Potential Bracket Busters in Group 1

The cutoff date for power points was Saturday, February 15th with the seeding meeting being held on Tuesday the 18th to determine the official NJSIAA playoff brackets. If these seeds hold, the postseason could make for some great basketball with potential shocking upsets! Which team could write their own Cinderella story in a few weeks? Let's dive in and take a look at the state's smallest classification:   Pennsville | South Jersey   Predicted Seed: 6   Pennsville is having its best season in years and has compiled a 17-7 record thus far. This turnaround season has seen notable wins over Glassboro, Penns Grove, Delsea, West Deptford, Schalick, Pitman and Camden Catholic. The Eagles could see most of these aforementioned teams in the sectional playoffs, which should provide a huge boost of confidence. They lost close ones to Haddon Township and Woodstown, two of the teams considered favorites to make it out of the field. A trio of upperclassmen in [player_tooltip player_id='601420' first='Taylor' last='Bass'], [player_tooltip player_id='414350' first='Nora' last='Ausland'] and [player_tooltip player_id='601419' first='Marley' last='Wood'] have carried this team averaging 14.5 ppg, 13.2 and 13.0 ppg, respectively. They are one of the hottest 3-point shooting teams in the entire bracket, having great balance with four reliable long distance shooters on the team. At 5'10", Ausland brings size and versatility, with the ability to score the ball well both inside and out. She's pulling down a team-best 7.8 rpg and has been strong securing o-boards for second-chance scoring opportunities. A pair of freshmen in Addison Johnston and Jaida Burns have made significant contributions in their first season of high school ball. Addison has proved to be a reliable fourth scoring option, averaging 6.6 ppg and one of their dependable 3-point scorers. At 5'8", Jaida has been crucial on the boards for a team that doesn't have exceptional size across the board. She's securing 6.2 rpg and helping this team be a factor on the boards. This team plays balanced basketball on both sides of the ball, with excellent ball movement on offense and all five players on the floor committing to defense.   Penns Grove | South Jersey   Predicted Seed: 7   The Red Devils are in the process of a rebuilding season but have some great wins on their resume and hard-fought battles with some of the brackets top teams. They have victories over Schalick, Pitman, Glassboro and Clayton, all teams they could potentially face in early rounds. A 56-42 loss to defending SJ, Group 1 champ Wildwood was eye-opening because they proved they could hang with the Warriors for most of the game. In that game, senior leader [player_tooltip player_id='879771' first='RaNiyah' last='Wilson'] went off for 25 points. The shifty guard turned a lot of heads as exposed any gaps and breakdown in Wildwood's notorious scrappy, pressure-filled defense. If Penns Grove wants to make waves and send teams packing, she will have to continue being stellar. At 21.6 ppg, she sure knows a thing or two about putting the ball through the hoop from all three levels. Teammate and fellow senior [player_tooltip player_id='414353' first='Brianna' last='Robbins'] ranks second in scoring at 8.3 ppg and is a great compliment to Wilson in the back court. Sophomore Ja'Niyah Cummings has put in work in the post all season long, tallying 8.1 ppg while pulling down a team-best 3.1 rpg. The Red Devils aren't a superb rebounding team, something they'll definitely have to hone in on if a deep run is on their minds. Freshman Keziah Patterson may just end up being the x-factor that pulls them through tight games. The freshman has averaged a cool 4.3 ppg but was impressive in games against Deptford and Wildwood, where she scored in double-figures.   Roselle Park | Central Jersey   Predicted Seed: 6   RP has compiled a terrific 14-3 record so far, one of the most successful regular seasons in program history. Spearheaded by one of the nation's leading scorers [player_tooltip player_id='559077' first='Sidney' last='Smith'] at 32.4 ppg, they've notched quality wins over Carteret, Rahway and Linden, which should provide added confidence heading into the postseason. Nobody has been able to slow down Smith, whose lowest total of the season was 22 points against Bernards. With four 40+ points games, including a career-high 48 vs Whippany Park, I'm not sure any team will be able to fully contain her. If they want to send shock waves through CJ, Group 1, she'll need help from seniors Madison O'Connell and Brooke Gallo who have both been steady scoring options thus far at 5.8 ppg and 4.4 ppg, respectively. Junior center [player_tooltip player_id='601331' first='Madison' last='Wilkes'] has been tough on the glass, pulling down a team-best 9.1 rpg. At 5'11", she brings solid size to a smaller, guard-heavy squad. