Five Blockbuster Opening Week Games

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>NJ girls basketball kicks off officially on December 8th, with much of that week consisting of scrimmages, sprinkled with a few regular season games here and there. However, it's the following week [beginning December 15th) which really kicks off all the action for teams around the state. I've hand-selected these five games as ones that will challenge both teams and could make for some very good early season basketball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Rutgers Prep vs Franklin</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of the most stacked teams in the state kick off the season with a bang! There are numerous future D1 locks loaded on these two rosters and it could be an all-out battle for the early December dub. The Argos are led by Buffalo bound [player_tooltip player_id='559046' first='Ava' last='LaMonica'], Boston U bound [player_tooltip player_id='601341' first='Sophia' last='Georgiades'] and nationally ranked [player_tooltip player_id='981918' first='Hailey' last='Benbow']. Franklin is a lot younger but led by D1 lock [player_tooltip player_id='651517' first='Aleah' last='Sunkins'], the top player in the '27 Class and a strong supporting cast of [player_tooltip player_id='601334' first='Alissa' last='Myers'], [player_tooltip player_id='981911' first='Nola' last='Bright'] and [player_tooltip player_id='651521' first='Alivia' last='Stewart']. The competitive fire and intensity will be off the meters in this one!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cherokee vs Cherry Hill West</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>December 16th</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Chiefs return more key players than the Lions do, but they still have a dog named [player_tooltip player_id='835898' first='Kirsten' last='Gibson'] who is a one-woman wrecking crew! Cherokee has a solid core three, including [player_tooltip player_id='559132' first='Brielle' last='Alaba'], [player_tooltip player_id='962705' first='Jordan' last='Arnold'] and [player_tooltip player_id='959106' first='Abby' last='Ball'], with Alaba possessing one of the best mid-range jumpers in the state. These two teams are some of the best in South Jersey and are always at the top of the Olympic Conference standings, with CHW in the Patriot division and Cherokee in the American. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Morris Catholic vs West Orange</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>December 17th</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Former teammates [at Montclair Immaculate] [player_tooltip player_id='559076' first='Jayah' last='Curtis'] and [player_tooltip player_id='559042' first='London' last='Caldwell'] will clash in this one. These two teams feature some of the best back courts in the state, with Curtis and junior [player_tooltip player_id='667787' first='Jacqueline' last='Edelman'] at MC and Caldwell and junior [player_tooltip player_id='825463' first='Rhyan' last='Watt'] at WO. No shortage of shifty handles and 3-point shooting in this one! [player_tooltip player_id='1320515' first='Jordyn' last='Batts'] (WO) and Ashley LaBeach (MC) will look to turn up for their respective teams and contribute to the scoring column. The Crusaders are deeper and taller, so I give them the edge, but the Mountaineers are fresh off a super successful season and have a bunch of dogs on the roster.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Caldwell vs Glen Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>December 18th</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Caldwell is young and returns every single player from last year's team who went 26-4 and made a sectional final. Glen Ridge lost some big pieces but still have a 1-2 punch in [player_tooltip player_id='601520' first='Allison' last='Snyder'] and [player_tooltip player_id='601519' first='Annabel' last='Koss-DeFrank']. While Caldwell certainly has more weapons and are the favorites, Snyder and her stout defense won't make it easy for them. [player_tooltip player_id='835485' first='Addison' last='Keenan'] leads the Chiefs and will spearhead both the offense and defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Manasquan vs Pingry</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>December 19th</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two teams who never, ever back down from a fight! Both teams traditionally play a very difficult schedule and will look to establish new identities with the loss of their leading scorers from last season. This battle will be won in the back court, with Pingry's [player_tooltip player_id='959820' first='Rowan' last='Shapiro'] and [player_tooltip player_id='789188' first='Vale' last='Triana'] going head to head with Squan's [player_tooltip player_id='559069' first='Jordyn' last='Hollawell'] and [player_tooltip player_id='564267' first='Shannon' last='Looney']. Both teams have strong defenders so I don't anticipate this one to be a high-scoring affair. Maya Rebimbas (Pingry) and [player_tooltip player_id='913917' first='Calista' last='Vowteras'] (Squan) are my chose x-factors. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->