Jersey Shore State Title Contenders: South Jersey

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The best basketball in New Jersey...just might be down the Shore, literally. The Jersey Shore is scattered with talent, from great individual players to great teams taking to the court every night. With so much talent, there's plenty of potential teams ready to make a run at a state title, so we begin in on the southern part of the Jersey Shore to scout the contenders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wildwood: 12-4 Overall, 5-0 in Division (Tri-County Conference)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you have one of the best juniors in the state and a great supporting cast around her, there was no questioning Wildwood being on this list. We know just how good [player_tooltip player_id='414340' first='Macie' last='McCracken'] has become, nearly at 1,500 career points and 250 career three-pointers as a junior. She's averaging a clean 24.5 PPG for Wildwood, but beside her are some ballers in their own right, some young ballers at that. Senior Sophie Wilber brings with her experience and great passing, averaging a team-high 5.7 assists per game so far. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='601414' first='Angela' last='Wilber'] is a sharp-shooter from deep, already with 42 threes in 16 games, but the surprise of the bunch is freshman [player_tooltip player_id='651514' first='Rebecca' last='Benichou'], currently hitting 2.9 threes a game while averaging 12.3 PPG offensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wildwood Catholic: 17-1 Overall, 9-1 in Division (Cape-Atlantic League)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We have eight teams in the Cape that have 12 or more wins, and among the best of the group, Wildwood Catholic is in the top two contenders. This senior class has been together a while: [player_tooltip player_id='408039' first='Kaci' last='Mikulski'], Ava Vodges, Eliott McCabe and [player_tooltip player_id='488774' first='Destiny' last='Wallace']. Mikulski, the future college star, is easily the centerpiece of this team, averaging 16.5 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 3.2 APG, 2.3 SPG and 2.7 made three-pointers a game. HOWEVER, a new name has entered the fray, freshman guard [player_tooltip player_id='677601' first='Lola' last='McGonigle'], someone who looks to be the successor to Mikulski in the backcourt. She's certainly played like it so far, averaging 13.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG and 4.7 APG out of the gates while hitting 40 threes already. A strong 1-2 punch has given the Crusaders a much-needed edge moving forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Mainland: 18-0 Overall, 9-0 in Division (Cape-Atlantic League)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If Wildwood Catholic is the No. 2 team in the Cape, Mainland is far-and-away the No. 1 team, not just in the CAL, but in all the southern Jersey Shore and all of South Jersey right now. The Mustangs have taken down every team in their path, literally, with the likes of WC, Lenape, Middle Township, Trenton Catholic, Rumson Fair-Haven, Ocean Township, Trinity Hall, all going down this season. You know about the Mazur sisters, Ava and Bella, both averaging around 12.1 PPG this season while playing great defense and facilitating the ball well. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='488762' first='Kasey' last='Bretones'] is the focal point of Mainland no doubt, averaging 17.6 PPG and 3.7 APG with nearly three steals a game to her name. This team is ready to hoist some hardware come February and March.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Our Lady of Mercy: 18-1 Overall, 9-0 in Division (Cape-Atlantic League)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OLMA makes a strong case to be the No. 2 team in the southern part of the Jersey Shore because make no mistake about it, the Villagers have a three-headed monster that has been carrying this team to immense success this season. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='488768' first='Savannah' last='Prescott'] and [player_tooltip player_id='406933' first='Madelynn' last='Bernhardt'] picked up where they left off as juniors and are one of the greatest senior duos in the state. Bernhardt is averaging 17.8 PPG while Prescott is right behind her at 17.1, along with 4.8 RPG and 4.1 APG. Both average well over 2.5 steals a game too, but the hidden gem of this team is freshman forward [player_tooltip player_id='831437' first='Khalia' last='Lewis'], one of the best freshmen in the entire state. All but one game this season she's failed to record a double-double, currently averaging 13.8 PPG, 17.3 RPG and 1.5 BPG.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Egg Harbor Township: 16-2 Overall, 8-1 in Division (Cape-Atlantic League)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Teams that are looking to go deep in the postseason have playmakers, players that step up in big moments and make insane plays, game-winning plays. [player_tooltip player_id='525309' first='Averie' last='Harding'] is that player for Egg Harbor Township and it's not even close. She's a fantastic player who's been cooking as a junior, averaging a career-high 18 PPG right now with five 20+ point games in her last six overall. That includes a 38-point performance against Haddon Heights in a thrilling 58-57 victory. Junior teammates [player_tooltip player_id='583463' first='Ava' last='Kraybill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='414397' first='Lyla' last='Brown'] have provided much-needed perimeter shooting and defense, as well as solid passing. Sophomores Mariah Newmann and Skyler Wood are the backbone of the bench and back-end of the starting lineup, two promising signs for the future of this team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Atlantic Tech: 14-4 Overall, 8-2 in District (Cape-Atlantic League)</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Picking one final team to round this article up was a tough one because there are some great teams down the shore to pick from. However, in looking through the lot, something just stuck out to us about Atlantic Tech, a team in a resurgence from a four-win campaign last season to nearly four times that this season. It comes from a great freshman class and balanced production throughout. Everyone in the Red Hawks' starting lineup averages at least 6.2 points a game, led by junior [player_tooltip player_id='583714' first='Alani' last='White'], having a career year with 10.8 PPG. The freshman duo of [player_tooltip player_id='835909' first='Jadyn' last='Clinkscale'] and [player_tooltip player_id='865920' first='Trinitee' last='McKellar'] have been crucial to this team's success, McKellar currently second in scoring at 9.6 PPG. A solid group of playmakers is incredibly tough to take down.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->