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1108575' first='Emmy' last='Gregoire'] has been a tremendous piece in Year 1, making notable contributions across the board. She's averaging 3.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg & 1.7 bpg and asserting herself on both sides of the ball. If Sidney can continue torching opponents and everyone else steps up in their roles, Roselle Park could make for a very dangerous 6 seed.   Emerson Boro | North Jersey, Section 1   Predicted Seed: 8   Two close conference losses to Cresskill (potential 3 seed) really caught my eye and showed that the Cavaliers don't back down from any opponent. Their most recent meeting, a 9-point decider in mid-January saw EB rally from a 42-28 halftime deficit to win the 3rd and 4th quarters and keep it competitive. [player_tooltip player_id='583960' first='Kayla' last='Elek'] was fantastic, leading all scorers with 28, including four bombs from deep. She's been tough this season, averaging 12.0 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 4.1 apg & 2.5 spg and having notched her 1,000th career point! With a solid two-way game in her bag, she's helped establish a formidable back court alongside leading scorer [player_tooltip player_id='871237' first='Gabriella' last='Micucci'] (12.6 ppg).This team has a lot of weapons on both sides of the ball, including [player_tooltip player_id='1192838' first='Kylie' last='Grompone'], their leader in rebounds and steals at 10.7 rpg and 3.0 spg, respectively. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1202428' first='Mackenzie' last='Dillon'] has brought a spark on offense and defense, putting up 6.8 ppg and 7.5 rpg and making a name for herself as their x-factor. She recorded a double-double in the second game of the season and has scored in double-figures on five other occasions, while securing double-digit rebounds four other times. If she's able to notch more double-doubles while Gabby and Kayla continue doing their thing, this squad could create a lot of chaos.   Bard | North Jersey, Section 2   Predicted Seed: 7   With a 12-0 SEC-National record and 16-6 overall, Bard heads into the playoffs confident and ready for whatever opponent awaits. They nearly went undefeated in the month of January, going 10-2, including a ten game win-streak. Their fearless freshman leader, [player_tooltip player_id='1192833' first='Takyiwah' last='Otoo'], has been a two-way terror averaging 16.0 ppg & 5.2 spg. Hovering at nearly 6'0", junior [player_tooltip player_id='1134643' first='Matenin' last='Camara'] has brought dominance to the front court, averaging a monster double-double at 13.8 ppg & 15.3 rpg. She's approached each game with a "you can't stop me" mentality and it's paid dividends. She has an impressive SIX 20-rebound games, including a career-high 22 against Orange. Keeping her off the glass will be a monumental task for any opponent, and if Otoo gets hot early and senior Ceana Jones knocks down a few triples, Bard could make it far.   SUPERSTARS IN THE FIELD   [player_tooltip player_id='583763' first='Riley' last='O'Sullivan'] | Glen Ridge   16.4 ppg & 7.3 rpg   [player_tooltip player_id='414417' first='Paradise' last='Fisher'] | University   16.5 ppg   [player_tooltip player_id='1192843' first='Ava' last='Illuzzi'] | Secaucus   16.0 ppg   [player_tooltip player_id='981852' first='Harmoni' last='Burgess'] | Arts   15.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg & 5.4 spg   [player_tooltip player_id='414430' first='Allie' last='Shenloogian'] | Park Ridge   25.7 ppg, 8.4 rpg & 7.2 spg   [player_tooltip player_id='601332' first='Annie' last='Conover'] | New Providence   19.0 ppg & 8.0 rpg   [player_tooltip player_id='414402' first='Jessica' last='Devine'] | Middlesex   19.0 ppg, 4.7 apg & 4.9 spg   [player_tooltip player_id='559077' first='Sidney' last='Smith'] | Roselle Park   32.4 ppg & 6.5 spg   [player_tooltip player_id='414340' first='Macie' last='McCracken'] | Wildwood   23.8 ppg & 9.3 rpg   [player_tooltip player_id='414351' first='Rainelle' last='Blocker'] | Clayton   18.9 ppg & 11.9 rpg   [player_tooltip player_id='879771' first='RaNiyah' last='Wilson'] | Penns Grove   20.5 ppg

The cutoff date for power points was Saturday, February 15th with the seeding meeting being held on Tuesday the 18th to determine the official NJSIAA playoff brackets. If these seeds hold, the postseason could make for some great basketball with potential shocking upsets! Which team could write their own Cinderella story in a few weeks? Let's dive in and take a look at the state's smallest classification: