Girl’s basketball opens the South, Group 2 Tournament on Tuesday with a home game against the Buena Chiefs at 5pm. Here is our first round playoff preview.
#1 Cinnaminson: 20-6
#16 Buena: 4-18
When: Tuesday, March 1 at 5pm.
Where: Cinnaminson
How They Got Here
Cinnaminson opened the season on a 3-0 clip before dropping back-to-back games to Gloucester and Woodrow Wilson. At 3-2, the Pirates then reeled off 11 straight wins to move to 14-2 overall and clinch the one-seed in the South, Group 2 Tournament.
A three-game losing streak put the Pirates at 14-5 before the team reeled off six in a row to move to 20-5.
In that six-game win streak the Pirates clinched the Freedom Division title with a 41-37 win over rival Holy Cross on the road. The win streak also saw the Pirates take down Haddon Township for a second time this season, 48-40.
The division title is the second straight for the Pirates and third in four years.
The final game of the six-game win streak came against Willingboro. Not only was it the 20th win of the season for the Pirates, but senior Marisa DiLeo netted her 1,000th career point in the 61-53 win over the Chimeras.
Cinnaminson finished the regular season 20-6 after suffering a loss in the finale versus Rancocas Valley. The Pirates won the Freedom with a 7-1 record in division play, sweeping every team except Bordentown.
The Pirates boast five players with 100 or more points scored this season, two with 200 or more and one with 400 or more. DiLeo and Fiona Flynn (218) are in the 200 or more category as DiLeo has 434 on the year.
Anne O’Malley (156), Tori Robinson (143) and Maddie Ogden (187) round out the five players with 100 or more points.
Cinnaminson has quite a few statement wins this year, including the two over Haddon Township and two over Holy Cross. The Pirates also took down Group 3 schools Cumberland and Pemberton as well as Moorestown and Northern Burlington.
Last season, the Pirates lost in the first round of the Central, Group 2 Tournament to Matawan, 43-38.
Buena comes into this first round contest having lost six games in a row and are 2-7 in their last nine. Their four wins this season have come against Pleasantville (2), Pennsauken Tech and Maple Shade.
The Chiefs finished 4-18 overall and 2-8 in the Cape-Atlantic United Division, good for sixth. Their two wins against Pleasantville were their two divisional wins.
The Chiefs boast just one player with 100 or more points, Aysiah Cintron, who has 153. Samantha Maxwell is the next player close to 100 with 88.
Buena does not have any statement wins this season.
Last season, Buena lost in the first round of the South, Group 2 Tournament to Lower Cape May, 58-35. Buena has been bounced from the playoffs in the first round each of the last three seasons and five of the last six.
Previous Meetings
These two teams have not met in the last six years.
Cinn City Sports will have coverage of the first round in the SJ2 Tournament between Cinnaminson and Buena Tuesday night at 5pm. Be sure to follow us on Twitter for live updates throughout the game.
