NJSIAA Girls Basketball Tournament Preview: The Shore in Non-Public B
NJSIAA Tournament: Non-Public B Playoff Preview
South Jersey Non-Public B
Shore Teams in the Field: No. 11 Ranney
Top Seed: Rutgers Prep
Defending Champion: Gloucester Catholic
Favorite: No. 2 Gloucester Catholic. While the Rams are currently ranked one spot below Rutgers Prep in the state rankings, they get the nod as the favorite in part because they defeated Rutgers Prep in the sectional final last year and because they had a much better showing against Red Bank Catholic this season. Gloucester Catholic took Red Bank Catholic down to the wire before losing 41-40 as time expired. Rutgers Prep played Red Bank Catholic competitively but fell apart in the second half losing 59-42. The only other in-state losses on the Rams’ resume are both to Paul VI, the number three ranked team in the state. Senior forward Jahzara Green (6-foot-1) is one of the state’s top scorers with over 1,800 career points. The senior is committed to Saint Joseph’s. Senior guard Jalyn Moore (5-foot-9) is committed to Niagara and leads the team in assists.
Contender: No. 1 Rutgers Prep. The Argonauts have a case to be labeled the favorite, but for the reasons listed above we labeled them as a contender. Their resume is very impressive with victories over Morris Catholic, Franklin, and several other of the top teams in New Jersey. Aside from the Red Bank Catholic loss, their only other in-state loss came to Blair, a prep school. Sophomore guard Hailey Benbow (5-foot-9) is the Argonauts’ top scorer averaging 13.5 points per game. One of their key players is senior forward Ava Frith (6-foot-1) who transferred to Rutgers Prep from Manasquan after her sophomore season and is committed to NYU. Senior guard Sophia Georgiades (5-foot-7) is committed to Boston University while senior guard Ava Lamonica (5-foot-9) is committed to Buffalo.
Rutgers Prep’s Ava Frith attempts a shot over RBC’s Addy Nyemchek (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
Dark Horse: No. 3 Wildwood Catholic. There appears to be a large gap between the top two seeds and the rest of the section based off of resume. The Crusaders finished the regular season 19-8 with three wins over fourth-seeded Holy Spirit. Sophomore guard Dani Daley (5-foot-8) leads the team in scoring at just under 20 points per game. Senior guard Lily King (5-foot-10) is committed to East Stroudsburg.
The Shore’s Bracket Breakdown: Ranney, who finished the regular season 4-16, is led by a trio of sophomore guards in Savannah Jackson, Kayla Matos, and Lucy Eibeler. The Panthers struggled in a strong Class B North division that included Colts Neck, Howell, and Trinity Hall, but gained valuable experience against quality teams. They will play a 15-12 Moorestown Friends team that will be favored but is far from unbeatable. The two teams did not play any common opponents in the regular season. In our eyes, it is a winnable game for the Panthers who would then have to travel to Wildwood Catholic.
It is important to note that the Non-Public B Sectional Final will not take place at the highest seed’s home court like the public sections. The NJSIAA tentatively has set the Non-Public B Final at Jackson.
First Round
(1) Rutgers Prep- Bye
(9) Holy Cross Prep at (8) Doane
(12) Noor-ul-iman at (5) Stuart Day
(4) Holy Spirit- Bye
(11) Ranney at (6) Moorestown Friends
(3) Wildwood Catholic- Bye
(10) Calvary Christian at (7) Koinonia
(2) Gloucester Catholic- Bye
Doug’s Predicted Champion- Gloucester Catholic
Nick’s Predicted Champion- Rutgers Prep
