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South Jersey basketball: NJSIAA state semifinal previews

Shawnee, Delsea, Haddonfield, Woodbury and Camden Catholic will take the court Thursday to try to advance to state finals.

The Shawnee boys’ basketball team celebrates winning South Jersey Group 4 title.
The Shawnee boys’ basketball team celebrates winning South Jersey Group 4 title.Read moreH. Rumph Jr. / For the Inquirer

All games Thursday.

Group 1

Woodbury (19-11) vs. Point Pleasant Beach (19-9) at Toms River North, 5:30 p.m.

Woodbury's road to semifinals: Beat Audubon, 76-24; Haddon Twp., 46-45; Penns Grove, 70-65; and Glassboro, 63-52.

Woodbury player to watch: Junior guard Aaron Estrada, who averages 21.1 points, is a clever lefty who can control play with his ball-handling, passing and scoring.

Point Pleasant Beach's road to semifinals: Beat STEM Civics, 76-52; Middlesex, 76-57; New Egypt, 63-42; and Burlington City, 53-47 (OT).

Point Pleasant Beach player to watch: Senior guard Mohamed Traore averages 18.6 points.

Fast fact: Woodbury is 9-1 in tournament games in the last two seasons.

Pick: Woodbury, 56-55.

Group 2

Haddonfield (27-3) vs. Rumson-Fair Haven (25-2) at Toms River North, 7:30 p.m.

Haddonfield's road to semifinals: Beat Cape May Tech, 62-44; Haddon Heights, 52-45; Camden, 54-53 (OT); and Lower Cape May, 63-45.

Haddonfield player to watch: Junior swingman Dan Fleming, who averages 11.2 points, is a top three-point threat.

Rumson-Fair Haven road to the semifinals: Beat North Plainfield, 71-47; Spotswood, 71-63; Bordentown, 59-49; and Carteret, 57-52.

Rumson-Fair Haven player to watch: Junior forward Ian O'Connor averages 15 points.

Fast fact: Haddonfield has won 12 of its last 13 games.

Pick: Rumson-Fair Haven 60, Haddonfield 58.

Group 3

Delsea (25-5) vs. Nottingham (27-2) at Brick Memorial, 7 p.m.

Delsea's road to semifinals: Beat Cherry Hill West, 71-50; Pinelands, 64-36; Timber Creek, 80-70; and Seneca, 53-40.

Delsea player to watch: Senior point guard Kolby Braxton is a top floor general who also can score, rebound and defend.

Nottingham's road to the semifinals: Beat Jackson Liberty, 77-44; Ocean Twp., 78-61; Northern Burlington, 73-57; and Moorestown, 59-56 (OT).

Nottingham player to watch: Senior forward Darell Johnson averages 22.4 points and is one of three seniors who have scored 1,000 career points.

Fast fact: Delsea has won 17 of its last 18 games.

Pick: Delsea 62, Nottingham 60.

Group 4

Shawnee (26-4) vs. Trenton (22-7) at Egg Harbor Twp., 5:30 p.m.

Shawnee's road to the final: Beat Southern, 64-38, Kingsway, 76-62; Eastern, 59-54; and Atlantic City, 61-48.

Shawnee player to watch: Senior forward Dylan Deveney, a top three-point shooter, has scored 26, 23 and 23 points in the Renegades' last three games.

Trenton's road to the semifinals: Beat East Brunswick, 59-49; Hunterdon Central, 63-58; Highstown, 70-56; and Colts Neck, 42-41.

Trenton player to watch: Senior guard Ji'Ayir Brown averages 12.7 points.

Fast fact: Shawnee is 54-7 since the start of last season.

Pick: Shawnee 66, Trenton 60.

Non-Public South A final

Camden Catholic (22-6) vs. St. Joseph Metuchen (23-4) at Brick Memorial, 5 p.m.

Camden Catholic's road to final: Beat Bishop Ahr, 69-27, and St. Augustine, 68-65 (OT).

Camden Catholic player to watch: Senior swingman Dominic Dunn is a top three-point threat.

St. Joseph's road to the final: Beat Bishop Eustace, 55-53, and Red Bank Catholic, 64-37.

St. Joseph player to watch: Junior guard Luke Fresco leads the Falcons with 48 three-pointers.

Fast fact: Camden Catholic has won nine games in a row.

Pick: Camden Catholic, 54-52.