THREE TEAMS LEFT
THREE TEAMS LEFT...
... and one will see action tomorrow. The Irish have begun to get the respect they deserve statewide, but the north will get its first look tomorrow. It's hard to keep the journalistic distance sometimes, when our area teams go up against teams from other areas, but I think that's natural. The professional in me will sit there on press row the next couple of days with a deliberately blank, even bored-looking expression, but my chest, my heart might well be pounding.
Anyway, of the three opponents SJ teams will play this weekend, I know the least about Immaculate Heart Academy. The program is a frequent visitor to this level, but Group A in the north doesn't have perennial studs like RBC and Vianney. This is a seven-loss team, and they just barely got by DePaul in the sectional semis, so I figure it's safe to say this won't be CC's most talented opponent, but strange things do happen. Superior teams do get beaten, even when it counts. Since the Irish haven't been here since 1981, I'd be shocked if they took this game too lightly, though. After all, this game is what the whole season was about.
Sunday's finals are both a little more clear to me.
In Group 1, Salem is obviously in a very tough spot against Bloomfield Tech. If the Riverside squad with Sabra and Baendu couldn't beat this team two years ago, the Rams certainly have their work cut out for them. There are a couple other factors working against them as well. First, the Trico Classic isn't the greatest preparation for a team like Bloomfield Tech, which has played Shabazz, CC, Wilson, and just about everybody else in the state top 10. The tournament is its own prep, to some extent, but the SJ Group 1 draw was Classic-dominated, and South Hunterdon -- while a nice team playing well -- isn't full of D1 talent. The other thing is Salem's style of play. The Rams tore Gloucester apart with a fast pace. They just forgot about running an offense and attacked the basket. If they try to run with BT, however, it's a recipe for disaster. In all likelihood, there is no pace in the high school girls' game high enough to take the Spartans out of their comfort zone. The team that stands the best chance against BT is the one that can change the tempo, like a pitcher changing speeds, and can do damage in a half-court offense.
That said, of course, anything can happen and often has, and it never hurts to have players who believe in themselves like Brittany Smith and the girls do. They know how to play at this time of the year, and they'll fight to the final buzzer.
In Group 4, it's the Braves vs. the Bees, and I feel like Gami is almost as big a favorite as CC is in Group A. It wasn't long ago that the Asbury Park Press' Neil Schuman lampooned the Braves' habitual disappointment in the postseason, calling them Origami. Don't ask me why Neil was even worrying about Absegami, since his paper doesn't cover the school, but no matter. Those days are gone. Prince Charming kissed the Braves on the lips in the form of the Class of 2008, and the spell was broken with last year's state title. Now Gami can just play, with it's titanic front line. Bayonne's front line is a little undersized, but it has been surprising people all season. This team hasn't seen anything the size of Gami, but I wouldn't expect the Bees to be intimidated long, or at all.
The keys to the game for the Braves, in my mind, are simple and few: Take care of the basketball. Stay out of foul trouble. Get it to Booker. That's it. The rest should take care of itself.
That's it for me. I'll be heading up to scenic Dover Township late tomorrow morning in an attempt to catch the noon game, right before the Group A girls' final. I expect a lot of CC folks to make the trip. God knows they'd be camping out in the parking lot at Toms River North if it were the boys.
... and one will see action tomorrow. The Irish have begun to get the respect they deserve statewide, but the north will get its first look tomorrow. It's hard to keep the journalistic distance sometimes, when our area teams go up against teams from other areas, but I think that's natural. The professional in me will sit there on press row the next couple of days with a deliberately blank, even bored-looking expression, but my chest, my heart might well be pounding.
Anyway, of the three opponents SJ teams will play this weekend, I know the least about Immaculate Heart Academy. The program is a frequent visitor to this level, but Group A in the north doesn't have perennial studs like RBC and Vianney. This is a seven-loss team, and they just barely got by DePaul in the sectional semis, so I figure it's safe to say this won't be CC's most talented opponent, but strange things do happen. Superior teams do get beaten, even when it counts. Since the Irish haven't been here since 1981, I'd be shocked if they took this game too lightly, though. After all, this game is what the whole season was about.
Sunday's finals are both a little more clear to me.
In Group 1, Salem is obviously in a very tough spot against Bloomfield Tech. If the Riverside squad with Sabra and Baendu couldn't beat this team two years ago, the Rams certainly have their work cut out for them. There are a couple other factors working against them as well. First, the Trico Classic isn't the greatest preparation for a team like Bloomfield Tech, which has played Shabazz, CC, Wilson, and just about everybody else in the state top 10. The tournament is its own prep, to some extent, but the SJ Group 1 draw was Classic-dominated, and South Hunterdon -- while a nice team playing well -- isn't full of D1 talent. The other thing is Salem's style of play. The Rams tore Gloucester apart with a fast pace. They just forgot about running an offense and attacked the basket. If they try to run with BT, however, it's a recipe for disaster. In all likelihood, there is no pace in the high school girls' game high enough to take the Spartans out of their comfort zone. The team that stands the best chance against BT is the one that can change the tempo, like a pitcher changing speeds, and can do damage in a half-court offense.
That said, of course, anything can happen and often has, and it never hurts to have players who believe in themselves like Brittany Smith and the girls do. They know how to play at this time of the year, and they'll fight to the final buzzer.
In Group 4, it's the Braves vs. the Bees, and I feel like Gami is almost as big a favorite as CC is in Group A. It wasn't long ago that the Asbury Park Press' Neil Schuman lampooned the Braves' habitual disappointment in the postseason, calling them Origami. Don't ask me why Neil was even worrying about Absegami, since his paper doesn't cover the school, but no matter. Those days are gone. Prince Charming kissed the Braves on the lips in the form of the Class of 2008, and the spell was broken with last year's state title. Now Gami can just play, with it's titanic front line. Bayonne's front line is a little undersized, but it has been surprising people all season. This team hasn't seen anything the size of Gami, but I wouldn't expect the Bees to be intimidated long, or at all.
The keys to the game for the Braves, in my mind, are simple and few: Take care of the basketball. Stay out of foul trouble. Get it to Booker. That's it. The rest should take care of itself.
That's it for me. I'll be heading up to scenic Dover Township late tomorrow morning in an attempt to catch the noon game, right before the Group A girls' final. I expect a lot of CC folks to make the trip. God knows they'd be camping out in the parking lot at Toms River North if it were the boys.
posted by SMc. @ 1:15 AM
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