State Tournament Opening Day Standouts

The Big Dance kicked off yesterday (Wednesday, February 26th) with teams in Groups 1 & 3 across the state competing in First Round action. Statements were made early on, with the following hoopers showing off and showing out!   South Jersey, Group 1   [player_tooltip player_id='831439' first='Kezia' last='Brackett'] | Glassboro   A big second half surge helped 8th seeded Bulldogs win the rubber match and pull off the upset over (9) Penns Grove. Kezia led the way with a team-best 14 points and major contributions on the glass and on defense, tallying 9 rebounds and 3 steals. Playing with tremendous grit and a never-say-die attitude, she put her team on her back and made sure a dub was in the cards! They earn a date in the quarters with top-seeded Haddon Township. Could a major upset be in the works?   [player_tooltip player_id='414340' first='Macie' last='McCracken'] | Wildwood   The 3rd seeded Warriors made quick work of Riverside, dominating from start to finish in a 77-5 win. 3-point sniper McCracken poured in 28 points, including four triples, to push her season total to eighty-five. She seemed to be everywhere at once, pulling down 8 rebounds, dishing 4 assists and snagging 4 steals to stuff the stat sheet. Macie has no plans on ending her high school career anytime soon!   Central Jersey, Group 1   [player_tooltip player_id='414343' first='Amiel' last='Dillard'] | Dayton   Amiel refused to the 10-seed Manville get close, despite commendable efforts by [player_tooltip player_id='601340' first='Sadie' last='Fleming']. She notched a game-high 25 points, including rattling in two 3's. It didn't matter the defense thrown at her, Amiel found ways to score from multiple spots on the floor. The senior simply would not be denied! The 7th seeded Bulldogs will meet Group 1 newcomer Thrive Charter (the 2-seed) in the quarters on Saturday.   [player_tooltip player_id='559077' first='Sidney' last='Smith'] | Roselle Park   The state's leading scorer carried over her dominance over into the postseason, dropping 30 points on Brearley. She put her two-way game on full display, pulling down 4 rebounds and dipping her hand into the cookie jar 7 times, igniting fast breaks in rapid succession. Containing her will be no easy feat for any team in this bracket. RP will meet #3 Bound Brook in the quarters on Saturday.   [player_tooltip player_id='601517' first='Ava' last='Coyle'] | Shore   Ava was clicking on all cylinders, especially from 3-point land where she sank four deep daggers in (5) Shore's 78-32 domination of (12) Highland Park. The small, scrappy guard imposed her will on both sides of the ball, tallying 20 points to go with 4 steals. The Blue Devils have a lot of weapons on the rosters, with Ava being part of a three-headed monster that includes seniors [player_tooltip player_id='414240' first='Reese' last='Fiore'] and [player_tooltip player_id='525475' first='Kimi' last='Sayson'].   North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1   [player_tooltip player_id='414430' first='Allie' last='Shenloogian'] | Park Ridge   A playoff triple-double? CHECK! Allie put together a monster performance in a win over New Milford: 25 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, 5 steals. She was seemingly everywhere all at once, wreaking havoc on both ends of the floor to help the top seed advance in easy fashion.   Abigail Kuhnel | Midland Park   Pulling off the upset over 6th seeded Pompton Lakes was no easy task, but thanks to Abigail and a second half surge, the Panthers got their Cinderella story started off right! Tallying a team-high 11 points, she willed her team to turn a 25-24 halftime deficit into a 43-41 victory.   [player_tooltip player_id='1202368' first='Alexa' last='Sinopoli'] | Butler   The freshman was clutch in Butler's 35-33 upset of #7 Kittatinny. She was huge on the glass, pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds, each of them proving crucial! She also chipped in 9 points, just behind leading-scorer [player_tooltip player_id='583957' first='Emily' last='Costello']'s 10. They advance to play 2nd seeded Mountain Lakes in the quarterfinals.   