Burlington County Girls’ Notebook

Liberty Division. The Rancocas Valley girls' squad faces the same problem as the Rancocas Valley boys' team: Trenton Catholic Academy.

Trenton Catholic, led by Rutgers recruit Briyona Canty, is the team to beat in the division and should be one of the top teams in the state.

Rancocas Valley looms as a strong second. The Red Devils have a terrific all-around athlete in 5-foot-5 senior guard Lauren Gaskill.

"She is a coach's dream," Rancocas Valley coach Anthony Corrado said. "She's a hard worker, great leader and the catalyst to our defense."

Rancocas Valley also returns 5-7 senior guard Arianna Williams, 5-7 junior guard Natalya Lee, 5-5 sophomore guard Brianna Logan, and 5-7 sophomore forward Jasmyne Lewis.

The Red Devils should get a lift from a pair of tall young players: 6-2 freshman Lauren Moses and 6-2 sophomore Jordan Woods.

"We are quick and we have the size to compete against most teams," Corrado said.

Northern Burlington has a promising sophomore center in Marissa Rivera and a pair of experienced juniors in Jackie Laurenti and Gabby VanMater. The Greyhounds also should get a boost in January with the eligibility of center Racel Dortch, who transferred from Trenton Catholic.

Burlington Township should get a spark from the return of 5-7 senior Corrine Spencer. She averaged 8.6 points as a sophomore but missed last season with a knee injury.

The Falcons have three returning starters in 5-7 senior Victoria Williams, 5-11 junior Simi Adewumi, and 4-11 junior Ciera Ray, who averaged 8.2 points last season.

Patriot Division. Bordentown returns four starters from an 18-6 team and should challenge for the division title.

Leading the way is senior guard Emily Lawson, who averaged nine points last season. Other seniors include forwards She'reva Mendenhall, Dashinique Jones, and Breanna Hudik.

The Scotties have some depth with juniors Alicia Carthon, Michelle Ansong, and Melanie Hazlett.

Holy Cross has three returning starters plus a pair of talented freshmen.

The Lancers return leading scorer and rebounder Amanda Offenback, a 5-10 junior who averaged 10 points and eight rebounds. Kim Ochman, a 5-9 senior, hit a team-high 41 three-pointers last season, and Jazlyn Johnson, a 5-8 junior, averaged 7.5 points and five rebounds.

Holy Cross should get a spark from freshmen guards Alliya Butts and Ashli Jeune.

Delran returns all five starters from last season's 13-11 team, including 5-7 junior Taylor Umbrell, who led the Bears in scoring with 10 points per game.

The Bears also return 6-0 junior Crystal Cleveland, who had 140 rebounds as well as 29 blocks, and 5-8 senior Leo Enoch, and 5-5 senior Colleen Hughes.

Freedom Division. Burlington City returns all five starters from an 8-15 team, so the Blue Devils have a chance to push above the .500 mark.

Burlington City has a tall team by Group 1 standards with 6-0 senior center Afia Afyemang, 5-9 senior forwards Rachel Ford and Jasmine Murray, and 5-8 senior guards Ashley Vann and Angel Wilson.

Maple Shade returns three starters, 5-6 juniors Megan Horvath and Jackie McClellan, and 5-8 sophomore Jill Dombrowski. The Wildcats should get a lift from 5-6 sophomore Kaleigh Taylor, a transfer from Camden Catholic.

Florence has a new coach in Carey Traynor. The Flashes have a top returning player in 5-7 senior Sarah Muchowski, and another returning starter in 5-5 senior Dezarae Fillmyer.

   - Phil Anastasia