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Gloucester Catholic, Cherokee advance to final of S. Jersey Invitational

After the game, it was almost hard to remember back to the first quarter - those brief minutes when Gloucester Catholic appeared unable to score at will.

Gloucester Catholic's Mary Gedaka, left, is defended by Rancocas
Valley's Katie McShea during a game Friday, February 12, 2016.
Gloucester Catholic's Mary Gedaka, left, is defended by Rancocas Valley's Katie McShea during a game Friday, February 12, 2016.Read moreKEVIN COOK / For The Inquirer

After the game, it was almost hard to remember back to the first quarter - those brief minutes when Gloucester Catholic appeared unable to score at will.

There was a moment in the opening quarter when Rams coach Lisa Gedaka put her arm around Dani Sanderlin, a forward in the middle of a cold stretch, and told her just to keep playing.

"I said, take a deep breath, and just let the game come to you," she said.

It's actually a nice way to sum up Sanderlin's style - she just plays. Whether shots are falling or not, she's ferocious on both ends, prides herself on rebounding and defense, and is something of an unsung hero for the star-studded Rams.

Friday night, though, she did manage to steal a bit of the spotlight after bouncing back and scoring 22 points over the final three quarters - giving her a game-high 24 - in the Rams' 65-36 win over Rancocas Valley (17-3) in a Final Four matchup of the South Jersey Invitational Basketball Tournament at Eastern High School.

Cherokee won the second matchup of the night in a 37-18 win over Sterling.

Gloucester Catholic (19-1) meets Cherokee (18-3) in the final Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at Eastern.

"It's amazing," Sanderlin said of being back in the championship after Gloucester Catholic lost last year's SJIBT finals to Camden Catholic. "These games are great because they prepare us for the [postseason]."

On Friday night, the Rams showed they are a vastly different team than last year with significantly more chemistry. Senior guard Maggie McIntyre and senior forward Mary Gedaka - who finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists - are still the team's stars. But the supporting cast is dangerous.

Aside from Sanderlin, Naiy Sabb is a slick point guard who finished with 8 points. And forward Tenisha Pressley is a rangy, athletic and quick guard who netted 17 points.

"Our chemistry is great this year," Lisa Gedaka said.

Sunday, the Rams will face a Cherokee team that overcame a slow start to advance to its first-ever SJIBT championship.

The Chiefs were down 10-5 after the first quarter, but held Sterling without a field goal for a 14-minute, 18-second stretch, including the entire second quarter, until Ke'alohilani Naone-Carter's reverse layup with 2:36 left in the third.

Isabella Therien led Cherokee with 19 points, including 12 in the third quarter. Jordan Wallace led Sterling (18-3) with 7 points, 9 rebounds and 6 blocks.

"Being in the championship of this tournament was one of our goals from the start of the season," Therien said. "We're really excited to play Gloucester Catholic."

Rancocas Valley 4 2 12 18 - 36

Gloucester Catholic 11 17 24 13 - 65

RV: Jonise Ledbetter 3, Katie McShea 15, Lauren Lewis 2, Lexi Williams 4, Marissa Woods 3, Aurora Ball 9.

GC: Dani Sanderlin 24, Mary Gedaka 13, Maggie McIntyre 3, Naiy Sabb 8, Tenisha Pressley 17.

Sterling 10 1 4 3 - 18

Cherokee 5 10 14 8 - 37

S: Jordan Wallace 7, Sabrina Shinkowitz 2, Ke'alohilani Naone-Carter 7, Xiomara Colon 2.

C: Shaye McGoey 6, Isabella Therien 19, Leah Reistle 1, Cailey Gibson 5, Sam DeBicki 4, Erin Brown 2.

rallysports@phillynews.com.