As the final seconds ticked away, the looks on the faces of the Cinnaminson High School girls’ basketball players were sad and dejected.
A winning season was ending for the young Pirates, who played with heart and desire but came up short against the Middle Township Panthers, 47-39, in the NJSIAA Group 2 South Jersey title game on March 1.
The loss was especially heartbreaking for the only senior on the team, Emma Pfeiffer, who scored the game’s first basket on a breakaway layup and ignited the large home crowd – especially the hooting and hollering students dressed in black in the right corner of the gym.
The fans were also heartened by student Peyton Czarzasty’s powerful version of the national anthem.
Playing her last varsity game, Pfeiffer later nailed a three-pointer to give the Pirates a 12-3 lead. The Pirates kept on roaring when junior Amy Sztenderowicz buried two foul shots for a 14-9 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Middle Township’s defense then tightened and there seemed to be a lid on the basket when the Pirates shot the ball. The Cinnaminson offense managed just one point in the second quarter on a foul shot by sophomore Shiloh Moore.
The Pirates did play great defense, granting their opponents just six points. At halftime, the score was tied 15-15. But in the third quarter, Middle Township – led by Palek McKenzie and Reagan Powell – quieted the crowd by scoring 15 straight points to take a 30-15 lead.
The Pirates finally scored with less than two minutes left, as both Moore and junior Ellie Zarnawski made layups to get the crowd excited. Going into the fourth quarter, the score was 32-19.
Zarnawski stayed hot, sinking a three-pointer from the corner to cut the Panthers’ lead to 10. Izzi Guthrie put back her own shot for two points, and working underneath, sophomore Norah Quinn made two of four foul shots after hard drives to the hoop.
After a steal by freshman Gabby Harvey, Moore made a great pass to Sztenderowicz for a layup. Harvey then went to the hole and scored a bucket for the Pirates, igniting the crowd once again and making the score 36-30 with four minutes left in the game.
The comeback for Cinnaminson continued as Quinn was fouled on a drive and made both shots and Pfeiffer was fouled, making one shot to cut the Panthers lead to three. After Middle Township made four foul shots on the next two possessions, Sztenderowicz made another three-pointer for the Pirates and the score went to 40-36.
Cinnaminson put on a full court press, but the Panthers’ Powell broke free for a long pass and an easy layup. Foul shots by Guthrie, Quinn and Sztenderowicz cut the lead to four points, but Powell went four for four on the foul line in the last minute to clinch the championship for Middle Township.
Despite their disappointment at the end, the Pirates finished the season with an 18-8 record and a trip to the finals. Next season, fourteen of their 15 players will return, including Ava Milewski, Maddyn Rittler, Ryley Hobson, Kelsey Stuart, Dylan Horner, Grace McDonough, Mia Pacetti, Gwen Cichonski, Harvey, Sztenderowicz, Guthrie, Quinn, Moore and Zarnawski.
