Palmyra Panthers point guard Jada Cofield-Eli drives to the hoop during her team’s 40-20 victory over Moorestown Friends on Jan. 13.
Long before Palmyra High School’s modern gymnasium was built, the girls basketball teams practiced and played in what was dubbed “the pit,” now an auxiliary gym in the original school building.
The then-Palmyra Pals played well, winning the 1952-53 South Jersey Girls Championship and the Burlington County Scholastic League (BCSL) Freedom Division Championship during the 1974-75 season. In 2007, the newly-named Panthers won a South Jersey Group 1 Championship.
Following in their footsteps are the players on the 2024-’25 team, who improved their record to 7-1 with a 40-20 victory over the Foxes of Moorestown Friends High School on Jan. 13.
The Panthers started quickly in the first quarter as Amanda Gilmore made two baseline jumpers, Jada Cofield-Eli buried two foul shots and Ava Sims made a bucket to jump out to an 8-0 lead. Peyton Zauber responded for the Foxes by making a tough basket underneath and sinking a foul shot, and the first quarter ended with the Panthers leading, 9-3.
Both teams played tenacious defense in the second quarter, with only nine points scored. The Foxes used a 3-2 zone to frustrate the Panthers, who in turn used a player-to-player defense, and at times a full court press.
The players raced up and down the court trying to set up fast breaks off of rebounds, but both defenses were able to steal the ball away on many of those attempts. Cameron DiMeo hit a big three-pointer for the Panthers, while Maia Morban scored on a layup for the Foxes. At halftime, Palmyra had a 14-7 lead.
The ferocious defense of both teams excelled in the third quarter, with only 10 points scored. The Foxes scored on a driving layup by Maymouna Banks, a short jumper by Yuri Wallace and a foul shot by Nai Jones. The Panthers answered with a put-back rebound under the basket by Jillian Hines, who also made a foul shot, and a great steal and layup by Sims.
The fourth quarter opened with Palmyra leading 19-12. But just like the former stars who played in The Pit, the Panthers came alive on offense and wreaked havoc on defense. They scored 17 straight points to take a 36-12 lead before calling off the press and putting in the substitutes.
Jillian Hines buried two long and high three-point jumpers – one from the corner and the other from the top of the key – and Sims stole the ball twice and raced down the court for easy layups. Anna Paskiewicz continued the offensive surge with a three-point jumper, followed by a strong drive to the hoop by Jada Cofield-Eli for a bucket. She stole the ball on the next possession and made a great pass to DiMeo for a fast-break layup.
With Palmyra leading 36-12, Yuri Wallace made two foul shots for the Foxes to stop the run, but it was too late. With both team’s subs playing the final two minutes, the buzzer sounded and the Panthers had a 40-20 victory.
Later in the week, on Jan. 15, the Panthers girls’ basketball team defeated Willingboro, 49-35, for their eighth victory. Of the 14 remaining regular-season games, only five will be at home.
