By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
PITMAN — Anna Fisicaro has played in a lot of big-time matches in her tennis career.
But none bigger in the one she played Tuesday.
As the No. 1 singles player, it was up to the Pitman junior to clinch the match for the Panthers in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 1 final, and she delivered at Shertel Park.
With her team leading 2-1 in the match, the Panthers needed one more point to clinch the victory. Fisicaro responded by closing out Pennsville’s Megan Morris 6-2, 6-0, to give Pitman its first sectional championship in 18 years. Pitman hadn’t won a South Jersey title since 2006. That year, they won the state championship over Verona.
The Panthers had already gotten points at second singles and second doubles, and ended up winning the match, 4-1, over Pennsville.
“This means a lot to me because our team put in a lot of hard work,” Fisicaro said. “I’m very excited for what we accomplished and I’m hoping to do it again next year. We put in so much hard work, so it’s nice to see this outcome.”
Fisicaro and the Panthers (19-2, 6-0 Tri-County Classic) fell short in the sectional playoffs to Haddon Township in each of the past two seasons, so it was a relieving feeling getting to finally hoist that prestigious blue trophy after a long offseason’s worth of work.
“I’m just so happy for this group,” Panthers coach Gene Reid said. “They work so hard in the offseason. We’re talking April, May, June, July right into our first practice and they never took their foot off the gas pedal. If there was ever a group of kids that deserve it, they put in the sweat equity and I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
In the final match on Tuesday, Reid’s “Killer Bs” — Amanda Bradley and Kendall Bennett — won the first doubles match in a come-from-behind victory. Facing a 5-4 deficit in the third and final set, they ultimately won that set, 7-6.
The dynamic duo improved their record to 16-1 together this fall, a vast improvement from their 10-6 mark in 2023 playing primarily 2nd doubles.
“Me and Kendall both worked together this summer, and it feels great to do this together,” said Bradley, a junior. “It feels like all of our work has paid off.”
The common theme when asked about what the title means to the players is hard work. After all, you don’t go from a 5-0 shutout playoff exit to a sectional champion overnight. Bennett, only a sophomore, said she is proud of the way she and Bradley played — but most importantly she said she believes the future of Pitman tennis is bright.
“It’s good to get to play with Amanda because we can always calm each other down,” she said. “We’re very relaxed and not afraid to make mistakes around each other. It’s very exciting to know we have a great team for next year as well. A great future ahead of us for Pitman tennis.”
Said coach Reid: “(Pennsville doubles Naomi Hess and Morgan Holt) was probably one of the toughest groups they’ve seen all year. They showed that they can compete with anybody. I put money on my ‘Bs’ any day. They clicked last year at second doubles, and there was no way I was splitting them this year. I wanted to challenge them. They were at the right place at No. 1, and they’ve obviously proved they can handle it.”
Reid said he knew the Panthers had an advantage at first and second singles with Fisicaro and Colette Rollins, who both won in straight sets, leaving the Panthers needing to find just one more score from first or second doubles.
They got both.
“I really thought we were up 2-0 from the beginning, no disrespect to the Pennsville girls,” he said. “We needed to find one more. The fact that we got two out of these doubles girls that work real hard and compete against each other every day has really made it special.”
The second doubles team of Jessica Bretz and Abigail Heil won 6-1, 6-4, securing the first win of the afternoon for the Panthers.
It was a particularly sweet victory for Bretz, as she competed and won the East Region softball championship, going on to place fifth in the Senior League World Series with Pennsville’s third singles player, Lily Edwards, and Gabi Forino (first doubles, injured)in 2023.
“I think the biggest thing is the bragging rights,” Bretz said. “It feels great because we’ve been working for this for three or four years now. To finally get that championship feels amazing, especially against them. On the court they’re rivals, they’re not my friends.”
She said they were all talking about the match throughout the week in her Pennsville group chat.
“I was the only one saying ‘Go Pitman’ all the way,” she said.
That group chat will probably be a little quiet tonight.
Unless, of course, Bretz feels inclined to utilize those “bragging rights.”
“The program four years ago only had three girls at the first practice,” added coach Reid. “It’s very fulfilling that we get this special group in here and get the chance to be champions.”
MATCH NOTES: It’s worth mentioning that Reid said he participated in ‘at least’ his ninth sectional championship game on Tuesday (and his first in tennis). Pitman baseball/basketball, Woodbury football and Glassboro baseball. Pennsville’s 22-match win streak dating back to 2023 was broken in the loss.
Click this link to watch the new ‘Sideline Snippets’ series, where correspondent Brian Tortella hands a Go-Pro video camera stick to players after the game and they talk about the victory:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBKay3zNCH9/?igsh=cWwzaHd6OXA2N3Fp
WHAT’S NEXT: Pitman travels to Mercer County Park on Thursday for the Group 1 state semifinal at 11 a.m. against New Providence. Pennsville travels to Millville on Wednesday for a regular-season match at 3:45 p.m.
Contact Brian Tortella: btortreportssj@gmail.com
