Tri-County Tournament Breakdown- Flight C

The compete TCC bracket for Flight C was recently unveiled, with First Round action kicking off on Tuesday! I'm here to break down the top contenders, as well as darkhorse teams and x-factors looking to make a big impact in the tournament's third tier.   FLIGHT C SEEDS   (1) Deptford - BYE, (2) Pitman vs (7) Highland, (3) Overbrook vs (6) Salem Tech, (4) Schalick vs (5) Salem   Deptford has the most balanced offense in the field, making them a strong #1 seed and overwhelming favorite to win the Flight C Chip. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1190941' first='Chaylin' last='Morine'] leads this team, averaging a near double-double at 9.3 ppg & 10.3 rpg. Senior duo Rachel Farr and Madeline Anderson chip in 3.6 ppg and 3.9 ppg, respectively, while junior duo Zakyah Babb and [player_tooltip player_id='1190948' first='Kylie' last='Galantic'] pace the Spartans with 4.4 ppg and 3.5 ppg, respectively. Any of these ladies can step up if the defense shuts down Chaylin and help the team pull out the dub. They have convincing wins over Overbrook and Highland already this season, which should give them an added boost of confidence if their paths cross at some stage in the tourney. They could very well meet 3rd seeded Overbook in the Final, which may find themselves in a clash with #2 Pitman in the semis. The upperclassmen duo of [player_tooltip player_id='1190939' first='Gianna' last='Simon'] and [player_tooltip player_id='583772' first='Ja'el' last='Pressley'] have been the nucleus of this team, scoring 12.3 ppg and 7.8 ppg, respectively. They clashed with Pitman way back on December 18th, in the season opener, where Rams dropped the contest 42-32. Notably, there wasn't much contribution from anyone else other than Gianna in that game. With revenge on their mind, I believe they'll be a totally different team if the rematch takes place on Thursday. They'll need contributions from sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1190946' first='Leiani' last='Knight'], who's chipping in 3.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg & 1.4 spg. She was shut down in the first meeting, something that should really fuel her to have a breakout moving forward. Typically, 3 seeds aren't considered darkhorse contenders, but that's exactly what this team is, in my opinion.   TOSS-UP 4-5 MATCHUP   A tale as old as time! When a 4 and 5 seed clash in the First Round, it's typically popcorn-worthy! Schalick and Salem will duke it out to see who earns a semifinal date with #1 Deptford and it's really anyone's game! Both teams are in the process of rebuilding and are very young; Schalick doesn't have a senior on its roster while Salem has just one. The Cougars are led by freshman [player_tooltip player_id='1190951' first='Navaeh' last='Robinson'] averaging 7.7 ppg & 5.8 rpg. She's shown off reliable multi-level scoring and has proved dangerous from 3-point land. Junior pair [player_tooltip player_id='1190944' first='Ava' last='Scurry'] and Cali Fisler are chipping in just under 4 points a piece, while freshman Olivia Vanacker follows suit at 3.8 ppg. On the other side of things, the Rams are pretty much a two-woman show, led in scoring by a pair of sophomores. [player_tooltip player_id='1190950' first='Carlysia' last='Pierce'] is averaging just under 9.0 ppg while Nevaeh Hickman clocks in just under 7. Schalick's balance may be too much for the Rams to overcome, as a lack of consistent depth plagues them this season. However, if Salem's defense can shut down Robinson, it's a toss-up!   CAN THE 2 SEED GO ALL THE WAY?   Led by a pair of upperclassmen in senior [player_tooltip player_id='1190953' first='Jessica' last='Bretz'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='1190955' first='Audrey' last='Duffield'], Pitman finds themselves in a great position to make a run to the Chip. They've put together a handful of quality wins this season and compiled a 3-6 record in the Tri-County Classic, good for 4th place. Duffield comes in averaging 10.3 ppg while Bretz trails closely at 8.5 ppg. These two have been the nucleus all season long for a team who's looking to get it's first signature win of the season. Well, that dub could very well come in this tournament! Sophomore Bella Pramov has been a solid third scoring option, but if the Panthers want to go all the way, she'll have to turn up the heat a notch... something she's more than capable of doing!   X-FACTORS   [player_tooltip player_id='1190944' first='Ava' last='Scurry'] | Schalick   Rebounding and defense will be crucial in Schalick's First Round duel, two things Ava does very well. She's pulling down 7.2 boards per contest and coming up with just over 2 steals per contest! She can be a game-changer and help swing the momentum if things get uncomfortably tight against Salem (or any team in the field).   [player_tooltip player_id='1190946' first='Leiani' last='Knight'] | Overbrook   Leilani does a little bit of everything, from scoring to rebounding and all things in between! This reliable all-court game may prove clutch, especially if they earn a date (and rematch) with #2 Pitman in the semis. Her efforts on defense don't go unnoticed and she does a great job trying to pressure the ball and try to force the turnover. She'll have to keep a scrappy mentality from start to finish.   [player_tooltip player_id='1190947' first='Kaylin' last='Beardsley'] | Salem Tech   Defense wins games and Kaylin sure knows a thing or two about locking down! She's the team leader in steals at 3.1 spg and will need to force turnovers at a furious pace if Salem Tech wants to upset #3 Overbrook in the opening round.   [player_tooltip player_id='1190943' first='Tajai' last='Webb'] | Highland   Tajai is this team's Swiss-Army knife the way she can score, rebound, dish and defend! She's their leader in 3-point baskets and assists, while ranking second in points and steals. She's capable of going off in any game, already having recorded four games in double-figure scoring this season. Will we see the senior have a huge breakout in her final hurrah? She could make things very uncomfortable for 2nd seeded Pitman in the opening round.   SUPERSTARS IN THE FIELD   [player_tooltip player_id='1190941' first='Chaylin' last='Morine'] | Deptford   Averaging 9.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg & 3.3 spg for the top seed.   [player_tooltip player_id='1190939' first='Gianna' last='Simon'] | Overbrook   Averaging 12.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.1 apg & 2.8 spg.   [player_tooltip player_id='1190935' first='Sage' last='Shaw'] | Highland   Averaging 13.6 ppg, 14.4 rpg, 1.9 bpg & 2.1 spg for #7 Highland.

The compete TCC bracket for Flight C was recently unveiled, with First Round action kicking off on Tuesday! I'm here to break down the top contenders, as well as darkhorse teams and x-factors looking to make a big impact in the tournament's third tier.