her approach to the game and hopefully, she’ll continue to build up strength and really use the summer to dominate with her 6-3 frame. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="325209" first="Hope" last="Masonius"] (So.) - PG/SG, Manasquan</strong> Masonius has put up her best games of the season to date in the sectional and state finals. After an 18-point performance in the sectional final, the sophomore guard led Manasquan with 16 points in the Group 2 state final, hauling in seven rebounds and knocking down two three-pointers on the day. She added two steals to that and while her defense was stellar in the game, keeping Jefferson Township guards in check, she shined on the offensive end in a big way. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="159084" first="Mary" last="Donnelly"] (Sr.) - G/F, Manasquan</strong> For the third time in four games, Donnelly scored in double figures for Manasquan, scoring 12 points along with five rebounds and seven assists. It was her third straight game of at least nine points, five rebounds and four assists for the Big Blue Warriors and she distributed the ball well against Jefferson Township. She got to the line often in this game and knocked down two three-pointers in the win, her eighth game with multiple made three-pointers on the season. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155468" first="Brooke" last="Hollawell"] (Sr.) - 5-10 PG/SG, Manasquan</strong> Hollawell had one of her most compete games of the season for Manasquan, scoring 10 points with a made three-pointer, two rebounds, three assists, a block and three steals. She has been one of the primary senior leaders for the Big Blue Warriors, scoring in double figures in her last six games and making at least a three-pointer in all of those games. After reaching 150 career three-pointers in the Group 2 semis, her three-pointer in the Group 2 final gives her at least 53 or more made three-pointers in two her four high school seasons. <strong>Dorothy Loffredo (Sr.) - F/G, Manasquan</strong> Loffredo has shown consistent production throughout the season for Manasquan, and in the Group 2 final, she was active on the boards and the defensive side of the floor, scoring nine points along with six rebounds and two steals. She was active in the lane causing havoc and traffic for Jefferson Township to maneuver through. We talk about this a lot with forwards, but their ability to create space on the offensive end in the paint, but also play to draw contact, is incredibly important to a team’s overall success.