Girls Basketball – Shore Conference Tournament Opening Round Preview and Predictions

Predictions

(25) Point Beach at (8) Wall

Wall is led by their two seniors, Shayne Eldridge (16.3 PPG) and Emily Tvrdik (11 PPG), who both reached the 1,000 point milestone this season. Junior Marissa Amitie (9 PPG) plays with high energy on both sides of the floor and will need her to play consistently for a deep run. Senior Aileen Carr (5.6 PPG) is one of the toughest players in the Shore Conference and will need to stay out of foul trouble. Even though she is the 4th option on offense, she has the ability to cause trouble underneath. 

Point Beach is led by junior Erin Frauenheim (11.1 PPG) and senior Lauryn Case (8.4 PPG). Senior Gina Umek (5.4 PPG) and junior Kaitlyn Hard (5.1 PPG) have the ability to score double digits and will need to come close to that for Point Beach to match Wall’s scoring. Point Beach will have to be aggressive on the boards and box out Amitie and Carr to limit Wall’s second chances.

Prediction: Wall 56-34

(24) Freehold Township at (9) Rumson-Fair Haven 

Rumson is led by senior Raquel Guidetti (13.8 PPG) and sophomore Erin Reid (9.9 PPG) this season. Reid has taken a nice step forward in her sophomore year with her ability to get to the basket and use her height advantage. Rumson is also dangerous from the outside with senior Ella Mason (7.4 PPG)  and junior Sylvie Notine (7.9 PPG) with their ability to knock down 3-pointers. 

Freehold Twp. is led by juniors Gaby Parker (10.6 PPG) and Sophie Tonino (10 PPG) who play hard on both sides of the floor. Sophomore Madison Sciarrino (8 PPG) can stretch the floor with her ability to knock down 3-pointers and use her height to score inside. The Patriots have been without Ava Giordano (7.5 PPG) since 1/12/24 and miss her as another scoring threat.

Prediction: Rumson 63-36

(23) Monmouth Regional at (10) Manchester

Manchester is led by NC State commit Devyn Quigley (33.4) and can score any way she wants. She has 176 points from the foul-line this season. Freshman Madeline Nolan (9 PPG)  has stepped up to become a second option on offense and can handle the ball to help Quigley play off the ball. Senior Zionna Short (4.7 RPG) will play an important role trying to keep Monmouth off the boards with their height.

Monmouth is led by junior Amaya Harris (11 PPG) and senior Mia Troese (8.6 PPG). Troese has battled injuries over her high school career, but is this season and is a threat on both sides of the floor. Monmouth will have a height advantage with senior Katie Hicks and Harris on the floor and it can help prevent Quigley from getting second chance points.

Prediction: Manchester 56-48

(22) Barnegat at (11) Howell

Howell is a team that makes you work on both sides of the floor. The Rebels are led by junior Kiara McKown (11.7 PPG) and freshman Kylee Beam (7.7 PPG) who has taken her game to another level to close out the regular season. Both players cause defensive match-up problems with their height.  Sophomore BellaRose Marino (7.1 PPG) is a threat from outside with her 3-point shooting. Junior Ashley Smith has the ability to limit the opponents leading score with her defense.

Barnegat has had an up and down season but won four out of their last five games to qualify for the SCT. Juniors Emma Thornton (20.5 PPG, 15.7 RPG) and Riley Fitzpatrick (13 PPG) led the team and both can score on all three levels. Senior Giana Germano (6.3 RPG) can play an important role if she can help Thornton on the boards with Howell’s height. 

Prediction: Howell 56-52

(21) Brick Memorial at (12) Ranney

Ranney has a big three in juniors Haley Poser (20 PPG), Emily Cavanaugh (9.7 PPG) and freshman Ashley Kreiger (10.5 PPG). If they can stay out of foul trouble, Ranney can make a run in the SCT. Poser has been one of the best scorers in the Shore all season with her 3-point shooting. Kreiger will be difficult to cover with her height advantage and ability in the post. 

