Lenape, Cherokee to renew a familiar, deep rivalry

For most players, in most games, it would have been the greatest feeling in the world.

But for Lenape's Mackenzi McErlean, when her go-ahead shot went in with two seconds remaining against Cherokee earlier this season - all McErlean felt was a case of nerves.

"All I could think about was last year," she said. "They beat us on a half-court shot, a buzzer-beater. Two seconds was too much time to give them."

That about sums up the rivalry between the Lenape and Cherokee girls' basketball teams.

Second-seeded Lenape will host No. 3 Cherokee on Saturday in the South Jersey Group 4 semifinals, adding another chapter in one of the area's most entertaining and deep-seated rivalries. The game was postponed from Friday.

McErlean, whose clutch shot held up in Lenape's first of two wins over Cherokee this season, has been through these hard-fought contests since before high school even started.

"I've been playing against a lot of those girls since I was in fourth grade. Our travel teams always had a great rivalry," she said. "We all know each other."

The history between the Chiefs and the Indians explains a lot.

Watching them play is akin to watching siblings fight - the games have such an obvious edge, such a physical nature that the players must either be extremely familiar opponents, or they genuinely dislike each other.

"They're all great girls," Lenape senior Alex Seedes insisted. "It's just that when we're on the court, we want to win so badly and they want to win so badly.

"It's just intense the whole time. This rivalry is so deep that it just becomes a great game every time we play."

Seedes is relishing her last opportunity to take part in such unique matchups. If the Indians win, there's a strong possibility they'll play top-seeded Shawnee, another neighboring school with familiar faces, in the final.

"I still remember the first time we [the Mt. Laurel travel team] beat Shawnee [Medford travel team] in the championship - it was in eighth grade," Seedes said. "They used to beat us every year and we finally beat them at their gym for the championship. It's still a really memorable game."

But it would pale in comparison to winning these next two games, starting Friday night at home against the Chiefs.

Lenape (24-3) has beaten Cherokee (22-4) twice this year - by one point on Jan. 6 and by five points on Feb. 5.

There are several interesting matchups in the game: Seedes, a scrappy guard and strong shooter, versus Cherokee point guard Shaye McGoey; Indians forward Maddie Sims against Chiefs post players Taylor McGlashan and Isabella Therien.

But, really, the teams are so evenly matched, so familiar with each other, that unlikely heroes are bound to emerge. Small details and spurts of extra effort will likely make the difference. And the outcome will probably be doubt until the final minute.

As a late winter snowstorm was about to hit the region Wednesday night, McErlean thought about being stuck inside one day before such a big game. She knew she'd have to find something, anything to do to avoid obsessing over it.

"I'll probably have to clean my room or go to the gym or something," she said. "Otherwise it might be all I'm thinking about."

McErlean echoed Seedes in her respect for the Chiefs.

"Cherokee is a great team, they have a lot of young players, but they're still so good," she said. "In the next couple of years, they could be state champions, definitely."

"But not this year," she added with a smile. "This year is our year."