SJIBT Elite 8 Preview

The South Jersey Invitational Girls Basketball tournament is back and we're down to the Elite 8. We'll see who will advance to the Final 4 as we have a loaded slate of games this Saturday and Sunday at Eastern Regional. All you need to know about the event --- including the schedule and our picks --- is below.   SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2025   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>TIME</td><td>HOME TEAM</td><td>AWAY TEAM</td></tr><tr><td>8:30 am</td><td>Collingswood</td><td>Moorestown Friends</td></tr><tr><td>10:00 am</td><td>Haddon Heights</td><td>Timber Creek</td></tr><tr><td>11:30 am</td><td>Haddonfield</td><td>Bishop Eustace</td></tr><tr><td>1:00 pm</td><td>Cherry Hill East</td><td>West Tech</td></tr><tr><td>2:30 pm</td><td>Absegami</td><td>Life Center</td></tr><tr><td>4:00 pm</td><td>Clearview</td><td>Audubon</td></tr><tr><td>5:45 pm 7:30 pm</td><td>No. 1 Paul VI No. 4 Cherry Hill West</td><td>No. 8 Shawnee No. 5 Cherokee</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2025   <figure class="wp-block-table"><table class="has-fixed-layout"><tbody><tr><td>TIME</td><td>HOME TEAM</td><td>AWAY TEAM</td></tr><tr><td>8:30 am</td><td>Rancocas Valley</td><td>Highland</td></tr><tr><td>10:00 am</td><td>Eastern</td><td>Wildwood</td></tr><tr><td>11:30 am</td><td>West Deptford</td><td>Medford Tech</td></tr><tr><td>1:00 pm</td><td>Sterling</td><td>Delran</td></tr><tr><td>2:30 pm</td><td>Haddon Township</td><td>Camden Catholic</td></tr><tr><td>4:00 pm</td><td>Holy Cross</td><td>Glassboro</td></tr><tr><td>5:30 pm</td><td>No. 3 Gloucester Catholic</td><td>No. 6 Moorestown</td></tr><tr><td>7:00 pm</td><td>No. 2 Lenape</td><td>No. 7 Cinnaminson</td></tr></tbody></table></figure>   Saturday's Top 5 Players to Watch:   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='835864' first='Emma' last='Harris'], Haddon Heights The sophomore star averages 15 points per game and is two more threes away from reaching 100 for her career.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1048687' first='Angelina' last='Pena'], Bishop Eustace Pena has been a machine for Bishop Eustace en route to a 14-5 start for the Crusaders. The sophomore leads the team in points (195) and rebounds (152).</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='865698' first='Acadia' last='Walters'], Haddonfield Walters has performed lights out through 19 games this season, averaging just over 18 points per game. She'll be coming off a 26-point performance from a conference win over Sterling on Thursday. </li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='414395' first='Reese' last='Downey'], Absegami Downey is averaging a staggering 23 PPG and is squarely in the discussion for South Jersey player of the year. The senior is 161 points away from reaching the prestigious 2,000 career points mark.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='827087' first='Juliette' last='Mirigliani'], Clearview The junior leads Clearview in nearly every major stat category as the Pioneers have an 8-3 mark over their last 11 games after starting the season 1-4.</li> </ul>     Sunday's Top 5 Players to Watch:   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='414340' first='Macie' last='McCracken'], Wildwood The senior recently reached 2,000 career points. It will be one of the toughest tasks of the season for McCracken and her Wildwood squad as the mighty Group 1 power takes on host Eastern.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://highschoolsports.nj.com/player/rebecca-benichou/girlsbasketball/season/2024-2025">[player_tooltip player_id='651514' first='Rebecca' last='Benichou']</a>, Wildwood The sophomore sharp-shooter will look to do some outside damage if the Warriors plan to upset Eastern.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='879631' first='Madison' last='Stuart'], Eastern The senior forward has a team-high 168 points and 101 rebounds.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='583462' first='Alli' last='Kamulda'], Haddon Township The Hawks have been the hottest team in South Jersey Group 1 and Kamulda is a huge reason why. She's averaging a team-high 13 points per game.</li> </ul>   <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1132611' first='Edore' last='Pela'], Camden Catholic One of the best rookies in the region, Pela's 26 three-balls rank more than everyone else on the team combined.</li> </ul>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Elite 8 Preview, Picks:</h2>   No. 1 Paul VI vs. No. 8 Shawnee   Preview: PVI (14-0) is the last undefeated team left in South Jersey as the Eagles look to defend their SJIBT title. Paul VI captured perhaps its most impressive victory of the season on Monday when the Eagles upended Gloucester Catholic, 47-42 in a non-league thriller. Look out for sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='789189' first='Brooke' last='Stagliano'], who's been a huge part of the Eagles' offense and has knocked down a team-high 40 threes this winter.   The Pick: No. 1 Paul VI 75, No. 8 Shawnee 31.   No. 4 Cherry Hill West vs. No. 5 Cherokee   Preview: One of the hottest teams in the region, Cherry Hill West has won seven games in a row. This Elite 8 matchup features a rematch from the first game of the season, when Cherry Hill West knocked off Cherokee, 48-34. Look for the final score to be around the same this time. Keep an eye out on sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='835898' first='Kirsten' last='Gibson'], who's been a scoring machine for the Lions.   The Pick: No. 4 Cherry Hill West 54, No. 5 Cherokee 43.   No. 3 Gloucester Catholic vs. No. 6 Moorestown   Preview: Gloucester Catholic fell to Paul VI on Monday, but make no mistake: these Rams are legit. Keep an eye on [player_tooltip player_id='959812' first='Amanda' last='Eggers'], who's knocked down a team-high 41 threes in her rookie season playing varsity basketball.   The Pick: No. 3 Gloucester Catholic 62, No. 6 Moorestown 48.   No. 2 Lenape vs. No. 7 Cinnaminson   Preview: The defending Group 4 state champions haven't lost a game since December 28. [player_tooltip player_id='835906' first='El-Anita' last='Joe-Samuel'] has led Lenape's offense during the 10-game streak. The Indians may be too much for Cinnaminson to handle.   The Pick: No. 2 Lenape 61, No. 7 Cinnaminson 41.

The South Jersey Invitational Girls Basketball tournament is back and we're down to the Elite 8. We'll see who will advance to the Final 4 as we have a loaded slate of games this Saturday and Sunday at Eastern Regional. All you need to know about the event --- including the schedule and our picks --- is below.