South Jersey Group 2 Playoff Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2024-2025 NJSIAA Girls Basketball Playoffs have arrived. The sectional playoffs are slated to start on February 26.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Which teams have the best chance to make it out of their section and possibly compete for a state championship?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>See my full preview and prediction for the South Jersey Group 2 bracket below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Seeds</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>1- Middle Township</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2- Cinnaminson</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3- Haddon Heights</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>4- Barnegat</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>5- Haddonfield</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>6- Willingboro</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>7- Manchester Township</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8- Sterling</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9- Gloucester </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10- Pleasantville</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>11- West Deptford </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>12- Lower Cape May</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>13- Collingswood</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>14- Camden</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>15- Lindenwold</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>16- Camden Academy Charter</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favorite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Middle Township (21-5):</strong> The road to the sectional title will go through Middle Township as the two-time defending South Jersey Group 2 champions have again clinched the top seed in the bracket. The Panthers have only five losses to their name and hold a four-game win streak heading into the Cape-Atlantic League final vs. Holy Spirit. The Panthers are led by standout junior Reagen Powell, who's averaging 16 points per game, and classmate [player_tooltip player_id='871258' first='Sarah' last='Farrow'], whose 249 rebounds is a team-high by far. Another Middle Township-Cinnaminson sectional final might be inevitable.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Contenders</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cinnaminson (20-7):</strong> After dropping the last two sectional finals to Middle Township --- including blowing a 15-point lead on its home court in last year's final --- Cinnaminson will be looking for some revenge and a title of its own. It will be harder this time around as the odds are that the Pirates will have to travel to Middle Township for the projected final, a one-hour and 27-minute car ride. That's among the furthest drives for any sectional final game for any sport in the state. The Pirates are led by senior 1,000-point scorer [player_tooltip player_id='414317' first='Ava' last='Sztenderowicz'] and junior Nora Quinn, who's averaging nearly 12 points per game this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Haddon Heights (18-8):</strong> Led by sophomore phenom [player_tooltip player_id='835864' first='Emma' last='Harris'], Haddon Heights holds an 18-8 record heading into the postseason. In a recent game at second-seeded Cinnaminson on February 15, the Garnets led by two points at halftime before suffering a seven-point loss. Harris is averaging 15 points per game and recently reached 800 for her career, a mark very impressive to hit as a sophomore. This may be a better and more experienced version of last year's Garnets team that nearly pulled a major upset over Middle Township in the quarterfinal round.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Underdog</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Haddonfield (16-10):</strong> Haddonfield's 16-10 record may not exactly be eye-popping when you compare it to the other top teams in this bracket, but the Bulldawgs are still just as dangerous. Sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='865698' first='Acadia' last='Walters'] has tallied 475 points this winter, good for an 18-point average. [player_tooltip player_id='959832' first='Harper' last='Benjamin'], also a sophomore, has knocked down a team-high 61 three-pointers. Haddonfield will likely have to go on the road after the first round, but it doesn't matter which court the Bulldawgs play on if this duo gets hot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Five Players</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='835864' first='Emma' last='Harris'], Haddon Heights</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='865698' first='Acadia' last='Walters'], Haddonfield</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Reagen Powell, Middle Township</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='414317' first='Ava' last='Sztenderowicz'], Cinnaminson</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='959832' first='Harper' last='Benjamin'], Haddonfield</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Projected Final</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Middle Township</em></strong> vs. Cinnaminson</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Note: Predicted winner in bold.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->