VIDEO: Herlihy hits milestone in Middle’s second-round win

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

The identity of the Middle Township High School girls basketball team under coach John Leahy has always been its strong defensive work.

While that remains true this season, the current version of the Lady Panthers can also flat-out score when they want to.

Middle did just that in a second-round South Jersey Group II playoff game Thursday, rolling to a 64-37 win over West Deptford.

The victory moves third-seeded Middle into the sectional semifinal round, in which they’ll travel to No. 2 Haddonfield on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip. The game will be broadcast live by 98.7 The Coast radio. Haddonfield was a 52-35 winner over Haddon Heights in its playoff contest Thursday.

Highlighting Middle’s win over West Deptford was an individual accomplishment by Kate Herlihy, who became just the fourth player in program history to record her 1,000th career point prior to her senior year. The junior guard needed 11 points to reach the milestone; she finished with 17 and also added 10 rebounds.

The other Middle girls basketball players to reach 1,000 career points as juniors include Jen Snyder, Lauryn Fields and Herlihy’s teammate, Kira Sides.

Sides scored a team-high 18 points and Aubrey Hunter contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Maddie Barber also impacted the game tremendously without scoring much, posting one point, 10 rebounds, four steals and three assists.

Middle improved to 22-6 with the victory.

The winner of Saturday’s Middle-Haddonfield clash will land in the South Jersey title game early next week. Middle reached the sectional title game last season, falling to Manchester Township.