North Jersey Section 2, Group 1   [player_tooltip player_id='600933' first='Kalis' last='Bullock'] | BelovED Charter   Her all-court effort helped the 10-seed upset the 7-seed, Bard, in opening round play. She sank two triples en-route to 14 points and recorded 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Most of her assists were finished by sophomore Janiya Roman who led the way with 15 points. They'll play defending champ University in the quarterfinals.   South Jersey, Group 3   [player_tooltip player_id='583959' first='Reece' last='Paget'] | Lacey   Lacey may have dropped their contest to 8th-seeded Timber Creek, but Reece's efforts should be noted! She recorded a monster 20-point, 20-rebound double-double to help the Lions keep it competitive the whole way through! Her dominance helped them spark a surge late in the game, winning the 4th quarter 20-12. She never stopped fighting and never cowered to the opponent. What a way to cap off her career! Kudos to you, Reece!   [player_tooltip player_id='414395' first='Reese' last='Downey'] | Absegami   She came out of the gates guns blazing, helping Gami lead 24-7 after one quarter! The onslaught continued en-route to 30 points, pushing Reese's career totals to 2,055 points. Talk about firepower! Sheesh! A date with (6) Hammonton awaits in the QFs.   Central Jersey, Group 3   [player_tooltip player_id='913916' first='Tyeera' last='Howard'] | Neptune   In her first ever postseason game, freshman Ty Howard came up big for the Scarlet Fliers She led all players in three categories, with a game-high 21 points, 9 rebounds and 7 steals. The dynamic two-way guard was clicking on all cylinders, guiding the 5-seed to a 31-point win over Hopewell Valley.   North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3   [player_tooltip player_id='773989' first='Juliet' last='Johnson'] | Morris Hills   #12 Morris Hills may have dropped a heartbreaker to #5 West Essex, but the 6'1" forward certainly left her mark. She recorded a fierce triple-double, notching 13 points, 18 rebounds and 12 blocks, doing everything she could to keep the Scarlet Knights in it. In fact, those 18 boards and 12 blocks set career-highs! Tremendous effort by the sophomore who looks to be even more menacing in Year 3.   [player_tooltip player_id='559047' first='Lexi' last='Carnegie'] | Teaneck   Lexi's first postseason appearance since freshman year was certainly one to be proud of! She was a menace in Teaneck's 83-16 thumping of Garfield, recording a 15-point, 14-rebound double-double to go with 6 assists and 6 steals. She's a Swiss Army knife of talent with her length, versatile scoring and lockdown defense! 6th seeded Sparta awaits in the quarters on Saturday!   [player_tooltip player_id='559136' first='Camden' last='Epstein'] | Ramapo   Ramapo dispatched 13th seeded Montville 62-30, and superstar [player_tooltip player_id='559136' first='Camden' last='Epstein'] went on to score just as many points as the opponent! There was simply no answer for her! She continues to play basketball at a high level, and especially now when it's either win or go home!   North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3   [player_tooltip player_id='525405' first='Stella' last='Sweeney'] | South Plainfield   Stella's game-best 23 points helped 9th seeded South Plainfield slip by 8th seeded Payne Tech 57-48. The senior did her damage in multiple ways, including two deep daggers from 3 and rock solid shooting from the stripe. A meeting with #1 Chatham looms in the quarters on Saturday.   [player_tooltip player_id='835514' first='Charlotte' last='Yarnall'] | Summit   A game-high 16 points and an impressive 4th quarter surge helped the 3-seed overcome a valiant effort from 14th seeded Rahway, 48-45. She also recorded 8 rebounds and 2 steals to earn Summit a QF showdown with 6th seeded Cranford.   [player_tooltip player_id='600916' first='Anilah' last='Diggs'] | Carteret   Anilah sparked a second-half comeback that saw Carteret turn a 21-12 deficit into a 40-33 win. She recorded 15 points and showed tremendous toughness and resilience. When things got tough, she put the Ramblers on her back and willed them to a win! A date with the 2nd seed, Somerville, awaits in the QFs.

The Big Dance kicked off yesterday (Wednesday, February 26th) with teams in Groups 1 & 3 across the state competing in First Round action. Statements were made early on, with the following hoopers showing off and showing out!