South Jersey Group 3 Boys’ Basketball...
South Jersey Group 3 Boys’ Basketball Preview Winslow Township has won three straight South Jersey Group 3 title, but the Eagles will be hard-pressed to make it four. Then again, there was doubt last season when the Eagles were seeded No. 8 and went on to win the tournament.
This season the Eagles have struggled and earned the No. 11 seed. One of Winslow Township’s top rivals, Timber Creek, is the team to watch.
Defending champion: No. 8 Winslow Township defeated No. 10 Timber Creek, 70-61 in the final
Tournament begins: Feb. 26
This season’s first-round matchups: (16) Lacey at (1) Timber Creek; (9) Mainland at (8) Toms River East; (12 Gloucester County Institute of Technology at (5) Pinelands, (13) Cherry Hill West at (4) Delsea; (14); (14) Camden County Tech at (3) Ocean City; (11) Winslow Township at (6) Hammonton; (10) Highland at (7) Cumberland and (15) Triton at (2) Seneca
Favorite: Timber Creek
Main contenders: Delsea, Seneca, Ocean City, Winslow Township
Outlook: Timber Creek is clearly the team to beat. In 6-foot-6 senior Maurice Murray, the Chargers have one of the better players in South Jersey. Murray had 20 points in last year’s championship loss to Winslow Township and that experience of going deep in the postseason will benefit him and the Chargers.
No. 2 seeded Seneca entered the week 12-9 but don’t be fooled by the record. The Golden Eagles have played a difficult schedule and that has helped them earn such a high seed. Seneca has lost twice to Timber Creek, but its most recent game was a 53-51 loss last week.
In addition, Seneca has also beaten Shawnee which is the top ranked team in South Jersey Group 4. The Golden Eagles also have wins over two of our other listed contenders, Delsea and Winslow Township. The key for Seneca will be getting enough offense because the defense is proven. Leading the way for Seneca is Jack Brockett, a 6-foot senior who is averaging more than 15 points per game.
Delsea has been more than competitive against some highly regarded Group 4 schools, beating Kingsway and losing just 89-87 to Shawnee. The Crusaders are led by one of the more dangerous players in Group 3, 5-9 junior Javon Gordon, who is averaging just under 19 points per game.
Normally Winslow Township wouldn’t even be mentioned as a contender, especially with a 5-15 record entering the week. However, the recent track record, says not to dismiss the Eagles. This is a team that has lost twice to Timber Creek, but only by a total of 11 points. So it will be interesting to see if the Eagles can make another late-season run.
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Author: Marc Narducci
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