SJ1 Playoff Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The NJSIAA basketball state tournament is almost here. The South Jersey Group 1 playoffs are set to begin on Feb. 25.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check out our full preview below to see which teams have the best chance to make it out of the South Jersey Group 1 bracket victorious and potentially compete for a state title.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Seeds</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>1- Haddon Township</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2- Wildwood</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>3- Audubon</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4- Glassboro</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>5- Palmyra</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>6- Pennsville</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>7- Gateway</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>8- Woodbury</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>9- Burlington City</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>10- Schalick</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>11- Woodstown</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>12- New Egypt</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>13- Cape May Tech</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>14- Salem</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15- Clayton</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>16- Paulsboro</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Favorite</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Haddon Township (19-6):</strong> The defending South Jersey Group 1 champs are in a prime position to defend their title. A balanced offensive attack led by the team's lone senior [player_tooltip player_id='600906' first='Kiersten' last='Callahan'], the Hawks ran away with the top seed in the bracket ahead of Wildwood. Defensively, they've held opponents to 30 or fewer points in 10 games this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Contenders</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Wildwood (18-6):</strong> The Warriors are red-hot entering the tournament, winning 14 of their last 16 games. Led by 1,000-point scorers [player_tooltip player_id='651514' first='Rebecca' last='Benichou'] and [player_tooltip player_id='601414' first='Angela' last='Wilber'], Wildwood has won 13 games by at least 20 points this winter. Together, the pair has knocked down 104 three-pointers this season. They'll have to stay hot if they want any chance at winning a likely rematch with Haddon Township in the final.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Glassboro (19-6): </strong>The Bulldogs are on a seven-game winning streak, including a 44-30 victory over Kingsway in the Tri-County Conference tournament quarterfinal. Star junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='831439' first='Kezia' last='Brackett'] is averaging 23 points per game for the Bulldogs and has been a challenge for opposing defenses. Glassboro dropped a 12-point loss to Wildwood last month, but allowed a 20-point fourth quarter from Wildwood in what was otherwise a competitive contest.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Underdog</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Audubon (18-7):</strong> Audubon continues to dominate its Colonial Conference competition; however, the Green Wave aren't as battle-tested as higher-listed teams in the section. Regardless, they have earned the third seed and will host two playoff games. [player_tooltip player_id='600910' first='Emma' last='Speyerer'] leads the Green Wave with 13 points per game and recently reached the 1,000 career points mark.</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='831439' first='Kezia' last='Brackett'], Glassboro</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='600906' first='Kiersten' last='Callahan'], Haddon Township</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='651514' first='Rebecca' last='Benichou'], Wildwood</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>[player_tooltip player_id='601414' first='Angela' last='Wilber'], Wildwood</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Abby Wiedeman, Haddon Township</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Projected Final</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Haddon Township</em></strong> vs. Wildwood</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>Note: </strong>Predicted winner in bold</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p> </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->