Brick Memorial is led by senior Lexi Caruso (9.6 PPG) and sophomore Liana Lapena (8.2 PPG). The Mustangs are a scrappy team that plays hard on both sides of the floor and does not make it easier for opponents. Lapena can shoot the ball very well from behind the arc and will need her to be consistent in the opening round. Brick Memorial will rely on seniors Kayla Herzer (9.1 RPG) and Gianna Livio (7.8 RPG) to use their height to keep Kreiger off the boards.

Prediction: Ranney 55-38

(20) Shore Regional at (13) Holmdel

Holmdel is led by senior Allison Cannon (18.5 PPG) who does whatever the team needs to help them win. She performs on both sides of the floor with 105 steals and gets her teammates involved with 95 assists on the season. Junior Mackenzie Teevan (15 PPG) has stepped up as the second option and can use her height to cause problems for defenses. She also has range so she can stretch the defense out to open up the inside. Junior Michelle Steele (8.9 PPG)  also has stepped up to help Holmdel on the offensive end. 

Shore Regional is led by their two guards, juniors Reese Fiore (17 PPG) and Kimi Sayson (8.9 PPG). Both guards can get to the basket to create scoring chances for their teammates. Senior Conley Smolokoff (10.3 PPG) has taken a bigger role on the offensive end this season and will need to have a big game on the boards to prevent second chance points for Holmdel. Sophomore Ava Coyle (8.5 PPG) can shoot the ball well from behind the arc and can not be left alone when the guards attack the basket.

Prediction: Holmdel 55-51

(19) Neptune at (14) Southern Regional

Southern won Class A South for first time since 2016 and is led by junior Casey Collins (15.5 PPG) and senior Skylar Soltis (12 PPG). These two can create problems for defenses with their inside and outside game. Collins can score on all three levels and Soltis can cause problems with her height. Senior Brielle Romano (6.2 PPG) and senior Samantha Russell (6.5 PPG) have stepped up when Southern has needed it and work hard on the defensive end and rebounding. 

Neptune is a tale of two teams, starting the season winning  12 out of their first 17 games and dropping five out of their last six. Juniors Christa Ramos (17.5 PPG) and Bre Evans (11.5 PPG) are the leaders of the teams and they can get up and down the court. Ramos can create her own shots and get the ball to her open teammates. Freshman Lana Ellington (9.4 PPG) needs to be involved on the offensive end like she was to start the season in order for Neptune to make a run in the postseason. 

Prediction: Southern 54-48

(18) Colts Neck at (15) Point Boro

Point Boro is one of the few teams who can have a different leading scorer in every game. Juniors Vanessa Haas (9.5 PPG) and Emily Marinelli (9 PPG) have led the team in scoring all season with Haas being a threat with her mid range shot and Marinelli with the three ball. Junior Katherine Henn (7.8 PPG) can cause a problem for Neptune with her height advantage and is a force on the boards. 

Colts Neck narrowly got into the SCT on the last day by defeating Our Lady of Mercy 38-35. The Cougars are led by senior Julianna Kowaleski (11.4 PPG) who has a game-high of eight 3-pointers this season. Junior Katie Ditchter (7.5 PPG) runs the offense and has 85 assists on the season. Senior Savannah Butz (6.7 PPG) is Colts Neck workhorse and will have to work hard to help limit Point Boro’s second chance points.

Prediction: Point Boro 48-40

(17) Toms River East at (16) Jackson Memorial

Jackson Memorial is one of the deepest teams in the SCT but also one of the youngest teams. The Jaguars held on to a 47-45 win over TRE during the season, a game they led by 11 at halftime. The team is led by senior Chelsea Lavezzo (12 PPG) and freshman Cali Brown (11.5 PPG) , who both can handle the ball. Sophomore Kaylee Ambos (5.8 PPG) can be a threat from behind the arc and sophomore Avery Brooks (7.2 PPG) can score inside and out for Jackson Memorial. Sophomore Isabella Finer (6.5 PPG) is the Jaguars workhorse on both sides of the floor. She can create second chance opportunities and be a factor inside on defense.

TRE is led by seniors Yana Shupak (12.6 PPG) and Sydney Murphy (10.8 PPG) who both can score on all levels. Senior Kaleigh Fitzgibbons (7.4 PPG) can be a 3-point threat for the Raiders and can not be left open. TRE is always one of the most prepared teams on the defensive side of the floor.

Prediction: Jackson Memorial 50-48 (OT)