By TYLER DONOHUE
Sports Writer
Cape-Atlantic League officials released finalized seeded brackets for the upcoming boys and girls basketball playoffs on Tuesday morning. For the first time in league history, the playoff field has expanded to a six-team format.
Boys Bracket
1 St. Augustine Prep
2 Atlantic City
3 Wildwood Catholic
4 Pleasantville
5 Holy Spirit
6 Middle Township
Girls Bracket
1 Sacred Heart
2 Ocean City
3 Holy Spirit
4 Middle Township
5 Cedar Creek
6 Atlantic City
The top two seeds in both brackets earned a first-round bye, meaning St. Augustine Prep and Atlantic City’s boys and Sacred Heart and Ocean City’s girls teams can take a few extra days to prepare. The first-round matchups take place Friday, Feb. 17, with the higher seeded team hosting.
In boys hoops, Middle Township travels to Wildwood Catholic to renew a longstanding rivalry on Friday. Pleasantville hosts Holy Spirit in other opening round action.
The first-round girls games also occur on Friday, Feb, 17. Atlantic City travels to take on American Conference rival Holy Spirit and Cedar Creek heads south to face Middle Township for the right to advance toward a title.
The Spartans topped the Vikings twice by a combined seven points. Atlantic City coach Chris Ford Jr. took his squad to see Holy Spirit play Ocean City on Monday, Feb. 13 knowing that his team would face the loser of the game in the first round.
Ocean City prevailed to capture a first-round bye and drop the Spartans into the third slot.
“Our girls were kind of rooting for Ocean City,” Ford said. “They’re not intimidated by Holy Spirit despite the earlier losses. I told them, sometimes you have to be careful what you wish for.”
CAL semifinals are scheduled for early next week with boys and girls doubleheaders.
The boys semifinal is hosted by Hammonton High School on Tuesday, Feb. 21. Top-seeded St. Augustine faces the lowest remaining seed at 7 p.m., while Atlantic City takes on the highest remaining seed at 5 p.m.
The CAL girls semifinal is hosted by St. Augustine Prep on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Top-seeded Sacred Heart battles the lowest remaining seed at 7 p.m., while Ocean City plays the highest remaining seed at 5 p.m.
Winners of each second-round matchup advance to the CAL Championships at Richard Stockton College on Saturday, Feb. 25. The girls’ title game tips off at noon, while the boys’championship follows at 2 p.m.
League supremacy is on the line.
Each of the dozen teams involved in the championship chase have taken a unique route to this point and are counting on particular players to lead the way. Here’s what you should know about the 2012 CAL playoff field.
The boys basketball title chase is highly unpredictable
A wild season of ups-and-downs failed to solidify any one team as the league favorite. Prior to the season, most pundits would have predicted a cluster of teams reminiscent of the six-squad field in place now. Ocean City’s absence may come as some surprise, but the Red Raiders ran out of chances with a Feb. 9 loss at Middle Township.
St. Augustine starts off as the top seed, but owns losses against fifth-ranked Holy Spirit and the sixth-seeded Panthers, either of which the Hermits could face in the semifinals. Powered by a senior-laden lineup, second-seeded Atlantic City has been hot over the past month and a half but suffered early-season defeats at Holy Spirit and St. Augustine.
Pleasantville remains an unknown commodity. Statement wins over Holy Spirit and Wildwood Catholic are balanced with blowout road losses against Catholic and Atlantic City.
The playoffs are essentially the final step in a season-long Round Robin that has seen these teams take turns picking each other apart.
Atlantic City, St. Augustine gain early edge
Atlantic City High School’s boys basketball team earned a first-round bye in the Cape-Atlantic League playoffs thanks to an 11-1 record in the American Conference. Just how important is the game off?
“It’s huge,” Vikings coach Gene Allen said. “The bye gives us a few extra days to work on things that we need to get better at and allows us to prepare for our next opponent.”
Allen, now in his ninth season at the helm in Atlantic City, plans to scout the Wildwood Catholic-Middle Township quarterfinal matchup on Friday night. The Vikings would face Wildwood Catholic in CAL semifinals if the Crusaders beat Middle.
St. Augustine rode a late seven-game win streak to the top of the league standings. The National Conference champions aren’t taking anything for granted.
“This whole group of playoff teams is very strong,” Hermits forward Blake Rossell said. “Every game is going to be tough so we need to make sure we assess things appropriately based on what happens in the first round. We want to make sure we are prepared for whoever we have to face and we can’t let the first-round bye allow us to soften up.”
