Brian Deakyne and Matt Stypulkoski | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
State tournament A-to-Z
Girls basketball teams around the state are gearing up for the state tournament and we are too. That's why we created this A-to-Z guide to the upcoming games, which highlights some of the top players, teams and storylines as the postseason gets going.
Robert Samuels | For NJ Advanced Media
A - Allen
Desiree Allen has put up ridiculous numbers for Neptune and will look to guide the Scarlet Fliers to a Central Jersey, Group 3 title
Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
B - Bound Brook
Bound Brook, a Group 1 finalist last season, will enter the state tournament as the favorite to reach the Tournament of Champions from Group 1
Mary Iuvone/For NJ Advance Media
C - Correa
Rutgers Prep’s Leilani Correa has emerged as an absolute stud over the past few weeks. She’s averaging 11.9 points per game on the season, but that number has exploded recently, as she posted four 20-point performances in the five games after teammate Jahsyni Knight went down injured.
Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media
D - Deadly from deep
There is not a team in the state tournament that takes and makes more 3-pointers than St. Rose. The Purple Roses, who upset Manasquan to reach the Shore Conference Tournament final, will need to connect from long range against some of the state’s best teams in South Jersey, Non-Public B.
Russ DeSantis | For NJ Advance Media
E - Evans
St. John Vianney’s Kimi Evans, a Seton Hall commit, has been the go-to player for the Lancers all season and will need to bring her top game to help St. John Vianney win a third straight Non-Public A title.
F - Farley-Clark
Queen of Peace’s big has the ability to dominate any game. The LSU-bound senior averages 15.6 points and 9.7 rebounds and is arguably the best player in a stacked Non-Public, North B bracket.
Andrew Miller | For NJ Advance Media
G - Gill St. Bernard's
Gill St. Bernard’s has caught fire late in the season with the bulk of its lineup back from injury. As the No. 15 seed, the Knights will look to give second-seeded and top-ranked Rutgers Prep a run for its money in South Jersey, Non-Public B.
Nick Scalera | For NJ Advance Media
H - High Point
High Point, the top seed in North Jersey, Section 1, Group 2 could be a team that gives other Group 2 powers a run in the group semifinals or final down the road.
Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
I - Immaculate
Could both Non-Public, North titles be won by ‘Immaculate’ programs? Lodi Immaculate enters as the top seed in the North B bracket, while Immaculate Heart is seeded second in North A and won the title last season.
Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
J - Jenna Jordan
Jenna Jordan may fly under the radar for Saddle River Day, but the sophomore has been instrumental in Saddle River Day’s success this season, averaging 12.4 points-per-game and 12 rebounds-per-game.
K - Kent Place
The Dragons may not always have the toughest schedule, but they’ve put together a strong 14-4 record and secured the three seed in Non-Public, North A. Can they step up their game against tough competition and keep the success rolling toward a sectional title?
Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media
L - Legendary Lancers
St. John Vianney will look to win a Non-Public A title for the third year in a row and win its state-leading 18th overall group title.
Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media
M - Manasquan
Manasquan, considered one of the best teams in the state all season, is looking to win Group 2 and reach the Tournament of Champions final for the fourth year in a row.
Jesse Bair | For NJ Advance Media
N - Non-Public drama
The South Jersey, Non-Public A and South Jersey, Non-Public B both have stacked fields that could result in a number of victors. South Jersey, N-P B has four teams ranked in the Top 10 of the NJ.com Top 20.
Tim Hawk | For NJ.com
O - Ocean City
Ocean City, which was one of the last two undefeated teams left in the state, will be the heavy favorite in South Jersey, Group 3 with hopes of advancing to the Tournament of Champions.
Matt Smith | For NJ Advance Media
P - Pascack Valley
Group 3 is wide open this season, with no true favorite emerging from any section. Pascack Valley, the top seed in North Jersey, Section 1, Group 3, will look to stake its claim as N.J.’s best Group 3 team and advance into the Tournament of Champions.
Amanda Marzullo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Q - Qadashah Hoppie
Hoppie leads the way for Patrick School at 15.6 points per game and her play will be key to its state title and Tournament of Champions hopes.
Mary Iuvone/For NJ Advance Media
R - Repeat
Rutgers Prep won its first-ever Non-Public B title last season, and as the No. 1 team in the state, the Argonauts will have the pressure to defend that title this March.
Andrew Mills | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
S - Shore supremacy
The last two Tournament of Champions finals have been an all-Shore Conference battle. With a number of Shore teams in the mix this season, the chances are high that it could be a third-straight all-Shore final, although teams like Rutgers Prep, Patrick School, and Gloucester Catholic will have something to say about it.
T - Transfer
What kind of impact will the addition of Katie McShea to the Bishop Eustace roster make? And how will that affect the Non-Public, South A bracket? We’re about to find out, as the former Rancocas Valley star will be eligible to play starting with the Crusaders’ next game.
Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media
U - Underdog
Newark Tech, seeded fifth, is the forgotten team in a loaded Central Jersey, Group 2 bracket.
Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media
V - Volker
Megan Volker missed the middle of the season for Rumson-Fair Haven with an ankle injury, but she is back and healthy for the Bulldogs, who are looking to make a run and knock off Manasquan in Central Jersey, Group 2.
W - Wynbeek
Madison Wynbeek is one of the best players in North Jersey, Non-Public B and will look to help fifth-seeded Eastern Christian make a run to contend with the likes of Lodi Immaculate, Saddle River Day, and Marist. Wynbeek is averaging 19.3 points-per-game this season.
Scott Faytok | For NJ Advance Media
X - X-factors
Which players, teams and coaches will come up clutch when the game is on the line? Take a look at who our reporters' picked as potential X-factors in this year's tournament.
Photo courtesy of PM Studios
Y - Young stars
Generally, the postseason is the time of year when experience can be most valuable. But N.J. has a crop of studs that’s been getting the job done all season long. Can players like Brynn Farrell, Taylor Smith and their other young, talented peers continue their success in the playoffs?
Reena Rose Sibayan | The Jersey Journal
Z - Zero losses
There’s just one team still without a single loss – Marist. The Royal Knights are 20-0 so far and have reached the Hudson County Tournament semifinals ahead of their run in the Non-Public, North B bracket.
More NJ.com girls basketball coverage
Be sure to bookmark these pages to catch all of our girls basketball news and notes this season:
• Girls basketball homepage
• High school sports homepage
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