With an explosive offense and stifling defense, Palmyra High School girls’ basketball team has won its first six games of the season by a combined score of 337 to 118.
The Panthers defeated Gloucester City, 48-33, on Dec. 27, in the first round of the Pitman Classic Invitational Basketball Tournament, and defeated Pitman 50-12 in the tournament finals a day later.
In the first round, senior Cadence Anderson led Palmyra’s varsity team with 28 points and three steals over the Lady Lions, while freshman Ava Sims managed 12 rebounds. Anderson again led in the finals, with 17 points and 10 steals over Pitman, while senior Kiley Hines pulled down 14 rebounds.
Under head coach Sean Brady, Palmyra finished 17-11 last year. The Panthers play in the Freedom Division of the Burlington County Scholastic League and have high hopes for an even better record this season. In the season opener on Dec. 15, they crushed Willingboro, 71-13, and followed that with a 70-17 win over Riverside three days later.
Palmyra beat Maple Shade, 40-26, on Dec. 20 as Anderson scored 24 points, pulled down four rebounds and had three steals. Sims scored six points and pulled down five rebounds as the team controlled the boards. Hines dominated underneath with 11 rebounds and three steals, while junior Anna Paszkiewicz pulled down nine boards and dished out four assists.
The Panthers again played great defense in a 58-12 win over Florence on Dec. 21. Also playing key roles in the team’s sizzling start this year are senior Angelina Sauls; junior Amanda Gilmore; sophomores Cam DiMeo, Elsie Kenson, La’Nya Bracero and Clara Canulli; and freshmen Jada Coefield-Elie, Emily Falicki and Jillian Hines.
Anderson is the team’s leading scorer with 112 points this season, while Sims has scored 39. Sauls has tallied 31 points and dished out a team-leading 21 assists, while Gilmore has scored 30 points.
The Panthers are currently tied with Bordentown for the Freedom Division lead, while neighboring Cinnaminson has a 6-1 overall record and leads the Liberty division. The stands are expected to be packed when the two rivals play each other on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 5:15 p.m. in the Cinnaminson High School gym, about a mile from Palmyra High.
Meanwhile, both teams hope to win their respective divisions and make some noise in the NJSIAA state playoffs after the regular season.