No height necessary in boys bracket?
High school basketball across the country has undergone a seismic shift in offensive philosophy, falling in line with next level hoops organizations like the NCAA and NBA. The low-post game is on the verge of extinction, as teams have taken a liking to spreading out across the perimeter and utilizing the three-point shot or isolation dribble-drives.
“It sickens me because I like to play an inside-out style of offense,” Atlantic City coach Gene Allen lamented. “I think it’s the kids emulating what they see on television, because throughout the NBA and college most teams spread things out. I’m not sure how many guards even know how to feed the post these days.”
Wildwood Catholic’s 6-foot-9 center James Baumgardner is really the only classic low-post player in the CAL postseason tournament. The Crusaders make it a point to work the ball to him inside the paint, where he does most of his damage.
“There just aren’t a whole lot of traditional post players in the league anymore,” Holy Spirit coach Jamie Gillespie said. “Many play away from the basket and near the perimeter. If taller kids can only play with their back to the basket, they limit themselves in college recruitment.”
Pleasantville is a team that perennially relies on speed more than size. Greyhounds coach Ken Johnson believes the lack of big men benefits his squad.
“Guards control things more in today’s game,” Johnson said. “That trend plays into our game more, so I like that.”
The difference is depth
The league playoffs are packed with stars in both brackets. Paul Moore (Holy Spirit), T. John Casiello (Wildwood Catholic), Michael Black (Pleasantville) and Kashawn Dunston (Atlantic City) are among South Jersey’s top impact players. Kristine Williams (Cedar Creek), Julia Duggan (Ocean City), Sahara Lopez (Atlantic City) and Gina Lewis (Holy Spirit) are true go-to options on their respective girls squads.
However, it is the role players who so often make the difference in the most important moments of meaningful games. Let’s take the time to run through some of the X-factors in both the boys and girls brackets.
*Sarah Roberts, guard, Middle Township:
"Coach [John] Leahy always assigns me to cover the other team’s top scorer,” Roberts said. “We’re a team built on defense so I take pride in that role.”
Roberts, a senior, will likely stick to Cedar Creek sharpshooter Mikila Stefanski in Friday’s matchup. Roberts is also among league leaders in assists.
*Ta’yon Morgan-Jones, guard, Atlantic City*
"Ta’yon creates matchup issues most games because she gives us a major size advantage in the backcourt,” Coach Ford explained. “She can drive or shoot over smaller defenders.”
Morgan-Jones is a 5-foot-11 senior and will be counted on to provide post defense against a tall Holy Spirit frontcourt.
*Junior Saintel, forward, Holy Spirit*
"Junior has shown the ability to carry us during stretches this season,” Coach Gillespie said. “When he puts everything together on the court it’s very hard to stop him defensively and he can really help pick us up.”
The Spartans will need the 6-foot-5 sophomore’s versatility against an athletic Pleasantville lineup in the first round. If he accounts for at least a dozen points, that’s a very good sign for Holy Spirit.
*Taj Ford, forward, Pleasantville*
“Taj has come on strong and become the scorer we needed inside,” Coach Johnson explained. “We have a nice outside offensive game, but he needs to be our third scorer, top rebounder and give us an inside presence in order for us to be successful in the playoffs.”
The 6-foot-3 junior has given the Greyhounds’ offense a new dimension, especially when senior guards Michael Black and Josh Evans aren’t at their best.
*Blake Rossell, forward, St. Augustine*
"I kew I was going to have to take on an important role this season and it was tough at first,” Rossell admitted. “Once I started to realize the impact I could have, Coach [Paul] Rodio gave me more freedom to be mobile offensively and I’ve continued to gain the trust of my teammates while fighting for every rebound.”
Rossell, a 6-foot-5 junior, is a legitimate piece of the puzzle for the Hermits in his first season at the varsity level. The team needs him to continue to shoot confidently.
Projecting the winners
CAL boys championship: Atlantic City over St. Augustine
No team plays as physical or consistent as the Vikings. Atlantic City is in the midst of its best stretch of the season. Expect the Vikings to out-muscle the Hermits in an epic showcase of the league's top two teams.
CAL girls championship: Ocean City over Middle Township
The Red Raiders frontcourt proves to be the difference in a battle between two teams who tussled all winter for the National Conference title. Give Ocean City a slight edge once again.
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