By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
@tortreports on Instagram
SEWELL — Jahzara Green said she feels like she hasn’t been playing to her full potential this winter.
You wouldn’t have been able to tell that on Saturday.
The Gloucester Catholic High senior dropped a game-high 23 points across the first three quarters to help the Rams put a running clock on Wildwood en route to a 65-26 victory in the Tri-County Conference championship at Washington Township High School.
It was the fifth straight win for Gloucester Catholic, which will host St. John Vianney in a non-league matchup on Monday before focusing on defending its South Jersey Non-Public B title when the tournament begins on Feb. 27.
“This was a great win for us. We set this as a goal at the beginning of the year to win this TCC championship,” Lisa Gedaka, the Rams’ coach, said. “Wildwood is tremendous, I thought they did a great job. This is a stepping stone to what we want to accomplish as a team.
“The Tri-County is the best. The people and the leadership of the Tri-County is great. It’s a first-run organization, so it’s an honor for us to be the champion.”
Gloucester Catholic opened the game with a 13-8 lead after the first quarter and held a 29-15 advantage at intermission. The Rams stepped on the gas in the second half, outscoring the Warriors 36-11 over the final 16 minutes, including a 19-0 fourth-quarter run.
It was the eighth time this season that Green reached at least 20 points, but she hadn’t done so since Jan. 28. The 6-foot-1 forward has been on a cold streak — for her standards — as of late, but Saturday’s game was a perfect opportunity for her to get back on track.
“This season has been a little rough for me, I haven’t done what I know I can do,” said Green, a St. Joseph’s University commit. “I showed scoring at all three levels. I think (Gedaka) is correct and this was my most complete game. It’s a good thing to win our conference.”
Added Gedaka: “I thought it was her best game of the season. I thought she defended well and she finished at the basket. She was under control. She needed it. She works so hard day in and day out, and I think she’s been a little disappointed in how she’s been finishing.
“We want to try to defend (our South Jersey title). We have a lot of good teams we’ll have to play en route to the championship game. Our schedule for the whole year has prepared us for that moment. We’ll probably be playing a really tough (top-seeded) Rutgers Prep team, so we’ll see.”
Gloucester Catholic defeated state power Rutgers Prep, 46-33, to win the first sectional title in Gedaka’s 36-year coaching career last winter. If seeds hold, a rematch in the final is likely.
“We’re coming around as a team and we’re all playing together,” Green said. “At the beginning of the season, we were all playing as individuals and not together. We’re coming around at this point and it’s really good for us because we only have a handful of games left. This is the time where we want to peak. It’s perfect timing, and hopefully we bring it home.”
Wildwood dropped to 19-7 with the loss and will host Cape May Tech on Monday before a first-round playoff matchup with Clayton on Wednesday.
The Warriors have earned the No. 2 seed in the upcoming South Jersey Group 1 playoffs and, barring any major upset, would travel to defending champion Haddon Township in the projected final.
The Warriors fell short to the Hawks in last year’s final in front of a rowdy crowd, but coach Teresa Cunniff thinks they’re better prepared to handle their environment this time around.
“Playing Gloucester Catholic is amazing to me, because it sets us up for Group 1,” Cunniff said. “We’re not going to see anyone as good as them. I want to be battle tested and make sure my kids know what to do.
“I’m going to take it one game at a time, but a lot of our young kids got in that game last year, so they’re ready for that environment.”
